Skier Competes in Championship Finals, Eyes Olympic Glory

• Name: Cory Cerosky (Brewster resident), Age: 16
• Schools: North Salem Central Schools, Mount Mansfield Winter Academy
• Accomplishment: Qualified for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) finals. 
• Key to Awesomeness: Hard work on the slopes and in the classroom.

After a successful racing season, Cerosky is hitting the slopes this week to compete in USSA's eastern finals at Gore Mountain in North Creek. Cerosky qualified for the competition by placing in several events throughout the year.

"Over the course of the season there were 11 Vermont cups," Cerosky said. He averaged in the top 20 for his age group in each of the races. 

"My best long race was the season-opener. I actually raced against college kids and I came in 13th overall," Cerosky said, adding that he raced among 140 competitors that day.

Cerosky, a student at North Salem High School, spends ski season at Mount Mansfield Winter Academy. At Mansfield, the only thing more important than making good time on the slopes is making great grades in the classroom — two fields where Cory excels.

"He does very well at school there," says Heidi Cerosky, Cory's mother. "Probably because students at Mansfield have to get the work done, no matter what. If you're not at least getting B pluses across the board, you're not skiing."

Like most students at Mansfield, Cerosky's ultimate dream is to one day join the U.S. Ski Team. If the team is within his reach by the time college rolls around, Cerosky hopes to find himself at the University of Vermont, because of their excellent ski program. However, if things work out differently for Cerosky, a young man of wide talent and interests, his back-up plan will be just as fulfilling: 

"If I'm not [on the national ski team] then I'll probably go to Champlain College to get an engineering degree because I'm really into offshore powerboat racing," he said. "I'm a tournament bass fisherman in the summer, and I'd like to design boats when I grow up."