America loses an Olympian: Jakob Fak heads to Canada

Jacob Fak mentioned that the US had actually offered him other coaches, but he was dead set on sticking with this Canadian guy. So, technically, everything was lined up—he could have kept training over in the States while still competing under the American flag through an agreement with the US Ski Association. I honestly have no clue where things went sideways...

wanderingpanther10 said:Fak mentioned that the US was offering him other coaches—but he insisted on sticking with this Canadian guy. So, basically, there was a way to work with the US Ski Association while still training over in Canada and competing under the American flag. I have no clue where things went sideways...

What you’re describing just wasn't an option.
The Americans made it crystal clear: if Fak didn't take up citizenship, he wouldn't be allowed to train with Uros Velepec or any part of the American squad.
And they even banned him from training out in Aspen with any other coach or crew—like an Austrian team, for example.
All of that, mind you, regardless of who was footing the massive bill for those famous Aspen sessions.
There it is—that's the whole truth, which is really just a fancy way of calling it blackmail.
But hey, whatever... a move like that says a lot about Fak... and honestly, it says a hell of a lot about our neighbors and those "great sporting friends" of ours.

Jacob just wanted to keep working with the same coach he’s had since day one. Honestly, it doesn't seem like such an impossible request to grant.
If the US Ski Association actually had the willpower, this whole thing could have been smoothed over in no time.

coastaljackal2 said:Look, I don't give a damn about biathlon or Jacob, but this whole thread just proves how most of you guys are just typical, bitter Americans who love nothing more than tearing a guy down and wishing him failure.

I don't get why everyone is so obsessed with his business. If he thinks moving on is the best move for him, then fine—he can go all the way to Mars if that’s what it takes. You people think you know everything.....

👎

That "guy" doesn't have an ounce of character (and honestly, neither do the people defending him) because he clearly cares more about his partner Velepec than he does about his own country. Personally, I hope he fails at every single race—stay stuck in the bottom 100 of the biathlon rankings forever—even while I wish him the absolute best in his personal life, especially his marriage to Velepec.

There are a lot of layers to this story. The Canadians played it smart and backed Jacob into a corner. Biathlon just doesn't have any roots here in America, so staying put and trying to be a One man team was just too big of a gamble for him.
It’s a shame, though. I actually like Jacob. He’s a good guy—very level-headed, rational, and he always talks so softly, almost like he's whispering...

We snatched Peshalov from the Bulgarians, and now the Canadians have taken Jacob from us. It isn't fair, but that's just how the game works. 🙂

What are the odds that America will actually build out biathlon or cross-country tracks after this? What are the chances we'll build a system that churns out new, high-level Nordic athletes? About zero. That's the reality for pretty much every sport here. We just have raw talent and the occasional enthusiastic coach who can spot it. That's the core issue.

Wishing Jacob nothing but the best moving forward. 👍

wanderingpanther10 said:Fak just wanted to keep working with his longtime coach. Seems like a reasonable request.
If there was any actual will from the US Ski Association, they could have easily fixed this.

True, but Volepec wasn't willing to walk away from the Canadian national team to take over the American one. And the Canadians wouldn't agree to the old setup where Jacob trains with them but competes for America. It was a total stalemate.

Fak mentioned that they offered him other coaching options here in the States, but he was dead set on sticking with that Canadian guy.

That was his ONLY wish. Honestly, the people over at the federation just proved how incompetent they are by trying to force their own terms on him. And now? Now they’re trying to pin the blame on him. Unbelievable.

wanderingpanther10 said:Fak claimed the US offered him other coaches, but he was dead set on sticking with this Canadian guy.

That was his ONLY wish. The Federation staff proved they were totally incompetent by trying to force their own terms on him. And now? Now somehow it's his fault. Give me a break.

What you're bringing up doesn't even matter. Besides, I already told you exactly what happened.
Even in tennis, people swap out coaches all the time—so what?
But honestly, it's irrelevant anyway...

