The Last Olympic Ski Sport Without Women: Nordic Combined

In this episode Nicole talks with Jill Brabec, President of Nordic Combined USA, about one of the Olympics' oldest sports that still excludes women. Nordic Combined blends ski jumping and cross country skiing, requiring athletes to launch themselves down steep terrain at maximum speed, fly the length of a football field, then immediately race 5K on skinny skis. Despite being in the Olympics since 1924, women were denied entry to the 2026 Games. Jill, a Steamboat Springs ski mom turned advocate, formed a nonprofit with other parents to save the US team when funding collapsed. Her daughter Alexa trains in Norway but can't compete in the Olympics due to gender restrictions. 

The IOC will decide about 2030 inclusion this spring after reviewing 2026 data. Jill draws parallels to women's ski jumping, which faced identical arguments 15 years ago and is now successful. She encourages fans to watch men's Nordic Combined February 11, 17, and 19 to show viewership demand, sign the petition at nordiccombineusa.org, and follow athletes on social media. The sport features 17 World Cups for women who jump the same hills as men and train at Lake Placid, Park City, and Steamboat Springs. Families with adventurous kids can find programs starting at age 5-6 through the website.

Website: nordiccombineusa.org

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Transcript

Nicole: Welcome back to the Ski Moms podcast. It's season five and we're hitting the slopes. We're sharing real unfiltered stories of motherhood on the snow. From conquering the bunny hill with toddlers to squeezing in your own powder days, this season celebrates every type of ski mob.

Thanks for joining us. We've got a great season lined up and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Our guest today is Jill Brabik. She is the president of the Nordic Combined USA and is one of the leading voices of shaping the future of this event.

It's one of the Olympics oldest and most demanding sports. We're going to tell you all about that.

And it's an event that blends ski jumping and, wait for it, cross country skiing. It has a deep history, but here's the thing, it also remains one of the last standing events where women don't compete in it, which is absolutely mind boggling.

Jill has been on the forefront of efforts to not only preserve the sport, but to also make it more inclusive. So we are really looking forward to talking to her about her leadership,

hearing about what's going on with the Olympics.

And let's jump in. Welcome, Jill.

Jill: Thanks for having me.

Nicole: Let's get an overview of what exactly is the Nordic Combined and give us a little history of the Olympic history.

Jill: Okay, so you all are ski moms. So we've all been on maybe a black diamond or a double black diamond.

So what you have to picture for the first part of Nordic Combined is the athletes basically point their skis down what's essentially a double black diamond. Straight.

No turning, no checking your speed. Your goal is actually to go as fast as you possibly can and then at just the right second,

basically they have to launch themselves into the air and then they want to fly as far as they can down the jump.

Basically somewhat about the length of a football field.

Think squirrel suit. Ish Flying.

They land, they try to land in a telemark because they Nordic binding. The ski jumping part, you're judged on your distance and then your style. So how you move through the air, your stability and then landing in a telemark.

So you've done this part right, the completely scary, intense focus.

Then you land and you're going to then switch gears for the second part, which is a cross country ski race, a skate ski race.

So you're then going to put on your skinny skis and you are going to enter the pain cave, right? So then it's a race to the finish. Women typically race a 5K.

And it is all out where basically when the athletes finish, they are dead at the, done at the finish line.

And that's really cool because you get the excitement of a race and the strategy and you know who's bonking and who's moving and who's using their,

their time wisely to, to move up in the race. And it's, it's a pretty cool sport.

It's. When it started in the Olympics, it was actually conceived of or considered to be the way of determining the strongest.

Nicole: Winter sports athlete because it combined those two skill sets. You had to have that fearless aspect that we see from many Olympians who are, you know, hurling themselves down things at great speed.

That risk aspect and then the grit aspect of Nordic skiing that you were talking about, you go into that pain cave and your muscles are just screaming for the race.

So it does combine those two things. And has it always been a part of the Winter Olympic Games?

Jill: Yep, it was from the original Olympic Games in 1924. So it's about a hundred years old for the men.

Nicole: That brings us to why we're really here today.

So the delicate flowers that we are women, I mean, you know, we bear children, we work in fields, but yet we can't do two sports at the same in the same day.

What's the history of this and where, where does it stand right now?

Jill: Nordic Combined was not admitted into the 2026 Games.

The IOC in 2022 made a decision that it was not ready for inclusion.

And they cited some things like diversity of nations on the podium,

the number of countries that participated and the age old stumbling block for women's sports viewership.

