The Front Page: Jon’s Bio

When contributors submit their first story to the magazine, I ask for a bio from the writer. This becomes the opening Editor’s Note, written in third person because I don’t want it to appear as though the writer is bragging, especially since this is done at my request. These bios are supposed to be limited to a word count of 50 to 120.
When Jon Oestreich emailed his bio, I saw its size, used my Word Count function, and got: Three hundred and seventy-two words! (I wrote that out here instead of using “372” to emphasize how long that is.)
Sighing and huffing, I cut the word count. But every cut made me wince. I emailed Jon to see if he was okay with the 148 words. Even so, I already knew I was not okay with it. That is why the uncut Editor’s Note on Jon Oestreich is this issue’s Front Page.
Editor’s Note: Jon Oestreich skied 7 Birkies and 2 Korties, including 1 year as a Birkie Warrior. Jon is a United States Ski and Snowboard Level 200 Cross Country Ski Coach. He was the 2024 and is the 2025 U16 and U18 CXC Great Lakes Division Canadian Nationals Head Coach. He is President of the Wausau Nordic Ski Club. He volunteers as an instructor during the free adult lessons each year in January and helps coach the Wausau Nordic United ski team. He was a volunteer at Wirth Park when The Loppet hosted the 2024 World Cup. Jon is the Outdoor Adventure Guide at The Landing where he leads members on outdoor adventures around Wisconsin in all four seasons. In the 20th century, Jon studied political science and history as a foreign exchange student in Norway at Numedal Idretts Folkehøgskole. In Norway, he earned Norwegian Ski Federation ski instructor certification in all ski disciplines: cross-country, downhill, Telemark, and ski jumping. At the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, he was a Telemark ski team member for the cultural Telemark ski shows at the Hafjell Ski Resort venue. Jon logged over 180 ski days per year when he worked two ski seasons as a full-time Nordic, Telemark, alpine, and snowshoe ski instructor at Beaver Creek Nordic Center in Colorado as a Professional Ski Instructors of America (Rocky Mountain Division) Level 3 in Nordic Downhill/Telemark and PSIA-RM Level 2 in cross-country, alpine, and snowshoe. In 1998 and 2000, he was World Champion on the Synchronized Telemark Ski Team representing Vail/Beaver Creek Ski School. When he lived in Duluth, he was the downhill ski head coach at Duluth Central High School. Jon was born and raised in Wausau, WI, and has been on skis since he could walk. He learned to Nordic ski in the backyard at the American Legion golf course, now Tribute, and at his family’s Christmas tree farm. A multi-sport high school student athlete (soccer, basketball, track), Jon skied his first cross-country ski race when in his mid-30s at Cable, WI, with his wife, Beth. The two started in the last row of the last wave of the Kortelopet and never looked back. Jon thanks his parents who introduced him to a healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle.
Holy-Cow-Tony-Wise-Jessie-Diggins-Herman-”Jackrabbit”-Smith-Johannsen! For a story on page 29 titled Iffy About Roller Skis? They can help break bad habits, improve efficiency & speed, and reduce soreness. Truth! — what in Jon’s bio would you delete?
I’m going with nothing.

Bruce