Christina Turman selected as skiing program assistant coach
July 12, 2013
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Head coach Scott Jerome announced Wednesday that he has selected former Northern Michigan skier Christina Turman as the men's and women's skiing program's next assistant coach and she will assume her official duties on Aug. 5.
A Fairbanks native, Turman comes to the program after spending the previous year as head coach at West Valley High School. In her year there, she led the boys' skiing team to its first state title in two decades. She was also a coach for Team Alaska at the 2013 Junior National Championship, which was held in Fairbanks. Turman will be accompanying a national development group as a coach later this month down in Michigan.
"Growing up in Fairbanks, the Nanooks were always a part of my life," Turman said. "My mother skied here and then I skied against the Nanooks Northern Michigan .
She continued, "I love coaching. It makes me come alive. I'm passionate about the sport and teaching the sport to help others achieve their goals. I'm a competitor so I'm excited to coach at a program like Alaska. I'm sure we'll have great results and I want to contribute to that."
Turman, formerly Gillis, was a two-time NCAA qualifier while skiing for the Wildcats in Marquette, Mich. She became the Central Collegiate Ski Association regional champion as a redshirt junior in 2010 and also turned in a handful of top-10 finishes in sprint races at U.S. Nationals.
"She has the background we're looking for," Jerome said. "She's been an NCAA skier and a cross country runner at a Division II institution. She's been through the ringer as a student-athlete and she's from Fairbanks. When she talks to recruits, even though she didn't go to Alaska, she can talk to them intelligently about growing up in Fairbanks and what it's like in the cold and the dark."
Skiing has been in Turman's blood since an early age, as she started on skis at the age of two. Her mother, Karin (Evaldsson) Gillis, was a Nordic skier for Alaska in the 1980's.
"Being a coach at the collegiate level is a dream job for me but you have to take into account who you're coaching with," Turman said. "Not only was I able to step up to a collegiate coaching position but I also get to coach work under Scott Jerome . He's a very knowledgeable coach and a great guy, so I look forward to working with him and learning from him."
"She was coached by Sten Fjeldheim (NMU head coach), who I worked with for three years," Jerome said. "He's an excellent teacher so I am sure she will bring exceptional technical skills to the program. We're a co-ed team, so having a female coach will be great for our women's program."