Sport: Skiing

Grade: Sophomore

MAJOR: Finance

HOME STATE: Finland

This week, the Clarion sat down with women’s nordic skier Jasmi Joensuu.

Q: How old are you and what year are you?

A: I am 21 years old and I am a sophomore.

Q: What is your major?

A: Finance.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Tuusula, Finland. This is in the south part of the country.

Q: How did you start skiing?

A: My parents also skied nordic when they were kids, so they took me right away with them and I was on skis for the first time at the age of two. I had fun doing it, and stuck to it with the guaranteed support of my parents as long as I had fun doing it.

Q: How did you come to DU?

A: Dave Stewart, the Nordic Head Coach, contacted me through Facebook. I first did not consider it, but I always wanted to study abroad, which is impossible to do if you do your sport professionally. Overall, studying and sport is hard to combine back home and I saw the opportunity in the U.S. and especially with DU. Initially, I planned to just come for a year, but I saw I can improve here as an athlete and I want to study and finish up my degree.

Q: How would you describe the recent season?

A: I had good results and saw the work I do here pays off, but not skiing at NCAA Championships was a big disappointment. It was mentally hard, but I was able to turn it into a big motivation for this year’s summer training.

Q: What has been the highlight of your career so far?

A: I started once in a World Cup race in 2014 in Lathi. Besides, I have two participations in World Junior Championships, 2014 and 2015, and I competed at the European Olympic Youth Festival in 2013.

Q: What are your strengths and weaknesses?

A: I am determined and I do things because I love to do them. Sometimes a weakness of mine is trying to do too big of steps in a short period.

Q: What are your goals for the two upcoming years at DU?

A: Of course, I would like to finish my degree well and to build a network, as DU offers me the chance to do so. For my sportive career, I would like to improve as an athlete so I can become professional after these two years.

Q: What is something you enjoy doing apart from skiing?

A: I like to be with my friends, as my family is not here. My friends are kind of a family to me in Denver.