Fischer Nordic Racing Manager, Eli Brown, has officially announced the formation of a Fischer / Swix Nordic racing program. The team, to be known as FSx, is in place for the 2005/06 season.
The FSx program (acronym for Fischer Swix and XC) is made up of three interlinked programs; The Athlete Development program, the Ambassador Program and the new Elite Team. While the athlete development program and the ambassador program are critical components of the program the Elite Team is the core of FSx. This new professional race team was created in response to the USST budgetary challenges in an effort to support athlete development. The members are up and coming, committed athletes that WILL have an impact on US Skiing in a big way in the coming years. This small but effective group of skiers is made up of the 2005 US Super Tour Sprint Champion, 2 former American Marathon Series Champions, and three other young aspiring recent college graduates.
“Fischer and Swix have a long and successful history together”, said Brown, “this partnership is an ideal match to bring two market leaders together to support, develop and raise the level of cross-country racing in the US.”
The FSx program has been constructed with an unprecedented amount of athlete participation. To make the best conditions for the athletes and the companies involved, a collaborative effort has taken place to create the vision and direction of this program.
Leading the team is 2005 American Ski Marathon Series Champion, Dave Stewart. Dave sees the strength in working with Fischer and Swix; “It's the most winning and recognized combo in ski racing and makes the team attractive to consumers, potential athletes, and sponsors. I think it's really positive.”
The focus of FSx will be to support and inspire Cross Country Ski Racing in the US by developing and fielding a competitive team made up of Americas most elite racers. The goals of the program are to provide a supportive and competitive environment for Americans top developing cross country ski racers. Early season will find the athletes zeroing in on the Olympic tryouts, with the goal to make the 2006 Olympic Team. While most of the athletes are young and 2006 is a strong possibility, 2010 is the main focus for this group. The athletes will compete in a variety of domestic races throughout the 2005/06 season including Super Tour events, major citizen races, and local events.
Members of the FSx Elite Team are: David Stewart, Nathan Schultz, Kate Whitcomb, Zach Violett, Zack Simons and Colin Rodgers. These athletes also serve as a great source for product development testing. They will use the latest products and provide critical feedback that Fischer and Swix can incorporate into their future product development.
“We are very excited to be an integral part of the team and continue our partnership with the Fischer brand. This partnership fits in perfectly with the reorganization of our Nordic division and our new focus on the racing market in the United States. This program ultimately shows support to the top athletes, juniors and ambassadors in the country!” commented Steven Poulin, Swix Hardgoods Sales Director.
The Team will be managed by Fischer Race Manager, Eli Brown. All Team members will ski exclusively on Fischer skis, Fischer boots and bindings, and use Swix Poles, wax, tools, and clothing.
