Building Champions
Art: Bob Commander
With our immense natural winter playground and our Olympic-level training facilities and race courses, Utah is churning out more and more young, world-class athletes. But how do we do it without jeopardizing the educations of our youth? These three innovative school programs
have found a way to build champions in sport and in life.
THE WINTER SCHOOL
It is a beautiful, cloudless summer morning—a perfect vacation day—but at The Winter School in Park City, a small band of 60 dedicated student athletes is engrossed in calculus, Spanish or one of their other subjects. Taught by a staff of 17 teachers in classrooms on the grounds of the Utah Olympic Park, these students are trendsetters. They have chosen a non-traditional schedule, with classes running from the middle of April through the middle of November, in order to pursue their dreams of competing in winter sports on a national and international level. The athletic participation of the current students includes alpine ski racing, freestyle, special jumping, Nordic combined, freeride skiing and one warm weather sport—golf. (The golfer, 17-year-old Barrett Dewald, trains in Phoenix during the winter with his golf pro and plays golf in Park City after school during the summer.)
Since opening in 1994, The Winter School has achieved an impressive record, with two students competing in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and two more winning the 2002 Junior World Championships in alpine skiing. Twenty percent of the current United States Alpine Team based in Park City graduated from The Winter School—a greater percentage than any other single high school in America. The success of the school has led to the implementation of an admissions policy based on academic ability and athletic interest. Over 90 percent of graduating seniors go on to college, including such prestigious schools as Dartmouth, Middlebury, Williams, Bates, Stanford, and Colby.
Winter School Director Robert Clayton, a former U.S. Ski Team coach and biology teacher, likes to call The Winter School “an academic-only sports school.” He waxes enthusiastic about his students and their motivation. “Sacrifices breed success,” he says with a wide smile. “Students come from all over the country willing to give up what people think of as ‘summer’ to achieve their goals. Some leave their homes to stay with Park City volunteer families and know relatively few people when they arrive. All seem to have great motivation. They are athletically driven but thrive academically in our environment.”
Clayton feels that small class sizes (averaging seven and never more than 12), with an intimate three-to-one student/faculty ratio, are the prime reasons behind the success of the program. “I know every student really well,” he notes. “When something is going on with one of them emotionally, academically or athletically, I can deal with it on the spot.” He adds, “Because our school offers a flexible schedule, students know they can choose the best possible coaches and programs for their needs without compromising their education.” Clayton is proud of the changing demographics of the student body, noting that a once largely male population is now 40 percent female, and the sports mixture now includes many more disciplines than alpine ski racing. Students participate in freestyle, freeride, snowboarding and Nordic jumping for winter sports and mountain bike riding, tennis and golf for summer sports. Conceivably, The Winter School could become a year-round school, offering college preparatory education to athletes involved in all sports.
A typical school day starts at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m., after which students work with their coaches in structured programs three days a week and report for weight training on the other two gym-specific days. When interviewed, students seem undaunted by the full days that end with evenings of homework. Freerider Ashley Battersby, 17, summed it up by saying, “While it is a challenge to cram all your classes with a lot of homework in a short period of time, at least you know all your friends are in the same boat.” Eric Davis, a 17-year-old alpine skier, echoed Batterby’s sentiments, saying, “Everyone is here for the same purpose—to be the best we can be. So we all relate to each other in a positive way.”
Clayton says that “the last piece of the puzzle” for The Winter School will be finding a permanent site—a goal Clayton and the board of directors are actively pursuing. In the meantime, the students enjoy their present location nestled in between the 120-meter Nordic jump hill and the bobsled course used by 2002 Olympic athletes.
ROWMARK SKI ACADEMY
In Salt Lake City, 271 students attend Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s School. Twenty-five of those students are competitive skiers, enrolled in a program called Rowmark Ski Academy. They are full-time students, but train instead of attending afternoon classes from December through March. Founded in 1982, the program has nurtured many top skiing competitors, including Hilary Lindh, Picabo Street, Erik Fisher and Nick Baker. Like The Winter School, Rowmark’s philosophy emphasizes the best of both worlds, combining athletic training to withstand the pressures of racing with rigorous academics. Student athletes are expected to complete the same work as their peers in the mainstream program.
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE
After high school, students who attend Westminster College in Salt Lake City can continue to pursue their Olympic dreams by participating in a unique program that partners the college with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA). Recognizing that most team athletes train to compete during their teens and early 20s, the USSA and Westminster College set up a program that awards tuition grant credits to athletes who wish to pursue their college education at Westminster.
Westminster has recently launched a one-of-a-kind program called “Winter at Westminster,” allowing students from around the country to enjoy a semester of skiing/boarding while studying at the school. Many of these activities take place in Park City at the Utah Olympic Park, The Canyons and Park City Mountain Resort. Last winter’s pilot program included a select group of students from California, New York and Washington. Student Meagan Thornton from Occidental College in California, remarked, “Winter at Westminster was unreal.
If you had told me I would be spending a semester in Utah, riding fresh powder, weekend camping in a yurt, trying Nordic jumping and backcountry skiing, I wouldn’t have believed you. The experience was incredible!” Because Westminster’s campus is located just 30 minutes away from most Olympic venues and training facilities, the college also attracts full-time students who are recognized athletes like Jessica Jerome, the top ranked woman Nordic jumper.
Though all uniquely designed programs, what all three Utah schools have in common is a dedication to excellence, a commitment to helping students achieve their goals, and a passion for education. These schools are truly building more than world-class athletes; they are building all-around champions.
Wendy Lavitt is the author of six books and many magazine articles. She lives in Park City, where she enjoys the mountain lifestyle of skiing, biking and hiking.
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