{"id":744179,"date":"2026-02-05T14:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/744179\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T14:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:34:15","slug":"from-bormio-to-cortina-four-first-time-usa-olympians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/744179\/","title":{"rendered":"From Bormio to Cortina: Four First-Time USA Olympians"},"content":{"rendered":"

GEPA pictures<\/strong><\/p>\n

The moment rarely arrives with certainty.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the call comes between training runs. Sometimes, while watching a race from across the globe. Sometimes it comes with relief instead of celebration \u2014 or alongside heartbreak for teammates who fell just short. For four American alpine skiers, confirmation of their place at the 2026 Milan\/Cortina Olympic Winter Games<\/strong> arrived quietly, before settling in with unmistakable joy.<\/p>\n

For Mary Bocock, Sam Morse, Kyle Negomir, and Ryder Sarchett<\/strong>, the Olympics represent different journeys converging at the same start gate. Three will race the men\u2019s events on the Stelvio course in Bormio<\/strong>. One will race with the women in Cortina<\/strong>. All four will arrive as first-time Olympians, carrying years of sacrifice \u2014 and the people who made it possible \u2014 with them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>CORTINA D AMPEZZO, ITALY,19.JAN.25 \u2013 Mary Bocock (USA). Photo: GEPA pictures\/ Christian Moser<\/p>\n

Mary Bocock: Holding Joy and Heartbreak at Once<\/p>\n

For Mary Bocock (USA, 2003)<\/strong>, the realization came shortly after the races in Tarvisio<\/strong>, where she secured the third Super-G spot under the Olympic criteria. Still, the official call mattered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was relieved,\u201d Bocock said. \u201cEven though I had made it in the criteria, getting the call sealed the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

That relief, however, came with perspective. The same day Bocock learned she was headed to her first Olympics, teammates \u2014 including her sister \u2014 were receiving calls that their journeys would not continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn one side you have people who are so happy, and on the other you have friends who feel crushed,\u201d Bocock said. \u201cWe have such a strong team that any one of us could have gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bocock, from Salt Lake City, Utah<\/strong>, races for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team (Alpine C)<\/strong> and grew up with Rowmark Ski Academy<\/a><\/strong>. She attends Dartmouth College<\/strong> when her racing schedule allows. After Tarvisio, she FaceTimed her sister Elisabeth through tears before calling her parents \u2014 celebrating carefully before anything became official.<\/p>\n

Behind her rise stands a wide support system. Bocock points first to her coaches and the daily work they put into creating elite training environments, but also to her technician, Greg, whose influence extended far beyond ski preparation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s taught me so many of the small lessons I need to take the next step,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Texts and calls followed from every corner of her life \u2014 family, teachers, coaches, childhood friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminds you how big your support system really is,\u201d Bocock said.<\/p>\n

In Cortina<\/strong>, Bocock will race away from the Olympic Village, closer to a World Cup rhythm. Still, the magnitude will be unmistakable, with more than 15 friends and family members planning to attend.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>WENGEN, SWITZERLAND,16.JAN.26 \u2013 Sam Morse (USA). Photo: GEPA pictures\/ Alexander Solc<\/p>\n

Sam (Moose) Morse: A Long Road, Carried Together<\/p>\n

For Sam Morse (USA, 1996)<\/strong>, confirmation arrived in Austria<\/strong>, between training runs, after years of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

Morse, from Maine<\/strong>, skis for Carrabassett Valley Academy<\/a> and the Sugarloaf Ski Club<\/strong>. At 29, his Olympic breakthrough followed more than a decade on the national team \u2014 and moments when the dream nearly slipped away.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, a sense of relief,\u201d Morse said. \u201cI had barely been sleeping. You\u2019re running through every scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three years ago, Morse was cut from the U.S. Ski Team. He fought back with career-best results, then entered this season starting deep in the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing into this year, the Olympics felt really far away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Morse first told his parents in person, then called his wife and brother. His family, he said, had been quietly planning to attend, careful not to add pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve seen every high and every low,\u201d Morse said.<\/p>\n

