December Athlete of the Month, Rowen Norfolk is a 14-year-old, U16 alpine athlete from Lake Placid, N.Y. and a freshman at Northwood School. Rowen started skiing for NYSEF at age 8 and enjoys going to training because of the friendships he has made in the sport. Since beginning with NYSEF, Rowen has pushed himself to compete at the highest level. Head U16 Coach, Patrick Purcell added, “Rowen’s love for competition sets the bar high for our U16 team.” Even after a season ending injury last year, Rowen was eager to put in the work for a comeback to ski racing.

Rowen suffered an injury in February of 2018, soon before the NY State Championships. Despite the obstacle, Rowen has showed “outstanding results in the toughest conditions…something someone would be hesitant about coming back into the sport of ski racing,” U16 Coach, Pieter van Ingen added. Pieter and the other coaches continue to be impressed with Rowen’s comeback.

When asked about struggles this season, Rowen answered, “the logistics like remembering to dry out my clothing or boot liners.” Like most high school athletes in a sport like ski racing, independence is a crucial ingredient for success. As a freshman, Rowen looks to refine the process of planning and learn from other seasoned athletes. Rowen’s goals this season is to “make it to U16 Nationals and race against ski with the best in the country.” Although Rowen is modest about his accomplishments, he boasts about his brother, Lincoln, age 12 and sister, Cecila, age 8. Both are going to be Lake Placid’s next skiing superstars.

CONGRATS, ROWEN AND GOOD LUCK WITH THE REST OF THE SEASON!