It is a list that has become considerably longer over the past three seasons.
As the new year dawned in 1995, Olson watched his men's and women's alpine teams dominate opponents, easily winning conference and western region championships. Then, his downhillers combined forces with the Whitman cross country teams to capture four-way titles at the U.S. Collegiate Ski Association's national championships.
Without question, it was the most successful ski season in Whitman school history. It also was no fluke. Early in 1996, Olson's alpine teams swept to their third straight conference titles and once again joined forces with the cross country teams to repeat as national four-way champions.
The best was yet to come, however, in 1997. After the alpine teams ran away with conference titles for a fourth consecutive season, they hooked up with their cross country compatriots to easily capture their third straight four-way national crowns.
The women's alpine and men's cross country teams made the biggest splash at the 1997 nationals. Both teams won national titles for their events, while the men's alpine and women's cross country teams placed second overall.
Where did all this success begin?
When Olson began building his ski program powerhouse in 1990, one of the keys was finding the right material for a solid foundation. He found the right stuff in Stephanie Palmer and John Finley, a pair of rock solid student-athletes who served as cornerstones as the program developed. Both earned individual All-American honors in the process.
"Stephanie and John chose Whitman for its academics as well as its skiing, and having them here made a huge difference for the overall ski program," Olson said. "Success breeds success. Whitman sells itself. Student-athletes learn that Whitman will support them as far as they can go."
While trophies and titles are nice rewards, there are no shortcuts to success, Olson tells his skiers. His year-around training program requires dedication to hard work, improvement and the quest for excellence.
"It's one of the best training programs in the country," Olson said. "It's something I've worked very hard to develop. Our athletes are like linebackers. We train them to be physically and mentally strong. They get out on snow and think they can conquer the world."
Olson's troops stay in shape during the offseason with a weight-training regimen and variety of dryland cross-training activities (circuit training, plyometrics, stomach and leg routines, and interval training). When the snow comes, his team spends as many as six hours a day on the slopes. "I try to make our training programs as fun and enjoyable as possible," he said. "We usually finish with a game."
Whitman's rigorous academic program adds to the challenges facing ski team members, but Olson notes that his charges find ways to make it work. "For starters, they are very bright young people. They also study in the vans on the road to practice and meets. Everybody has to know how to manage their time. They do it because they love to ski. They're dedicated, intrinsically motivated."
Olson, a native of New York, earned his bachelor's and master's degrees (with emphasis on teaching and coaching) at Alfred University, where he was a three-time All- American in skiing. He capped his most successful season by winning the Ski Meister Award at the NCAA national championships, an honor given to the individual who made the best all- around showing in four events (ski jumping, cross country, slalom and giant slalom). He was runner-up for that award on two other occasions.
Before coming to Whitman, Olson was director of skiing and head alpine coach at the College of Idaho, where his teams won six national titles in three years. He also coached previously at the University of Alaska-Juneau and Northern Michigan University.
In recent years, Olson has twice served as a coach of the U.S. alpine team in the Winter World University Games, both in 1993 in Zakopane, Poland, and 1995 in Jaca, Spain. Whitman skiers qualified for each of those events.
Olson's skills as an organizer and recruiter are much appreciated by Whitman skiers. Gery Benedetti, a member of the alpine team, describes Olson as a logistical master who spends an incredible amount of time organizing, doing paperwork and finding sponsors.
"He's also a great recruiter," Benedetti says with a smile. "That's the reason I'm at Whitman. I applied to get him off my back."
Olson also finds time to give direction and assistance to the nordic teams. "I value him as a person because he takes time out of his alpine program to keep our cross-country team alive," team member Julie Stafford said.
Now in his sixth season at Whitman, Olson marvels at the progress the program has shown. "The athletes just get better and better," he said. "My No. 1 skier six years ago wouldn't even be on the team now. We've gotten to the point where we're one of the top 10 ski teams in the country, no matter what division."
Olson's goals for the 1995-96 season are high. Enough talent returns to give Whitman a shot at defending its national titles. "We're going to be good this year, even if we're not as deep as last year," he said.
"This team still has depth," Benedetti agreed. "Winning nationals will be harder and there will be more pressure, but I think we can still do it. We still have good skiers."
Win or lose, Olson appreciates the positive benefits of his profession. He enjoys watching his skiers grow and experience success.
"I loved watching Eric Carlson and Stephanie Palmer ski and achieve a great deal of success the past few years, and it's been fun watching Gery Benedetti become a leader. Seeing changes in them, watching them grow up -- that's success for me. That's my motivator."
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