The GNC Crew
Our Amazing Staff, Coaches, & Instructors
Meet the faces behind Glacier Nordic Club. Our staff, coaches, and instructors are dedicated to making cross-country skiing accessible to all.
Shelby Bauman
Program Coordinator
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Bio Coming Soon
Jennie Bender
Executive Director & Coach
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Jennie is excited to build a community around skiing and proper training for endurance sports in the area while developing Glacier Nordic Club. She recently comes from collegiate coaching at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and previously coached all age groups via clinics, teams, and lessons, alongside her professional ski career.
Racing: After racing at the University of Vermont (2010), Jennie competed for CXC (Central Cross Country) out of Minneapolis, MN for 3 years, then based out of Bozeman, MT, racing for Bridger Ski Foundation for 7 years. She traveled on and off with the US Ski Team, and in her career raced many Junior Nationals, Scandinavian Cups, World Juniors, World U23, World Cups, and one Red Bull Nordix. During this time, she captured 4 x USA National Sprint Championship titles, 9 x USA National Podiums total, +25 x US SuperTour Podiums, 2 x American Birkiebeiner 50k Podiums, and was an NCAA All-American. In 2017, when there were no open spots for female sprinters for the 2018 Nordic Olympic Team, Jennie intensely trained with the US Biathlon Team out of Lake Placid, NY for a little over a year. She still shoots on the occasion, although does not race, and hopes to eventually bring Biathlon to the Flathead Valley.
Coaching: After living in the East, Midwest, West, and Alaska, her coaching philosophy has formed through observing and working with some of the most influential coaches in the country. With a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology, she looks at the whole athlete and analyzes mental health, injury prevention, individual growth and movement, heart rate, training plans, and much more. Jennie recently moved to the Flathead Valley with her husband, James in the fall of 2021, and alongside nordic, she enjoys mountain running, ski mountaineering, dancing, and random adventures.
Ed Blair
Junior Jets Coach
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This will be Ed’s first year coaching Junior Jets, graduating up from CHYSL with his 8yr old daughter who’s a budding Nordic skier. Ed skis nearly every day over the winter, usually chasing his yellow Labrador through the woods. He competes in mountain sports year round: trail running, mountain biking, alpine touring, and of course cross country ski races. Earlier in his amateur sporting career, Ed trained with former Olympic coaches for rowing and swimming. He tries to bring their approach to coaching Nordic skiing – but keeping it fun to inspire his 8yr old!
Cameron Blake
Head Prep Team Coach
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Cameron took the reins as part-time Executive Director of Glacier Nordic Club in the 2016-17 season, allowing her to combine her non-profit expertise with her love of Nordic skiing. Cameron was formerly the Executive Director of North Valley Music School from 2004 to 2010 and has served on the Board of numerous non-profits. Prior to moving to the Flathead, she worked in real estate investment banking and finance.
Cameron has taught Nordic skiing since 2001, starting with Chet Hope Youth Ski League. She loves sharing her knowledge of skiing and developing creative teaching games and drills for the ski team kids or instructing adult clinics.
Over the past seven years, she has coached Prep Team, Junior Jets, and adult lessons and clinics. She also coached a season with the Bridger Ski Foundation in Bozeman and skied with their competitive master’s program. She has fun racing the longer distances!
Cameron holds current PSIA Level 2, USSA Level 100, and Wilderness First Aid Certifications. Her children share in her passion. Connor, her son, raced for GNST, Bridger Ski Foundation, and for four years at Bates College in Maine. He is now coaching high schoolers. Barrett, her daughter, skied with GNST and coached the Junior Jets in her last two years of high school. And Willem, her second son, skied with GNST through 8th grade.
Virginia Bowland
Head Junior Jets Coach
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I’m Gin Bowland. I grew up in Iowa. I studied Art and Music and got my BA from the University of Iowa. I moved to Missoula, MT, where I got my first classic skis, and met my husband James. His work took us to Sacramento, CA. We spent most of our free time there riding bikes—both road and mountain—and did some amateur racing.
