The 2023-24 Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team has been announced, and BSF senior Max Kluck has been named to it as part of the D Team. 

Max will also be attending the University of Utah next fall and skiing for their defending National Championship ski team. Being in Salt Lake will mean that Max can also take advantage of the U.S. Ski Team’s Center of Excellence in Park City. 

“I am really excited about this opportunity,” says Max. “I think one of the biggest dreams of all junior Nordic skiers is to be on the U.S. Ski Team, so having the opportunity to live out that dream and be on the U.S. Ski Team is huge.” 

Max met the objective criteria for the D team. “At the end of last season I noticed that I had actually been quite close to making the team, so coming into this season, that became one of my main goals. Starting off the season in Silverstar and winning the qualifier for the Skate sprint was a huge step in the right direction. From then on I knew it was right there, and I just needed a few more sprints, and then I should be pretty safe. From then on it was just waiting for the email with the official nomination.” 

During the 2022-23 ski season, Max qualified to represent the U.S. at the Junior World Championships, and he also landed on the podium in 2nd place at the Junior National Championships. 

Kluck lives in Butte, Montana, and has been training and racing with BSF since he was a U14. “The last few years with BSF have been really great,” says Max. “It’s a program that finds ways to have fun as well as having a competitive race environment, which I think is very important in a team.” 

The U.S. Ski Team made the official announcement of the team today, but Max and his coaches found out over a month ago, and he’s already been soaking in the benefits of being on the U.S. Ski Team. “Now that I've been officially on the team for about a month, it’s already been super cool. Being on Zoom calls and team group chats with all the top US skiers is just a cool experience.”  

Right now, Max is in Bend, Oregon, experiencing his first in-person interactions with the U.S. team as they have a 2-week on-snow camp. 

The 2023-24 Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team

A TEAM

Rosie Brennan

Jessie Diggins

Julia Kern 

Ben Ogden

JC Schoonmaker

B TEAM

John Hagenbuch

Luke Jager

Zak Ketterson

Sophia Laukli

Novie McCabe

Zanden McMullen

Sydney Palmer-Leger

Scott Patterson

Gus Schumacher

D TEAM

Haley Brewster

Brian Bushey

Michael Earnhart

Walker Hall

Max Kluck

Will Koch

Derek Richardson

Sammy Smith

Ava Thurston

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