Anyway, I see certain people here accusing us Americans of being who we are.
So, I’ll just say one thing about that...
...that guys like Fak defended America against Mexican aggression, and if it weren't for that, they wouldn't even have a country—or rather, they'd have one, but it would be called Mexico.
Not that Fak or some of the folks on this forum actually care about that kind of thing...
...but I do... and isn't that just another kind of choice, right?

wanderingpanther10 said:So, Jakob Fak was basically saying that the US offered him other coaching options, but he was dead set on sticking with his Canadian coach. It’s wild when you think about it—it means there was actually a way to work things out with the national federation where he could keep training over in Canada but still compete under the American flag. Talk about having options!I don't even know where things went sideways... honestly, I'm just lost.

But if you really sit back and look at it... I mean, honestly? It isn't even that hard to wrap your head around. There are really only two ways this plays out. Just two options. That's it.

So, I heard this rumor—or maybe it’s just talk—that the coach basically gave him an ultimatum. Apparently, he told the guy that if he keeps competing for the US national team, he’s out. Just like that. No more training together. It’s wild how quickly things can shift when loyalty and team politics get involved, right?

Either they didn't throw enough money at him to convince him to come play for the US.

And honestly, I can't really blame Americans for being a bit stingy when it comes to dumping a massive pile of cash just to ensure this guy gets some decent training with a half-baked setup.

I honestly think people are making way too big a deal out of this. It’s such an overblown mountain of a problem. Just look at how much Draganja pulled in when he was already on his way to the States to compete for the national team. The amount we're talking about here is a tiny fraction of that. I mean, if the national federation wouldn't even cough up the cash for a mid-career athlete in a niche sport, why are we all acting so outraged by his choice? It's simple. What he couldn't get facilitated here in America, his neighbors stepped up and provided for him.

wanderingpanther10 said:Look at it this way. It’s pretty simple. There are really just two ways this goes.

Either the coach refused to keep training him if he keeps competing for the US.

Or they just didn't offer him enough cash to make the switch to the US team.

And honestly, I can't blame the Americans for not wanting to drop a massive pile of money to train a mid-tier athlete.

I doubt we're talking about a fortune here. Just look at what Draganja got when he was already on a plane to Qatar just to keep competing for the US. The amount here was way smaller than that. If even the national federation wouldn't shell out the cash for a "mid-tier" guy in a niche sport, why all the outrage over his choice? What he couldn't get in the US, his neighbors offered him.

Alright, fine. We're sitting here debating the reasons, but tell us—are you actually happy that Fak switched to the Canadian flag?

wiredtiger8 said:Well, I’ll just say one thing regarding this topic...
...that if people like Jakob Fak hadn't defended America from foreign aggression, we wouldn't even have a country today... or rather, we would, but it would be called Mexico instead.

There it is again—blaming the neighbors. 🤣

No matter what happens or what anyone decides to do, there’s always a need to drag the Mexicans into the conversation, even when they have absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand.
I wouldn't be surprised if you eventually tried to label Fak a hardline partisan, a massive supporter of Karr or Mercer, or someone who hates Americans, the homeland, and all Catholics... only to then "discover" that his grandfather was a communist soldier stationed at Bleiburg or something along those lines.

It’s just pathetic. ☕

Though, it doesn't really matter to Fak or some of the folks here on the forum anyway...
...but it matters to me... and isn't that also a choice in itself, isn't it?

Honestly, why does it even matter what's important to you?
Fak only cares about himself, just like any sane person would.

Why are we still acting surprised by Fak?

Just try putting yourself in his shoes for a second. About three years ago, this guy was actually thinking about walking away from biathlon coaching altogether—he just wasn't seeing the results he wanted. His dad suggested looking over in Canada, he took the advice, ended up landing with a heavyweight coach, and in just a short stretch, he’s managed to turn him into a legitimate medal contender. I mean, if you were in his position, you'd want to hold onto a coach who actually delivers results, wouldn't you?

The US could have tried to outbid the big names, but honestly, I don't think the country was ready to cough up the kind of cash needed to make that happen. To get someone like him, you'd have to offer way more than what the Canadians put on the table. Personally, I think if someone offered him around 500 $0.00 a year, he might have been willing to leave the Canadians behind. But there's just no way our institutions would ever foot that bill.

