Bjornsen Siblings Usher in New Era of Development Strategy

The success of US Ski Team sibling phenoms, Sadie and Erik Bjornsen, has inspired US Ski Team coaches and development staff to adopt a new strategy for developing high level internationally competitive athletes. As head coach, Chris Grover, stated in a recent press release, “After the Bjornsen success in Sochi, we realized that sibling pairs, particularly those with older sisters and younger brothers close in age, have the best shot at international success. Not only do they share similar family attitudes about skiing and sport, they also share genes, which means both should have what it takes to succeed. Additionally, this eliminates the need to debate the age-old question: nature versus nurture.” Since 2014, US Ski & Snowboard staff have applied this strategy to many successful sibling pairs, the latest of which to show strong effects include Caitlin and Scott Patterson, Katherine and Ben Ogden, and Hannah and Haydn Halvorsen. Plans are in place to expand the program to include even younger sibling pairs such as the Floras out of Anchorage, Alaska, in a final push before assessment of the program in late 2032 after the Olympic games.