Tyler Shepherd in his USST days.
USSA; DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
something that’s [been increasingly achieved] in re-
cent years. I’m excited to help them do that, to help
them move on to the next level.”
As an athlete, Shepherd didn’t reach the World Cup
or Olympic levels at which Knight raced, but he’s no
stranger to the top either. He arrived in New Mexico
by way of the U.S. Ski Team coaching staff, having
served as the first-ever head ski cross coach in charge
of converted alpine greats Daron Rahlves and Casey
Puckett — a duo he coached through the Vancouver
Olympic Winter Games last season. When the U.S.
Ski Team cut the ski cross program last spring, Shep-
herd was out of a job. The challenge, he now says,
proved serendipitous.
“I’m transitioning back to my roots in alpine right now,
which I’m excited about,” Shepherd says. “But more
than anything I’m psyched to be back in college skiing
— I’m a big believer.”
Retiring from the U.S. Ski Team after the 2006 Olym-
pic Games, Knight spent two years at Williams Col-
lege, concurrently finishing his undergraduate degree
and coaching the alpine Ephs. He then moved on to
run the alpine program at Mount Mansfield Ski Club in
Stowe.
“After spending so many years on the U.S. Ski Team
and pursuing the sport at an individual level, I fell in
love with the team aspect of NCAA racing when I was
coaching at Williams,” Knight says. “Though pursuing
the sport on the national team was a rewarding en-
deavor, and though there was [some notion of team
when I was racing], it’s an individual sport at the end of
the day. In college, you get to compete on an individu-
al level, too, but it’s a team that drives it — it rewards
team leadership from the coaches on down.”
Both Shepherd and Knight say they’re big fans of col-
lege-town culture, that they’re loving their institutions’
vast resources, and that their jobs are made doubly
sweet by their inspired student athletes.
“I enjoyed [coaching at the club level],” Knight says.
“But I was looking for an opportunity to work with up-
per-level athletes, and I had a strong interest in work-
ing with smart athletes. Dartmouth is a great fit.”
“Unfortunately, I was never able to check out the New
Mexico campus when I was racing,” Shepherd says.
“This place is unbelievable — our facilities and train-
ing staff are second to none, and it’s awesome to work
with high-level, motivated athletes each day.”
Of course, only time will tell if the NCAA circuit’s new
blood will help break Denver’s NCAA championship
stranglehold, but Knight sees a world of opportunity
in the team he’s inherited — specifically citing the 25
EISA podiums Courtney Hammond and Kelsey Rod-
dick have between them.
The Lobos spent most of last season atop Ski Rac-
ing’s NCAA Power Rankings, only to finish third at
NCAAs because of inconsistent alpine results.
“Still, when you look at the results we’ve had over
the past several seasons,” Shepherd says, “it’s pretty
easy to imagine us with a national championship.”
Chip Knight.
