Becca Rorabaugh

Becca Rorabaugh is a native of Fairbanks Alaska, began skiing in first grade, and has continued ever since. Although at one point during middle school, she was skiing, playing basketball, volleyball, soccer, and running cross country, Rorabaugh is currently skiing full time before continuing her academic career at Dartmouth.

Rorabaugh credits her mom for helping push her to get to where she is today. In 2008 Rorabaugh won both the Classic Sprint and the 10K Classic race at JOs and placed 15th in the 10K Classic at US Nationals. Rorabaugh plans to ski at an elite level until she reaches her goals and then to potentially pursue architecture. When she is not skiing, Rorabaugh enjoys art, cooking, and reading.

Birthdate: June 29, 1989
Hometown: Fairbanks, AK
Current Residence: Anchorage, AK
Ski Club: APUNSC
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 150lbs
Best Results: 15th (10k Classic) 2008 US Nationals, 1st (10k Classic) 2008 JOs, 1st (Classic Sprint) 2008 JOs
Sponsors: I am NCAA eligible so I have no personal sponsors.  My team is sponsored by Swix and I am in the Fischer Select program. I use Alpina boots.

Full Interview

When did you start ski racing, and what were some highlights of your young skiing career?
I started racing in 1st grade, and have been ever since.  The highlight of my pre-high school career was getting to race in Greenland in 2002, as a J3.  I was in seventh grade when I qualified for Arctic Winter Games and went to Nuuk, Greenland.  It was so exciting!  The Alaskan skiers did really well and the J3 girls swept the sprint race, making it a very successful trip as well as an amazing experience.

Who has been the most influential person for you, whether as a skier or a person?
My Mom has always expected me to try my best and to succeed, and has set an athletic example as a runner.  (One who could always beat me, even through high school).  She has influenced my drive to excel.

Where is your favorite place to ski, where is your favorite place to race, what is your favorite part of the season, what are your favorite ski conditions?
As a Fairbanksan, I love Birch Hill.  It is my favorite place to race and ski, though the Spencer Loop at Hillside in Anchorage is also a fun and challenging place to train, and Hatcher Pass in October and November is hard to beat.  My favorite part of the season is the early season because snow is starting to show up, everyone is getting ready and there is a lot of anticipation.  I am also a fan of the conditions during that time in Alaska: cold hard track skiing.

What drives you to succeed at the highest possible level, and what are your long-term goals as a skier?
I have always wanted to be a ski racer, ever since I was five or so.  I wanted to go to the Olympics, and I still do.

What are your favorite race formats/distances, and do you try to specialize for these events?
I don’t really have a favorite; I think I am a little too young to specialize too much.

What are your overall goals for this season?
To make World Juniors.

Do you have any consistent training partners? Do you prefer training alone or with others?
I usually train with my teammates at APU, and I definitely enjoy having such a great group of athletes to chase around.

What is your favorite on snow workout and favorite dryland workout?
I strangely enjoy L4 bounding, and on-snow speed with the whole APU group.

What do you enjoy doing besides skiing?
Art, cooking, reading.

In terms of employment, are you a 100% full-time athlete, or do you have another job besides training/racing? If so, what do you do?
I am currently mainly an athlete, though I am a part time student at APU.

How long do you think you will ski at the elite level? What do you see yourself doing after you finish your ski career?
I would like to ski at an elite level until I reach my goals. Then, maybe I will look in to architecture or something design-oriented.

Do you or did you ever attend college? How did you make that decision?
I am currently deferring from Dartmouth, and am taking a class at APU while I ski.  I wanted to see what it was like to be a full-time skier, before I went to school full-time.

Do you enjoy racing/competing in other sports during the offseason? Did you play other sports as a kid? What are some of your favorite non-skiing competitions?
I have not competed in other sports since I graduated from high school, but before I did all kinds of sports.  At one point in middle school I was skiing, playing basketball, volleyball, soccer, and doing cross-country running.  During high school I cut back to soccer, skiing and running only.  I love soccer because it is so exciting and fast paced, and running because it is so rewarding.

What do you do with any spare time at training camps or on race trips?
This year I am going to be knitting, last year I was painting.  I also usually do some napping and movie watching.

What does your diet consist of? Do you have a favorite pre-race dinner and breakfast?
Spaghetti is my absolute favorite food, and coincidentally it is a good pre-race dinner as well.  For breakfast, I like either eggs and toast or oatmeal.

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
My family and I once walked half a mile to get the paper when it was -52º Fahrenheit.

How do you spend your weeks off?
I go up to Fairbanks to relax and hang out with my family.  I try to get out and go camping with them when I can.

What is the best race or workout you have ever done?
I am not sure, my first sprint intervals with APU in summer 2007, on Eagle Glacier were kind of a turning point for me.  I realized that I could almost keep up with some of the older athletes that I had looked up to for so long.

What race events are in your plan for this season, and which race are you are looking forward to the most?
I will be on the Supertour from West Yellowstone through Soldier Hollow.  I will also be at US Nationals in January.  I definitely look forward to having Nationals in Alaska this year.