How an Olympic Nordic Skier Turned Apathy into Action
I found out Donald Trump had won the presidency three days after everyone else.
The outcome of the 2024 election has drastically and rapidly changed the future of environmental protection in the United States. From weakening the EPA through numerous policy rollbacks to dismantling public lands protections, the second Trump administration has done vast damage to the places and values that I, and so many other Americans, treasure. While we knew this could happen with a second Trump term, one unforeseen outcome of the 2024 election for me was a return to school.
In the days surrounding the 2024 election, I was on a backpacking trip in Arizona, deep in canyon country and far away from any live election results. On November 5th, I sat at a campsite hypothesizing about how many swing states Kamala Harris had won and thinking about how great this victory would be for protecting places like the canyon country in which I was sitting. When we returned to civilization and cell service, I opened my news app and was greeted by headlines proclaiming that Donald Trump had won the election.
The immediate emotions were a mixture of anger, disappointment, and fear. I was worried about what would come next, and these feelings were validated in the months following while I watched public lands opened up to new drilling and mining leases, and seeing long-standing clean air and water protections rolled back one by one. It made those emotions feel immediate and personal. These weren’t abstract policy debates, but direct threats to the wild places I had built my life around. I felt like I had done my part throughout the election cycle to help ensure that the candidate I supported would win. From knocking on doors in Bozeman, Montana, to calling hundreds of voters in key states urging them to vote, to hosting a voter registration event on the University of Utah campus, I felt like I genuinely had tried my best.
But learning the news of Trump’s election had me asking myself: Did I really do everything that I could? How can I do more?
As an Olympic skier with an education in geography and environmental science, I’ve spent years seeing changes in our environment, both firsthand and through textbooks. With Protect Our Winters, I’ve had the opportunity to advocate for clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet, and I’ve gained firsthand exposure to what it takes to influence policy through lobbying trips to D.C. and grassroots events. Through these experiences, my interest in public policy grew into something much deeper. The 2024 election became the impetus I needed to return to school and pursue a Master’s in Public Policy, with the goal of becoming a better advocate for the places and future I want to protect. Within minutes of returning to service after the election, I decided to go back to school.
For me, turning apathy into action meant realizing that my frustration with the election results wasn’t going to change anything. The fear I felt about the future environmental rollbacks that could ensue under the Trump administration was enough motivation to return to school and become a bigger part in the fight to protect our planet. Is going back to school to learn the intricacies of public policy what everyone needs to do in the face of adversity? Absolutely not. Pursuing more education was my way of choosing action, but for others, choosing action can mean making a phone call to their congressperson, knocking on a door, showing up at a public meeting, or simply voting.
The impact of my one master’s degree pales in comparison to what can happen if everyone in the Outdoor State, the 180+ million outdoor enthusiasts, gets out and gets involved. With the midterms coming up in November, there is a huge opportunity for us all to turn our apathy into action. Momentum is everything, and more and more of the Outdoor State is waking up to voting, which means every single vote carries even more power to shape what happens next. The votes of the Outdoor State can help determine who makes the decisions that shape the future of our public lands, clean energy, and environmental protection.
Action, regardless of what shape it takes, is always better than apathy. I went back to school because I wanted to do more. But we can all do more simply by making our voices heard by getting out and voting in the midterms.
Author: Jared Shumate
I am a 2022 Winter Olympian in the sport of Nordic Combined. I am from Park City, Utah and have been an outdoor athlete ever since I can remember. I started alpine skiing at the age of two, and began Nordic combined skiing at age nine. Nordic combined has been my passion for more than […]
