All-American, World Cup medalist and two-time Olympian preps for another season

There's no rest for the wicked, and apparently not much of a break for professional skiers either. After finishing a grueling season of competition - including the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics - natural sciences alumnus J.C. Schoonmaker, B.S. '22, had a little less than two months to rest before jumping into the next season.

Schoonmaker was recently named to the United States Ski Team, marking another year on the A-Team. Schoonmaker has completed 89 races in seven World Cups, represented the U.S. in three World Championships and competed in two Winter Olympics: the 2024 Beijing Games and this year's Milano-Cortina Games. He competed for UAA at the collegiate level from 2018 to 2022, earning three All-American honors for his performance.

Originally from Tahoe City, California, Schoonmaker didn't expect to go to college in Anchorage. After high school, his priority was finding a college with a good ski team. As luck would have it, one of his friends was attending UAA and skiing competitively for them, so his friend connected Schoonmaker with one of the coaches. "It was actually pretty easy to make the decision. I'd already been to Anchorage a couple of times and loved it, and the coaches and the team atmosphere seemed awesome," recalled Schoonmaker.

His favorite UAA memories are centered around his team. Cold and rainy "roller ski" training sessions in the fall, followed by long brunches in the dining hall where the team would eat, warm up and socialize. Schoonmaker also attributes much of his personal growth to the team. "We learned how to work together and let a coach lead the way. Sometimes we had to sacrifice what was best for us in order to help the team, but that's one of the coolest things about collegiate skiing - you're not just skiing for yourself, but for the entire team."

Schoonmaker carried this attitude into the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he placed 8th in the Men's Sprint Classic. He would've loved to race more, but he was thrilled to watch his teammates Gus Schumacher - another UAA alumnus - and Ben Ogden take home a silver medal. "I think a lot of people weren't expecting that from our team, but it's awesome to see U.S. skiing kind of taking a step forward. It inspires me, and I think our team has a pretty bright future ahead of us."

For now, Schoonmaker intends to stay focused on skiing. His advice for anyone wanting to pursue professional skiing is twofold: "You need to surround yourself with a good group of people, whether that's family or coaches or teammates. But you also need to recognize that progress isn't linear. The most important part of having a long-lasting career is trying to get a little bit better every year. Even if it's hard to see your results, learning and growing every year will set you up for success."