ZHANGJIAKOU, China — Nordic combined is a niche sport, even athletes in the discipline acknowledge, leaving Olympians who participate in the mix of ski jumping and cross-country skiing searching for options to fund their dreams.
Unlike some countries, the U.S. government does not pay Americans to go for gold. That leaves the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee to allocate its limited financial resources to assist athletes with the best chances of earning spots on the podium.
That does not include Nordic combined.
To make ends meet, Ben Loomis and Jasper Good, U.S. Army specialists, enlisted to get pay and benefits as part of the World Class Athlete Program.
“It's pretty special to go to the Olympics and represent the U.S. as both an athlete and a soldier,” Loomis said. “I don't think there's anything better than that.”
Without the program, Good might be back home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, working for a living instead of competing at the Beijing Games.
“I don't know if I'd be skiing, quite frankly,” he said. “It's given me the ability to make this a professional career. … It has opened so many doors and created way more opportunities for me.”
The duo are among five from the Army program competing this year, joining Frank Del Duca and Hakeem Abdul-Saboor, both specialists and on the bobsled team, and luger Emily Sweeney, who is a sergeant.
“I think it's the biggest honor and…
