#SnowStories: Doris Kallen on respect, networks and learning by doing

Doris Kallen raced Snowboard Cross when the sport was still small, and she stopped, by her own admission, because it got too serious. That early decision, the one every junior athlete eventually faces, never quite left her. Years later, working at the 2018 Junior World Championships, she found herself watching athletes wrestle with the same choice and choosing to continue. “Seeing that up close gave me a taste of what an athlete’s life really is,” she says.

Today she coordinates the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, a role she reached not via a straight-line approach, instead taking a route featuring event management, snowboard instructing, and media coordination. A graduate of the FIS Women Lead Sports (WLS) program, she spoke to Inside FIS about learning by doing, the quiet power of networks, and creating a culture of “looking after each other”.

Inside FIS: So, Doris, you’ve been an athlete, an instructor, a media coordinator, and now World Cup Coordinator. How have those different experiences shaped how you do your role?

Doris Kallen (DK): I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on the athlete part, because I raced Snowboard Cross when the sport wasn’t so big, and I stopped because it got too serious. But I have felt that feeling first-hand, what it means to take the big decision to continue in your sport or not.

I came into FIS via event management, and I worked at the Junior World Championships in 2018 on the organizer side. It was there I started to get to know people facing the same decision I’d faced years before, but they had continued. Seeing that up close gave me a taste of what an athlete’s life really is, of what it means to keep going even when it gets hard.

All the different viewpoints you mention brought me closer to the job I do now, before I even did it. I’ve stood at the finish line when someone became a junior world champion, and little experiences like that, all the small wins, they open doors. My path’s been about learning by doing. I haven’t studied event management to death, I’m more hands-on. And I’ve always had a lot of respect for everyone involved, from the athletes to the staff to every volunteer, because that’s where so many people’s journeys start.

Inside FIS: That respect for everyone in the room comes up a lot when you talk. Where does it come from?

DK: When you’ve been in different positions within an event, you realize everyone is needed. Sometimes when you’re in a certain position, you think you’re the most important, but when you change sides, you realize that another position is just as important.

Then you change sides again and realize this other person matters too, maybe just at a later stage. Everyone is important, and that’s how Olympic medals are delivered.

Inside FIS: When you joined the WLS program, how did it feel to be part of a group of people from such different backgrounds, ages and sports?

DK: It was intimidating at first, but that quickly turned into curiosity and respect. There’s a reason everyone was in the room, and I wanted to know what had got them all where they are.

Importantly, though, I didn’t feel like I had to justify being there, and that’s a great feeling. It was a genuine platform for networking and sharing experiences. Sometimes I could honestly say, “I haven’t had that same experience, tell me more,” because it’s someone else’s reality. Sharing those different realities was fascinating.

Inside FIS: All the participants we’ve spoken to have raved about Gabriela Mueller Mendoza’s approach, but what impacted you most about her?

DK: Her energy is unparalleled, and that really lights a spark. For me the main impact came a bit later, once the course was over. You can tell someone’s made their mark when, in different situations in your life, you find yourself thinking back to them, and Gabriela definitely left an impression.

She gives you a lot of tools to work with. Some of them you may have already worked out for yourself, but when somebody else frames them in a bigger picture, you take them more seriously. I really learned how to take my time, to look in my toolbox and decide, “okay, after reading the room, I’ll approach this task using this skill.” Anyone who knows me knows I’m more about observing, I’m calm, and she’s this very energetic presence, which was beautiful and refreshing.

Inside FIS: For other women in snow sports who aren’t quite ready to take the plunge, how would you plant the seed of leadership?

DK: The most efficient and motivating way is to engage with something. If you’re just starting out, volunteering helps you gain experience, though I want to be clear, I don’t mean people should work for free. What I mean is that sometimes the salary isn’t about the money, it can be about growing your experience and network. In the field, it’s at events where you meet people and make connections.

I try to be a good model for this, asking people where they come from and what their story is, because I’m genuinely interested, and you never know who might turn into a great fit for a certain role. First, I’d tell people you need a real interest in the work. If you have that, you’ll meet people you can approach and say, “would it be okay if I sit in, if I watch what you’re working on?” You must proactively engage.

I’d love us to have a bigger education program one day, a kind of godfather or godmother setup where someone could shadow you for a weekend or an event. Living the experience, and making it possible for others to live it, is really motivating.

Inside FIS: Underneath all of it, what’s the core of the job for you?

DK: At the core of every operation is the people, whether it’s the person holding the camera cable at the finish line or the CEO of a big event. I respect everyone the same. As long as you’re kind, helpful, and hard-working, you deserve to be recognized.

If you work in sports and experience this life, it’s much more than a job, and that’s a gift. But that intensity means you often don’t have time to focus on your emotions and work through them.

There’s always something coming at you, so if you can encourage a culture of being attentive, we can all help each other to stay healthy and energized. Like Synne [Dyrhaug, FIS Cross-Country Media Coordinator] said when you spoke to her recently, that’s the culture we try to build, making it a place where people want to be, not just because they need a salary but because we look after each other.