We moved to Whitefish in the fall of 2012. After one season of CHYSL, my children wanted to join the Junior Jets. I started skate skiing so I could ski (keep up) with them, and I just love it!
I started out coaching Chet Hope for a couple of years, then I got my PSIA Certification and have been coaching with Junior Jets since 2015. I really enjoy sharing my love of the outdoors and skiing with everyone. You can also find me playing String Bass in the Glacier Symphony!
Robin Brooks
Junior Jets Coach
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Robin came to Whitefish in 2010 to coach the Competition Team (14-18 year old skiers), then moved into leading the Junior Jets program in 2013. Nordic skiing was a main family activity from the beginning. Robin began racing at a young age with balloon races and continued through college in New York at St Lawrence University. She’s grateful to be able to share her knowledge of and love for the sport with the next generation. Besides her role with the Glacier Nordic Club, Robin is a massage therapist, owning Fifth Ave Massage in downtown Whitefish.
Tara Clune
Glacier Nordic Shop Manager
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Tara is excited to be back at the Glacier Nordic Shop this winter! Tara is from New York State originally and grew up skiing with her dad. She came to Whitefish on a 2-month road trip four years ago while trying to see all the National Parks and never left. She is a PSIA Level 1 certified instructor and teaches shop lessons. When there’s no snow in the valley, she’s a hiking guide in Glacier National Park and tries to string together as much backpacking and road-tripping as possible.
Cassady Daley
Assistant Comp Coach
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Cassady has been a skier her whole life. Until her teens, she was primarily an alpine skier. Growing up in Colorado, she participated in high school nordic racing and trained with her older brother’s competitive nordic team. As she drifted away from alpine ski racing in college, she began nordic skiing more frequently. Cassady is also a vegetable farmer/gardener in Kalispell and is the owner of Raven Ridge Farm. Since farming is seasonal in Montana, she decided that she needed some structure in the winter and working with GNST was a great fit. She has helped coach Jets, Prep, Comp, teen fitness, and taught adult clinics over the past few years with GNST.
Brooke Bohannon
Grooming Manager
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Bio Coming Soon
Ryan Dye
Prep Team
Coach
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Ryan grew up in the quintessential ski town of McCall, Idaho. He was fortunate to be part of an active family that took full advantage of the surroundings in each season.
Despite growing up in a full-blown ‘ski town USA’, the competitive sports of his youth were judo, wrestling, and (American) football.
Ryan started skiing at age two or three and has been a recreational lift-served skier. XC was his Dad’s passion and eventually became Ryan’s preferred discipline later in life. This, after a football knee injury in college, pushed him to lower-impact forms of activity.
Ryan deeply appreciates the physical and mental benefits of cross-country skiing and self-powered propulsion. In a society that drifts more toward inactivity – getting kids into sports like xc is now more important than ever.
Ryan has been a volunteer coach of Chet Hope, Junior Jets, and, most recently, Prep Team. Ryan’s older daughter participated in the club, and his younger daughter is currently. He relishes the opportunity to give back a little to a sport that has given him so much.
Peg Havlovick
Nordic Program Manager
Co-Head Coach • Chet Hope League
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Peg comes to the Glacier Nordic club with 15 years Nordic ski management experience! She was born and raised in Polson, MT, which inspired the love of the outdoors and a recreation filled lifestyle. Many years were spent coaching and teaching prior to employment in the recreation industry. Peg is PSIA Level 3 certified and looks forward to the excitement of the Chet Hope League as well as instructing adults.
Franz Ingelfinger
Prep Team
Coach
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Franz hails from New England, where his formative days were spent mucking about the salt marsh, skating on frozen ponds, and only hitting the links when snow covered and with skis on his feet. For him, physical fitness is a corollary to a life spent outdoors. He disparages the trend towards increasing specialization in youth sports and has spent his fatherhood planning family adventures and finding any excuse to get the family outside and off the sidelines.
