Last week, Sydney Kuder ‘25 traveled to Aspen, Colorado, to compete in U18 Nationals, which was her first time at National Championships. Before she left, we published an event preview with her, and she said her goal was to “experience it.” Here is her experience.
When Sydney arrived, she was happy that there was “really nice weather. It was 50 degrees and sunny there every single day, and I loved that. Also, the snow was really good. It was really firm, you could start really far back, and it would be the same track as the first girl.”
Sydney Kuder ’25 and fellow NYSEF teammate Denny Sebek with the Eastern Region Flag at the 2025 U18 Alpine Nationals. Photo Provided.
The weather, tied with getting to meet new people, was Sydney’s favorite part. Sydney says, “It was really cool to meet new people because I went there and didn’t really know anyone and had to make new friends.”
Sydney raced in both the Slalom and the Giant Slalom races, finishing an impressive 17th in the Giant Slalom. Unfortunately, Sydney fell in the Slalom race, and now that hiking is no longer allowed by FIS (Federation of International Skiing), her race was over. Sydney thinks she “went into the event with too much confidence” because of her strong results that led up to Nationals. “It (her confidence) kind of messed me up, honestly. I expected to do a lot better than I actually did.”
Regardless of how Sydney raced, she “thought it was a really great experience, and I am glad I went. I think I took a lot out of it.” While racing, Sydney missed a Northwood staple event, the Winter Carnival. This year, Sydney is a senior and was a team captain. “I am very sad I missed Winter Carnival, but I had to make a choice,” and the right choice was the Nationals experience, which was “unforgettable” for her.
