FasterSkier Rookie of the Year
It is hard to define a “rookie” in cross-country skiing. First year on the World Cup? First season as a senior? First year in college? First year skiing? We keep it loose and give the award to skiers who take a major step forward while moving up to a new level of competition.
Rookie of the Year (men):
Simi Hamilton (USA). In his first season out of college, Hamilton moved from potential to legit in a big way. Hamilton not only qualified for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, he qualified for the heats in the classic sprint, and finished 29th.
In addition to the Olympics, he raced in three World Cup events, placing 28th in Canmore, and in perhaps his most impressive performance of the year, took 34th in the Oslo, Norway skate sprint. Sprints in Norway feature the largest and toughest fields on the World Cup. Hamilton was just half a second out of the heats.
Hamilton also qualified 1st in the U23 Championship sprint in Hinterzarten, Germany, before being undone in the heats when the grip of his pole came detached.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2010/04/rokkie-6364.jpg" "Simi Hamilton mixing it up at the Olympics")
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Rookie of the Year (women):
Holly Brooks (USA). Brooks is the closest to a true rookie to win this award. Prior to this season, she did not even have a FIS number since 2004, and started just four USSA sanctioned events last year.
A coach for APU, Brooks exploded back onto the racing scene last season when she finished 2nd in the American Birkebeiner and 4th in the US National Championship 15km. This year she made another huge jump, qualifying for the Olympics, and starting five events.
She also raced the Canmore World Cup, earning top-30 finishes in her first two World Cup starts of her career.
On the national level, she won three SuperTour races and finished on the podium in seven others. In a total of 14 SuperTour/US Nationals and NorAm starts, Brooks was out of the top-5 just one time.
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2010/04/holly-rookie.jpg" "Holly Brooks")
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Previous Winners:
2009
Alex Harvey (CAN)
Morgan Arritola (USA)
2008
Garrott Kuzzy (USA)
Liz Stephen (USA)
Award Schedule:
Thursday, April 15 – Rookie of the Year
Friday, April 16 – Collegiate Skier of the Year
Monday, April 19 – Adaptive Skier of the Year
Tuesday, April 20 – Continental Skier of the Year
Wednesday, April 21 – Biathlete of the Year
Thursday, April 22 – Nordic Combined Skier of the Year
Friday, April 23 – Performance of the Year (cross-country, biathlon, nordic combined)
Monday, April 26th – Cross-Country Skier of the Year
![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2010/04/Medal-2010.jpg" "FasterSkier Awards 2010")
6 comments
2PACmosDEF
April 15, 2010 at 10:11 pm
I feel like I’ve written this like a million times in FS comments, but…Simi Hamilton wasn’t 34th in Drammen, he was 56th (out of not many more than that). I’m not trying to take anything away from him, I mean Newell and Koos at the Olympics for crying out loud. But still, you people at fasterskier keep sayin he was 34th in Drammen, HE WAS 56th!
skivan
April 15, 2010 at 11:22 pm
The funny thing is that he was neither 34th nor 56th.
2PACmosDEF
April 15, 2010 at 11:27 pm
53rd, whatever, that’s what I meant.
2PACmosDEF
April 15, 2010 at 11:29 pm
He was also 4.53 seconds out of the heats, not “just half a second out of the heats”
FasterSkier
April 16, 2010 at 5:39 am
Oslo. 34th. .5 seconds out.
2PACmosDEF
April 16, 2010 at 8:30 am
The Holmenkollen skate-sprint and the Drammen classic-sprint were very different events. You are correct, the Drammen classic-sprint was a highly-competitive field, but unfortunately Simi was 53rd out of 66 competitors. Don’t talk about the Drammen sprint when Simi skied well in the Holmenkollen sprint, furthermore, his results at the Olympics (remember, he was the only American to qualify for ski downs) and U-23 World’s qualifiers were much more impressive than a 53rd out of 66.