UW Nordic ski team Head Coach Rachel Watson sings to her skiers. She sings “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, and “Shellshock” by New Order. She sings to help release neurotransmitters that enhance athletic performance and as a way to show her love for her students. She’s done this for over a decade. These are songs from her generation, songs that inspired her when she was racing. She sings to help her athletes match cadence, to let them know that she’s with them, and to get them through to the other side of whatever is keeping them from winning.
At the 2025 U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Nordic Championship in Oregon, Rachel sang into a winter storm on a steep pitch of Mount Bachelor, looking for Sean Kraemer during his final race of his senior year. The unceasing snowfall felt personal as weather conditions made the course exceptionally challenging. As Sean approached the pitch, he locked in on Rachel’s voice, leading his body into a precise rhythm. Sean’s performance was seamless. And even more, in that moment, he felt his coach’s love for him and the team. UW won nationals.
“It’s not about winning but the liberation you see in an athlete when they are winning,” Rachel says. “He pulled together everything he’d learned over the years into that race, and I felt it, watching him. I’ve never seen him ski so beautifully.”
Sean smiles at the description, quick to add: “Starting out, I was not a pretty skier. But she supported me through it—she helped me see myself through really difficult things. With every setback we’ve had as a team, Rachel finds a way to get us through.”
From Sean’s first year, Rachel recognized his potential not only as a skier but as a scholar. He enrolled in her course Earth Is Body, Body Is Planet, a class linking human and environmental health. That experience ignited his interest in undergraduate research. Within months of arriving at UW, Sean had designed his own study on respiratory health in competitive skiers.
“Most undergraduates are plugged into faculty projects," Rachel says. "Sean had the autonomy to conceive, conduct, and complete his own research as a freshman. That’s rare.”
“Most undergraduates are plugged into faculty projects. Sean had the autonomy to conceive, conduct, and complete his own research as a freshman. That’s rare.”
– Rachel Watson
The research expanded over years, culminating in international presentations, including the International Mountain Conference in Innsbruck, Austria. Along the way, Sean secured funding through the Wyoming Research Scholars Program and other scholarships that he says made his academic journey possible.
Sean played a pivotal role in shaping the culture of his team. He designed trivia nights, created active-learning sessions for teammates, and even brought his research findings directly into training. “He has become a teacher,” Rachel says. “He brings people in—whether they’re high school students, faculty, or vice presidents, he gives people a reason to be there.”
Sean emphasizes that his success is not the result of one mentor alone but of a strong UW network that opened doors and encouraged him toward graduate study. Alongside Rachel, he credits Dr. Thomas Minckley, Dr. J.J. Shinker, and Dr. Austin Madson for guiding him along the way. Looking back, he says that the central lesson of his undergraduate years is about how we support each other. “Rachel creates a place for all of us to belong,” he says. “That’s what’s incredible about her—her belief in other people, regardless of their background or experience. She sees it in us, and then we see it in us. She made me want to be more so I could meet her trust in me.”
