Koos Pursues Masters at Westminster College

October 20, 2005

US Ski and Snowboard Team Newsletter


SALT LAKE CITY - While schools have reopened across the nation and tens of millions of students are back in class, Olympic skier Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) is taking a break from his graduate work at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Koos, the defending U.S. cross country sprint champion, is enrolled in an innovative program that offers U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association athletes a chance to further their education while still pursuing their athletic careers.
A 2003 graduate of the University of Utah with a degree in communications, Koos is the first member of USSA’s 14 teams to receive this scholarship from Westminster. Westminster College has partnered with USSA to provide tuition grants for national team athletes and is USSA's Official Provider of Educational Services. Koos is studying for a masters in professional communications and figures, because he’ll be a part-time student while he’s training and competing, it could be a five-year program at the liberal arts college which was founded in 1875.

But that’s fine with Koos. The key thing for him is Westminster’s unique partnership with USSA, which gives him the freedom to advance his studies while continuing as a world-class elite athlete in cross country skiing.
“This fits perfectly for me,” Koos said. “It’s a five-year plan, I’m training but I’m also taking two classes a week. Westminster has the program I want and it’s seen as one of the best in the country, especially for marketing and communications.”