Introducing New Enjoy Winter NTS Factory Team Member: Amanda Kautzer!

Hi SkiPost readers! 

Some of you might remember me from some earlier one-off SkiPost articles, but I’m stoked to announce that I’m officially joining the crew as the newest member of the EnjoyWinter x Nordic Team Solutions Marathon team! 

I started Nordic skiing in 7th grade - by accident. As a youngster, I was never an athlete, but my parents required that my sister and I both participate in some sport or physical activity every season. When I started at a new school, alpine skiing seemed like the obvious choice for my winter sport; how hard can it be to go downhill?  However, somehow when I read the sign outside the main office for winter sports meetings, my eyes jumped a line and I went to the Nordic team meeting instead. Now, 15 years into my racing career, I can confidently say it was the best mistake of my entire life. 

Until finding skiing, clumsy and unathletic seemed to be pretty apt descriptions; I only scored goals/baskets against my own team in both soccer and basketball, and my mom is still fond of retelling how I’d apologize to opponents when I bumped into them on the field. Turns out, “lacking hand-eye coordination” was probably a better descriptor because once I found Nordic, there was no turning back: I love racing and plan to forever be an endurance athlete. 

photo by @2bphotographymn

Over the years, I’ve raced (more or less in order) for Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Loppet Nordic Racing, the Midwest Junior National team, Minnesota Biathlon, Michigan Tech, Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, and the US Biathlon team. Despite my strengths having always been classic skiing and races <1.5k or >30k, I’ve loved the added challenge of shooting, so have been back and forth between the Nordic and biathlon world since I first picked up a biathlon rifle in 2013. This indecision and love of all racing styles has brought me to biathlon world juniors, Nordic U23s, NCAAs, biathlon IBU and World Cups, and finally the EnjoyWinter x NTS Marathon team. 

photo by @lew_snafu 

photo courtesy of the Crosscut Mountain Sports Center. 

In the height of summer heat, winter seems so far away, but as we turn the corner towards fall, I’m getting excited for the upcoming season. Despite racing for a decade and a half, and growing up fairly close to Hayward, I’ve never raced the Birkie, so am looking forward to that as a highlight of this coming winter. I’m also looking forward to splitting my time 50/50 between skate and classic for the first time in years! 

Hope to see you out there! 

Amanda 

P.S. Get your snow dance ready!