Franz has coached youth soccer, hockey and baseball, and in a former life was a snowboard instructor in Jackson, Wyoming. When he and family moved to Whitefish in January of 2016, the Glacier Nordic Club was one of his first contacts. Franz has been coaching with GNST since, working his way along with his kids, moving from Jets on to Prep. Franz believes that kids learn through moving and that gravity and friction are great instructors. Edge awareness, balance, efficiency of movement, and aerobic fitness are just some of the lifelong traits young skiers develop in the Nordic program. Franz enjoys being along for the ride.
Jim Kaszuba
Head Shop Instructor
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Jim came to the Flathead after 30+ years in Alaska, where he spent several years training with the master’s program of Alaska Nordic Racing. It was there he connected with Nordic skiing, refined his ski skills, and got introduced to coaching. Jim’s amazing experience with ANR coaches and the Nordic ski community was the inspiration to teach and coach. With a degree in Outdoor and Experiential Education and a lifetime in the outdoor industry, he is also a PSIA-certified coach who enjoys introducing new skiers to the sport and helping those already skiing challenge themselves and develop their skills. When not on skis, you can find him working on his Beaver Lake Road property or enjoying northwest Montana with his wife Patti and Cocoa, the rescue dog.
Logan Mowry
Head Comp Coach
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I’m logan! I’m a very high energy coach that grew up skiing in Fairbanks Alaska. The season lasts 9 months out of the year so I’ve spent a lot of time on some very very cold snow. Having had some success at Junior Nationals I was able to get a scholarship skiing and running for my hometown college of the University of Alaska Fairbanks for all 4 years of college. I love seeing people get out there with a smile on their face and sending whenever they can whether it’s a race or just a fun powder day. I’m excited to get to know the Whitefish community and get people stoked on Nordic Skiing!
Ed Nissen
Prep Team Coach
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Everybody’s favorite coach hails from northern CA. Although I’ve been in Whitefish for 25 years, I didn’t start skate skiing until four years ago. Three years ago I became a PSIA certified Nordic ski instructor. It’s great fun coaching the kids, and you parents should get out and join us.
You can find me skiing on the BIG or at Rocky Mountain Bank originating mortgage loans. Believe it or not, summer is my favorite season, and never long enough for me. Ski fast, take chances, and see you on the snow!
Nancy Persons
Co-Head Coach • Chet Hope League
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My coaching career started decades ago with the upstart Glacier Nordic Club in the 1980s. I also coached with the Bill Koch Ski League, now the Chet Hope Ski League. Ski coaching has taken me to Bozeman, Park City, Utah, and most recently Unalakleet, Alaska. Unalakleet was a unique coaching experience: skiing in howling brutal winds and extreme cold, actually needing green wax, training kids in a large ski-biathlon program, and ultimately having a blast with kids on skis in variable conditions from November to May. Now back home in Montana, it is absolutely fantastic to be working with a mature and successful GNC with all the great programs that are offered to kids and adults. GNC has grown over the years, and I am thrilled to give back, coming full circle to the community where my coaching started. Think SNOW and see you on the trails!
Ed Visnovske
Prep Team Coach
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Ed loves winter and frozen water in all its forms, but especially snow! Ed has a background in Emergency Services and has been moving across the snow for half his life for fun, and for work, from the east coast to the west coast and points in between. For GNC, Ed coached for three seasons for Chet Hope Youth Ski League and then three seasons with Junior Jets. This year he will be joining the Prep Team coaching staff and continuing to help out with Jets as needed. Ed likes to share with the GNC kids his love of gliding over the snow with as much fun and playfulness as possible. Ed says, “Nordic skiing is the best way to experience the winter world and have fun with good friends!” Ed lives in Columbia Falls, with his wife Bobbie, their eleven year old daughter Abby, plus three horses and one crazy cat.