SUAMICO — Just a few years ago, the UW-Green Bay Nordic ski team was in despair, and that’s putting it nicely. But head coach Sam Myers has helped the Phoenix rise from the ashes.
“I just love every aspect about skiing, and it’s like, yeah, you do what you love, you know,” said Myers.
During his final year of skiing as an athlete at UW-Green Bay, Myers says there was some instability. After all, the head coach at the time was Lee Reinke, who was also the university’s golf coach.
“He did a great job of keeping the program stable, but he wasn’t a Nordic ski coach,” Myers said.
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Myers realized then that he had an opportunity to become the head coach once he graduated.
“That’s kind of what I’ve built everything off of. Like, hey, maybe we’re not going to be a powerhouse, but we’re going to have an awesome team culture. People are going to want to come here, people are going to love their experience here, and that’s what we’re all about,” Myers said.
In September of 2021, that pitch to the university's higher-ups got him the job.
When he took over, he only had three athletes on the team.
“That first year was a lot of recruiting, and we had a huge incoming freshman class that next year. Then we just built from there, you know, making sure that we're bringing recruits in each year – quality recruits,” Myers said.
Now in his fifth season at the helm of the Phoenix, the program is vastly improved. Myers says they’ve had 15 top-10 finishes this season, and at a recent meet, the team had two women finish in the top 10 – something that hasn’t happened in almost a decade.
“We’re on such a great trajectory. We’re just going to keep piling up those top 10s, and we’re going to start to see more NCAA qualifiers very soon,” Myers said.
The skiers on his team say they not only love the passion and energy that Myers brings, but also feel like they’re building the foundation of a successful program.
“It kind of feels like we’re making some history with the school, with the team, which is awesome, and I’m very excited to be a part of it,” said UW-Green Bay freshman Cole Mirek.
And for Myers, he says it’s special to give back to a school that has given him so much.
