Sky Kelsey

Position:
Alpine
Height:
5-10
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Anchorage, Alaska
High School:
Frontier Charter School
Prev School:
University of Alaska Anchorage

Career Best GS Finish: Third (2019 MSU Invitational)
Carere Best Slalom Finish: 18th (2021 CU Invitational)

Honors

National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team (2021; 3.5 GPA, Participation In Regionals)
Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (2021-22)
Male Senior Scholar Athlete Award (Top GPA Among CU Male Senior Student-Athletes)

Career—Despite missing the 2022 season and sitting out the 2020 season, Kelsey still has 24 college races to his credit, finishing 20 with nine top 20, four top 10 and one top five finish, which was a podium appearance in a GS race at Montana State in 2019. At CU, he has skied in all 10 possible races with three top 20 finishes.

2022 (Senior)—Kelsey missed the entire season due to injury.

2021 (Junior)—Kelsey opened up his junior season with some promising results similar to what he showed as a freshman at UAA in 2019. In the Colorado series, he finished three of four races all in the top 20, taking 15th and 20th in two GS races in Aspen as part of the DU Invitational and then 18th in a slalom race at Eldora for CU’s Spencer James Nelson Memorial Invitational, his career best slalom finish. In Utah, he struggled a bit, finishing five of six races, all between 28th and 37th places and he was 31st in both races at the RMISA Championships.

At Alaska Anchorage (2019-20)—Kelsey was a member of the Alaska Anchorage ski team for two seasons, although he did not compete in 2020. In 2019, he finished 12-of-14 races on the college circuit with six top 20 and four top 10 finishes including one podium, a third place in the GS at the Montana State Invitational. He skied for UAA at the NCAA Championships that season, taking 16th in the GS race. He also skied the college circuit before entering college in 2018, racing in all 12 races leading up to the NCAA Championships with a best finish of 19th in the GS at the Utah Invitational. His best slalom finish that season was 21st at the New Mexico Invitational.

Prior To College—Kelsey skied for Aspen Valley Ski Club prior to attending college was invited to ski with the National Development Group of the U.S. Ski Team. He has 112 top 30 FIS finishes dating back to the 2013-14 season. He has 44 top 10 finishes, including 11 podiums, which include four wins and one runner-up finish. He has 93 continental cup starts, including 92 Nor-Am starts with a best finish of 21st in a Super G at Copper Mountain in 2018. He has competed in the U.S. National Championships since 2013 and was 16th in the Super G at Sun Valley in 2016. In 2015, he won the downhill at the U.S. National Junior Championships at Copper Mountain. He has seven total top 10 finishes at the U.S. Junior National Championships, also taking second in the Super G at Copper Mountain in 2016, fifth in the slalom in 2015, sixth in the downhill in 2016, and sixth in the GS and seventh in the slalom in 2018 at Sun Valley.

High School—He graduated from Frontier Charter School in Anchorage, in 2016.

In The Classroom—He is earning a double degree in Political Science and Media Production at Colorado. He graduated sumacoumlada from Frontier Charter.

Personal—Sky David Kelsey was born March 23, 1997, in Anchorage. He considers his hometown both Anchorage and Girdwood, Alaska. His mom, Lynne Kelsey, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in early childhood development and trauma. She was also the captain of her college’s first NCAA certified Rugby team. He enjoys road biking, longboarding, can ride a unicycle. He has volunteered with the Fairview Community Center in Anchorage, the ASPCA and the Anchorage Food Bank.

Music—A highly accomplished musician, Kelsey can play a variety of musical genres on 13 different instruments. He was named the “Outstanding Musician” for the 2020 Virtual Fleadh Cheoil, an All-Ireland music competition he’s qualified for six times. He has achieved notoriety within the traditional folk scene due to his ethnomusicological performance studies of the indegenous and Anglo Celtic music tradition of Ireland. He has been afforded the opportunity to attend lectures around the national and now teaches and performs Irish traditional music, blues and the Appalachian tradition in Boulder.

Why Colorado?—”I chose Colorado because this state has become my home. Since the age of 12, I have largely lived in the Rocky Mountains. I was drawn to the CU Ski Team by the outstanding coaching of Stefan Hughes and the legendary figure, Richard Roikos. It is well understood that without Mr. Rokos, NCAA skiing may not exist. It is an honor to be a part of his last year with the team. It is my intention to continue and uphold the legacy he has given all of us.”