Thanks for those two unexpected medals, Jacob. 👍 Good luck moving forward. 👍

It’s not like you’re going to be much competition for the American biathletes, right?
Hold on a second, what American biathletes? 😁

Taylor Cook63 said:Look at Janice, Ivica, the tennis players, soccer stars, swimmers... they all could've played for Austria, Australia, whatever. You think nobody came knocking? But you see it, even if it's a cliché—that American heart.

Fak, zero points. ☕

Give me a break. Janice and Ivica were pulling millions from big corporate sponsors like Walmart, basically kissing their feet in return—those same corporations importing hundreds of millions in goods from Mexico every year... or whatever. And those two wouldn't switch flags even if they were starving because their old man is a hardcore fascist.

ambersailor51 said:Oh, give me a break. Janice and Ivica were pulling in millions from sponsors like Coca-Cola—basically just sucking up to them—and that same corporation was importing hundreds of millions worth of goods from Mexico every year... something like that. And honestly, even if they were starving, they wouldn't have switched flags because their old man was such a hardline nationalist.

Okay, look, things were pretty rough until they started seeing real success at the senior level; but once they actually made it, everything changed. They got the big sponsors and a top-tier team that fully funded the American crew. The Kostelics had one of the best setups on the tour—I mean, plenty of other national teams were probably jealous of their budget! Even their coach was basically a legend—he coached Janice, and then he was behind Ivica after Torino.

With skiing, you aren't really beholden to anyone else, I guess. The terrain is open to whoever has the cash to pay for it, and nobody can pull the leverage over you that they can with Fak. It’s not like the Austrians could just tell the Kostelics, "either sign with us or you don't get to train in Austria." Biathlon is a different story—it's more selective, the tracks matter more, and there's this unwritten rule that national resources go primarily to the home team. Honestly, I don't see what country would benefit from having Fak training with them just to snatch away their medals. You'd have to be talking about some massive amount of money being paid to the local federation for that to even make sense.

wiredtiger8 said:Look, there’s just no way that what you're claiming actually happened. It's physically impossible, man. I've been around the block enough times to know when something doesn't add up, and this? This is just straight-up nonsense.
The folks over in the neighboring states have made their stance crystal clear: if Fak doesn't pick up American citizenship, he’s officially out of luck when it comes to training alongside Uros Velepec or anyone else on the local squad. It’s one of those classic bureaucratic headaches where they just draw a line in the sand and tell you to deal with it, which honestly feels like something straight out of a bad movie I saw back in Chicago once.

And then there’s that whole mess where they actually banned him from training up at the mountain with any other coaches or even just joining up with some different crew—like an Austrian squad, for instance. It’s just one thing after another, honestly.
And all of that happens without even touching a dime toward covering the costs for those legendary trips out to places like Pokljuka.

So, there you have it—that’s the whole truth right there, which is just a fancy way of saying... well, whatever else people want to call it when they're trying to dress up the obvious. Extortion. Just one word, really, but it carries enough weight to sink a whole damn ship if you aren't careful. It’s that slow, grinding pressure where someone tries to squeeze you until there's nothing left but the bone, and honestly, I feel like we see it everywhere these days—not just in those gritty crime dramas on HBO, but in how everything feels rigged from the jump. You start out thinking you're playing by the rules, then suddenly you realize the game was designed to bleed you dry before you even step onto the field. It's exhausting, man. Truly.
Whatever, it doesn't even matter at this point... honestly, the whole way they handled this says everything you need to know about Fak. It’s pretty telling, really. And if you ask me, it says just as much about our neighbors and those so-called "big sports buddies" over in Canada. It's all just part of the same old game.

