Former Dartmouth cross country skiing star Sophie Caldwell '12 has kept herself busy in the months since graduation, competing in races from Utah to the Czech Republic. Skiing professionally comes at a high price, but this week Caldwell received a grant from the Level Field Fund to help finance her future skiing pursuits.
As a student, Caldwell was a five-time All-American and placed second and third at the 2012 NCAA Division I Skiing Championships. Since graduating, she has been racing for the Stratton Mountain School T2 Team, based out of Stratton, Vt., and is currently in the Czech Republic for the European World Cups.
The Level Field Fund helps athletes cover the cost of training, competing and traveling as they pursue professional skiing or snowboarding.
"To make the leap from a college team that provides training, travel expenses, coaching, waxing and all of that, to going out on your own is a big challenge," Caldwell's former coach Cami Graves said.
Caldwell said that cross country skiing is not as well known in the United States, and skiers often have difficulty finding sufficient funds.
"The Level Field Fund will definitely help to offset some of the costs of training and racing," Caldwell said in an email.
Caldwell began skiing at a very young age her sister Isabel Caldwell '14 estimates that she may have only been two years old and grew up close to a ski area in a family of skiers. She attended the Stratton Mountain School, which allowed her to focus more on skiing.
Caldwell said that Dartmouth satisfied all of the things she was looking for.
"When it came time to make my decision, it was a combination of the strong academics, the close proximity to my home and family, the success as well as the camaraderie and leadership on the ski team and the fact that everyone I knew who had gone there loved it," Caldwell said.
Although Caldwell said she enjoyed her time at Dartmouth, especially Winter Carnival and her sophomore summer, she sometimes found it difficult to balance friends, school and skiing.
"In high school we were told that there were the three S's school, skiing and social and at any given time we could only choose two," Caldwell said. "I don't think I ever only chose two by the time my senior year came around, I think I had figured out a pretty effective system."
Caldwell was soon joined at Dartmouth by her siblings, Isabel Caldwell and Austin Caldwell '15, both of whom continue to ski for Dartmouth's cross country teams.
"I was planning on going to [the University of Vermont] after my off year," Austin Caldwell said. "I decided to apply [to Dartmouth] for kicks not really expecting to get in, but I did."
Both of the younger Caldwells said they admire their sister's performance and attitude.
"She's always been pretty relaxed about skiing, but very hardworking," Isabel Caldwell said. "She doesn't really stress about it, but she's always working hard."
Graves said she especially appreciated "quiet confidence" on the team.
"As far as skiing, Sophie has an incredible ability to stand on her skis," Graves said. "It didn't matter whether it was a tough race or an average carnival, she did it with the same grace,"
Caldwell's talent helped her reach new heights after leaving Dartmouth. Her strong performance this season secured her spot in the European World Cups and this week, she took ninth place at the Under 23 Championships in the Czech Republic. Caldwell plans to stay in Europe until March and has set high goals for herself in 2014.
"My dream is to ski in the Olympics next year, so we'll see if that happens," Caldwell said in the email.
Given her recent performances, Graves said that Caldwell's dream is "absolutely possible."
"She's skiing with the big girls now," Graves said.
