Mammoth Mountain athlete earns Far West scholarship

Jimmy Wehsener from Mammoth Mountain has received the annual Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship, a $10,000 award to be used towards college expenses that is granted by the Far West Masters scholarship program. Wehsener will be attending the University of California, Berkeley in the fall, and plans to join the club ski team there.

Growing up in San Diego, his family would make the 10-hour drive every weekend to Mammoth. Eventually, Wehsener was able to convince his family to rent a house there and finish his high school studies in the area while pursuing his FIS ski racing career, excelling in both.

Wehsener has been a member of the Far West Masters scholarship program for five years. During that time, he was sponsored financially as well as participated in the Masters fall race camps and most importantly, established relationships with the many Far West Masters that served as advisors, role models and mentors.

“It means so much to me to have had the support of the Far West Masters Scholarship program for so many years,” Wehsener said. “They are such great mentors and are so compassionate about helping others. To know that I have their support and that they are rooting for me is so inspiring and encourages me to want to give back like they have given back to me.”

The Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship is given out annually to a member of the Far West Masters scholarship program. To be eligible, an athlete must be a member of the Far West Masters scholarship program and be accepted to an accredited university, junior college, or vocational school for the coming fall. Jeff Wattenmaker, who started the scholarship before his death in 2010, was an avid ski racer, raced for the University of Colorado B-team and later in life, enjoyed skiing with the Far West Masters. He was very impressed with the Far West Masters scholarship program and its ideals. His goal was to pass on his passion for ski racing, and his love for the mountains to his children and the Far West ski racing community.

The panel of judges reviews each applicant in depth. The panel reaches out to the applicants’ coaches, teachers, and peers to get a sense of the character of each applicant. Each year the make up of the group of applicants has been outstanding. This year, they had an impressive group of applicants, making the decision of a winner very difficult. The four other finalists included Sarah Auer from Sugar Bowl, Harrison Goss from Squaw Valley, Cody Wilson from Squaw Valley/NTG and Max Ziontz from Mammoth.

Applications for the coming season’s Far West Masters Scholarship Program are now available online at https://www.fwskiing.us or by contacting Eddie Mozen at EBMozen@gmail.com.

Release courtesy of Far West Skiing