Cross-Country Skier Is in It for the Long Haul

Patrick Weaver '93 has organized his life around competitive cross-country skiing in order to enjoy "the freedom to do what I love." Doing what he loves has already taken Weaver to one Olympics and may lead him to another. "I have friends who have high-powered jobs and I'm definitely not envious of that," he says. "I've never wanted to sit behind a desk all day."

Instead, Weaver trains 70 to 80 hours a month during the summer and fall, running up to 25 miles a day on trails through woods and up mountain peaks. He works out two to three times a week, using light weights and doing exercises. In the winter, he skis from 10 to 35 miles a day.

Weaver grew up in Lenox, Mass. He started skiing with his family when he was 7 years old and began racing when he was in high school. When he applied to colleges, he limited his choices to schools that had top-level ski teams. He was named to the national team in 1995, competed in two World Championships, won two national championships and competed in the 1998 Olympics in Japan. "Skiing has taken me to places I would never have gone otherwise," he says. "I've been to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Spain, France and Japan."

Weaver is currently participating in Home Depot's Olympic Job Opportunity Program where he works half time, but gets paid as a full-time associate. In the spring, summer and fall, he trains and works in the paint department at the Home Depot store near his home in Bend, Ore. In the winter, he travels and focuses on training and racing. "It's a great program, and I wouldn't be able to support myself without it," Weaver says.

Currently a member of the Rossignol Ski Team, he competes in distance races--10 kilometers to 50 kilometers--which take from 25 minutes to 2.5 hours to complete. "Long distance races take much more endurance," Weaver notes. "They require longer workouts during the summer and fall. You have to pace yourself much more in the longer races."

In January, Weaver learned that he had been selected to race for the U.S. at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The committee chose eight men and eight women to compete in Salt Lake City, Utah. Weaver says he is likely to race in the 30-km and 50-km events.

Weaver has been skiing competitively since graduation and wants to continue competing as long as he is able. "The training is pretty demanding, and there are definitely days when I wonder, 'Why am I doing this?' But the thrill of competing and the satisfaction of doing your best are worth it all. It's a great way to live."