FAR WEST COACHES
Ben Grasseschi
Ben is currently the Head XC Skiing Coach for Far West Nordic as well as Head Coach for Auburn Ski Club.
Ben grew up skiing in Montana and Idaho and was a member of the College of Idaho XC Ski Team. Ben’s strengths as a coach are his ability to keep athletes motivated and excited about training and competing.
Coaching/Athletic Highlights
Head Coach Far West Nordic Junior, Seniors, and Master Programs
Head Coach Auburn Ski Club Juniors and Masters Programs
Member of College of Idaho Ski Team
US Ski Team Junior Scandinavian Trip Coach
Glenn Jobe
Glenn is a former Far West board member and Far West head coach. An Olympic Biathlete in the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, Glenn is highly respected as one of North America's leading experts on XC skiing technique, particularly classic skiing. Glenn's coaching for masters skiers is focused on efficiency and "skiing smarter, not harder" which is key for many masters skiers. Glenn began XC skiing in 1972 at the University of Nevada, Reno and was the founder of both Kirkwood and Tahoe Donner's Nordic centers. Glenn started coaching Far West Junior skiers in 1977 with the Junior National trip to Deadwood South Dakota. He has been instrumental in growing the Far West Junior Nordic Program and is a member of Far West Nordic's coaches and senior committees.
Coaching/Athletic Highlights
1980 Olympic Biathlon Team
1981 National Biathlon 20km Champion
2002 Group leader for the forerunners at the 2002 Olympics
2002 Inducted into the UNR athletic Hall of Fame.
Nancy Fiddler
Nancy is currently the head coach of the new junior club at Mammoth Lakes.
Nancy is an Olympian and US National Champion with 14 national titles.
Her approach to coaching is to inspire and bring out the greatness in every person on the snow.
Nancy grew up in New England but did not really start XC skiing until she was at Maine's Bates College. After a six year hiatus from racing, she achieved considerable success on the World Cup and Championship circuit and competed in the 1988 Calgary and 1992 Albertville Olympics.
Katerina (Hanusova) Nash
Katerina Nash has been to 3 Olympic games, twice for cross-country skiing for the Czech Republic (1998 and 2002) and once for mountain biking (2004 in Atlanta). Now a resident of Truckee, Katerina moved to the US in 2000 after receiving a scholarship for cross-country skiing from the University of Nevada, Reno. Katerina races for the Luna Chix pro team and is considered one of the top mountain bike racers in the world. She competes at the world cup level in both mountain biking and cyclo-cross, and is consistently a top finisher. In January 2010, she finished in first place at the cyclo-cross World Cup race in Roubaix. She competes in Tahoe-area XC races as her schedule permits -- although XC racing isn't now her primary sport, she's still is one of the fastest women XC skiers in the Far West region.
Marcus Nash
Marcus Nash, a 9-time National champion in cross country skiing, went to two Olympics: in 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway and 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Marcus was a member of the US Ski Team for 7 years. Now a pilot for Cathay Pacific Airlines, he also runs an internet-based training/coaching program, All Mountain Training. Originally from Maine, Nash traveled all over the world in his days as a professional cross country skier, and when he retired, he chose Truckee out of all the places to live and ski, often saying that the best cross country skiing is right here in California. Marcus’ emphasis as a coach are technical development, increasing endurance capacity, and strength training. Marcus has competitive and coaching experience in cross country skiing and cycling.
Jeff Schloss
Jeff Schloss has been coaching cross country ski racers and endurance athletes for nearly twenty years. He has coached the Auburn Ski Club junior teams, Far West's junior Nordic ski team, and has led countless coaching clinics. In 2006 Jeff was named as US Ski Team coach for the US World Junior Nordic team and the US Under 23 World Championship team. Jeff is a highly motivational coach, brining out the best in everyone's abilities, whether its coaching elite level ski racers, or adult skiers that are new to XC ski racing. Jeff is an avid competitor in skiing, running, and triathlon. He is the director of the new nordic program at Sugar Bowl Academy.
