I AM UAA: Lukas Ebner, Nordic Skiing

Sophomore, B.B.A. Marketing & Finance
Hometown: Furtwangen, Germany
Fun Fact: Has skied at Utah's famed Soldier Hollow-a cross-country resort created for the 2002 Winter Olympics

After long-time Nordic skier Lukas Ebner graduated from high school in his hometown of Furtwangen, Germany-a small town in the middle of the Black Forest-he wasn't sure he wanted to continue studying and skiing concurrently. But after a few months off the trails, he got bored and started exploring his options to keep skiing competitively while pursuing a college degree. That's when UAA came into the picture.

A handful of Lukas' former high school classmates had gone on to ski for the University of Alaska Anchorage, and after seeing their photographs and hearing their success (and adventure) stories, Lukas knew he wanted to be a part of it all.

"I always wanted to see Alaska-the wilderness, the bears, the moose," he says. Lukas came to UAA on an athletic scholarship. "I wouldn't be able to afford this opportunity otherwise. I was happy to make the step to come abroad to ski."

Though he studied English for about nine years before moving to the States, Lukas' high school English teacher didn't instill much confidence in him when he told Lukas that he should choose a future occupation that didn't require him to use his English-speaking skills. "I thought I was done with English," he says. But Lukas' father encouraged him to continue building upon those skills. "He told me, 'If you want to have a good occupation, you need to be solid in English.'"

Lukas admits that English wasn't his strongest suit when he first arrived at UAA, but he feels like he's learned more about the language in his last two years at UAA than he did studying it for nine years in his home country. "I wasn't sure I could handle it when I first got here," he says. But after making it through his first semester, he knew he'd be okay. He credits his success to his "super helpful" teammates, coaches and tutors for their encouraging support and guidance.

Lukas, a sophomore, is double majoring in marketing and finance. "I've always been interested in the stock market and economics, and the financial crisis a few years ago had a major impact on me," he says. Lukas wanted to learn more-why did the crisis happen? How can it be prevented from happening again in the future? His favorite classes are corporate finance, accounting and business law. "It's interesting to learn about U.S. law because it's so different from European law."

He plans to combine his degrees with his love of sports in his future career. "I'd like to do marketing for a sports company, like Adidas or Nike."

A Nordic skier since the age of 7, Lukas truly appreciates the opportunity to be a part of the UAA ski team. "Nordic skiing is a pretty individual sport, but you give your best when skiing with a team because your teammates depend on your performance," he says.

Another nice thing about being a part of the UAA ski team, he says, is that there are so many different nationalities represented-Germans, Norwegians, Italians, Dutch. "It's fun to learn about different cultures and perspectives."

The team often travels around the nation for ski meets and national competitions. "It's super nice to be on the road with the team," Lukas says. "It's exciting to see new things. It's so much fun; I really like it."

Some of his favorite destinations include Utah's famed Soldier Hollow-a cross-country ski resort that was created for the 2002 Winter Olympics-and Colorado's Steamboat Springs. "It was neat to ski on the same trails as former Olympic athletes," Lukas says. "It's fun to tell my family and friends that I skied there, because it's very well known in Europe."

Lukas' fellow German skiers-Lutz Klausmann, Steffi Hiemer and Laura Rombach-are all coincidentally from the same corner of Germany. "I knew all of them before we came to UAA," says Lukas. "It's funny that we all ended up at the same place... Small world."

All of Lukas' years on skis paid off last year. He was the lone Seawolf to post a victory in 2011, winning the 20K classic at the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association championships-one of his proudest accomplishments yet.

Though he's far away from home (a 9-hour direct flight over the pole in the summer, and up to a 24-hour trip in the non-touristy winter months), Lukas has enjoyed his time in Alaska. "I'm not just here to get a good education or to ski," he says. "I get to experience a different culture and environment."

He says that Alaska isn't as scary as some people make it out to be. "Most people think that Alaska is in the middle of nowhere, that it's always dark and cold. But it's a great place. In Anchorage, you have the ocean on one side and mountains on the other. The skiing conditions are great, and you get to see the northern lights! It's super awesome and I really appreciate the chance I got to be here."