Nor women's. Nordic Combined didn't have the viewership. While Shocker wasn't in the Olympics,

it was still growing and it didn't, didn't yet have the visibility.

Fast forward ahead 2026.

The sport is every bit Olympic ready.

It actually has in the top 10. It's got six different nations fighting for a podium spot which if you look at a lot of other niche sports,

we're actually more diverse than most other sports out there right now.

Nicole: I agree with you that you've got to put it out there for people to see for countries to start developing these programs and start training their athletes. I remember how South Korea started going hard after curling when they got the Olympic Games and it just shows you how quickly they were able to train up world class athletes because they were talking about it,

they were thinking about it and it was inclusive. So I would love to see more events, not fewer events. And this one is really exciting to. To your point. You're seeing jumping and then you're seeing that grit all in one.

How did you get involved with making this a cause and trying to get more people paying attention, not just to the sport, but to the aspect of including women in it?

Jill: So I don't think this will be a shock.

My daughters fell in love with it.

And when your kids love something,

what do we do?

We join in with them.

So they tried pretty much every ski sport available,

actually, I think they tried every sport available.

It felt like.

And at the end of the day,

Nordic Combined happened to be the sport that they fell in love with.

So as they moved along with the sport, I became involved in it,

but mainly from the, you know, the volunteer side, the fun stuff.

And when we hit a few stumbling blocks two years ago,

we.

We had some funding,

lots of funding issues. And we found ourselves in a position that we needed to kind of start from scratch and form a new entity,

a new nonprofit so that we could support the sport and keep the team going,

essentially. I mean, they were looking at basically having no options at the time.

So as tend to happen when you need something done,

you tend to ask a busy mom.

And so a number of parents of athletes came together. We formed a 501C3.

We established a relationship with US Ski and Snowboard, which is the national governing body. And we basically took. Took over raising funds for the sport.

And there you go,

and off and running.

Nicole: Did you have any history in this, Jill, of either fundraising or organizing sport other than, you know, all moms have to organize somewhat.

But was this part of your background?

Jill: Absolutely not. I do. I have no marketing skills whatsoever.

My fundraising has basically been,

you know, the same fundraising we typically do of selling raffle tickets for our kids.

But I am.

I am a lawyer,

so I've practiced law for a number of years. And I think that problem solving skill set really fired. Started firing.

And it so happened that a couple of the other moms that became our board had a great skill set.

So we laugh and we say that we're the moms,

but for a while we really wouldn't admit that because or wouldn't allow ourselves to be called the moms because we actually come with professional skills. So I came with business background,

a legal background that, you know, can handle the logistics of filing for a 501C3 status.

The other mom came with marketing skills.

That was her skill set. And she's been excellent in doing our press and Our marketing. Another mom is a communications expert.

So it just happened that we brought the right skills to make it go well.

Nicole: I completely agree with that quote that maybe our headline quote of when you need something done, you ask a busy mom for 100%.

And I will say this sport has been getting on my radar. We're headed to the Olympics, Sarah and I, in a week. And we have tickets for Nordic Combined, so we're gonna go see the men compete.

When I was buying these tickets, you know, last summer, I assumed that there was a women's event as well, and these were the only ones we could get. But the more research that I did, I found out, no, no.

In fact, this was just a event for the men this year.

But in other competitions are there women's events? What's available for the women who are competing right now at the highest levels in this sport?

Jill: The Ski International Ski Federation that we call fis, right,

started a program and they let out a,

laid out a strategy for women's Nordic combined starting in 2018.

And since 2018,

the sport has grown. It started with Continental Cups, which is a step down from a World cup.

Then in 2020,

the sport had its first World cup and,

and then continued to grow from there.

And so since that time,

the current schedule has 17 World Cups on it. For women's Nordic Combined,

the women jump both a normal hill,

which is kind of a silly term, but it's roughly around a hundred and hundred meter hill.

And they now jump a large hill.

So they jump the same hills that the men jump. So a large hill is somewhere around 120 meter jump. The sport has progressed to the point where it runs parallel to the men.

It has almost the same amount of competitions.

Short of a few, there's probably only a few additional competitions that men's Nordic Combined has.

They, they jump the same hills.

They,

they train the same, they train year round.

These are athletes that don't do this just as a hobby.

They basically give up their,

their school, their college opportunities and their professional opportunities to pursue this full time and train two different sports.

Nicole: And where are they training currently? Is this something that's happening the east coast and out in, in the Rockies, or is this got a hub that's really concentrated here in the US So.

