Coach Dan “Jamo” Jamison has been skiing almost his whole life.

He taught these skills to Middle Park High School athletes in the Nordic program, and the team excelled in the 2024-25 season. In turn, he was named Nordic Coach of the Year.

Jamison accepted his award from the Colorado High School Ski League on Feb. 28, the same day as the Nordic state championships. The Middle Park boys and girls teams each finished out their season in fifth place at the championships.

Jamison has been the head coach of the Nordic team for five years, and he coached the middle school team prior to that. In their Coach of the Year nomination, athletes thanked Jamison for helping them succeed through positivity and wisdom. They expressed that he made the team feel like a second family and that he always had a smile on his face.

According to Nordic race director Karen Kuhns, Jamison sees the potential in athletes even when they don’t see it themselves, and he pushes them to be their best. This has enabled the Nordic team — one of the smallest in Colorado — to consistently be on the podium each season.

Student alums of the team, as well as assistant coach Dave Cleveland, shared the reasons they feel Jamison lives up to the title of Coach of the Year.

Coach Jamo treats the team like a family

Jamison’s first experience in Grand County was working here as a junior ski patroller while in high school. Jamison was on the Winter Park Ski Patrol for nearly 45 years.

According to coach Cleveland, he raced for the Rossignol telemark team. Cleveland wrote that Jamison began his Nordic coaching career while still telemark skiing. He enjoyed the peacefulness of Nordic skiing over downhill telemark skiing, and now he exclusively Nordic skis.

According to Cleveland, Jamison goes all-in to support the kids. When he sees an athlete struggling with depression or stress, he is there for them.

Cleveland wrote that Jamison’s “positive attitude is his life force.” This positivity extends to mentoring the skiers, as well. Jamison constantly studies Nordic techniques and new technologies to pass this knowledge on to the team. He stays up late waxing skies before competitions and gets up early to check out the courses.

“This is truly above and beyond the normal coach,” Cleveland wrote.

Jamison’s positive attitude inspires the team, whether they are racing to win in the state championships or studying technique during practice, he said.