Currently, seven Dartmouth students and alumnae, all women, will travel to Torino, Italy this February to compete in the 20th Olympic Winter Games, continuing a streak of at least one student or coach participating in the Games since 1924.
Two students and two alums will represent Team USA at the two-week event that begins on Feb. 10. Kristin King '02 and Sarah Parsons '09 will skate for the women's ice hockey team, while skiers Sarah Conrad '89 and Carolyn Treacy '06 will test their meddle in the mountains in the biathlon. Three seniors from the Dartmouth women's ice hockey team, Gillian Apps '06, Cherie Piper '06 and Katie Weatherston '06, will represent their native Canada on the ice.
Others could be named to the Olympic cross-country skiing squad later in the week, including Allison Crocker '06.
Due to the commitment to their respective national teams, many of the current student-athletes have missed or will be away from their teams at Dartmouth and from the classroom for a significant amount of time.
Parsons, highly-touted coming out of Nobles and Greenough High School of Massachusetts, has deferred her enrollment at the College until next fall, more than a year after Team USA's roster was announced in August. "If I could have gone to school, I would have," Parsons said. "But I couldn't give up hockey. It would have been impossible. Right now it's pretty much all hockey, all the time."
Apps and Weatherston have taken off extended time due to the circumstances. "I have been living in Calgary since August and have not been at school this year. I plan on returning to campus for the spring term after the Olympics," Apps said.
Weatherston has been forced to make similar arrangements. "Since I am not at school this year, I have missed the entire season. I redshirted this season and will return to the Dartmouth hockey team next fall for the entire season." she said. "I had to take a full year off from school. I missed the spring and fall of '05 and I will miss this winter as well."
While the hockey players have a time commitment so large it requires a whole year away from the College, Treacy has at least been able to be on campus for the fall term. "I'll be gone for two months, so I'm not taking classes this term. They're letting me kind of un-enroll at the last minute. I'll have to take the final term in the fall," she said.
For Treacy, her path to Torino started with a suggestion. A Nordic skier here at Dartmouth, she began her biathlon career eight years ago when her high school coach proposed she attend a biathlon recruiting camp. "I didn't know if I would be shooting bows and arrows or rubber bands," she said.
Funny how things change. Just last week at the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Trials, Treacy clinched a spot on the final Olympic roster with an impressive performance in the final three events. "The Olympic Trials consisted of four races and they discard your worst result. My first race up there was pretty bad, so I needed to do well in the last three races," she said.
Treacy may end up competing in all biathlon events in Torino. For the biathlon team, many outsiders have low expectations for a gold medal in the Games. But for Treacy and her teammates, the challenge ahead is not insurmountable.
"It's going to be very tough. These people are very fast," she said. "My teammates and I won the silver medal at the [2002] World Junior Championships. The peak age for biathlon is around 28-30, so we're going to be competing against athletes in their prime skiing and shooting condition. We're trying to get the 'best-ever results' for the U.S."
Parsons--who began playing varsity hockey in the seventh grade and played on boys' teams throughout much of her youth career--is the youngest member of the USA women's hockey squad. Just 18, her age has never impeded her success on the ice.
In high school she scored a New England-record 222 goals and recorded 184 assists for 406 points. She netted two goals against rival Canada in 2005 and recorded one tally against Finland in an exhibition game in early December. She will be playing alongside players some ten years her senior. "It was a little overwhelming, but now I love it. It's been a great experience to play with people like this. It's just been awesome."
Team USA and Canada are among the favorites to win the gold in hockey in Torino.
Regardless of sport or nation, the feeling of excitement among these student-athletes is mutual. "It is indescribable in words how excited and honored I am to be representing Canada at the Olympic Games," said Apps. "I am really looking forward to having a great experience in Italy."
Her teammate Weatherston echoed those sentiments. "It's a great honor getting selected to play for your country. It has always been a dream of mine and what I have been working towards for so many years. I am really excited and cannot wait to get back to play."
According to Parsons, Dartmouth athletes have one thing on their minds as the 20th Olympic Winter Games approach: "Come together as a team, play well, and win the gold," she said.