Jill: In the US the hubs are three main areas. Lake Placid, New York,

with the Olympic jump complex, is an amazing venue and they also have been very supportive of the sport because they see the value of it. So actually the Lake Placid venue has been super supportive and Helped our development program.

We also have a strong base in the west in both Park City, Utah,

in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Nicole: So they, they both have jumping centers at both Park City in Utah and then Steamboat.

Jill: Yep. Park City has the Olympic venue that was used in Salt Lake that will get rebuilt for 2034.

So how perfect is that? That?

We'll be right there. Ready?

And then Steamboat Springs happens to have a set of ski jumps and has wonderful youth program.

So it's a great start for a lot of young athletes.

Nicole: And what's the, the skill set that gets athletes into this? Are they kids who are just sort of snow loving?

Maybe kids who love to hit the jumps?

Where are we finding the talent pool that is getting to the, you know, Continental cup and then the World cup level? Where are we finding these kids?

Jill: They are typically those kids that just like to jump off things.

So we have,

we have in Steamboat, we have a Wednesday night jump series and it starts with 5 and 6 year olds that jump off of the bump jump and they move up from there.

And so they go from a 5 meter jump to a 20 meter to a 30 meter to a 60 to 100 and they just,

they fall in love with it. It's exciting.

It requires a certain focus as well as a certain amount of bravery.

And we find that kids really enjoy it. A lot of times it will take them a while to fall in love with this skiing part because let's, let's admit it,

cross country skiing's hard,

but most of the kids that do it do start off doing both.

And sometimes they will then either move in the direction of ski jumping as their only sport or they'll move to cross country or they'll move to Alpine or something else.

But yes, it's typically just kids that want to explore and it clicks.

Nicole: And was Steamboat your hometown where your kids started it?

Jill: It is, yep. And we were, we were really lucky. That was our after school program.

Nicole: Steamboat really is. We've talked about it a number of times on the podcast, but it is really something special having that public access to the mountains right in the middle of town.

I don't know if there's a statistic about how many Olympic athletes come out of Steamboat, but I would hazard a guess it's probably one of the highest of anywhere in the US and there's.

Jill: Actually at the Winter Sports Club,

there's a room that all of our meetings and dinners are held for the club, the Winter Sports Club. And it's called Olympian hall and it has a flag for every Olympian that came out of Steamboat Springs.

And it's pretty inspirational. I mean, you see these little kids running around under these flags and they all have that,

that little bit of a dream in their mind of being an Olympian someday.

Nicole: So timeline wise, what are, what are we looking at? Do we think that it's going to make.

Doesn't look good for the Italy Games? It looks like the women will be cheering from the sidelines.

What about in four years? Do we think that we can do the work to get it there?

Jill: We are leaving no stone unturned to make sure that that is a possibility.

Basically, what the IOC has said. So IOC is the International Olympic Committee. They're the big decision makers and they have said that they will review the data on the Sport from the 2026 Olympics and, you know, and the surrounding season, and they will make a decision decision this spring about 2030.

Nicole: Because right now, it's not just that women may or may not be admitted. It's really like the future of the sport as well as they bring new sports in. There is a little bit of a threat to this heritage sport that maybe it's not getting the viewership or the participation numbers that other sports are getting.

Do I have that right?

Jill: Correct. Yep.

But let's think about this for a second, because we're looking at all the other sports, and if,

if we've been paying attention, we've started to figure out,

you know, who's really good at marketing women.

Women in sports have some of the highest engagement and the highest fan base right now.

So for a sport like Nordic Combined,

that only has half of its base.

Yeah. Its viewership's not going to be very, very great.

So that's my big concern. And it's been challenging to kind of articulate that argument,

but I think, again, the IOC has been just kind of missing the point when they look at the viewership of a sport like this and they go, oh, well, it hasn't had great viewership.

Well,

you only have half of the number of athletes. You have half the opportunities to,

to find that engagement.

Nicole: Let me get on my, my pedestal for a minute. I'm quite comfortable up there.

Look what Jesse Diggins has done for Nordic skiing. I mean, she has not only lifted the women's boat, she's lifted the entire boat of the, the team.

And then we look at Lindsey Vonn's comeback,

and,

boy, people are paying attention to the entire US Ski Team because she is back out there. Michaela Shiffrin, our goat, is going to be back out there.

