World Class

What makes a great team? Sports journalist Peggy Shinn answers this question in her enthralling account of the dramatic rise of the U.S. womens cross-country ski team, winners of eight medals at three world championships over the past five years. Shinns storybased on dozens of interviews with athletes, coaches, parents, spouses, and friendspaints a vivid picture of the obstacles that Americas female athletes must overcome not just to ski with the worlds best, but to beat them. In a sport where U.S. women have toiled for decades, mostly in the middle or the back of the pack, the development of a world-class team attests to the heady combination of a transformational leader, a coach who connects with his athletes, the super-fast individual skiers who are also conscientious teammatesand a bit of good luck. This is the story of Kikkan Randall, Liz Stephen, Holly Brooks, Jessie Diggins, Ida Sargent, Sadie Bjornsen, Sophie Caldwell, Rosie Brennan, and coach Matt Whitcomband how they created the perfect team.