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FIS Cross-Country: How has been spring/beginning of summer for you? Did you go for a vacation?

Joakim Abrahamsson: We have had a really good spring and summer. The team has already had two training camps in Orsa and Torsby, and for the moment the athletes are training very hard while the coaches around the team are having a short vacation.

FIS Cross-Country: What is your summary of the season 2009/10?

JA: It was a very good season for the team. The best Olympics ever for Swedish cross country skiing, we also had a lot of podium positions during the world cup season. The fun with the podiums was that a lot of different athletes who made top 3 results for Sweden.
The interest for cross country skiing in Sweden is really big and the interest grows for each year both in getting more people on skiis in Sweden but also the interest of the team is getting bigger and bigger in media.

FIS Cross-Country: What are your goals for next season?

JA: We have not yet set any goals for the team. We are off course looking forward to Oslo and the World Championship, it will be a big big crowd watching the competitions so it will be a very fun and exciting experience in Oslo. Tour de ski is also one competition that we will start with full strength of the team.

FIS Cross-Country: You have another common training camp? How is atmosphere in the team? How do you see the progress? Are you satisfied with it?

JA: The team are pushing and helping eachother so every athletes can get develop their individual capacity to be stronger as athletes. The team also have very fun together and it is a privilege to be in a team that are working so hard and at the same time are having fun together.

FIS Cross-Country: Are there any changes in the coaching/service staff in your team?

JA: New in the coach team is Rikard Grip who takes over after Magnus Ingesson ( Magnus is still involved with the team).
We are also very happy that Arild Monsen continues to work with our men sprint team.
We have the same physioteam. Larry Poromaa is still chief of our waxing team and we have the same waxing team as last season except for one new member Urban Nilsson who is starting to work with the team from this season.

FIS Cross-Country: How is cooperation with Rikard Grip? What is his biggest input?

JA: Rikard and i have a common believe about training and leadership witch makes it easy and exciting to work and develop the team in one common direction.
Rikard is a very skilled coach in training and he is also very good to get people in believing that they are in the right direction and have the potential to reach their goals.

FIS Cross-Country: What are your training plans for summer?

JA: We have one training camp every month. The next time we have training together with the team is 6 august- 15 august in Aure Norway where we will take part in Topp idrottsveckan.

FIS Cross-Country: What do you think about calendar for next season? 4 stages of Tour de Ski in Germany.

JA: There will always be discussions about the calendar for each season about different competitions, classic or free technique etc. now when the calendar is set I believe that we will have a very exciting season that starts in Gällivare Sweden in November.
It is very important that its not to far travel between each stage in Tour de ski so that the athletes and the service team can make a good work every day in Tour de ski, I am also confident that the accommodation will work very well for the organizers during Tour de ski this season.

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