But all of these women are tremendous ambassadors for winter sport in general. So I couldn't agree with you more that bringing young female athletes who are passionate about this could do a lot to advance Nordic Combined for everyone,

not just the ladies. We want to make sure that we can continue to watch and cheer. How can the casual Olympic fan support and get involved?

Jill: So our big goal right now is. And it's almost.

To some people, it seems a little counterintuitive,

but we actually need strong viewership for men's Nordic Combined during the Olympics because that will show the IOC that there is a fan base. People want to watch it. There is also.

There are a couple of other things that are playing out there. There is a petition.

It's on our website.

And again, it's just making sure that we get the message to the IOC that there.

There is an interest in.

In it.

And I think it's broader than that to say, hey, look,

we need you, ioc,

to really hold firm to the statement that you made about gender equity.

And you said you were going to seek to be gender equitable in the Olympics.

You. You're so close. You just missed the mark by one sport.

Don't eliminate the entire sport rather than bring the women in and give them a chance and give the entire sport a chance to succeed.

Nicole: Okay, we're gonna sign the petition. We're gonna link to that in show notes, and I have signed.

We're gonna tune in, and I'm gonna be on the international stage. I'll be there in the. In the audience watching this.

As I'm watching, who am I cheering for? Like, who are the amazing players? I don't even know. I mean, I'm getting more and more excited about this the more we talk.

But who from Team usa, who internationally? Like, who am I going to be cheering for?

Jill: Okay, so we have two.

Two athletes,

male athletes from the U.S.

one is gentleman by the name of Ben Loomis.

He hails from Wisconsin,

and he's actually part of what's called a WCAP program.

So he's actually in the military,

and the military pays him to participate in the sport.

So that's his way of being able to do. Do this sport.

So he's.

He's a military guy. He looks like a military guy. He's got the short hair.

He's very stoic and an amazing athlete. The other athlete that we want to be watching is Nicholas Malasinski. He comes from Steamboat Springs.

So I have a little bit of extra cheering going on for him and his sister.

Her name is Annika Malasinski. She too is a Nordic Combined athlete and she's been a very vocal spokesperson for this sport. And there's,

you know, it's a little,

I can't say tragic, but it's. It's really hard to see one sibling able to go to the Olympics and the other sibling not able to go simply because of gender.

So those are the two U.S. athletes. I think you'll find them fun to watch.

I think we have to cheer for our Norwegian counterparts because our U.S. athletes, we actually train with Norway,

so we consider them part of our team.

And if I were to place a bet, I would say you are likely to see one of the oft brothers,

either Jens or Einar, headed for podium during the Olympics.

And oh, my God, wait till you see these guys fly up the hill during the ski race.

I. I can't really fathom how you move that fast.

So I think you'll see it an exciting competition.

Nicole: This will be my first ski jump that I've seen in competition. I've seen some Nordic races, so I'm excited for that.

And what are we looking for? So I've heard that the lower they fly to the ground,

the further they can get. Is that what we're. That's sort of the form technique.

Jill: So the way to fly far is a combination of power timing and then getting flat to your skis, if that makes sense. So basically, you want to have a lot of power and speed going off of the takeoff,

and you are gonna. You literally launch yourself into the air.

And so what we're looking for is they will be really aerodynamic and it almost looks like they're floating down to the ground at the end. And that's what's kind of cool about it, because it's not super injury prone because when they come down, they're actually running down the hill at the same perspective as a hill.

So it's not like they completely drop out of the air. Like in aerials, for instance, you're going to be looking for. There's a green line that will show you what their target is and what the.

And obviously that moves as. As they go further. And so you'll be looking at.

At that green line to see who can jump the farthest.

Nicole: I've heard people yelling like, dig, dig. When the Nordic skiers are going uphill, but what are we yelling to people as they're ski jumping? Like, are we just ringing our cowbells?

What's the crowd doing?

Jill: You know, it's mainly ringing our cowbells and There's a.

A horn that people, a lot of people have. I'm a cowbell girl, personally. Yeah. Making as much noise and cheering them on. Maybe that extra little bit of noise helps float them a little bit further.

But,

yeah, it's just cheering loudly and watching,

making sure they don't crash.

Nicole: And then for the Nordic ski competition, is it a mass start, or do they start them individually? And for the listener who maybe doesn't know, sometimes there's Nordic events where they all start.

And it is absolutely organized chaos, because you have everybody leaving at the exact same time and there's jostling for position,

and then there's time starts where, you know, there's a little like, beep, beep, beep, and they start and then the next one. What are we looking at for the Nordic competition?

