2010 Olympics: Team USA's Ski Jumping Trio Paying Their Own Way

Ash MarshallFeb 9, 2010

Peter Frenette worked at an ice cream stand this summer. Nick Alexander washes dishes at a restaurant near his home. Anders Johnson cuts grass and spreads sod.

Meet Team USA’s trio of ski jumpers who will be battling for global supremacy on the slopes at Whistler Olympic Park next week.

If you put aside the glitz and the glamour of the 2010 Winter Olympics—the lavish opening ceremony, the Games’ storied 86-year history, and the 10,000 journalists, reporters, and media reps clamoring for interviews with the winners and heroes—there are hundreds of stories of hardship and sacrifice.

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Just because Team USA will be among the top medal winners in Vancouver, their athletes—our athletes—are no different. Just ask America’s ski jumping team.

What many people who don’t follow the intricacies of the U.S. Ski Team may not know is that the Olympians are not fully funded. They need to find their own coaches, buy their own equipment, make their own way to international events and competitions.

It often means sacrificing college careers, renting budget accommodation on the road, and working part-time jobs to make ends meet. Their Olympic goals may be glamorous, but behind every ski jumper is a humble, hard-working young man with an equally-supportive network of family and friends.

Anders Johnson, from Park City, Utah, said in a press conference on Monday that without the support of his family he wouldn’t be where he is right now.

“We don’t have full support from the U.S. Ski Team which basically means we are forced into creating a private ski jumping team for ourselves. And that basically comes down to finding your own sponsorship money, your own coach and it’s really difficult to do with how the economy is now.

“All of our travel, all of our expenses, everything is done by mom and dad. I mean every trip, every piece of equipment is bought and paid for by ourselves, every plane ticket, everything. So, that’s a huge sacrifice for us.

“Nick and I both graduated high school, should be moving on to college and everything, but we’re sacrificing that part of our life into this sport. And it’s an even bigger sacrifice for our families to work that extra bit to keep our Olympic dream alive.

"I was an Olympian when I was only 16, so I still hadn’t finished high school. It’s a tough choice. For me school is waiting. You can go to college anytime you want, you can’t go to the Olympics at 56.

“Without our parents’ support we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

Peter Frenette, 17, from Saranac Lake, N.Y., the youngest male athlete on Team USA’s Olympic roster added: “It’s definitely hard seeing all my friends getting ready for college next year…but it’s hard when I don’t know if there is going be funding or anything like that. It’s kind of like a leap of faith. Maybe we will get funding. The results aren’t proven. It’s kind of a toss up between going to college and continuing ski jumping, making all those sacrifices like my mom and dad continue to pay. It’s definitely difficult.”

Twenty one-year-old Nick Alexander from Lebanon, N.H., had a similar dilemma. He could follow his Olympic dream of flying through the air on skis, or he could follow his dream of flying his own plane.

“That was a really tough decision because I got into a pretty good school that was a sure fire way of being a pilot,” Alexander said.

“So it was a really hard decision to choose between going to school, that’s another dream of mine, being a pilot, so I pursue this dream or that dream, it was a really hard decision. But I’ve been really fortunate. The town I live in, Lebanon, New Hampshire, everyone there seems really supportive. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”

Johnson added: “As far as the cost per season. I think my family and I ran the numbers a few times and it costs a little over $20,000 a year to do what we’re doing on a professional level. We try to cut as many corners as we can. We try to find cheap hotels. We’ve stayed in some pretty not-so-great places, but that’s another sacrifice you have to make.”

The trio's quest for Olympic glory begins on Friday morning. Fly or fall, financial security is more than just one jump away.

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