What if the secret to producing great athletes wasn’t early specialization or year-round competition? Today we look at Norway’s Olympic success, why the World Baseball Classic is one of the best events in baseball, and a few early MLB spring training storylines.
Norway’s dominance at the Winter Olympics is of the most fascinating stories in sport:
At the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games, Norway once again topped the medal table with 18 gold medals and 41 total medals, the highest total ever for a single Winter Games. Even more impressive — this is a country of just 5.5 million people, outperforming nations many times its size.
So what’s their secret?
Norway has built a youth sport system around participation, joy of sport, and delayed specialization. Kids aren’t ranked before age 13, and the focus is on long-term development rather than early talent selection. The result is a massive participation base — and eventually, elite performance.
We also dive into the excitement building around the World Baseball Classic, one of the best international tournaments in sport. With 20 national teams competing in a round-robin format before the single-elimination playoff bracket, it’s true best-on-best baseball on the global stage.
And finally, we touch on a few early MLB spring training storylines:
The Dodgers chasing a historic three-peat, pressure building in New York, big expectations around the Mets, and why the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners could be two teams to watch this season.
Learning from sport’s top performers is an absolute must when you are Creating Coachable Players.
The 20th season of Krush Performance is in full swing! Have a favorite guest or topic you’d like us to revisit? Or a burning issue you want us to investigate? Let us know at jeffkrushell.com.
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