American Dreaming

RIDGWAY — In the winter, it's three hours a day skiing on the slopes, followed immediately by a few more hours in the gym lifting weights. In the summer, it's water sports, running and weight lifting all day.

The routine might be grueling to some, but for Joe and Jimmy Discoe it's simply training — and for a purpose.

"It's cool that we train together,"  Joe said. "We push each other."  

Like Joe, Jimmy said training every day alongside his brother is a good experience.

"It's exciting — it's pretty fun. We get to talk and help each other through this,"  Jimmy said.

The Discoe brothers, Joe, 21, and Jimmy, 19, have been skiing nearly their entire lives, spending their youth learning the sport on the slopes in Telluride. Now young adults, both have become the fourth and fifth skiers from the expert mogul mountains of Telluride to make the U.S. freestyle mogul team, following Caleb Martin, Harold Ehnbom and Justine Van Houte.

While both will be just 22- and 20-years old, respectively, when next year's Winter Olympics take place in Canada, it isn't stopping them from trying to achieve their goal. The Discoe brothers are determined to be two of the four team members out of the entire 14-person U.S. ski team roster who will earn the right to compete next year.

To earn a spot on the U.S. ski team's Winter Olympics roster won't come easy. Joe and Jimmy must qualify for at least five World Cup starts and must place higher than fellow ski team members who earn five starts. They can earn World Cup starts at this year's different events by placing high at Nor Am competitions, competitions among the top skiers from the U.S., Canada and Japan. They can also earn World Cup starts by finishing well at Nationals or U.S. Selections. A skier can automatically earn a spot in the Olympics by taking the top spot in an upcoming competition called the Gold Cup.

The Discoe brothers both began learning to ski when they were each 6 years old. The Discoe family took weekend trips to Telluride, where Joe and Jimmy picked up the sport from their older brother Jon.

 "My older brother was a good skier,”  Joe said. "My little brother and I just kind of learned from him and followed in his footsteps."

A fun family hobby turned to passionate competitions for Joe and Jimmy, as both began skiing in regional events in the Intermountain and Rocky Mountain Divisions by the time they were 10 years old.

During the 2008-09 ski season, Jimmy was the overall Nor Am champion. He also managed to take the top spot in last year's U.S. Selection, which allowed him to earn three top eight finishes during his first season on the World Cup schedule and a spot on the U.S. ski team. Jimmy qualified for the World Cup finals in Italy last year, only to tear his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during training in Sweden two weeks prior to the finals. With help from the U.S. team, Jimmy went through rehab and placed seventh in his first Nor Am event this ski season.

 "I came back pretty quickly — better than most do,"  Jimmy said.  "It was pretty amazing to do that so early."

Despite the seventh place finish, the rehab process hasn’t been easy for Jimmy, who said this ski season has been a challenge.

“It’s rough,” Jimmy said. “I’m used to doing a lot and want to do much more than my coaches are allowing me to do.”

While Joe didn't make the U.S. team last year, things changed as he placed second overall in U.S. Selections this ski season. He said it was due to a change in his attitude.

"Last year I was really trying too hard and when I didn't make it, I was bummed out,"  Joe said.  "This year I just went out there and had fun — I wanted to show people what I was capable of.”

So far this ski season, Joe has had third, fourth and fifth place finishes on the Nor Am Tour and earned his first World Cup start at Deer Valley in Utah.    

This weekend, Joe and Jimmy continued their Nor Am tour as they traveled to the Arapahoe Basin in Dillon, Colo. and will travel to Calgary, Alberta, Canada next weekend. Depending how they finish, both can earn World Cup starts.

The training and competition is relentless, as the Discoes spend all but the summer away from home. While both admit it is a sacrifice, both said the good outweighs the bad, as they’ve been able to travel all over the world — from the Czech Republic, Canada, Switzerland and France to all over the U.S.

Joe and Jimmy plan to attend college in the future, but said they had to take advantage of the opportunity they have at the moment.

“You won’t always be able to compete at a high level, but you can always go to college,” Joe said. “I know I will go in the future.”

And while being away from home and missing college are sacrifices, the Discoe family, who live in Ridgway, couldn’t be more happy.

“They’ve earned their success,” said Rick Discoe, father of the Olympic hopefuls. “They’ve always worked extremely hard. We’re proud of what they are doing.”

Joe and Jimmy said it would be a dream come true to be two of the four mogul ski team members competing in Vancouver next year, but realize it will be a difficult task.

“I would be awestruck — it would be great for us to be there together competing. Our team is very deep,” Jimmy said.

“It’s our ultimate goal, we’ll just work for it,” Joe said.