Injuries put skiing and family in perspective for Cochran-Siegel

The U.S. Nationals at Sugarloaf will serve as the backdrop for a family reunion of sorts for Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

“My mom and dad are coming,” said the Starksboro, Vermont skier, who was already at Sugarloaf on Wednesday competing in the first day of the NorAm finals. “I’m excited to be here and happy that nationals are back on the East Coast.”

Given his family’s size and imprint on American alpine skiing, Cochran-Siegle is bound to reunite with a relative at a ski race held on any American hill. He is part of the third generation of “Skiing Cochrans,” one of the most famous and decorated alpine skiing families in the country.

Ten family members spanning the three generations have been part of the U.S. Ski Team. They’ve won national and World Cup titles and Olympic gold, and not surprisingly, they’ve had a profound impact on 24-year-old Ryan’s career, which already has had its fair share of success and hardships.

The Cochran dynasty dates back to patriarch Gordon “Mickey” Cochran. A former University of Vermont ski coach and U.S. Ski Team alpine director, Mickey and his wife, Ginny, started Cochran Ski Area in Richmond, Vt. in 1961.

All four of Mickey and Ginny’s children grew up on the mountain and went on to ski in the Olympics. Their only son, Bob, became the first American to win a World Cup giant slalom in 1973. Daughter Marilyn was the 1969 World Cup giant slalom champion. Another daughter, Lindy, was a member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1970-78 and won U.S. national slalom and giant slalom titles.

Ryan’s mother, Barbara, is the lone member of the family with Olympic gold, which she won in the slalom at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.

Twenty-two years later, she had then two-year-old Ryan try on a pair of skis for the first time and started him on a remarkable racing career.

“I wouldn’t be here if not for my family. They taught me to ski and taught me to race, and just being around that racing mentality year-round was important in my development,” he said.

As competitive as that environment was growing up, Cochran-Siegle said he never felt he or his sister, Caitlin, or his cousins, who include U.S. Ski Team alum Tim and current teammate Robby Kelley, were under any pressure to carry on the family name or take it to new heights in ski racing.

“The support we all grew up with I think is a big factor in all of us being able to have so much success,” he said. “I would definitely say our family is unique. We all have our quirks, but we’re also all about loving and caring for each other.”

Cochran-Siegle added to the family’s skiing legacy from a young age. He made the U.S. Development Team in 2010 and vaulted to the national “B” team just a year later. He won gold in both the downhill and combined at the 2012 Jr. Worlds in Roccasoro, Italy, and the NorAm overall title in 2014.

He drew from his family’s strength even more after a major knee injury and a lateral meniscus transplant that required him to take a full year off from skiing.

In 2013, Cochran-Siegle shredded the ACL and MCL in his left knee while racing the downhill portion of the super combined at the World Championships in Austria. He recovered sufficiently to win the NorAm title while finishing second in downhill and third in giant slalom and Super G. But the knee required more surgery, and it was clear something radical would have to be done for it to withstand the rigors of ski racing.

Receiving a lateral meniscus transplant in Aug. 2014 required him to step away from the sport for the 2014-15 season. Cochran-Siegle was determined to make the most of the break by focusing on his rehab and his studies at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. He lived in nearby Park City with his cousin, Jess Kelley, and her husband, Adam Cole, a member of the U.S. Ski Team coaching staff.

Rehab was a long, arduous and often monotonous process — two months of non-weight bearing while keeping the right leg strong, then another four months on light strengthening exercises before his first squats in February of 2015.

“It was tough, but a different kind of toughness than I’ve experienced in ski racing,” he said. “I had to be incredibly patient through the whole rehab. It was a slow process, but I think I learned a lot about myself.”

He got back on the snow that summer and improved enough to make his World Cup giant slalom debut at the start of the 2015-16 season. In his fourth race back, he scored his first giant slalom points with a 30th place in Slovenia. He added a few NorAm podiums and FIS race wins before finishing with a strong showing at the U.S. Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The encouraging end of last season only left him hungrier to see more progress at the start of this World Cup season. And he had reason to be optimistic after a December that included a 15th-place finish in the super-G at Val d’Isere and a career-best 10th in the combined (super-G and slalom) in Santa Caterina.

Cochran-Siegle couldn’t carry the momentum into the new year, however. He failed to qualify or finish in numerous World Cup races in January and February and finished 19th in the combined at the world championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Given that he was less than 18 months removed from a knee transplant, Cochran-Siegle keeps this season in perspective as a step in a long road back, a road he hopes will ultimately lead to the Olympics.

“My skiing tailed off after December,” he said. “I didn’t really perform in World Cup or the world championships as well as I would have liked. But I think I gained a lot of exposure and learned a lot going forward.”

“I feel really good right now,” he said. “With everything I’ve been through, to be where I’m at, I’m super happy. I’m incredibly fortunate to be here.”

Nevertheless, Cochran-Siegle expects to be very competitive this week in a men’s field that includes David Chodounsky, Tim Jitloff, Bryce Bennett and Jared Goldberg.

As an Eastern Cup Speed Week veteran, Cochran-Siegle is very familiar with Sugarloaf and hopes it will help him match or improve upon his second in giant slalom and super-G at last year’s nationals.

“I think I do have a shot at being competitive. It depends on a lot of factors,” he said. “This season has just been kind of rolling along where I take each day and each race one step at a time, and I think at the end of the day if I feel like I’ve skied my best, I’m happy.”

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