Roundup: Cnossen, Gretsch Shine At Vuokatti World Cup

Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para Nordic skiing. Here’s what you missed!

Cnossen, Gretsch Open the Season at World Cup in Finland

Seven-time Paralympic medalist Dan Cnossen isn’t ready to retire at age 44.

Cnossen joined Paralympic gold medalist Kendall Gretsch at the first world cup event of the Para Nordic skiing season in Vuokatti, Finland. He competed in three cross-country skiing races and earned his best finish when he placed 10th in the sprint event on Dec. 17.

Cnossen also finished 14th in a pair of races, one with an interval start and the other with a mass start.

Gretsch, meanwhile, won two gold medals in the sprint biathlon and the individual biathlon. She also earned a silver in the cross-country skiing interval start race on Dec. 19 and a bronze in the mass start race the following day.

Ty Wiberg Shares Encouraging Message With Middle School Students

Paralympic hopeful Ty Wiberg recently returned to Wisconsin, where he grew up, to talk to a group of middle school students about the importance of overcoming obstacles in life.

As he has done over the past few years, Wiberg was a guest speaker at DeLong Middle School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He was raised nearby in Chippewa Falls, and his mother, Michele Wiberg, serves as the middle school’s principal.

“For the last few years when I have come to talk at DeLong Middle School, I speak about going above and beyond,” Wiberg told the local Leader-Telegram newspaper. “How do you persevere through a lot of challenges that you may face? For me, it is my physical disability, but for a lot of people it might be school or just growing up. There are so many different things that you have to persevere through in life, so I’m talking to them about how do you create your own normal. How do you persevere through the tough times and do hard things? Because it is a natural part of life that you are going to encounter hard things that you have to do.”

Wiberg is training in the hopes of making his Paralympic debut at the Winter Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026. He trains in Bozeman, Montana, where U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing is based.

Dani Aravich Stays Busy During the Holiday Season

Two-time Paralympian Dani Aravich continued training during the holiday season.

She posted a short video of herself roller skiing on Instagram. In the video, she is working hard on a treadmill.

Aravich, who’s training to qualify for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics, is hosting a two-hour clinic to teach cross-country skiing to beginners at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center in Bozeman. The clinic runs from noon to 2 p.m. on Jan. 5.

The ski clinic costs $15, and all the proceeds will go to a scholarship fund to continue to provide outdoor opportunities for adaptive athletes.

Oksana Masters Spreads Christmas Joy

Paralympic gold medalist Oksana Masters is in the Christmas spirit.

Masters is recovering from a medical procedure that will force her to miss a good portion of the Para Nordic skiing season. She took a moment to wish her more than 61,000 followers on Instagram a merry Christmas and a happy holiday.

In her post, Masters, the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian of all time, shared several photographs of herself hugging her mother, Gay Masters, next to a Christmas tree and a stack of presents.

“Always a blessing when you get to spend holidays with the ones that complete your heart most,” Masters wrote on Instagram. “… Hope everyone is safe, warm, and living in the moment with their families & friends.”

Alex Abrams has written about Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to USParaNordic.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.