Jill: So we have one of each. We have one that is what they call a gunderson, which means that depending on how you ski jumped, right, like, let's say you had the best ski jump,

then you will line up for the race start and you will go out first at.

At starting time zero.

And then if,

let's say you were the fourth person back,

you will then start out four person, four people back.

And your time back from that zero is based on your distance and the number of points you got during the ski jump.

So that means it's kind of like a staggered start based on how you did in ski jumping. So if you jumped really well,

you're going to go out first and you're going to have the advantage.

What you find is not everybody ski jumps well and cross country skis well.

So that's where some of the fun and the excitement comes in, because you will see some athletes that will ski up from 10th or 20th place up into podium position,

and then the first one across the finish line is the winner of the competition.

So there's no more math at that point.

Nicole: So exciting. So as we're watching the Nordic skiing, the cross country skiers come in, we're going to know who's on the podium. Whoever is, is. Oh, how exciting.

Jill: And there is also a mass start, which goes to your chaos theory.

And that's another day of competition where everybody skis first, they all leave at the same time. That's where you see broken poles and people stepping on skis, and it's, it's.

It's a pretty intense start. And then it starts to split out a little bit, and then they go ski jump.

And that one's a little harder because that actually requires math. But the good news is somebody else is doing the math for you. So when they're announcing it and showing it at the event, they show what somebody needs to ski jump in order to, quote, win.

Nicole: But when? So at the. At the Italian Olympics this year, we're going to see ski jump, then Nordic.

Jill: Yes. It depends on which day you go, because there are three days of competitions in the Olympics. The 11th, 17th and 19th.

And one is a mass start and one is a Gunderson and then the other one is a compact, which is kind of like the Gunderson at. It's a ski jump and then a race.

It's just a little different way of determining how people start in the race.

Nicole: So there's three different opportunities to medal. I had no. I had no idea. I thought there was one event, but how cool.

Jill: If the women were in, we would have.

Nicole: It would be six. There's lots of opportunities for us to be tuning in. Are all the athletes going to do all three?

Jill: Oh, yeah.

Nicole: Wow. They're going to be exhausted at the end of this.

So. What an exciting opportunity to get to cheer for your athlete. Not only are you going to get to see them at three different things, but twice at every competition.

Jill: Yep.

Nicole: Oh, my goodness. I had no idea that all this was happening. And this is very exciting. So are you going. Is your family going to watch the competition?

Jill: So I am going.

And actually my daughter Alexa,

who competes,

is going to come back from Norway. She's going to join me for the first competition and also to watch women's ski jumping, because those are. Her roommate is actually in the Olympics for women's ski jumping.

So they live together in Norway.

And we.

We can't not come cheer on our ski jumping sisters and brothers.

Nicole: Well, and I'm glad that you brought up the ski jumping, because that's a success story.

That is a story where women weren't competing and now they are. So that is really the.

The blueprint,

I would assume, for. For you.

Jill: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I keep looking at the articles from ski jumping in 2014, and you could almost do a search and replace.

It's that the arguments are that sim similar.

Although I did just see something on social media today, and somebody picked up one of the stories from when ski jumping had its challenge to get in the Olympics. And the.

There was an IOC member who unfortunately made a statement about women's reproductive health and that he didn't think ski jumping was appropriate because their uteruses might fall out.

Nicole: I mean, there's just ski hills everywhere. Littered with uteruses. It's, you know, it's amazing that we're able to keep going.

Jill: Yeah. I mean, and that's like, we're not talking about the 1950s people.

We're talking about the last 15 to 20 years. And somebody actually said this.

So while we have progressed and thank God, ski jumping, women's ski jumping has shown the way. I mean, they've shown the success. They've shown that uteruses don't fall out when we ski jump or race or do anything else.

So we're hoping that we can follow in that,

that pursuit.

Nicole: And how is your daughter feeling? I know this is very personal, but is she hopeful? Is she signed on for another four years of competing and helping the sport grow?

Jill: You know, what you find as an athlete is you have to take it year by year. I think she would love to.

I mean, right now, she.

She can think of nothing that she wants to do more.

But as a parent, too, we talk about the fact that you only do this while you have joy.

So hopefully she will still have joy in.

In pursuing the sport in four years.

But for right now, she's all in and.

And is ready to keep fighting the fight.

And, you know, I've talked a lot about this fight for the Olympics, and it,

at first it felt like it was personal and it was just me fighting for my own family,

my own daughter and her friends opportunity.