Coaching Highlights
Head Coach, University of Nevada XC Ski Team 1993-2000
Head Coach, Far West XC Ski Team 2000-2005
Coach ,US Ski Team Jr. World Championship Team 2006
August Teague
August Teague is in his sixth season as the head coach of University of Nevada XC ski team. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Teague was named the director of skiing in the summer of 2007 and oversees all aspects of the UNR's Wolf Pack skiing program. Teague has helped UNR to top 10 finishes in three of his first four years in Reno, including ninth-place showings in 2005 and 2008 and a 10th-place effort in 2007.
In May of 2007, Teague was named to the Cross Country Coaches Committee at the United States Ski Association (USSA) Congress in Park City, Utah. Teague is the only college coach on the 15-person committee where he is helping to create policies and address issues in the United States ski racing community. Committee tasks also include editing the USSA rule book, writing and approving the selection criteria for the Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, U23 World Championships and Junior World Championships in addition to approving and creating cross country coaches education curriculum and approving the upcoming year's national calendar.
Prior to coming to Nevada in 2004, Teague spent one season as the head Nordic coach at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. Teague lettered four years as a member of the University of Denver cross country skiing team. He helped the Pioneers to three NCAA championships from 2000-2002.
Sally Jones 
Sally has been coaching as a profession for almost 20 years. Her Nordic focus began in New Zealand, where she coached The National Junior Team before moving to California to develop & run the Nordic Ski Teams at The Auburn Ski Club. Under her leadership, the Ski Club has made its mark on the National scene by producing many successful athletes & being awarded The USSA's Cross Country Ski Club of The Year twice. Sally is well renowned for her eye for technique and her work at keeping athletes focused and centered.
Coaching/Athletic Highlights
Auburn Ski Club XC Skiing Program Director
New Zealand Junior National Ski Coach
Ski Instructor
Lea McKinstry
Auburn Ski Club Development Team Head Coach
Lea grew up as an Alpine skier who dabbled in Nordic until middle school. That's when she started focusing mainly on XC racing. Lea skied for Leavenworth Ski Club with TJ Owen as her coach. In high school she had an opportunity to live in Norway for a year and skied with Fossum Ski Club in Oslo. When she returned she continued skiing in Leavenworth and skied for PNSA (Pacific Northwest Ski Assoc.) at Junior Nationals until she graduated from high school. She traveled through college and after but continued to ski when accessible. Lea has been a Far West and Auburn Ski Club coach for a over a year.
Judy Rabinowitz
Consistently a top finisher in the Tahoe Rim Tour since its inception, Judy Rabinowitz is highly regarded for her elegant classic skiing technique. An accomplished XC skier and athlete, Judy's skiing background includes serving on the U.S. Ski Team, winning U.S. Nationals, competing in World Championships and going to the Olympics twice for the United States (Sarajevo in 1984 and Lake Placid in 1980). After Sarajevo, Judy went on to Harvard Law School; she currently works as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in San Francisco.
Chauncey Parker
Chauncey spent the ’70s and ‘80s teaching and guiding rock and ice climbing throughout the U.S. In the early 1970s, he began cross-country skiing in northern Arizona and skied for several years not realizing skis could maneuver with other than a step-turn or a kick-turn. He first taught skiing in the late 1970s at the Palm Springs Cross Country Ski Center. Active in Nordic racing in the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, he managed some top three finishes in the Tahoe region citizen races. In the late 1990s, Chauncey helped design and cut the trail system for the short-lived and much loved Atoma Cross Country ski center across from Mt. Rose Ski area. In 1990, he helped revive the long dormant UNR Nordic ski team and coached them at the NCSA level for two seasons.
Martin Benes
Martin is a great addition to the Far West coaching team, coaching at all last summer's junior camps. Martin is starting as assistant nordic coach at Maine's Bates College but plans to return to coach for Far West again next summer.