Playing Noah Hoffman’s Fantasy Cross Country
During the first World Cup of the 2014-15 season, 27-year-old Noah Hoffman broke his leg. Normally, this is a terrible thing for a U.S. Cross Country Ski Team member, but the ever-positive Hoffman took it as a gift. That positivity paid off, as not only was it not a season-ending injury—he made it back to race the 2015 World Champs—but it gave him time to focus on a new project: Noah Hoffman’s Fantasy Cross Country.
When Hoffman got off the plane in Denver after breaking his fibula, he moved to Breckenridge. Training with the Summit Nordic Ski Club and Ski & Snowboard Club Vail every day, he realized the kids didn’t understand exactly what the World Cup meant nor how to connect with the athletes overseas. With time he normally wouldn’t have during the World Cup season, Hoffman decided to build a rudimentary fan site.
“I created a Google form survey and put a list of all the World Cup women and had people select the eight athletes they thought would do well each weekend,” explained Hoffman. “We got over 1,100 people to sign up in the first three or four days. The response was so cool and positive.” Hoffman hit up his sponsors who happily donated prizes for those that did well and the website took off.
As the 2015-16 season approached, Hoffman was readying his Google form system again when he received an email from a young man named Adam Mahar, an undergrad at Cornell University and an avid cross country skier. The email said that he was a huge fan of Hoffman’s and the whole U.S. Ski Team and that he rebuilt the Fantasy Cross Country site as a fun project. “I figured that a nicer website couldn’t hurt,” Mahar wrote to Hoffman.
Hoffman was shocked. “He just built a website without talking to me, finished it and asked if I wanted to use it. It’s incredible,” said Hoffman. “So we worked together a ton and dialed out the site. He’s awesome. This stuff isn’t easy and he just spins outs results. He’s been the reason this has really taken off.”
READ MORE: NOAH HOFFMAN'S FANTASY CROSS COUNTRY RULES
Mahar was equally in awe of Hoffman. “I’d been following Noah’s blog for about a year, so last year I saw his blog post and made my team from there,” he said. “I had started building a website like this the summer before, actually, and the fact that Noah created the league made me reach out to him.”
So, how does Fantasy Cross Country work now? “Select eight skiers from a list that includes everyone on the World Cup. There are 300 men on the list and as many women,” Hoffman described. “You pick any eight you want for the whole weekend. You have to balance it between sprint and distance, classic and skate, snow conditions, course and more.” After each weekend, the Fantasy league reopens and you can pick new skiers. The same goes for the tours—you pick just one team of eight people for the entire tour. Everyone who picks a team goes into the general contest, but also competes against their own leagues.
“A ton of clubs have signed up back in the U.S.—University of Colorado has a team, Summit Nordic Ski Club, SMS Mountain School, Green Bay Ski Team, Gould, Clarkson University Nordic,” said Hoffman. “There’s even one called Men in Spandex. 30 new leagues were created in the last day and a half, actually!”
Hoffman’s sponsors were super generous this season with prizes. The top prize is World Cup skis and poles from Madshus, but there are custom cross country race suits, U.S. Ski Team gear and more.
The World Cup officially begins on November 26 in Ruka, Finland. Team selection closes on Friday evening, so pick your eight and start the season off on a good foot. (HINT: Noah has been training hard this summer. He might be a good choice to include.)