Those who know senior Elizabeth Silvay know that she excels in academics beyond what is expected of a typical high school student— her commitment to Dartmouth speaks for itself. However, many are unaware of her unique talent that takes her across the country and down the slopes: ski racing.
Silvay first discovered her passion for skiing when she was two years old, but she only started to take it seriously and began ski racing at age ten.
On top of her training schedule, which consists of practices every Tuesday and Thursday night in Wisconsin, Silvay competes with the Wilmot ski team on various weekends throughout the year. In 8th grade during COVID, she lived in Colorado for a year, which allowed her love for the sport to grow deeper.
“That’s kind of when I got more into it, so I ski raced with a team in Colorado. All through high school, I’ve gone to competitions kind of everywhere,” Silvay said.
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, and most recently Wyoming, are just some of the states Silvay has found herself competing in over the past few years. The Western High School National Championships for national level alpine ski racing took place the weekend of March 12-14, and was where Silvay and eight other top female skiers in Illinois took their talents.
The five day excursion began when the Illinois team left Wednesday to compete against other top teams from across the Midwest and West in Grand Targhee, Wyoming. They had one day that was just training before the actual competition, where all of the athletes got a chance to practice on the courses.
“It was super cool because we got to practice on courses set by Wyoming coaches. It could have been intimidating because some of these kids are really good, but it was really great practice,” Silvay said. “It was fun for us because the hills around here are tiny, and Grand Targhee is unlike anything we’ve raced on before.”
Sky racing typically consists of two runs per event.. A coach will set a course, everyone will get time to inspect the course to look at the “gates” (obstacles) and combinations to figure out the fastest way to finish the race. After that, you get one run — with no practice beforehand — then they reset, reinspect, and everyone goes again. Those two times combined are the final score for the race.
This is only the second year that Illinois has had enough athletes to compete at this event, and the first year where there was both a boy and girl team.
With Silvay’s talents growing stronger year after year, this was her second time at the Western Championship. The road to qualify isn’t as simple as it is for the western states; Illinois doesn’t have high school racing as an option for sports.
“It’s different for us because they have a qualifying race and whoever does the best gets a spot, but we don’t have that. Our coaches will look at our results over the year in all of the club races and then determine who’s on the team and the seeding,” Silvay said.
Her strengths lie in the slalom category, a technically challenging category of racing that requires really good twitch muscle speed. She competed in both slalom and giant slalom at this competition.
Though the team tied for 8th out of eight teams, Silvay highlights how this is actually an accomplishment for the Illinois team.
“I think just being Illinois and being able to put the high scoring team was a really big deal for us and our coaches. Everyone is always kind of surprised when we say we’re from Illinois because there isn’t much skiing here,” Silvay said.
Being from Illinois doesn’t present that many opportunities for skiers, but Silvay maximizes what she can get. English teacher and Wilmot skier Mr. Peter Lubliner has seen Elizabeth’s growth on the slopes over the years, and says that above all, her “passion” for the sport is what he “admires” most.
“Everyone thinks they have to do something to be number one, but she has a drive to get better for the sake of the joy of it,” Lubliner said.
He acknowledges that loving the sport for the sheer fact that it’s enjoyable is rare these days.
“She loves the sport, which is not what you see a lot. A lot of times the question becomes: Can I play at school, and can I get a scholarship? Elizabeth has known for a long time that she won’t compete at the collegiate level because once you go all the way, there’s a whole circuit of that. This is something she’s passionate about, but she also knows where she is in it,” he said.
Nolan Olsen, junior teammate of Silvay’s who also competed in Wyoming, notices Silvay’s commitment to not only being an outstanding athlete, but a dependable teammate. She took the time to bring his coat down to the bottom of the hill, even if he didn’t bring hers.
“She’s always willing to go the extra mile to help a teammate or improve her skills… From the wisdom she shared about ski maintenance to the times she cheered me on at the finish line, she’s been an amazing teammate and leader,” Olsen said.
