“Today was good,” Sammy Smith said of her medal-winning performance at World Junior Championships. A bit of an understatement, perhaps, but her smile described the deep satisfaction she felt. “I didn’t think that I skied [the qualifier] as tactically well as I was hoping to,” she continued. “And definitely lost some time on parts of the course where I shouldn’t have. But going into the heats, I was really excited and things turned out well. It was hectic: there was definitely a lot of crashes, but tons of fun.”That’s how FasterSkier’s interview began with World Junior Championships silver medalist, Sammy Smith . . .
FasterSkier: You came out of the qualifier in fifth place. Where did you feel like you wanted to improve on the course after the qualifier?
Sammy Smith: I looked at the halfway split at .6 kilometers; I lost almost all of my time back from the leader in that first [section]. So, I knew that for the first part of the course was definitely ripe to clean things up, particularly in both of the corners because I think I was a little too cautious. I definitely could have been more aggressive with things.
FS: In the semifinal, you went out with the first qualifier. Did you plan on skiing off her, or were you more trying to go hard from the gun kind of thing?
SS: She kind of opened it up and I tried to follow her. And then it just kind of played out that we got a little bit of a gap on the rest of the fields and then going into the finish I definitely backed off. I could have pushed harder, but there wasn’t really a reason to because she was ahead of me and you’re gonna be chasing her in the final, too.
FS: How did the the final play out? Did you feel it was faster than your semifinal?
SS: I would say it was more hectic because it’s the final . . . everyone’s hoping to take a spot on the podium. And then [another skier] crashed on the corner . . . I was on one ski for a little bit to dodge her, which I’m very grateful I did. And then I think the Swedish skier went down with her. The girl from Andorra, Gina, she had a lead. And I didn’t really realize, to be honest, how close the other girls were because the way the course kind of turns and stuff. I feel like it’s not straight enough to really, like, know your distances super well until coming into the finish.
FS: How did you feel good crossing the line in second place, silver medal in a World Championship?
SS: Yeah, I was super excited. One of my goals for the season was to get a podium at World Juniors, and I knew I was going to be [a contender] in sprints. It’s going to be my best shot. So very glad that it was able to make it happen today. And yeah, I mean, there’s always like a little bit of a bittersweet feeling: silver, just leaves you excited for more!
FS: This was the first American individual medal since Katherine Ogden in 2017; yours is an entirely new generation generation. Does it feel good to be at the forefront of that?
SS: Yeah, it’s, it’s really exciting. I’ve had the opportunity to race some World Cups, and I think that experience has really, really helped me today. [With such] competitive fields you should ski a lot more aggressively.
FS: I’m also on the tech side of things (editor’s note: FasterSkier reporter, Ben Theyerl was at these championships as a Wax Tech with Team USA) and we were really excited about all four of you guys [qualifying] into the heats. Can you say a little bit about how having more of your teammates in a race like this?
SS: Yeah, it was a pretty incredible day for the American women. I mean, Ava qualified second, which was phenomenal. She was only .4″ out from the lead. She should be really proud and happy with that. And then this was both Evie and Sofia’s first World Juniors and potentially first international racing experience. They both qualify top 30, which is so exciting.
FS: Your coach, Peter, was here today. I saw your parents were out there today, too. What’s it like to have so much support over here a world away from home?
SS: I was so excited when I found out that Peter was going to be here. And yeah, my parents were here, which is really exciting. And obviously it’s not a short trip to come over from the US. So I’m very grateful that they could be here and watch today, and then get to kind of celebrate with Peter at the end too. It’s very exciting.
Ben Theyerl
Ben Theyerl was born into a family now three-generations into nordic ski racing in the US. He grew up skiing for Chippewa Valley Nordic in his native Eau Claire, Wisconsin, before spending four years racing for Colby College in Maine. He currently mixes writing and skiing while based out of Crested Butte, CO, where he coaches the best group of high schoolers one could hope to find.
