Park City seniors sign on for college sports, from nordic trails to volleyball courts

Keeley Fisher (L) and Tory Hoffman sign to ski cross country in College after Park City High School. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah—On Wednesday at Park City High School, the latest group of seniors celebrated their commitments to play college sports this fall—five students this time, following six signees a few weeks ago, with more expected soon. Among them, two standout Nordic skiers are headed to collegiate cross-country ski teams: Tory Hoffman, who will compete at Division I Dartmouth, and his Park City Ski & Snowboard teammate Keely Fisher, who is bound for Colby College.

Lest locals think winter sports dominate Miners’ minds, they’re not the only game in town. Three other Park City High School student-athletes also signed letters of intent: Henley Madsen will play volleyball at Colorado Mesa, Cadence Lyon is headed to Bellevue for volleyball, and Van Talbot will run track and cross country at Western Washington.

When asked if he’s more looking forward to skiing or studying, Kari Hoffman, Tory’s mom, told TownLift, “He’s equally excited to experience the academics as he is the athletic endeavors in New Hampshire.” And when asked if he’s going to miss his younger sister Teagan more, also a PCSS/YSA cross country skier and PCHS Miner, or if she’ll miss him more, Mom echoed her answer, saying, “That’ll probably be equal too, but might not necessarily start right away.”

Hoffman is also on the PCHS Miners varsity soccer team and has played for the Park City Soccer Club since he was a student at Trailside Elementary School.

Born and raised in Park City, and the current captain of the Miners Debate Team, Fisher plans to major in Government and Economics. It takes all her fingers and toes to count her relatives in New England to check in on her occasionally. Her younger brother, a PCHS student athlete, looks forward to visiting Maine. Fisher’s mom, Emily, signed and skied for Middlebury on their cross-country team. 

“When Keely started cross country skiing, after she’d raced alpine for a couple years,” Emily told TownLift, “I tried to sort of steer her clear of it, because I thought she was doing it just because I did it, but she came to me and explained to me that, ‘No Mom, I love skiing cross country.”

Both senior signers got their start in the Nordic program with the after-school sports nonprofit Youth Sports Alliance (YSA). There’s been competitions in Junior Nationals and National Championships, just a couple of the events that have had the two skiing in states from Alaska to New York. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photos: TownLift // Michele Roepke