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The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club's new ability cross-country coach brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to the club when he started earlier this month, but that doesn't mean he will bring big changes.

"I'm not going to come in and start changing things," Josh Smullin said. "This is a good program, and Brian (Tate) has done a good job of keeping the program on track this summer."

Instead of making major changes during his first month, Smullin is using his time to get to know the athletes and their goals and maybe tweaking a few things before the snow starts flying later this fall. His plans include getting an understanding of what Winter Sports Club programs need and then moving in that direction over a period of time.

"He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our programs," said Tate, Nordic program manager. "I think he can help our skiers get better and I think he can make our programs stronger."

While Smullin will be primarily involved with coaching ability athletes, Tate said the new coach also will be responsible for sharing technical information with the younger programs, as well as providing support in program design for all cross-country programs at the club.

Smullin graduated from the University of Colorado with degrees in kinesiology and psychology. He also attended the University of Utah, where he earned a master's degree in sports psychology.

The former member of the University of Colorado's ski team got his big break when he walked onto the team as a freshman. He performed well enough to earn an athletic scholarship, four trips to the NCAA finals and the honor of being named a captain during his senior year.

He also worked as an assistant coach for the Utes for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. In 2005, Smullin started racing for Team Rossignol and captured several podium finishes in major marathon races across the United States, including one Super Tour victory.

Smullin replaces Travis Jones, who left the club last season to take a position with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation's Cross-Country Olympic Development Team in Idaho. Tate said the SSWSC programs currently have 18 coaches - many of them parent volunteers - and more than 170 athletes. He said the ability programs have grown along with the program throughout the past several years.