Episode 147: Sammy Smith Team USA Ski & Soccer

May 4, 2023
Samantha Smith is a multi-sport athlete. She does freestyle, alpine, and nordic skiing, runs cross country, plays soccer, hikes, and mountain bikes. She lives seven months of the year in Boise, Idaho and five months in Sun Valley, splitting time between Boise High School and Community School. This set up allows her to pursue her two main sports -- soccer and skiing.

Sammy is a member of the U.S. cross-country skiing development team and a member of the U20 U.S. National Team soccer pool. This past year she had World Cup experiences in both soccer and skiing. She played in the U17 soccer World Cup in India (where she scored two goals) and also skied Period 4 of the Nordic World Cup in Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and Finland. In those 2023 elite World Cup races, which took place between March 11th and 26th, she earned two top thirty finishes.

When she’s not competing, you can find her in the outdoors with her family and golden retriever.

Sammy Smith on IG
Kristen Bourne, US Ski Team Cross Country D-team Coach in Episode 142
Kim McKenney & Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt of Nordic Ski Lab in Episode 130
World Cup Cross Country Ski Racing in Minneapolis in 2024
Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation
Jonna Sundling
Holmenkollen 50K ski race, Skis, Songs, and Shots at a Supremely Norwegian Sports Festival, by Nathaniel Herz, NYT, 3.14.23
Protect Our Winters (POW)
Jessie Diggins
Start an indoor compost bin

Cross Country Skiing
2023 Ranked 1st in the world in sprint, second in the world in distance for my age (2005)
2023 World Cup: 2 top-30 finishes in skate sprint in Falun, Sweden and Tallinn, Estonia
2023 World Junior Championships: 3 top ten finishes (6th 10k skate, 8th classic sprint, 9th 20k classic)
2022 Named to the U.S. development team, youngest member of the team
2022 World Junior Championships: 5th place skate sprint, 11th 15k
3 time Junior National Champion 2020 and 2021

Soccer
U20 WNT pool
U17 WNT and played in U17 World Cup in India
U15 YNT player pools

Freestyle Skiing/Moguls
2021 6th Place U.S. Nationals overall, first in age group
2020 Ranked second in the world and first in the US in age group

Cross-Country
Gatorade Player of the Year for Idaho and State Champion

Track
Gatorade Player of the Year for Idaho and State Champion in 1600, 3200, 4x400, and 4x800 (state record holder in the 4x800)