But as we've moved through this, I've realized there's a chance that Alexa may have moved on at that point.

And so really what this fight is for is for that next group of girls that are coming up and their chance to pursue it.

And whatever other girls are out there looking for a sport that just fits.

That's really the message, and that's really what's driving,

I think, most of us right now.

Nicole: Well, what a gift to be giving future generations. And it sounds like you are just generally optimistic about the opportunities that are going to be coming if a family wants to learn more.

So say they've got one of those kids who's just always jumping off things, but also loves, you know, adventures in the woods on skinny skis. Where did they even get started on trying to find a program or some coaching or even the very basics?

Jill: The amazing thing about Nordic Combined is we're a small enough family that literally you can reach out to us and we could connect you that we're. That we are that in tune to people.

But we do have a website. It's nordiccombineusa.org there's an email. There's also a listing of clubs on there and there are small ski clubs,

ski jumping and Nordic combined clubs throughout the east,

in the Midwest and in the west you can find these clubs and the kids, they have a great time.

I mean we need more of that. We need our kids outside more. Absolutely. Check out the website and you can always just email us and we can help connect you.

Nicole: And what would you say to a young girl who's maybe, you know, she's going to be watching the Olympics, I remember as we all did,

and she's going to be looking at the figure skaters and she's going to be looking at the losers and then she's going to be looking at the ski jumping, the women there.

And she's going to be curious about this sport. What would you tell her that she's in for in her future?

Jill: I think she's in for learning a lot about herself.

I think that the amazing thing about Nordic combined and sport in general is what young women learn about themselves and how to dig deep and find something that they may not have ever thought they had.

Nicole: And then any shout outs that you want to do from for sponsors who have really stepped up to the plate to make the dreams come true. Is there anybody who's been outstanding in helping get these athletes over to Italy?

Jill: Most of our sponsors are still pretty small. Kymenox, Gerber, Behrend have been amazing.

Town hall, which makes a ski jacket for kids happens to be in Steamboat Springs.

We've had a lot of support from, from small companies like that.

I have to also shout out to us ski and snowboard. The leadership there has been helpful and we are making a lot of progress in moving the sport along and it is,

it is a strong women led organization right now. So that gives me a lot of hope.

So yeah, those are the main ones right now.

Nicole: And what about you? Are you still able to find joy in the outdoors? Are you, have you moved to just spectator or are you still playing outside yourself?

Jill: Of course I try and get out as much as I can. I will never ski jump.

I will tell you that I went off of a *** jump. I might have closed my eyes, whimpered a little and landed on my back.

My kids joke that mama is a penguin and mama does not fly. I'm happy in the backcountry.

So if I have my free time when I'm not working,

I will grab my backcountry skis and skin up the mountain for a little bit and just to enjoy a few turns down and A little peace and quiet.

Nicole: That sounds absolutely heavenly. And we do always love to to wrap with a question about apres skis. So when you're finished your ski, are you getting right online to see what's happening with the your campaigns or are you going to relax, have a cup of tea, you know, maybe if it's an evening skin,

you're going to have a glass of red wine. What does apres ski look like for you?

Jill: When I get the chance to skin up the mountain with my mama friends after work,

we put our headlamps on and we we skin up and I may on occasion throw a little flask with some schnapps in my bag. And so we sit at the top of the trail and we have a little mama chat time with a little schnapps and then we ski down.

So I would call, I would say that's kind of my favorite apres ski or mid ski.

Nicole: And we will link to everything that we talk to here about getting families involved. But one last so where can we find on social media,

where's the best way to be following along with the campaign and how are our athletes are doing in this year's Olympics?

Jill: Yes. So again it'll be Nordic Combined USA and it's on both Instagram and Facebook.

And yeah, you should be able to follow that. And also following the athletes, I know that seems silly, but that actually helps them with their commercial opportunities.

It's, it's all about followers and trying to get sponsorships so that they can pay their way to the next competition basically.

So yeah, Nordic Combined usa. We will be posting more about how to watch and what we've got going on.

Nicole: Well, Jill, it's been an absolute delight talking with you today. I hope our paths cross when we're in Italy together and I can give you a good ski mom hug and some stickers.

And thank you for educating me. I. There's so much I don't know about this sport. Also inspiring me because it reminds us that there are actions that we can take to really help promote the sport for everyone and making it more equitable so we can see women on the the highest levels of competition and hopefully some US Athletes on the podiums there as well.

Jill: I hope so.

Nicole: Well, thank you so much.

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