No limits Palmer paralympian wins national title

PALMER — Palmer Paralympian Grace Miller, who has joined the University of Alaska Fairbanks ski team, won a national title during the US Paralympic National Championships in Jan. 5 Craftsbury, Vermont. Miller is currently at the World Cup in Sweden where she will compete in the biathlon for the first time.

Miller won the national championship competing against four other paraskiers from the US and Canada, and is currently in Sweden competing in four races over two weeks including her first biathlon. Miller skied at Palmer High and graduated from the Alaska Middle College before heading to UAF, where she walked onto the ski team. Miller earned a spot at the PyeongChang Paralympics in 2018, and is hoping to be a prime contender for a medal for the Beijing Olympics in 2022.

“I do believe that if I keep progressing and training the way I am right now that I will have a fair shot at a medal for the Beijing 2022 Paralympics,” Miller said.

Miller has been issued a custom one-handed rifle for her first biathlon competition. Miller received training in Anchorage and has been progressing, but will face her first test of shooting after skiing in Sweden.

Miller’s training has been magnified by attending a national cross-country skiing program, such as UAF. Not only has her workload as a biology major increased, but her coach Eliska Albrigtsen said that her training regimen has more than doubled.

“We are both kind of newbies on the team,” Albrigtsen said.

Albrigtsen joined the team as a coach in August when Miller began attending classes in Fairbanks.

“She’s one of my most improved athletes from this fall. We didn’t really know what to expect when Grace came and started to train with us. It was immediately obvious that she’s going to be one of the members of the team,” Albrigtsen said.

Though Miller is behind many of her teammates in training and ski knowledge, she has been catching up fast. Albrigtsen says that Miller is a leader in strength training and has increased her speed and endurance since joining the team in the fall.

“She improved a lot by acquiring a lot of knowledge about skiing. She was so raw,” Albrigtsen said. “She’s just like a sponge. She’s one of the best athletes to coach.”

Miller was born without use of her left arm. Even so, Miller does pushups and pullups as part of her training routine. Cross-country skiing is heavily reliant on the ability to generate speed by using the ski poles. Miller has made fast friends with many of her competitors when traveling to international competitions.

“I get to meet so many amazing talented people from competing in both the Paralympic and college ski races. I usually get to follow them on instagram and see all the cool pictures they post,” Miller said. “I love competing and skiing with other people who also have impairments. Especially seeing people who are a lot faster than me is really motivating. Because it just means that there are no limits to what you can do.”

Albrigtsen has not only seen a positive impact on the UAF team from Miller’s work ethic, but her attitude as well.

“She’s always super cheerful,” Albrigtsen said.

Albrigtsen has been pushing Miller so hard to keep up with her college teammates. Before winning the Paralympic National Championships in Vermont, Miller raced on both Thursday and Friday and competed in a 10k classic race. Her sprint at the national championships was 800 meters. Miller said that her training at UAF has made her more fit and confident, and made a huge difference in her racing. Miller also commended Albrigtsen on her abilities to know what wax to use for the fastest skis.

“It’s incredible to see her race. She’s so tough,” Albrigtsen said.

Albrigtsen not only commended Miller’s attitude in training, but her demeanor during races. For a sport that pushes athletes to the limits in extreme cold, facial expressions can be a tell tale sign of an athlete’s fitness. Not only does Miller’s core workouts, speed and endurance impress her coaches, but her calm demeanor during races is a good sign for her coaches.

“During the race I am in a lot of both mental and physical pain. But when it is over though I always really, really accomplished with myself and my body feels the most warmed up and alive,” Miller said.

Since departing from Palmer and the friendly trails of Government Peak Recreation Area, Hatcher Pass, Crevasse Morraine and the plethora of accessible trails around the Valley, Miller has taken a liking to her new digs.

“UAF is an amazing great choice for Nordic skiers. There are groomed ski trails literally right outside my dorm room, which makes training really easy. The main ski area, Birch Hill, has awesome ski trails which are always well groomed and are only a 15 min drive from campus,” Miller said. “Becoming a full time college athlete was a lot harder than I thought I was going to be. We train six days a week sometimes twice a day. Skiing and training becomes your life instead of being a part of it. Both school and training take a lot of time but I have learned how to manage my time really well because of it.”

Miller hopes to compete on the international circuit well enough to earn a spot for the Beijing Olympics in 2022, where Miller was born before being adopted by her mother, Kym. Miller’s paralympic coach Beth Ann Chamberlain traveled with her to Sweden for competition in the World Cup.

“She was excited about winning the National Paralympic women’s sprint,” Kym Miller said of her daughter. “She’s clearly upped her level since she was skiing in High School, and you can see the difference.”

Contact Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com.