MPLS Ski Club is excited to announce on growing our High Performance Training Community with the 2026-27 Pro Project Program led by MPLS Pro Project Coach Erin Moening. Post NCAA Nordic Ski Athletes will have a professional year round training experience and financial assistance with racing. 

If you are a NCAA Athlete looking to continue Skiing After College, we have some unique options for you. Coach Erin Challenges you - "Let's end 'Ski Career Retirement'. Having Talented Athletes step away from their chosen sport is causing Nordic Skiing to lose valuable community members. Instead, change what your relationship to skiing looks like. You don't need to dedicate your entire life to skiing to keep skiing. Have an internship or job and race at U.S. Nationals and local SuperTours. Or pick some races that sound fun to you. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, we just have to be creative in training and race selection."

The Minneapolis Pro Project is dedicated to improving the U.S. Domestic Nordic Skiing Experience. Aligning with MPLS Ski Club's mission of empowering Life Long Endurance Athletes - MPLS Pro Project looks to fill in gaps for athletes who are interested in continue skiing post-collegiately seriously, without putting their life and career on pause. While this requires a bit of additional time, effort and creativity between athletes and coaches, we believe this is an important next step in U.S. Skiing to keep athletes in the sport in a more sustainable way. 

While some in the Nordic Skiing Community might think this leads to a less serious athlete, we believe that by supporting our athletes in and outside of skiing will allow our athletes to have longer and happier relationships with Competitive Nordic Skiing. 

We used research-backed training and testing philosophies to ensure each athlete is getting exactly the training they need, and has flexible practices to ensure athletes with jobs can attend. 

The Minneapolis area is an amazing place to train, work, and live. The Twin Cities is a big metro, with lots of job opportunities in many industries. It has a vibrant arts and culture scene, beautiful natural spaces, and known for having one of the highest quality of life in the country.  

Being in a big city, with amazing bike paths, running trails and local towns with great rollerskiing allows you to train like a professional, but live like a normal adult. 

Erin has been with MSC for over 10 years- starting off as an athlete in high school and college, and continuing as a coach in 2020. Erin is now the coach of the MPLS Pro Project - working on developing and building on MSC's Elite Culture, and Professional Styled Goals. 

Erin went on to ski for Northern Michigan University where she finished off her skiing career with 8-All American finishes (top 10) at Junior Nationals and spent 2 years assisting NMU's coaching and wax staff. She also spent 3 years as the Central Collegiate Ski Association's Press Director- working with collegiate skiers and coaches to promote and publicize Midwest skiing. 

Erin graduated from NMU in 2021 and began working as a Software Engineer in additional to her position as the MPLS Ski Club Head Coach. She started the MPLS Ski Club Race Support, and Year Round Training Programming.  She also works part time for OutThereNordic as part of their Race Service Team and was a part of the Team Birkie Coaching Staff from 2023 - 2025. 

Erin has also worked with the Midwest Junior National Ski Team as a Wax Tech and Coach, worked with the U.S. Ski Team in 2023 for 5 World Cup races in Ruka, Finland and Gallivare, Sweden, and was a Wax Tech for the U.S. at the 2024 Minneapolis World Cup.

Besides working with athletes - Erin is investing in Minnesota Coaches Development and Education, and dedicates time to her website, MoeningTheTracks, which provides elite coaching education, resources, and events. 

Hear Erin talk about her goals with MPLS Pro Project in a 2025 Seder Skier Podcast. 

MPLS Pro Project is so excited to partner with TRIA GameFace for Strength and Conditioning Training for the second year in a row. Coach Erin has worked with to build out a Nordic Strength and Conditioning Program for the year, and this is an amazing opportunity for Strength Education!