Coaching Staff

Paddy McIlvoy

This is Paddy's fourth year coaching with the Lake Creek Devo Team.  He hails from Las Cruces, New Mexico and has a B.A. in Outdoor Adventure Education from Prescott College. During the off season, Paddy is a fly fishing guide and photographer.  Paddy grew up with an "obsessed Nordic skiing father" and was exposed at an early age to the sport.  He started skiing seriously in College in Northern Arizona, first as a way to approach climbs or mountaineering objectives, then as an end to itself.  Moving to Ketchum pretty much sealed the deal for Paddy and he currently trys to skate, classic or backcountry ski five days a week. Along with skiing Paddy enjoys fly fishing, all forms of climbing, any sort of sliding over snow, mountain biking, whitewater and sea kayaking; for Paddy if it's outdoors, he probably thinks it is fun. One thing you might not know about him is that he kayaked almost a thousand miles on the Sea of Cortez.


Mia James

This is Mia's second year coaching cross country skiing but the Pebble Beach California native grew up alpine skiing before moving to Ketchum and falling in love with Nordic.  Mia is a Middlebury graduate and works both as a freelance writer and as a staff writer for Sun Valley Property News.  While living in Ketchum Mia has skied with the VAMPS, competed, and now developed an interest in coaching where she loves "seeing kids get hooked on the sport and discovering how much fun skiing -even uphill- can be".  When she isn't cruising around the nordic trails Mia can be found mountain and road biking, participating in cycle cross, horseback riding and skiing.  One thing that you might not know about Mia is that well if she "told you, then you'd know and that wouldn't be any fun..."

Nancy Fiddler: This is Nancy's first year coaching at SVSEF but she is in no way new to coaching; Nancy has been coaching XC skiing for 20 years!  Nancy, originally from Crowley Lake California moved to Sun Valley with her daughter Laurel and her husband Claude after spending last year coaching at the Auburn Ski Club and assistant coaching at the Truckee High School Nordic Team.  Nancy has been coaching juniors and master in Mammoth for over 20 years and is responsible for forming, coaching, and overseeing the mammoth High School Nordic Team, the Mammoth Middle School Nordic Team, the Tamarack XC Masters Program and the Mammoth Elementary School P.E. XC Ski Program!  She was also the director of Tamarack XC Ski School for 11 years; needless to say Nancy has a very rich history in coaching!  Before she started coaching, Nancy was an All American skier at Bates College and a 14 x National Champion!  Nancy is a 2 time Olympian, in 1988 and 1992 respectively, a 4 time member of the US World Championship Team, and she skied the World Cup circuit for 7 years!  The thing that Nancy enjoys most about coaching is "the kids!"  She feels "it is important to her to be able to share her love and knowledge of nordic skiing with kids.  They are the future of this amazing sport."  Nancy feels that "it is important in this day and age to get kids outdoor and moving, appreciating the natural world and to learn what their bodies and minds can do!"  When Nancy isn't tearing up the SV Nordic world as a Vamps coach, a BCRD coach and a personal Masters Coach she is hiking, backpacking reading and cooking.  SVSEF is very excited to have Nancy as part of the team!