Prep senior Quinn Dennehy ’24 is beginning her post-high school life in a fascinating way. Instead of attending a university this fall, Dennehy will be heading out east to Vermont where she will enroll at Killington Mountain School (KMS) for a skiing gap year. The school is in the largest ski resort on the East Coast, Killington Resort, making it the perfect place for a year dedicated to skiing.
Skiing has always played a major role in Dennehy’s life. “I’ve been skiing since I was three, and racing since I was six, so I’ve been doing it pretty much my whole life,” she said.
Dennehy credits her dad for first getting her into skiing. “He grew up ski racing, so he got me into the sport,” she said. She noted how cool it was that she currently skis for Crystal Mountain Alpine Club, the same team her dad used to race for.
This coming fall will mark Dennehy’s 12th season of competitive skiing, as she began her successful racing career at a mere six years old. And successful is right; Dennehy once won the U12 Championships, making her the best skier in Washington State for her age group at the time.
As she looks towards next year, Dennehy noted that she will still be enrolling in academic classes during the gap year. “My plan is to take two or three online classes at a time throughout next year. That way I’m not overloading my schedule and I can really focus on my training and racing, but [I can] also keep up with school,” she said.
She intends to take her online classes through the Community College of Vermont while simultaneously skiing for KMS. This will allow her much more time for skiing than attending a university normally would. And it will certainly allow her more flexibility than the high school student-athlete experience. “I’m really excited that I’m going to be having the opportunity to train super often because balancing school and skiing at Seattle Prep is pretty difficult,” Dennehy said.
Dennehy hopes to earn herself a scholarship to an East Coast D1 college by the end of her gap year. “My plan is to reapply to schools like Boston College, Bates College, and St. Lawrence University to try and make it on one of their ski teams,” she said.
Unlike other collegiate sports, college ski teams hold very few spots and do very little recruiting on their own. And instead of a traditional athletic scholarship offer, most schools require athletes to apply to the school academically in the fall before being officially being recruited for skiing in the spring.
Dennehy said the best method to gain exposure is to “compete in college races called the FIS University Series,” as well as sending emails to college coaches. “It’s a tough process,” she said. “You have to do the work yourself to get them to show any interest in you as an athlete.”
Dennehy is more than excited to take full advantage of a full year almost completely dedicated to skiing. And should she decide to go another route, she also had her spot at CU Boulder deferred for Fall of 2025. Ultimately, her hope is to land a school she is happy at, although she wouldn’t mind fulfilling her skiing potential along the way.
