NCAA: DU's Andy LeRoy puts aside CU roots

After a little more than six months at the helm of the University of Denver alpine ski team, Andy LeRoy says he still slips up occasionally, confusing his alma mater with his new employer.
    “Come on, let’s go to CU … I mean, DU. I get caught about every week or so,” laughed LeRoy, recounting what he’s told his team when heading back to campus after training.
    The 31-year-old LeRoy is a former member of the U.S. Ski Team and a 1998 Olympian who shined during his one season of college racing at DU’s perennial rival, Colorado.
AFTER A LITTLE MORE than six months at the helm of the University of Denver alpine ski team, Andy LeRoy says he still slips up occasionally, confusing his alma mater with his new employer.
    “Come on, let’s go to CU … I mean, DU. I get caught about every week or so,” laughed LeRoy, recounting what he’s told his team when heading back to campus after training.
    The 31-year-old LeRoy is a former member of the U.S. Ski Team and a 1998 Olympian who shined during his one season of college racing at DU’s perennial rival, Colorado. LeRoy won the NCAA slalom championship and earned All-America honors in 2000, but the Buffaloes were beaten by the Pioneers for the team championship.
    LeRoy, in fact, was stymied twice by the Pioneers in his chase for a national title. After losing the aforementioned 2000 championship as a competitor, he was an assistant coach for the Buffs the next season when DU won a second consecutive title. The Pioneers made it three straight in 2002 and added a fourth crown this decade in the 2005 season.
    Colorado turned back its rival for the championship last season, but the two Western powerhouses will kick off the fight for 2007 honors this weekend when the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association alpine season begins with the Montana State Invitational.
    “With the good prep period that we’ve had and the season about to start up, I think the racers are itching to start mixing it up and see where we really sit,” said LeRoy, who coached juniors with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club since 2003 before leaving for DU. He was named the Rocky Mountain Region’s coach of the year in 2005.  
    “I feel pretty lucky to have gotten the job. I feel pretty fortunate,” LeRoy said. “I’m sure there were more qualified individuals out there, I might have just been the best fit for the job. But time will tell whether or not I was the right person. I hope I am.”
    LeRoy said he’s having a blast so far, and he feels confident his squad has the potential to add a 19th national championship to the Pioneers’ trophy case.
    Of course, LeRoy is still seeking his first ring.
    “This has been fun because the head coach on our nordic side, Wolf Wallendorf, was a part of that team at DU that beat me,” he said. “He sits today with four rings, three as an athlete, one as an [assistant] coach and I’ve got none. … I’ve got to start putting something on these fingers.”

— Check out an extended Q&A with DU head alpine coach Andy LeRoy in an upcoming issue of Ski Racing magazine.