CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The 2023 Senior Perspectives is the 18th in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of teams at Harvard have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Harvard.
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Hometown: Morrisonville, N.Y.
Sport: Nordic Skiing
Concentration: Environmental Science and Public Policy
House: Cabot
Throughout my entire Harvard experience, whenever I was asked about my favorite part of college, my answer has consistently been three words: the Ski Team. I touched my first cross-country ski track before I could even walk, bumping along in a sled tied to my parents as they skied through the woods. They tell me that the cold air and the snow became my happy place. Skiing wasn't something I discovered while growing up; it was something that was ingrained in me from generations of family skiers before me. However, what I did discover was the reason why they all skied—it was the passion that skiing ignited within
them. Growing up with this cross-country skiing mindset, I often found myself isolated from my peers. I was the only cross-country skier at my local school, and the nearest team was over an hour's drive away, leaving me to mostly train alone. The sport was deemed odd by local friends due to its physical exertion and perceived lack of adrenaline thrill. Despite this sense of not belonging in my local community, I felt an indescribable sense of home in the ski community. Every weekend, seeing friends from across New England, felt like the highlight of my life. Building jumps, playing in the snowbanks, and racing through the tracks as hard as we could, I knew that skiing was the sport for me. As I grew older, I started dreaming about being a college skier. Watching the 2013 NCAA Championships in Vermont, I remember wanting nothing more than to be there racing. When I saw the Harvard Ski Team at races, I initially wondered how it could be any fun. Living in Boston, grinding on school, was it possible to improve there?
Luckily, in 2013, my sister Maile gave me a glimpse of what it meant to be a Harvard Skier. As she got into Harvard and joined the ski team, many people would ask me (being four years younger), "Are you going to follow in her footsteps?" At that time, I would always respond, "No way, that life isn't for me." However, slowly but surely, during my visits to see her, my eyes opened to how cool Harvard could be. I remember watching a practice she had in Palmer Dixon and being blown away by all the teams and elite athletes working out together in one place. Meeting her friends, I discovered that every person at Harvard was more than just an athlete or any single pursuit, they were passionate about a whole world of things around them. Thankfully, I changed my initial thoughts about Harvard, and although it took more than one try, I am proud to say that I eventually made it here.
Coming from a small town with a population of about 1,000 and not knowing anyone at Harvard, I was initially terrified of what lay ahead. However, that fear vanished as soon as I met my teammates. The laughs came naturally, the discussions were vibrant, and I again felt like a junior skier just playing in the snow after a race who had that indescribable sense of being home. The team grounded me, gave me advice, and helped shape how I interacted at Harvard. They were and are the very reason I loved my college experience. There was an energy in my first year that was completely new to me. Being part of a college team gave ski racing a new meaning—it was unlike any team I had been on before. This feeling of "team" pumped compassion, camaraderie, and love into a sport that is often known for its relentless drive and cold sacrifices. What surprised me and makes me chuckle at my doubts about being a Harvard skier was that through this team, I improved each year, even through injuries and urban living. I achieved personal bests each season, culminating, as a senior, in the fulfillment of that decade-long goal and ski dream of qualifying and competing at the NCAA Championships.
However, what I am most proud of and grateful for during my time at Harvard was not just being a skier, but learning to be more than one. At Harvard, I was lucky and humbled to be surrounded by a peer group that inspired me every day. Whether it was sitting at dining tables and hearing my roommates and friends discuss topics I had never even heard of, or joining clubs and singing in a musical, Harvard pushed me to grow outside what I knew best. It showed me how to understand and be curious about new passions beyond what I found comfortable and understandable. What I was most excited about before coming here proved correct, at Harvard there is simply no limit on what you can discover and achieve: in sports, in a classroom, or with a friend. I can not thank my teammates, friends, and family enough for giving me an incredible life-lasting experience.
Everett Sapp, 23'
Men Nordic Ski Team
