This week, I sat down with Patrick Caldwell ’17, who just returned from the U.S. National Championships, where he won the Junior National Championship for cross-country skiing. We chatted about the competition, his upcoming trip to Italy and goals for the season.
Can you tell me a little bit about the competition you just participated in?
PC: We were at Soldier Hollow Ski Resort, in Midway, Utah, for the U.S. nationals. It started Jan. 4 and went until Jan. 10. It’s basically a gathering of all professional and collegiate teams from around the country, competing in different events for a week.
Can you tell me about the race that you ended up winning?
PC: The last race I participated in was just juniors, under-20 only. It was a mass start, freestyle 10-kilometer race. I was really excited to get the result that I achieved.
Aside from the result, what was the best part of competing in Soldier Hollow?
PC: This is essentially the biggest week of skiing in the U.S. this year, so all of the top-level guys were there. This is the week when people qualify for the Olympics and the under-23 team. It was really great to compete against that top level of competition, and to just spend time around people like that.
So what’s the next step?
PC: I’m leaving Jan. 25 for Val di Fiemme, Italy, to compete in the World Junior Championships and represent the U.S.
What are you looking forward to the most about that trip?
PC: I’m really excited to see some people that I’ve met racing internationally over the past few years. I’m also looking forward to competing against some great skiers and having the opportunity to try for a world title. Plus, I’m pretty excited to spend some time in Italy.
You clearly balance a lot by skiing at this level and attending Dartmouth. Midway through your freshman year, how are you finding the experience?
PC: It’s really great. We have an awesome team with great coaches. The D-Plan works well for skiing. We get to spend a lot of time on the snow here, and the training trips we’ve taken are great. After Thanksgiving we went to Silver Star, British Columbia, and had a two-week camp on snow there. That was awesome.
How have you managed to balance your workload and skiing?
PC: You just have to make it work and stay organized. Stay on top of things. Especially in season, it’s so important to get your work done during the time you have available. My professors have been very understanding. In the end, it’s really all a question of staying organized.
Just to put things in perspective, what is your current training schedule?
PC: We have practice every afternoon, ranging between two and three hours of skiing. Then we have morning lifts in the Floren Varsity House three times a week. So we spend almost 20 hours a week training. When we have races on the weekends, we leave Thursday afternoon.
Aside from your personal trip to Italy for the World Championship, what does the rest of the season look like for the team?
PC: We have our first carnival of the season at Colby College this coming weekend [since the Nordic events were canceled at the UVM Carnival this past weekend]. Then we compete against teams from the University of New Hampshire, Williams College, Middlebury College and Harvard University. In March, we have the Eastern Championships and if we qualify there, we send three people to the NCAA Championships. I’m really excited for the season. We have a really good group of people all the way through, great coaches and great teammates.
How did you get into Nordic skiing and what have some of your biggest influences been?
PC: My biggest influence has to have been my family. I grew up skiing with my entire family. They kept me on a good track, and have really inspired me to work hard and focus on succeeding both in skiing and in life.
In terms of skiing, what is your ultimate goal?
PC: I would have to say my ultimate goal — along with a lot of other people, I’m sure — is to someday be on the U.S. Ski Team racing World Cup events. Obviously growing up you always dream of representing your country, and it would be so awesome if I could do that on a regular basis.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
