Tag Archives: Leavenworth

A Tribute to Torin Koos

Brittany By on

Leavenworth Olympian deserves recognition – and so does his community By Rep. Brad Hawkins The Washington State House of Representatives occasionally takes time during its course of business – drafting budgets and passing laws – to recognize people, groups and events that are significant and worthy of statewide credit. Torin Koos, Leavenworth’s own Olympic athlete, is more than deserving of such recognition. Last week, I was honored to sponsor a House resolution to recognize his accomplishments. Competing in his fourth Olympic Games this year in Sochi, Russia, Torin did our state and country proud. The second-oldest member of the 14-person skiing team, Torin tied for 37th out of 85 racers in the qualification race for the men’s sprint free event. Torin has proven himself an extraordinary athlete and remains the reigning U.S. national freestyle sprint champion, winning his eighth national Continue reading →

Torin Koos, National Cross-Country Champion

Brittany By on

photo credit: Toko USA USA Pears is a proud sponsor of Torin Koos, cross-country skier and Olympic hopeful from Leavenworth, WA. We caught up with Torin recently as he celebrated his recent freestyle sprint title on the slopes at Soldier Hollow, Utah. Torin’s training this season will hopefully earn him a spot on the 2014 U.S. Winter Olympics team, which would be his fourth Olympic appearance. Torin grew up among the pear orchards of the Wenatchee Valley, and he values both the beauty of his hometown and the healthy benefits of fresh USA Pears. Of his recent national title, he says, “I felt that as the day went on I got better and better. The qualifier was a little bit off, but every time I was like, ‘Okay, refocus and let’s do this. We’ve got Sochi coming up and I’ve Continue reading →

New Beginnings with Youth Mentorship

Brittany By on

This week, we have a guest post from Torin Koos, our favorite cross-country skiier! Read on to hear about his latest adventures, from mentoring high school students (who modeled Torin’s Olympic duds in the classroom) to running mountainside in Switzerland. Just as my summer schooling and Canada training camp came to an end, the first days of hopping in Mr. Peck’s classroom and a little running with the Kodiaks of Cascade commenced. Probably few things are better for a high schooler than overnighting with your teammates. I joined the Kodiaks for their first annual team training camp along the shores of Lake Wenatchee. A family opened up their turn-of-the-century homestead for the team to call home. It was a sweet location, with fireroads and dirt trails around to run on, the lake nearby to cool off and relax besides. The Continue reading →