When asked to describe Park City, Chad Wolk responded like a skier from a state where the highest mountain is 2,300 feet.
“It’s a fantasy land,” he said.
After growing up 2.5 hours away from Minneapolis, Wolk has lived in Park City the last five years and is currently the head coach of the J2 group on the Park City Ski Team.
The 34-year-old Wolk is a U.S. national ski team veteran and always envisioned his future would him as a ski coach.
“It’s always just been a passion for me,” he said. “It’s crazy to think about for a kid from Minnesota.”
Wolk was an assistant coach with the Park City Ski Team until Jesse Hunt, now program director and general manager, joined the program and mixed things up on the coaching staff.
Hunt, who worked for the United Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) for 13 years, joined the local program in June of 2009. He remembered Wolk from his days as a developmental athlete in USSA.
“He was a super dedicated athlete that showed on a daily basis and it carried over into coaching,” Hunt said. “The athletes feel he’s there for them and they have a great sense of what he knows how to do.”
The J2 group consists of 15-and-16-year-old alpine skiers and is one of the biggest groups in the program.
“He’s taken on a hard role,” Hunt said. “He’s grown into it really well. He’s done a good job running everything.”
Wolk manages all athletes and coaches within his program and his expectations for them are where they are for himself: at a high plateau.
“I’m just trying to pass on things that I’ve learned,” he said. “It’s about how much kids can learn and grow for themselves.”
Wolk knows every athlete is different and that requires him to tailor his coaching techniques to get where the coach and athlete want to be.
“Every athlete is an individual,” he said. “These athletes are a team, but it is an individual sport and everyone wants go faster.”
According to Wolk, the J2s have made a strong showing so far this season, especially on the men’s side. He said there have been consistent first-and-second-place finishes by many of the boys on the team.
The team just finished competing in the Western Regional Elite Tech Series last week at Snowbird and Park City Mountain Resorts. Through the next couple weeks the J2s will be traveling all over the country to race in places like Wyoming, Idaho, Maine and Montana.
Wolk said the team started the season phenomenally in December at the Eric Hays races and hopes his skiers can carry the momentum into some key races within the next few weeks.
“We’ve had some good results, but we’ve got a lot of learning experiences,” he said.
Hunt said that Wolk is a “no-nonsense” type of coach who always demands a high level of effort, but his knowledge of the sport only brings more respect from the athletes.
“He’s got a lot of good insight into everything,” Hunt said. “He brings a ton of energy and passion.”
Wolk said he would eventually like to coach elite-level athletes.
“Right now, I’m really comfortable coaching these kids,” he said. “It’s the best chance to mold someone into something.
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“It’s in my bones.”