Clarkson Integrator

Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Robert Dora Three members of Clarkson's Nordic Ski Team sat down with The Integrator on Wednesday, February 20, to reveal their inner-most secrets. Derrick Day, Mathew Delaney, and Whitney Olson can be seen above, having survived the interview.

Ever wonder what your favorite athlete is like off the ice, off the field, or off the court? The time has come to know your Knights! This week we had the chance to sit down with three members of Clarkson's Nordic Skiing team. Here is what Derrick Day, Matt Delaney, and Whitney Olson had to say:

Why did you get involved in Nordic Skiing?
Derrick: I used to run, and my brother was a skier.
Matt: "My family owns a ski shop in Lake Placid. I've been doing it my whole life."
Whitney: I used to race Alpine, but my high school team got cut, so I started Nordic.

Are there any other sports you play?
D: "Running, baseball."
M: "Running, triathlons, tele skiing, and mountain biking."
W: "Running, downhill skiing, swimming, and cycling."

What is your favorite part about skiing?
D: "All around fitness."
M: "Working towards a goal, training year round, something to work at, and getting better."
W: "Excitement, [and your] hard work paying off."

What is your favorite memory of skiing?
D: "Watching Matt at Nationals."
M: "Skate spring at Nationals last year [I] won by one inch."
W: "Making the junior Olympic team in high school."

What technique is your favorite?
Derrick and Matt: "Skating."
W: "Classic, double pulling."

What is your hometown?
D: "Pittsford, NY."
M: "Lake Placid, NY."
W: "Scotia, NY."

When are your birthdays?
D: "May 5, 1987."
M: "June 20, 1986."
W: "August 10, 1986."

What is your major?
D: "iE&M."
M: "E&M."
W: "Chemistry."

What is your favorite movie?
D: "Shawshank Redemption." M: "Wedding Crashers." W: "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
What is your favorite song?
D: "'Juke Box Hero' by Foreigner." M: "'Life is a Highway' by Tom Cochran." W: "'Pink' by Aerosmith."
What is your favorite food?
D: "Barbeque Ribs." M: "Ice cream." W: "Chocolate."
What is the funniest pick up line that you have used, had used on you, or have heard?
D: "I know milk does a body good, but how much have you been drinking?" M: "Are you tired, because you've been running through my mind all day?" W: "I hope you're ready 'cause I'm going to rock the $**t out of you."
What is your favorite color?
D: "Navy Blue." M: "Regular Blue." W: "Pink."
What is your favorite kind of car?
D: "Corvette." M: "Audi RS4." W: "Land Rover Discovery."
What is the most embarrassing moment you've had, on or off your skis?
D: "Falling coming into the finish chute." W: "I woke up after the Nationals party with guys' phone numbers written all over me in sharpie."
What do you think the best thing to do on the weekends is?
D: "Playing darts." M: "Sleeping in and relaxing." W: "Going out with friends."
If there was one celebrity that you could go on a date with, who would it be, where would you go and what would you do?
D: "Marissa Miller, Virgin Islands, and listen to an iPod." M: "Taylor Swift, we'd travel to an exotic island (more exotic than the Virgin Islands), and write a song." W: "Daniel Craig, so I can play with his gadgets on the Bond boat."
If you could trade places with someone for one day, who would it be and why?
D: "Joe Girardi, so I could hang out with the Yankees all day." M: "Lukas Bauer, because he's really fast." W: "Ida Sargent, because she has the world at her fingertips."
What is the best piece of advice you have received so far?
D: "Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere." M: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." W: "Be true to yourself."
What are your plans for after college?
D: "Make lots of money and ski around the world." M: "Make millions of dollars, retire, and be a ski bum." W: "Working at GE: R&D."
What is the best experience you have had at Clarkson?
Derrick and Matt: "Being part of a sports team." W: "Meeting all new people freshman year, doing all new things that you normally wouldn't."
If the student body could know one thing about you that they don't already, what would it be?
D: "I didn't start skiing until my junior year of high school." M: "I was a Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross country ski racing) athlete before I came to Clarkson." W: "I took ballet for fourteen years."

Note: The above text is not a direct quote unless noted by quotations. The Clarkson Integrator does not necessarily agree or disagree with the views of the interviewees.

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