Four names are nominated for the Visma Ski Classics Pro Team Director of the Season award in Season XII. Ylläs-Levi on Saturday, April 9 will end the Visma Ski Classics Season XII and the winners of all competitions will be awarded after the final event. One of the categories is the Pro Team Director of the Season, an award that is rewarded to elevate the hard work behind each Pro Team and Pro Team athlete.
Four Pro Team Directors have been nominated for the award and all of them have demonstrated extraordinary directorial skills, unwavering dedication, and unconditional love for skiing.
“Behind each athlete, there is a team and a Pro Team Director who do an incredible job to make the skiers successful. In addition to coaching; finances, partners, logistics, and personnel issues must be handled, as well as the growing need for a presence in social media and communication,” says David Nilsson, Visma Ski Classics CEO.
The person who receives the award is automatically elected to the Visma Ski Classics Hall of Fame, together with the Visma Ski Classics Legends, the athletes who have won five events or more.
The nominees are:
Jerry Ahrlin – Team Engcon
Magnar Dalen – Team Ragde Charge
Maxime Grenard – Team Nordic Expérience – Coste & Crédit Agricole Franche-Comté
Michele Pasqualotto – Team Internorm-Trentino-Zorzi Max By SZ
Jerry Ahrlin – Team Engcon
After his own successful career, becoming a Ski Classics legend, Jerry has built up Team Engcon with skiers from both Sweden and Norway. During season XII, he has given several athletes the chance to prove their wings. Jerry Ahrlin has always been a good promoter of Pro Tour and the development of long-distance skiing. Jerry always throws positive energy around him wherever he goes.
Magnar Dalen – Team Ragde Charge
Magnar has been a big profile in the cross-country skiing sport for a long time. As Pro Team Director in Team Ragde Charge (and under the team’s previous name). Dalen is always at the forefront of development when it comes to long-distance skiing in terms of tactics, equipment, and waxing. Team Ragde has been leading the tactical development in the male skier’s field. He has also, by attracting both Marit Bjørgen and Therese Johaug to long-distance skiing, increased the media interest in the Pro Tour in a significant way.
Maxime Grenard – Team Nordic Expérience – Coste & Crédit Agricole Franche-Comté
Maxime has worked hard to build the French Pro Team and continue to promote the sport in France, and also invest in French young and promising skiers. At the end of Season XII the 24-year-old Thomas Joly, with 8th place at Birkebeinerrennt and 13th place at Årefjällsloppet, has shown that he is on his way to the absolute top level among the Pro Tour athletes.
Michele Pasqualotto – Team Internorm-Trentino-Zorzi Max By SZ
Michele does a great job of increasing the interest in long-distance skiing in Italy. He also has a great mix of skiers on the team with one Finnish and two Swedish female skiers in the team along with one Spanish and four Italian male athletes.
Sottozero (Below Zero) was the name of a famous winter sports TV show in the Italian region of Trentino, started by Michele himself. He then started the Pro Team under the name Sottozero, which was then developed into today’s Team Internorm-Trentino-Zorzi Max By SZ.
The winner will be announced after the season final event Ylläs-Levi this upcoming Saturday.
