STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Two-time Olympic snowboarder Chase Josey will be the 2022 commencement speaker for the Sun Valley Community School.
Josey, a 2013 graduate of the Community School, will deliver the graduation speech at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at the Sun Valley Pavilion.
This year’s graduating class will feature 41 seniors—some who have taken part in the school’s Sun Valley Ski Academy, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year.
Josey, a native of the Wood River Valley, began attending SVCS at the beginning of his junior year because of the school’s ability to help him balance his academic pursuits while pursuing the training and travel necessary to pursue snowboarding at its highest levels.
He placed sixth in halfpipe at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea and he placed seventh in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He also has competed in the 2015, 2019 and 2021 World Championships as a member of the U.S. Ski Team, grabbing four career podiums including a win in 2017.
He’s competed at numerous X-games, winning a bronze medal in Oslo in 2016.
Known for his technical tricks and creativity, Josey has been described as one of the most unique riders in snowboarding. When he is not training, he volunteers with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s snowboard team and works as an arborist with his family’s business ArborCare Resources.
“Chase is certainly a shining example of our mission in action,” said Head of School Ben Pettit. “He has dedicated himself to the pursuit of his competitive dreams. He has faced challenges, has called upon a hard-earned confidence built through years of training and preparation, and he is certainly making an impact on his sport and on the many young aspiring athletes here and around the world.”