Colony senior is excelling on the ski trails

Feb. 23, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - Ryan VanGorder is something of a late bloomer.

Up until his freshman year of high school, VanGorder had never even strapped on a pair of cross-country skis. Now four years later, the Colony High senior is among the state's best in the sport.

&#8220I just wanted to try something new,” VanGorder said last week during a break from training for this weekend's state championships.

VanGorder had been a wrestler up until high school, so he had a background in sports, which he said helped him take to skiing immediately.

&#8220I caught on quicker than most I guess,” he said.

The sport was a natural fit, he said, as his home is located just feet from Colony's cross-country trails.

&#8220It's pretty close,” he said.

Up until high school, VanGorder had been a wrestler, and said that early on in his career he brought a wrestler's mentality to the sport.

&#8220I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to win,” he said.

Some of that toughness has helped him in his adopted sport, including one race last season when he finished the course with a nose that was gushing blood.

&#8220I got a little tired at the end, but I just kept on going,” he said.

But cross-country skiing is more about racing the clock and trying to better yourself, and VanGorder said he finally found success when he realized he just needed to go out and have fun.

&#8220Now I just don't worry about it and go out and have fun,” he said.

He credited that attitude to his success this season, which includes not only a Region III championship, but also a victory in the Kenai Klassic 15-kilometer event and second in the Mat-Su Pursuit and Skyview Classic 5-k races. At last year's state meet he finished 10th in the boys' freestyle race and 16th in the classic event.

VanGorder credits his rapid rise to skiing success to Colony coaches Ed and Mark Strabel, who helped draw him into the sport as a youngster.

&#8220You've got to have good coaches,” he said.

He said Ed Strabel - who handed over the Colony program to his son, Mark, this season - has been especially instrumental in his development.

&#8220He's really helped me make the jump to the next level,” VanGorder said.

Although he's grown into one of the dominant skiers in the area - he and Su-Valley's Galen Johnson will likely battle to be the top Mat-Su finisher at state - VanGorder said he's not really about competition anymore. Instead, he said he's found that skiing in itself can be the biggest reward, and said the friendships he's made in the sport far outweigh any of his individual accomplishments.

&#8220Skiing is different from other sports teams,” he said. &#8220It's a good group of kids, we get along pretty good and just have a good time.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at

352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com