Local Olympian gives back to the ski community

From athlete to administrator, Eric Camerota competing in the ski jumping portion of a nordic combined event prior to his current role with USA Nordic. Photo: courtesy of the Camerota family

PARK CITY, Utah — Eric Camerota works hard and plays hard. Newly named as the CFO of USA Nordic, the Park City native is now giving back to his sport community in his professional position.

At play, he represented the USA as a Nordic Combined athlete in the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Italy, earning a top 40 finish in the sport which is a combo of nordic ski jumping and cross country ski racing. In 2011, he had a top 30 in the Czech Republic in an FIS competition.

At work, Camerota is putting his finance degree from Salt Lake City’s Westminster University and his further accounting degree to good use. He’s been contributing his computing skills to the organization whenever they’ve asked, on and off for a while.  

In a ‘where are they now’ style interview, Camerota told TownLift, “When I was in college, I enjoyed coaching the Youth Sports Alliance afterschool program at the Utah Olympic Park (UOP), part time coach at Park City Ski and Snowboard Team along with coaching the Canadian ski jumping and nordic combined juniors for the 2013 season.”

Camerota’s eagerness to make a difference in the community may come from his dad, Steve who, whenever he had time off from his job at the Kamas Forest Service Ranger District could often be found volunteering for his son’s sport as an official.

Graduating from Park City High School as a part of the class of 2003, Camerota didn’t always have the luxury of proximity to the UOP ski jumps. “We were some of the first athletes to join the National Sports Foundation (NSF) Club in 1992 at the UOP.”

“I grew up in Park City, along with living in Colorado and joining Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club for the 2000 and 2001 seasons while the Olympic ski jumps were being built in Park City.” 

“I’m lucky to be married to Allie Bowers, an elementary school teacher at Jeremy Ranch Elementary School. Our daughter, Emerson, who’s eight months old and hasn’t skied yet but I hope she will soon.” Talk turned to total ski days, “I mostly do backcountry skiing or cross country skiing, I managed to get 45 days in this year.”

Few things say Park City legit local quite like holding your wedding at the Town Lift Plaza where Main Street and Park City Mountain meet.

Camerota keeps busy campaigning to the IOC in an ongoing effort via USA Nordic and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team to get girls like Emerson even the opportunity to follow in her father’s famous footsteps and compete in the Olympics someday, as nordic combined remains the single sport without a women’s event.

In his role as CFO, he regularly works in partnerships with the Norwegian Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping Teams, for which he has a special affinity. Reminiscing about highlights of his global athletic career, they include thoughts of, “Norway was always great. Lots of spectators and well organized competitions.” 

His old friends in Europe, and in his old stomping ground of Colorado are actively engaged with current Park City athletes through camps and comps for which he’s charged to balance budgets. The USA Nordic National Team is scattered throughout the world competing in the FIS Summer Grand Prix Series.

Camerota can conveniently work at the offices located at the UOP on all this and more, like planning the upcoming annual largest gathering of his national sport community, the Springer Tournee/U.S. Cup happening like it always does, at the UOP on July 27-29.

His twin brother Brett, is also a USA nordic combined Olympian who lives in Park City. Eric said, “I talk with him often.”

“It is a great feeling being involved with USA Nordic and seeing our efforts turn into better results and a better experience for the ski jumping and nordic combined athletes,” Camerota said. “The next three years are huge for both sports with a domestic ski jumping world cup this season and women’s nordic combined being looked at as an Olympic sport we have a lot to look forward to. We have a great group of up and coming talented athletes with medal potential in the Cortina 2026 Games, so that will be a fun group to watch.”