SOLDIER HOLLOW ? If not for a pesky childhood dream, Aelin Peterson would be sitting behind a desk in Milwaukee as an equity trader, handling billion-dollar accounts and checking Olympic updates on the Internet.
Instead, she is a competitor and lines up today at Soldier Hollow in her best event ? the women's cross country 1.5K sprint.
Peterson, 27, grew up in the Alaskan village of Unalakleet with dreams of becoming an Olympic cross country skier. After graduating from college in 1996, Peterson gave up the sport and focused her energies in a job that would have paid her $65,000 next year.
"I missed taking care of my body and really pushing it," Peterson said. "From my earliest memories I wanted to be an Olympian. Those types of dreams don't die easily."
In August of 2000, Peterson quit her job and returned to cross country skiing with the goal of qualifying for the 2006 Olympics. She then spent her life savings on new equipment and trips to races in Europe.
Without a coach, Peterson had to wax her own skis and rise before her competitors, sometimes wearing a head lamp in the dark, to survey the course.
Her dedication paid off in January ? at the National Championships in Bozeman, Mont., where she finished third in the 5Kand 30K races and was later named to the Olympic team.
"My family is so happy for me," she said. "They've been hearing me talk about this since I was six."
Peterson hopes to be one of 16 skiers today who advance from the time trials, which begin at 9 a.m., to the quarter finals, in which there are four races of four skiers each.
The top two skiers from each of the four races advances to the semifinals. The semifinals are two races of four skiers each.
The men's race begins at 12:30 and will include U.S. national sprint champion Lars Flora and 21-year-old Kris Freeman, who has been the surprise story of the men's team with two top 25 finishes.
E-MAIL: jhyde@desnews.com