Newsmaker: Skip and Ski

Skip Merrick, a 23-year-old Brigham Young University student from Sun Valley, Idaho, was selected by the United States Ski Association to represent the U.S. at the World University Games in Zakopane, Poland, in February 1993. Skip, who is majoring in construction management, is the first skier from BYU ever to be named to the U.S. team. Not only was it an honor for Skip to be a part of the team, but before the games were over, he was honored as a world champion as a result of his first place finish and gold medal in the giant slalom.

“It was almost like an Olympic event,” says Skip, who takes his training runs with the BYU team at Sundance Ski Resort. “There were five thousand people at the finish line.”

Skip grew up on the slopes of Sun Valley, Idaho, where he was a member of the Sun Valley Branch, Carey Idaho Stake. His talent in downhill racing landed him a spot on the U.S. Ski Team, where he participated for three years.

Photo by Jed Clark