That support, he added, extended beyond family. Teammates \u2014 many of whom he has raced alongside for years \u2014 carried him through constant staff turnover and the grind of a World Cup career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really your teammates and your family that carry you through the decades,\u201d Morse said.<\/p>\n

Morse also attends Dartmouth College<\/strong> when his schedule allows. In Bormio<\/strong>, he\u2019ll race with perspective shaped by experience, gratitude, and the knowledge that he didn\u2019t get there alone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>CRANS MONTANA, SWITZERLAND,23.FEB.25 \u2013 Kyle Negomir (USA). Photo: GEPA pictures\/ Matthias Trinkl<\/p>\n

Kyle Negomir: One for All<\/p>\n

Kyle Negomir (USA, 1998)<\/strong> learned the news the night before the Kitzb\u00fchel downhill<\/strong>, surrounded by close friends and his girlfriend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a huge self-promotion guy,\u201d Negomir said. \u201cGetting to share it with people who were already there meant everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Negomir, from Colorado<\/strong>, races for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail<\/a><\/strong>, skis on Atomic<\/strong>, and attends Dartmouth College<\/strong> when possible. His Olympic path nearly ended in 2022, when a violent crash left him with multiple serious injuries.<\/p>\n

Recovery took years. At one point, Negomir stepped away entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think my body would work well enough to ski again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The comeback, he said, was fueled by a support network that never tied their belief to results.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents supported me no matter what,\u201d Negomir said. \u201cNot because I was skiing, but because I cared about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He points equally to his partner, friends, coaches, and technicians \u2014 an \u201carmy of people\u201d behind every start.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the only one on skis,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it really is one for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Bormio<\/strong>, Negomir plans to embrace the underdog role, racing free of expectation while carrying the weight of representing something larger than himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo represent your country like that,\u201d he said, \u201cmeans the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>VAL D ISERE, FRANCE,13.DEC.25 \u2013 Ryder Sarchett (USA). Photo: GEPA pictures\/ Matic Klansek<\/p>\n

Ryder Sarchett: Quiet Confidence<\/p>\n

For Ryder Sarchett (USA, 2003)<\/strong>, realization came while watching the Wengen races<\/strong>, the math finally settling into certainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just really stoked,\u201d Sarchett said. \u201cHappy and excited for the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarchett, from Ketchum, Idaho, skied for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and attended Sun Valley Community School<\/a>. He is the only athlete in the group who competed collegiately, racing for the University of Colorado Buffaloes. His first call went to his father \u2014 calm, proud, and fully aware of what the moment represented.<\/p>\n

Behind Sarchett stands a smaller, trusted circle \u2014 people he leans on consistently and credits with keeping him grounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of supportive people back home,\u201d he said. \u201cA few who are really in my corner.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Bormio<\/strong>, Sarchett will experience the Olympic atmosphere for the first time, motivated by the scale of the event and the people who helped him reach it.<\/p>\n

Four Journeys, One Start Gate<\/p>\n

All four athletes share ties to higher education \u2014 one through collegiate racing, others through academic enrollment alongside World Cup careers \u2014 but no two paths to the Olympics looked the same.<\/p>\n

What unites them is not just talent, but the people who stood behind them through injuries, setbacks, uncertainty, and years of waiting.<\/p>\n

In Cortina<\/strong>, Bocock will race for a women\u2019s team deep enough to make every spot precious. In Bormio<\/strong>, Morse, Negomir, and Sarchett will take on one of the sport\u2019s most demanding tracks.<\/p>\n

When the start gate finally opens, each will push forward carrying far more than a bib number \u2014 carrying the families, coaches, teammates, and communities that helped make the Olympic dream real.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GEPA pictures The moment rarely arrives with certainty. Sometimes the call comes between training runs. Sometimes, while watching…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":744180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5311],"tags":[220028,219565,220029,220030,220031,203003,220032,220033,220034,49,978,659],"class_list":["post-744179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-bormio","tag-cortina-dampezzo","tag-first-time-olympians","tag-kyle-negomir","tag-mary-bocock","tag-newtemp","tag-olympic-rookies","tag-ryder-sarchett","tag-sam-morse","tag-united-states","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116018523015230136","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=744179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/744180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=744179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=744179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=744179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}