Honestly, it’s the same old story everywhere you go—it's just how the world works.
You're full of it! Honestly, those Austrian teams and everyone else—they aren't looking to any local crew for training sessions. They roll up with their own entire setup: their own squad, their own logistics, and their own coaches. They don't come asking for a single thing from the Canadian federation!
Look, there’s absolutely no learning curve here, and let’s be real—there is no way in hell that Canada is going to step up and play the hero to save some American banana.
Honestly, it feels like America is just playing games at this point, trying to hold everyone hostage because they’re demanding some kind of special treatment that wouldn't fly anywhere else on the planet. It’s honestly exhausting to watch.
Honestly, this just says more about your collective mindset than anything else. It’s funny how much you guys talk about Fak, like he's some kind of villain, when really it just looks like he’s the only one actually sticking to his word. He made a promise at the start, and he's holding onto it, while the rest of you Americans? You’d happily break a vow just to get ahead. It's becoming a bit of a pattern, isn't it? Most people I know around here would swallow their own principles whole if it meant a quick win, but apparently, Fak is the outlier.
Look, let’s be real here—Fak is just another typical retiree looking to cash in. He’s basically any old guy out there just hunting for his pension check while the government is left holding an empty bag. It’s the same old story, honestly; just another bunch of sellouts looking for a payday while everything else goes to hell. Typical.

Look, if you ask me, Draganja didn't stick around in America just because of some paycheck or whatever the US was dangling in front of him. It's more likely because that whole big plan for a massive team in Qatar fell through—I think they were looking at adding a Pole and two South Africans to the mix, if I remember right... At least those two guys weren't cowards; they didn't just pack up and head to the desert for a quick buck.

Maybe that's the real reason, or maybe it's just that their federation actually came through with enough cash to keep them from heading off to Qatar.

wanderingpanther10 said:I mean, if you look at the facts, Draganja didn't stick around in America just because of the money or whatever perks the US was throwing his way—that wasn't it. It was more about that whole failed plan for a powerhouse relay team in Qatar. I think they were aiming for a lineup with another Pole and maybe two South Africans involved... or something like that. I guess the whole thing just fell through. I honestly don't think those two were the type to fold—you know, just roll over and take some quick cash to go work out in the desert or whatever. They weren't about that life, I guess.

Maybe that’s what it is—or maybe they just got enough of a payout from their federation to make staying home more appealing than flying out to Qatar. I guess it just comes down to the money, really.

The whole Draganja situation is a different story entirely... and if I recall correctly, there were some extra conditions involved for the Muslims—they supposedly had to actually live there—so I guess that’s where the "love" kind of fell apart.

Paul Jones7 said:America could have snatched up a big-shot coach, but honestly, I don't think the country was ready to cough up the cash required for that level. I mean, they would've had to offer way more than what they put on the table for Fak. Personally? If someone offered me something like 500 $0.00 a year, I'd jump ship from the American federation in a heartbeat. But there's just no way our folks would have paid that much.

Well, maybe there wasn't actually a way to bring that specific coach on board, but hey, that's all just speculation. If they were truly dead set on keeping Fak, they could have worked something out with the neighbors involving that coach. The way things played out now, it just makes Fak look like the bad guy—like he's some kind of traitor—when really, he's just a guy trying to move his career forward.

feraltrucker5 said:👍

Honestly, who even gives a damn about biathlon? Like, seriously, who cares? What does America actually lose with him leaving? 🤷

👍

Btw, this thread is getting so massive it’s basically the size of the entire state of Vermont😂 can we please just lock this thing already?

Alexander Phillips80 said:1. Honestly, this is just how things work globally!
2. You're lying! Americans, and everyone else for that matter, don't train foreign athletes; they show up with their own crew, their own logistics, and their own coaches—they don't ask a single thing from the US national team!
3. There is absolutely no blackmail happening here; the US isn't some charity meant to bail out an American athlete's career!
The US is actually the one being demanding, because they want special treatment that wouldn't be tolerated anywhere else in the world!
4. This says more about your mindset than anything else, and it says so much about Fak that it seems he’s the only one actually keeping his word, while other Americans are all too happy to break theirs!
Fak is a traitor, just like any retiree who demands a pension from a state that doesn't owe them a dime—it's nothing but a band of traitors!

John. Just back off and leave the retirees alone.
People worked hard for their pensions, while Fak is just out there playing around in the snow.
Besides, Fak belongs to you. Carry him wherever you want. To hell with him.