Guest Speaker: Bill Demong '98

NSA Alum Bill Demong '98 Lives, Talks Peak Performance

Bill Demong '98 celebrates after winning the 2009
World Championships.

For the most part, as Bill Demong hurried up the front steps of his alma mater this past Friday afternoon to address students with his perspectives on the NSA year-long theme “Achieving Peak Performance," Demong was in familiar territory.

Backpack still in hand and sporting a barely detectable post-race cough from his morning effort in the NYSEF “Climb to the Castle” rollerski race (which ascends the steepest five miles of the Whiteface Memorial Highway), it was clear that Demong was no stranger to addressing folks after all-out efforts on the skis.

But last Friday, the class of ’98 alum had only one reason to feel slightly out of place: this was no press conference after an amazing World Cup win.

In fact, it was just the opposite. Despite nabbing the win in the Master’s category (age 30 +) in the uphill rollerski race, Demong was far from the fastest on the day, being bested by  more than a handful of America’s top  up and coming young Nordic athletes.

Backtrack six months to last February.

Demong and his Nordic Combined team had just written their page in the history books after bagging a record four medals in the three events at the Vancouver Olympic Games. Demong netted a silver in the four-man team competition, and days later became the first American to win Gold in a Nordic discipline, topping the podium in the 10km Large Hill individual event.

Fluke? No way.

Demong and his teammates had swept up numerous World Cup wins in the previous season, while bagging three wins at World Championships in Leiberec, Czech Republic. Topping it off, Demong proposed to his girlfriend immediately after the Vancouver gold medal ceremony, and shortly thereafter was nominated to carry the US flag in the closing ceremonies.

Enjoying his “first summer off in 14 years of training”, Demong spent his summer months pounding nails and renovating his house rather than hammering the pavement on the rollerskis—a choice which left him behind the lead pack in Friday’s rollerski climb.

Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane recount their historic Olympic medals.  

Standing before a crowd of NSA Student-Athletes, coaches and faculty, Demong shared his perspective on his post-graduation journey from a wide-eyed high school senior (which is exactly what Demong was when he went to his first Olympic Games) to the pinnacle of his sport.

But as he discussed his gold medal race and copious successes, Demong spoke in length about several painful setbacks:  a near fatal skull fracture in 2002 that left him sidelined for a full year, the crushing 4th place team finish in the 2002 Salt Lake Games, and his own struggle to find form on the jump hill until age 17 as he lagged far behind his peers.

Demong flies high en route to another World Cup Podium.

“It’s all about goals," Demong elaborated.  "Don’t be afraid to set them and make ‘em hairy [referencing a former Norwegian coach of his who mispronounced “scary” for a fuzzier rendition]. Then, backtrack from your goal all the way to today—find a plan that will get you to that goal."

Pulling his t-shirt over his shoulder, he exposed a fresh tattoo of a “No Diving” icon—a daily testament to his 2002 skull fracture in a swimming pool—a lesson which provoked him to set lofty new goals, and to forge a roadmap on how to achieve them.

After fielding countless questions form a newly inspired audience of student-athletes, Demong hurried off to prepare for the following day’s Flaming Leaves Ski Jumping Festival—the last event of the summer competition calendar.

Clearly, the sting of being crowned champion of the old man “Masters Cateogy” in the hill climb had worn off. Race over, lesson learned.

And we’re not worried one bit—we’re fairly sure this is just part of the plan.