The Milano-Cortina Italy 2026 Winter Olympic Games will open next month, with lots of Utah representation – much of it through Salt Lake Community College. For years, the Taylorsville-based school has enjoyed a partnership with the US Speedskating organization. And just last fall, that support was expanded to now also include U.S. Ski & Snowboard along with summer Olympic hopefuls competing for USA Climbing.

“We are honored to play a supportive role in the lives of these athletes as they strive for the ultimate goal: an Olympic medal and a chance to represent the United States on the world stage,” SLCC President Greg Peterson said. “Their dedication is inspiring and we are proud to help them reach their Olympic dreams without sacrificing their educational and career aspirations.”

Speedskater Erin Jackson, the first Black woman to ever win a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport, is earning a Salt Lake Community College associate’s degree. (SLCC)

SLCC is calling its newly-expanded effort the “Beyond the Podium Program.” Among the athletes grateful to receive the support is 2022 Beijing Winter Games bronze medalist Ethan Cepuran. The 25-year-old speedskater, originally from Chicago, trains daily at the Olympic Oval in Kearns – and has nearly completed his SLCC associate’s degree in pre-engineering.

“All of the Salt Lake Community College staff has been very supportive, in so many ways,” Cepuran said. “I began taking classes through the school in 2019. I now have only two classes left to finish my degree. Funding can be very tight for Olympic athletes. The school’s program is so helpful. I’m very excited they will now be able to assist even more athletes by expanding the program to include skiers, snowboarders and climbers.”

So, what exactly does Beyond the Podium provide? For starters, the program waives the athletes’ tuition fees. It also allows them to study and test from anywhere in the world. And Olympic hopefuls can take extended time away from their SLCC curriculum as competition schedules require.

That’s why Cepuran has now moved into year seven in the program, still progressing toward a “two-year” degree.

Olympic speedskater Ethan Cepuran is earning a degree with SLCC while also gathering medals, including this Bronze in Beijing four years ago. (Photo courtesy Ethan Cepuran)

“I have attended a few on-campus labs over the years; but 95% of my SLCC work has been done online,” Cepuran said. “In my time in the program, I’ve probably known about 20 speedskaters who have participated in it. I’ve done tons of studying in many different countries. And I’ve taken tests in places all around the world. I love it; my schoolwork helps distract me from the pressures of competing.”

The expanded Olympic hopeful support program is funded in large part through a generous donation from Utah philanthropists Jeff and Helen Cardon.

“We saw a critical need to help athletes navigate life after years of intense competition,” Helen Cardon said. “For many, their identity is deeply tied to decades of training and performing, making the transition to new pursuits especially challenging.” 

“This is an ongoing need, and we hope others will join us in supporting these athletes who dedicate their lives to representing America on the world stage,” Jeff Cardon added.

A portion of the Cardons’ donation has also allowed former Olympic speedskater Chris Needham to join his wife in working on the SLCC Taylorsville campus.

“I worked for about eight years under US Speedskating at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns,” Needham said. “When SLCC expanded its program to include climbers, snowboarders and skiers, I came aboard. My wife, Carrie, has been with the school several years. She’s a tenured professor working in the Exercise Science Department as an exercise physiologist.”

Needham’s title in the new position is Beyond the Podium Program Director. 

Dr. Carrie Needham and her husband Chris are both key players in SLCC’s effort to help Olympic athletes prepare for life after competing. (Photo courtesy Chris Needham)

With more than 19 athletes from the three, Utah-based national governing bodies – U.S. Ski & Snowboard, US Speedskating and USA Climbing – SLCC has one of the largest contingents of student athletes training to compete in the Olympics, nationwide.

“We anticipate more than a dozen of our athletes will end up competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics,” Needham said. “We also envision a program supporting around 100 athletes in the lead-up to the 2034 Salt Lake Games."

A Boston native, Needham, 45, has now lived more than half his life here in Utah.

“I moved to Utah just after the 2002 Olympics,” he explained. “I never thought I would stay here, but I love it. I never competed in an Olympic Games; but I was in a couple of World Championships. I was a sprinter in speedskating, competing in 500- and 1000-meter races.”

Utah is also where Needham found his bride: 1992 Clearfield High School graduate Carrie Needham. She’s involved in the other benefits the SLCC Beyond the Podium Program provides athletes. In addition to a tuition-free education, the program also offers physiological testing through its Exercise Science Department.

Dr. Carrie Needham regularly conducts physical conditioning tests with Olympic athletes on the SLCC Taylorsville campus. (SLCC)

“We typically test athletes twice each year and offer them tips to help maximize their training success,” Dr. Carrie Needham said. “This past year, we tested about 50 athletes. They normally bring their own training bicycles in because they are most comfortable on them. We lock them into place to make them stationary and then test heartrates and exertion levels. Each test takes about 60 to 90 minutes.”

The tests are conducted on the Taylorsville SLCC campus, in the Human Performance Lab inside the school’s large Lifetime Activities Center – also home to the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.

“Most of the athletes I work with are great, highly motivated, with a good understanding of the value of our testing,” Carrie Needham said. “Working with them is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job. I always have great conversations with them.”

Needham earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah and her master’s at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. By the time she completed her PhD in 2011, she had already been working for US Speedskating for several years. Carrie Needham joined the SLCC faculty in 2017.

Salt Lake Community College student Ethan Cepuran travels the globe for speedskating competitions and brought home a bronze medal from China four years ago. (Photo courtesy Ethan Cepuran)

“It’s amazing to see this level of commitment to Olympic athletes at the community college level,” she concluded. “You just don’t see these kinds of partnerships. It really shows SLCC’s commitment to improving people’s lives.”

The heads of the Olympic sports partnering with the Taylorsville school seem to be equally impressed.

“We are thrilled to bring Salt Lake Community College on as a new partner,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard President Sophie Goldschmidt said. “Our commitment is to support our athletes on and off the snow in every facet of their life, and education is core to that mission. We’re looking forward to working with SLCC and supporting our athletes in their career advancement.” 

“Education empowers our athletes to build meaningful lives beyond sport,” US Speedskating Executive Director Ted Morris said. “We’re proud to support our athletes’ pursuit of knowledge, purpose and long-term success, post-skating career.”

That’s also when Winter Games medalist Cepuran expects to most appreciate what the SLCC Beyond the Podium Program offers: after his competitive days are behind him.

“Training is so tough and time consuming; and speedskaters are not making a ton of money,” he concluded. “I have a couple of sponsors – but no time to work a job. Funding is always tight. But this SLCC program is helping me prepare for the future. I plan to go on (after completing my SLCC associate’s degree) to hopefully earn a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Utah. I hope to one day work in design and aerodynamics.”