Jesse Church, a Paul Smith University student and Nordic skier from Bethlehem, New Hampshire, will be interviewed Thursday before heading to Turin, Italy, to compete in the FISU Winter World University Games on Saturday. (Corporate photo — Aaron Marborn)
PAUL SMITH — Sanders on the campus of Paul Smith College on Thursday as five of the seven student-athletes prepare to represent the United States at the FISU Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy, next week. -There was an onslaught of media in the atrium of the sports complex. their journey.
Two years ago, when the FISU game was held in Lake Placid, several PSC student-athletes who remember watching the game were just beginning their ski training. From now on, they will take part in the race in the Alps.
“We have a lot of athletes coming in from smaller schools.” PSC Nordic and Biathlon Coach Matt Doherty said:
Nordic skiers Phil Matthews, Jesse Church and Aidan Ripp. Biathletes Kasia Bosek, Diego Schillaci, Brigitte Reusch and Dolcy Tanguay will leave Boston on Saturday and will be in Italy from January 11th to 24th. Competition begins on January 14th.
Minnesota’s Ripp and Maine’s Tanguay both graduated in May but can still compete in these FISU games. They previously competed in the 2023 games held here. They are returning from Anchorage, Alaska, where they just competed in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Championships.
Kasia Bocek, a Paul Smith College student and biathlete from Alexandria, Minnesota, will be interviewed Thursday before heading to Turin, Italy, to compete in the FISU Winter World University Games on Saturday. (Corporate photo — Aaron Marborn)
This team of skiers came to PSC specifically for the Nordic program.
“Skiing is why I came to Paul Smith.” Matthews said.
Bocek and Church said the same thing.
“That’s why I came here.” Reusch said.
Most racers started the sport because of their parents. Church started skiing as a toddler.
Diego Schillaci, a Paul Smith College student and biathlete from New Paltz, will be interviewed Thursday before heading to Turin, Italy, to compete in the FISU Winter World University Games on Saturday. (Corporate photo — Aaron Marborn)
“My ski boots allowed me to stand up before I could walk, so they put my skis on and I just limped around the garden.” she said.
Bocek, a senior, began training for biathlon at age 12. Her father was a marine sniper who built a shooting range and ski trail at his home in Montana.
“He’s very supportive. I love him very much.” Bosek said.
Schillaci learned to ski from his mother. During the coronavirus pandemic, he asked his high school ski coach to teach him how to shoot. He said this is new to him so he doesn’t know how it will go, but he plans to do his best.
Matthews’ parents, especially his father, took him skiing. He fell in love with competitive skiing after hearing an announcement over the loudspeaker one morning about his high school ski team.
Some of the students remember watching a FISU game here two years ago.
Matthews made friends at the 2023 FISU game and they still keep in touch. Having seen matches here before, he knows what to expect and can mentally prepare better.
Schillaci remembers meeting athletes at those Olympics and looks forward to it. Although it is a special occasion, he is competitive. “It’s just another race.”
Bosek remembers watching FISU games here and is looking forward to the tournament. “Great energy” They bring.
It’s a different feeling to race overseas, put on a USA race suit, and compete against a whole new group of people from all over the world.
Turin’s biathlon course is brand new. The course was originally built for the 2006 Winter Olympics and, like venues around here before 2023, was recently refurbished for the FISU Games. This track is so new that almost no one has ever raced on it, so no one really knows what they’re doing. It would look something like this, Schillaci said.
Attending the 2025 FISU Games means different things to different people. For the Schillaci, this is a great way to end their senior year and a bit of a family reunion. His father has flown in, and his uncle, aunt and cousin live in Rome, a short train ride from Turin.
This will be Matthews’ first time leaving the country. He continues the countdown until departure. When he reached 100 days old, he said he was very nervous. It’s only the second day so he’s mostly excited. Matthews, a junior, said he is as prepared and relaxed as he can be.
Bocek has competed in Europe during his high school and college years. She is excited about this time with her teammates and looks forward to cheering them on.
Reusch is in his first year at PSC. She said it was a wild feeling competing on such a big stage in her first year. After experiencing Nordic skiing in high school, he began shooting biathlons during a gap year to cure burnout and fell in love with the sport. The FISU Games will be some of her first races of the season and she is happy to see the progress she has made in her first year.
She said she feels at home on the team and has made some long-term friends.
Church never expected he would do so well in the sport he loves. It’s stressful and exciting.
the “refreshing” Get to a flat spot on the trail and hit V2 for a few minutes. V2 is ski technique or “gear,” A place where you glide at high speed.
Although it may sound kind of self-deprecating, Church said she loves the pain in the sport and the ability to push through it. That’s really powerful for her.
“Even though it hurts so much that I want to stop, it still feels so good to keep going.” she said.
they talk about “Cave of Pain” The amount of pain you can endure without passing out or going over the edge. Their bodies tell them to slow down, but in endurance sports they learn how to be comfortable inside that pain cave.
Matthews fell in love with the sport because of its difficulty. When I asked him why, the first thing he said was: “Madness” But he added that he finds it rewarding to accomplish something so physically demanding.
Coverage of the event will be streamed on the discovery+ and Max platforms and online at fisu.tv, and race recaps will be posted at: “FISUtv” YouTube page.
