William Conrad Koch (born June 7, 1955) is an American cross-country skier who competed at the international level. A native of

Guilford, Vermont Guilford is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford. The population was 2,120 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a to ...

, he is a graduate of the nearby

Putney School The Putney School is an independent high school in Putney, Vermont. The school was founded in 1935 by Carmelita Hinton on the principles of the Progressive Education movement and the teachings of its principal exponent, John Dewey. It is a co-edu ...

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

. In 1974, he became the first American to win a medal in international competition, placing third in the European junior championships.

Biography

Koch was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, to Fred and Nancy Koch. His parents divorced, and, in 1965, when his mother became remarried to the then president of

Marlboro College Marlboro College was a private college in Marlboro, Vermont. Founded in 1946, it remained intentionally small, operating as a self-governing community with students following self-designed degree plans culminating in a thesis. In 1998, the colle ...

, Koch lived with the new family. At the age of 12, Koch met noted cross-country skier Bob Gray, who taught him how to train effectively. When the family moved to England, Koch attended Aiglon College, a boarding school in Switzerland, for a year. The next year, the family returned to Vermont, and it became expeditious for Koch to attend the Putney School, where he could pursue his interest in cross-country skiing. Koch married and became the father of two daughters. Over time he took his family to New Zealand and Australia, in search of "new frontiers". After his athletic career, he consulted in the construction of cross-country ski courses in Frisco, Colorado;

Cable, Wisconsin Cable is a town in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. Its population was 853 at the 2020 census, up from 825 at the 2010 U.S. census. The census-designated place of Cable and the unincorporated communities of Leonards and Radspur are loc ...

; and Labrador City, Newfoundland. He later lived in Hawaii, where he found a way to skate-ski on wet sand. By 2006, he had returned to Putney briefly.

Athletic career

Koch won the silver medal in the 30 km event at the

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (, ) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 (), were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976. The games were awarded to Inn ...

, becoming the first American to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing, and the only one until 2018. Koch also finished sixth in the 15 km event at those same Winter Games. In 1981 Koch set the world record time of just under two hours for 50k on a pond in

Marlboro, Vermont Marlboro is a New England town, town in Windham County, Vermont, Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,722 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town is home to the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and P ...

. Stress caused by media pressure, along with

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

, plagued Koch after his early successes. Considered the top American sportsman at the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

, he performed poorly and finished far out of contention in all of his races. Koch was a self-assured athlete, when it came to his training regime, which sometimes put him at odds with his coach, Marty Hall. Afterward, he popularized a new cross-country skiing technique that resembled

ice skating Ice skating is the Human-powered transport, self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. ...

on skis, now known as the skate skiing technique. Races that allow skate skiing are called freestyle races because they allow skiers to use either skate skiing or

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

technique. In 1982 he was crowned the cross-country skiing overall World Cup champion. Koch earned a bronze medal in the 30 km event at the

1982 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1982 took place on 19–28 February 1982 in Oslo, Norway at the Holmenkollen ski arena. This was Oslo's record-tying fourth time hosting the event after previously doing so in 1930, the 1952 Winter Olympics, ...

, becoming the first non-

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an ever to medal in cross-country skiing at the World Championships. (

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Sara Renner Sara Renner (born April 10, 1976) is a Canadian cross-country skier who competed from 1994 to 2010. With Beckie Scott, she won the silver medal in the team sprint event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and earned her best individual finish o ...

would become the second when she earned a bronze medal in the individual sprint at the

2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2005 took place 16–27 February 2005 in Oberstdorf, Germany, for the second time after hosting it previously in 1987. The ski jumping team normal hill event returned after not being held in 2003 2 ...

Oberstdorf Oberstdorf (Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in German ...

.) Koch also finished third overall in the 1983 World Cup. The freestyle skiing technique has been used in

Biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...

competitions since 1985, has been mandatory in

Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics in ...

since 1985, and has been part of all cross-country skiing competitions since 1982. Koch carried the American flag at the opening ceremonies of the

1992 Winter Olympics The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Albertville '92 (Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile '92''), were a winter multi-sport event held from 8 to 23 February 1992 in and aroun ...

Albertville Albertville (; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is best k ...

. The Bill Koch Ski League, the youth ski league of NENSA (the New England Nordic Ski Association), is named after Koch. In 2012, Koch was honored as part of the inaugural class of the

Vermont Sports Hall of Fame The Vermont Sports Hall of Fame is an athletics hall of fame in the U.S. state of Vermont. Above all, induction "is for accomplishments in sports and recreation that generate a great source of pride to the state." Launched as a project in 2011, ...

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games

* 1 medal – (1 silver)

World Championships

* 1 medal – (1 bronze)

World Cup

Season titles

* 1 title – (1 overall)

Season standings

Individual podiums

* 5 victories * 8 podiums Note: Until the 1999 World Championships, World Championship races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

References

External links

*
Vermont Sports Hall of Fame Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Bill 1955 births American male cross-country skiers Cross-country skiers at the 1976 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1980 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1984 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1992 Winter Olympics Living people Skiers from Brattleboro, Vermont FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing FIS Cross-Country World Cup champions The Putney School alumni Medalists at the 1976 Winter Olympics Alumni of Aiglon College Olympic silver medalists for the United States in cross-country skiing 20th-century American sportsmen