PARK CITY, UT (July 19 ) – Ski jumper turned nordic combined skier Davis Miller (Steamboat Springs, CO) announced his retirement with the U.S. Nordic Combined Team after competing with the squad for three years.
"The travel was fun, going to cool places, training all the time and not having to worry about schools and jobs," said Miller. "I will miss that."
Miller first strapped on a pair of skis at the ripe age of four, ripping down the slopes at Winter Park, CO. After a couple years and a move to Steamboat, he realized he liked being in the air more than on the ground, making the leap to ski jumping.
"I struggled to race with the best in the world in the cross country, but I'm really going to miss jumping," admitted Miller. "I was always a really strong jumper."
Miller took his success and skill in ski jumping and paired it with cross country to become a nordic combined threat at an elite competition level. After a breakthrough season in 2008, he continued to show strength in 2009 posting consistent results.
"It's always nice to jump really well, have a pretty good race and have decent results," said Miller.
Miller is stationed in Steamboat for the summer, working at an alpine slide before heading back to the University of Colorado at Boulder to start his junior year. Miller is majoring in geography with hopes of working for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) focusing on online mapping.
"I appreciated the opportunity to be on the U.S. Ski Team. It was fun," said Miller. "I have no regrets. I trained as hard as I could."