Sophomore Chloe Cox is a rare kind of student-athlete. Instead of playing solely one sport, she plays two—and is impressively skilled at both. Cox is on the varsity team for both skiing and tennis and has years of experience in these contrasting sports. She finds beauty in both, but especially skiing.
“My favorite thing about skiing has got to be either getting to see the sunrise and sunset every time at practices or races or the feeling of going super fast down a snowy hill,” Cox said. “Nature is so beautiful, and I love getting to enjoy a part of it every winter.”
Cox has been skiing ever since she was young, contributing to her sheer success on the ski team.
“I started skiing when I was little, around like four or five,” Cox said. “I picked it back up again when I was ten and have been competitively racing for almost six years.”
Cox grew up in Minnesota—where the weather is even more suited to skiing than Michigan—which sparked her interest in skiing. Her upbringing has contributed to her sheer success on the ski team, but also in tennis; her dad is a former USTA [United States Tennis Association] coach, so Cox has also been dabbling in tennis from a young age. During her freshman season, she was a conference, regional, and state runner-up at four singles, highlighting her expertise.
“I played [tennis] a tiny bit when I was younger,” Cox said. “I didn’t love it at first, but now it’s one of my favorite things to do! I like the team aspect of tennis and it’s satisfying to hit the ball. I just really like it.”
Cox’s tennis experience, especially competing in USTA tournaments, has led her to achieve high rankings outside of high school.
“I’m ranked 18th in the state of Michigan for the class of 2026,” Cox said. “[I’m also an] USTA one star recruit.”
For high school sports, the honors of All-Conference, All-State, and All-American do not come easily. Many athletes strive to earn these, and oftentimes, an athlete can only reach this distinction in their junior or senior years. However, Cox earned All-Conference Honorable Mention her freshman season for skiing; she placed 14th at conferences. Her ski results last season were nothing short of phenomenal.
“I placed 12th at regionals overall,” Cox said. “For individual state qualifying, I placed second. At states, I placed 37th out of 75, which was great. I placed fourth and fifth out of 40 for two different varsity invitationals.”
Her amazing results have set her up for another successful season.
“I’m super excited about this season,” Cox said. “Last year was an amazing start to my high school ski career, which I’m very grateful for, so this year, I’m just hoping to make it back to states and improve my times. The team is looking good; we’ve all been putting work in the off-season to get better, so hopefully, we can get some good results.”
As known, ski falls in the winter, and girls tennis in the spring. They don’t often overlap, but the close proximity of the two and the endurance required for both sports create a relationship between them for Cox.
“Skiing requires a tough mentality,” Cox said. “It’s cold and windy, and you never know what the conditions will be…you have to be flexible and resilient, and I try to carry that mentality over to tennis. It’s also great conditioning.”
Just as skiing demands mental fortitude, its taxes require athletes to begin conditioning for it weeks before the season. This includes being in the weight room, doing core workouts, running, and leg work, all things Cox has been doing. Her efforts have been part of the reason why she made varsity ski and varsity tennis as a freshman, along with her club ski team, WinAlpine.
“My club coaches were really instrumental in my development as a skier,” Cox said. “I didn’t really know how to ski when I started racing, and they were incredibly patient with me. Throughout all six years I’ve skied with WinAlpine, they have been incredibly supportive.”
Her appreciation for her club team stretches over to her high school team.
“My teammates also push me to be better every time I step onto the hill,” Cox said. “It’s been a great journey to ski with them as well.”
Cox has proven herself to be an excellent high school athlete, both in ski and tennis, as she made both varsity teams her freshman year. She has succeeded greatly in both her sports, something she’s very grateful for, and is destined for more success as her high school career stretches on.
“I am super blessed to have been able to make varsity for two sports my freshman year,” Cox said. “I’m thankful for all of my coaches and teammates that made it a great experience. It was a little stressful at times because I wanted to do well and make a good first impression, but overall, I made a lot of great memories, and it was cool to get to go to states for both of my sports.”
