![American Bill Harmeyer (University of Vermont) racing the first leg of the men's 4 x 5 k relay on the last day of 2017 Junior World Championships at Soldier Hollow. After he tagged off in sixth, his team went on to finish ninth. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/Bill-Harmeyer-1.jpg")
In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this past week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2017 USANA Nordic Junior World Championships and U23 Cross Country World Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 19-year-old Bill Harmeyer, of the University of Vermont, who represented the U.S. at his first Junior Worlds.
To start the week, Harmeyer reached the semifinals of the men’s classic sprint to place 12th in his first Junior Worlds race. He went on to finish 29th in the 10 k freestyle on Friday, and ninth in the men’s 4 x 5 k relay on Sunday.
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“My full name is Bill Harmeyer, but you can call me Bill. I was born in Burlington, Vt., raised in Underhill, Vt., and one thing you should know about my hometown is the mountain biking is sweet.
I started cross-country skiing when I was three or four, thanks to Mom and Dad, my main sponsors and the real MVPs. I currently train in Burlington with the University of Vermont Ski Team.
If I’m not skiing, you might find me in the library, pretending to study. If I had to pick a favorite book, it would be ‘Casino Royale‘.
One of the things I’m most excited about for Junior Worlds at Soldier Hollow is everything, especially racing at Soldier Hollow again. One race I’m especially targeting there is the classic sprint.
The best advice anyone ever gave me about skiing or racing was ‘the plan is always changing’ – Ben Husaby.
One of the best race memories I have is sprinting to the line with Henry, my twin brother, and Ben Hegman when we were 11 years old at the Silver Fox Trot in Hanover, NH. Came down to a photo finish, which I lost.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Charlotte Kalla.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be a nurse.
I’m missing seven days of school to be here, and my teachers are probably thinking, ‘He better show up to office hours.’
