Mormon Olympian Steve Nyman
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Nyman is a Mormon, and he says “it’s been tough to uphold my standards” on the party-hard skiing circuit. He says he enjoys going out with friends to celebrate good performances, but that he’s not one of the guys who will stay out past 2 a.m. “I feel confident with who I am and what I believe in,” he said. He has not yet gone on a mission, but his father and older brother have. In the summer of 2004, his local church got involved with the Children’s Hope Foundation, an organization that helps children and families with HIV/AIDS. With other members of his church, Nyman traveled to Haiti in the summer of 2004 to help build an orphanage. He was there for about 10 days and the trip “opened my eyes a lot,” he says. “I don’t complain about my life. I am here and should be happy.” |
Steve was raised at the Sundance Ski Resort in Provo, Utah, so he grew up fascinated by nature and the arts. Always athletic, he was skiing with his brothers at a young age. Now 6?4? in stature, towering above most of his competitors, he moved to Park City in 1999. Formerly a slalom skier, he is now a speed specialist, competing mainly in downhill, super G, and alpine combined (Wikipedia). In 2006 he finished 19th in downhill, 29th in combined, and 43rd in super G. In December of that year, he won his first World Cup medal, placing third in a downhill at Beaver Creek, Colorado, United States. Fifteen days later, he won his first World Cup race, a downhill in Val Gardena, Italy (Wikipedia).
