Placer Athletic Hall of Fame: Seth McCadam turned his passion for skiing into his career

It's not often a person can transfer the love of a sport into a lifelong career, but that's exactly what Seth McCadam (Placer High School class of 1992) has done, converting a passion for skiing and racing to positive mentoring as a coach. For his outstanding high school career that included an individual California state skiing championship and his successful coaching career, McCadam will be inducted into the PHS Athletic Hall of Fame on April 27 in the school's iconic Earl Crabbe Gym. McCadam was a key member of the 1992 Placer ski team that captured the state championship when he won the slalom by four seconds and placed second in the giant slalom. After the season, he competed in the Western Regional US Ski Association Junior Olympics. McCadam then attended Sierra College and Nevada, coaching at the Auburn Ski Club while at Sierra and coaching for Sugar Bowl Academy while in Reno. Skiing and racing seemed to be a natural for him since his grandfather, Bob Riley, put him on skis at an early age. As a youngster, he skied for the Auburn Ski Club and competed at Boreal, Sugar Bowl, Mammoth and other mountains. At one point, McCadam decided to take a break from skiing to concentrate on baseball. But he credits Placer coaches Rad McCord and Toby Covich for influencing him and sharing their passion for skiing. "They believed in me and inspired me to excel," he said. Other inspirations were Auburn Ski Club Director Bill Clark and McCadam's Sierra College coach, Ryan Rodarte. Auburn Ski Club especially was a huge influence. "There were a lot of good skiers at Placer," McCadam recalled. "We trained together, competed against each other, pushed each other and became good friends." Following his time at UNR, McCadam coached for eight years at Jackson Hole, first serving as an age-level coach and as Alpine Program Director in his final year there. His next stint was as US Women's Ski Team coach from 2005-14. The first year, he coached the Europa Cup team in Europe, then served as assistant coach, and during the last five years served as head coach for the Women's Development team. While there, he worked with skiers Lila Lapanja and Paula Moltzan as they bridged the gap to World Cup competition. In 2007 and 2009, McCadam was on the US World championship coaching staff before being promoted as a member of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics team coaching staff. Known throughout the sport for his knowledge and science-based coaching methodologies, McCadam was hired as Technical Director for the Sugar Bowl Academy Alpine Ski team in 2014. He proudly indicated he became the third generation to work at Sugar Bowl. His grandfather, Bob Riley, was comptroller there in the 1970s and his mom, Krisanne, worked there during that time as well. Since 2016, he has served as the Program Director of Skiing at Mt. Hood Academy, a non-profit organization founded in 1983. During his career, he was named Intermountain Coach of the Year for 2002-03 at Jackson Hole, Outstanding Alpine Coach in 2018 and Northwest Cup team overall winner for the Mt. Hood Race Team & Academy in 2018. He also had the privilege of helping coach Olympians Julia Mancuso and Lindsay Vonn. "My coaching philosophy evolved over the years," McCadam said. "At the club level, it's all about mentoring, helping the athletes with life skills, teaching them resiliency, sportsmanship and respect, helping them build character." Coaching at the higher and Olympic levels is different. "It's all about performance, providing support for the athletes, supporting them in pursuing their dreams," he said. McCadam brings a scientific teaching methodology in his pursuit of coaching, including sports psychology and peaking strategies. "I took my passion in skiing and racing and what I couldn't accomplish myself to coaching," McCadam said. "My goal is to become a master coach. That's what drives me." He is proud of being part of a handful of World Cup victories, world championships and the Olympics. As a coach, he gets a sense of joy in seeing his athletes reach their goals. "Seeing kids you coach evolve into great people is rewarding because the sport is so challenging with so many variables," McCadam said. "There is joy in seeing them become entrepreneurs, get married, have children." McCadam and his wife, Karen, live in Hood River, Oregon, where she owns a crossfit gym and competes nationally. The Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony at 7. Tickets for the reception cost $25 until April 15 and $35 after, and are available online at placerathletichalloffame.org. The ceremony is free of charge to the public.