As one of three Stantons who have skied at Adams,  senior Jonathan Staton has big shoes to fill. Jonathan has been skiing for as long as he can remember. The love for the sport runs in the family.

With lots of hard work, his older brother Jamie Stanton made it to the 2014 Olympics. Though Jonathan’s goal is not to follow in his brother’s footsteps, he still puts everything on the line when he races, and he enjoys every second of his experience with the Adams ski team.
Since 2008, when his older brother Jamie joined the team, the Stanton name has been well known at Adams. Now, Jonathan continues the Stanton legacy at Adams High School.

Q: What are your goals for this season?

JS: My goal is to be a leader on the team. We have a very large team this year with about 54 racers, so I know it’s important to be a positive influence for the young racers. Another one of my goals is to finish top 10 in every race and, for our team, finish top three at the state championship.

Q: Do you plan on skiing past high school?

JS: I will ski for fun with my friends and family after high school but not competitively. I think skiing is a lifelong sport.

Q: What inspired you to start skiing?

JS: My entire family skis, so I grew up skiing and always thought it was a lot of fun. My older sister and brother were good skiers so I always tried to keep up with them. As a family, we always took a lot of trips up north and skied out west for Christmas or spring break.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the sport?

JS: My favorite thing is hanging out with my teammates. We have a lot of fun together, and we get to go up north for ski trips which is always fun. Also, I love skiing out West with my family.

Q: How much time does skiing take out of your everyday life?

JS: Ski team requires a big time commitment. We practice or race every day after school for a couple of hours, and we also have weekend trainings available at Pine Knob. Some weekends we go up north to train.

Q: Does the sport interfere with school?

JS: We have about five races that will be during the school day, and I will have to miss school. Other than that, most of the skiing is after school.

Q: Where do you see your skiing career going?

JS: Once high school is done, I will not ski competitively anymore. If I were to continue competitively with a sport after high school, it would be golf.

Q: What is it like having a brother that made it to the olympics, and how does it affect you?

JS: I think it’s really cool that my brother got to ski in Sochi for the Olympics. I’m really proud of him, and he inspires me to always do my best.

Q: What are some high school accomplishments?

JS: I made varsity as a freshmen, and I am two- year team captain. I was also named All-Region skier in 2016, and I am aiming to be an All-State skier in 2017. Additionally, I skied in the 2015 and 2016 state championships, and I am aiming for 2017 state championship team win as well.

Stanton puts his whole heart into the sport of skiing. He aspires to do his best at every ski meet. Not only does he aspire to be his best, but he inspires others on the team to do their best. With a successful high school career, he is definitely striving to live up to the Stanton name.