Returning to School : A Letter From Coach Cameron

Howdy Wolf Pack Skiing Community, 

My name is Cameron Smith, and I am the Head Coach of the Nevada Ski Team. I grew up ski racing in Colorado, attended Burke Mountain Academy for a few years, raced and coached at the University of Colorado and won two NCAA Skiing National Championships. More recently I was the National Race Manager of Head USA and then coached at Team Palisades Tahoe. All things considered, my first year coaching the Nevada Ski Team went well. We had some successes on the slopes, some personal best results, some heartbreaking injuries, and of course challenges along the road.

The athletes are about to return to campus for the start of the fall semester. I’m excited to begin our fall workout program with the team. Last fall was exciting, challenging, and a big learning year for me. This year I am feeling a lot more confident and organized headed into the school year. At this point last August, I still had not even moved into my home in Reno! 

To start off, I’d like to officially announce our three new recruits: Isaac Mozen, David Morken, and Matilde Vianello. Isaac is from Olympic Valley, attended Sugar Bowl Academy, and spent the last two years at Colorado Mountain College. He struggled with some injuries last year but held his own and had some great results on the collegiate race circuit. He will be a great addition to the team with his maturity and experience… and it doesn’t hurt he’s from Olympic Valley! David is from Truckee and skied at Team Palisades Tahoe for most of his career. Last year he was an invitee to the U.S. Ski Team Men’s Development Team and was based out of a ski team in France, called Apex2100. He was able to gain a lot of experience racing in Europe last season. David is a top junior in the country, a local, and eager to make his mark on the Nevada Ski Program. Finally, Matilde Vianello is from Rovereto, Italy. Matilde is a slalom ace, and excited to pursue Physiology at Nevada. She spent the last few years on the coveted Trentino Regional Team and had some career best results last season. I am excited to have this top-tier recruit join the Wolf Pack and help raise the level of our team. 

  I would like to highlight some of our returning athletes success last year. Iver Naess represented the Wolf Pack at NCAA Championships and won the second run of slalom by over a second. We saw podium sweeps at regional FIS races, many fastest runs, and lots of smiles! Almost every athlete improved their FIS point profile showing they continued to develop as athletes while balancing their academics. We posted a team GPA of 3.5 in the spring semester despite missing many days of class. Overall we had a very young team; seven out of fifteen were freshman. Looking forward to next season we have a lot more returning athletes who’s experience and confidence from last year will make a stronger  Wolf Pack ski team.

I am excited to welcome all of the athletes this week as they arrive on campus, and I look forward to keeping you all updated on team news and some exciting projects we have in the works.

Go Pack!

Cameron Smith

Head Ski Coach