Graves retires from Nordic Combined Team

Fri, Jul  2, 2010 - By US Ski Team

PARK CITY, UT (July 1) – Rounding out his third season with the U.S. Nordic Combined Team, Willy Graves (Putney, VT) announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2009-10 winter season at age 23.

"It’s hard to put into words. I’m definitely going to miss being around the entire Team. The entire nordic combined community is really supportive," said Graves.

Graves began his winter sports journey as a cross country skier in Grafton, VT. After experimenting on his own with various jump elevations, he enrolled in a local jump program. With experimentation under his belt, Willy advanced to the well known National Sports Academy (NSA) in Lake Placid, NY.

"One of my major goals as a little kid was to make the U.S. Ski Team," explained Graves. "It was definitely a relief and felt like a big accomplishment when I did."

Graves completed the 2010 season, racking up consistent Continental Cup finishes, including a top-20 and several top-30 results. His career highlight, however, came in 2008 when he proved he could compete at the World Cup level finishing 13th in the Hakuba, Japan World Cup B race. However, when looking back on his season being part of the nordic combined team is what makes him most proud.

"It really is the best team in the world, just to be a part of that was an awesome feeling, with veterans like Billy [Demong], Johnny [Spillane] and Todd [Lodwick]. Starting in 2006 to see such rapid improvement and culminate at the Olympics, to be a part of that and to train with those guys-that was the best part," expressed Graves. "Even though I didn’t make the Olympic Team, I really feel I was a part of it and training everyday with those guys was just super."

Graves is taking advantage of the USSA educational program and is enrolled in Westminster College.  At Westminster, he plans to pursue a business degree. Willy, with his former teammate Eric Camerota (Park City, UT), has also stayed connected with the sport. He and Camerota have been experimenting and testing ski wax, which they named the Alien Wax Project, starting with summer wax and moving into hard glide waxes for winter.

Although Graves’s main focus for the next couple years is school, he’s not pushing competing again completely out of sight.

"A return to skiing isn’t completely out of the question after a few years," chuckled Graves. "It’s more of a good mental break for me for the next few years."