Paul Smith College Nordic skiers receive national championship rings
PAUL SMITHS — The Paul Smith’s College Nordic ski team is looking iced out.
Nearly 10 months after the college’s Nordic ski team claimed its first-ever United States Collegiate Ski Association National Championship, the team, staff members, as well as donors and supporters of the program, were given national championship rings. They were awarded the rings at a ceremony held at the Frank Hutchins Lodge at the Paul Smith’s College VIC.
Olympians, Paul Smith’s faculty and community members were in attendance for the ceremony, which was put on in part by Paul Smith’s College Sports Initiative Director John Morgan.
The event featured slideshows, speeches about the work it took to get the college to where it is today and stories from the athletes.
“It’s really great to be celebrating it with this community,” Paul Smith’s Nordic ski coach Matt Dougherty said. “That’s the great thing about the Adirondacks. I’m so happy that all of these people came out to join in.”
Dougherty, who took over the Nordic team around five years ago and turned it into a national championship program, told a packed auditorium about how important the support from the community, the college’s administration and from the school’s partnerships with USA Nordic and U.S. Biathlon are.
“I’ve been in college athletics for 25 years now and it doesn’t normally happen quickly,” Dougherty said. “I have an old friend who has been coaching for a long time and he has coached a lot of NCAA teams and he says, ‘It takes a decade to 20 years to build a good program.’ We were able to do it in four years and that’s the support.”
Nordic skier John Thompson, who transferred over to Paul Smith’s after his previous college’s Nordic ski coach retired, said his experience at PSC has been a night and day difference.
“We struggled over there with support from administration,” Thompson said. “It took so long for us to find a new coach and they had a national championship program over there and they sacrificed it by not believing in their program. When I got here it was kind of incredible.”
Paul Smith’s athlete Aidan Ripp, who will compete for the U.S. Nordic combined team at the Winter World University Games, said he was proud of the support the program and the team receives from the community.
“We’re just the tip of the iceberg,” Ripp said. “I almost feel bad that we’re the ones sitting up on the stages because it really is about you guys. It’s all about community. It’s all about having a great time.”
Nordic skier Timothy Ziegler, who will join Ripp at the Games, said his experience at the college and with the team is something he would not have received at another school in the U.S. He also gave credit to his head coach Dougherty.
“Everyone who speaks can probably say something about him because he’s been amazing,” Ziegler said.
Paul Smith’s Nordic athlete Diego Schillaci echoed the same support from Dougherty. He described Dougherty as a coach who wakes up at 3 a.m. to make sure the team has the fastest skis possible.
“Without a doubt our coach — Matt Dougherty — has made a tremendous impact on each member of this Nordic team,” Schillaci said. “Matt has truly taught us the value of a strong team and what it means to take on responsibility within the team.”
After Dougherty and the 10 members of .the Nordic ski team received their championship rings, the ceremony wrapped up with Paul Smith’s College trustee E. Philip Saunders receiving a ring.
Saunders was honored for being a long-time vocal supporter of the PSC sport and education initiative. He said it’s amazing to see how fast the program was built.
“If you think about it, in the United States there are probably 10,000 winter athletes like these gentlemen here on the stage,” Saunders said. “Here we’ve got 10 that are national champions. When you look at the scope of the entire country. It’s an amazing thing.”