Western skiers compete in World University Games

“Getting to represent the USA… was such an amazing opportunity”

By Seth Mensing, University Media & Communications Manager  

Passion can take you places. Just ask Graydon Walker and Tyler Hippchen, two Western Colorado University Nordic athletes who, after top finishes at college nationals, traveled to Sestriere, Italy, to compete in the FISU World University Games.

The 10-day event, held every two years, brought hundreds of athletes from more than 50 countries to the Pragelato Nordic Ski Olympic Center, which hosted similar events during the 2006 Torino Olympics.

Walker and Hippchen, both fourth-year exercise and sport science students, said it was their first time at the Games and an experience they won’t soon forget.

“My most memorable experiences were meeting all the athletes,” Graydon said. “I made some great friends with athletes from England, Germany, Australia and Finland. I also got the chance to make some lifelong friends with U.S. athletes from other regions of the country.”

Much like the Olympic Games, the competition starts with an opening ceremony, full of pomp and pageantry, when all the athletes don national team apparel and parade into a stadium.

“It was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen in person, with all of the dancing, singing and special effects,” Hippchen said. “It was hard not to get emotional, knowing that all of my hard work had brought me there to represent my country.”

Over the next 10 days, the duo, led by coach Spencer WareJoncas, lined up in five races, representing every discipline in the sport. This was a dramatic uptick in the intensity of a typical race schedule, which requires only two races in two days.

And instead of racing against 40 competitors, as they do at home, they battled a field of 100.

“Not only was it exhausting to have so many races in such a short period,” Walker said, “but we also were pushed extra hard by the high level of competition.”

Walker and Hippchen went head-to-head with world-class athletes, some with professional careers, and held their own in the 10-kilometer individual skate race, the 1.4-kilometer classic sprint, the team sprint, the 7.5-kilometer relay, and the 20-kilometer classic race. 

“It was such an amazing experience all around,” Hippchen said. “Getting to represent the USA on the international stage was such an amazing opportunity.”