STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colorado (May 25, 2020) – 17-year-old ski jumper and junior national team member Canden Wilkinson was accepted into West Point this past January. Since then Wilkinson, a Steamboat local, has been deciding whether or not to continue his ski jumping career.
Just under a month ago, Wilkinson came upon a decision. He will enroll at West Point in the Fall. “It was a really hard decision to make,” says Wilkinson. Though in the end, he knew this was the right decision. “I’ve always wanted to go to West Point, it’s a family thing I guess.” Wilkinson’s uncle and cousins attended West Point and his grandpa served as well.
Wilkinson will head to New York at the end of June to attend basic training. This basic training will last six weeks, at which time Wilkinson and his unit will march the 20 miles back to campus in order to begin school. “This will definitely be a big lifestyle change from ski jumping,” says Wilkinson. “I’m not scared, just curious, or a little nervous.”
When Wilkinson begins classes in August, he will do so with a plan. “I want to go to med school and become a surgeon.”
The days of ski jumping aren’t fully behind Wilkinson as he discusses when his next jumps will take place, “Hopefully I can jump once or twice before I leave this summer. Otherwise, over Christmas and next Fourth of July.”
