STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Identical twins Trey and Chase Seymour of Steamboat Springs spent the last year skiing, trying to put up performances strong enough to earn spots on college rosters. They spent a lot of time together, working out and competing in competitions at the NCAA and NorAm levels.
After a successful season of slalom and giant slalom, they both met their goal but will be heading to separate schools as Trey attends the University of Denver and Chase will compete at the University of Colorado in Boulder. They may be wearing different jerseys next year, but they’ll always be on each other’s team.
“It’ll be a little bit different for sure, but we’ll still see each other at races. (The University of Colorado) and DU have somewhat of a rivalry, so I’m sure I’ll see him in the fall as well,” Trey said. “I’ll still see him, but I won’t be training with him quite as much. I’m sure we’ll still be talking to each other at races and giving each other feedback.”
At the Rocky-Central FIS Championships event in mid-March, Trey won the giant slalom race and Chase finished in 16th.
Trey will be following in the footsteps of his older brother, Jett, who won the 2019 NCAA National Championships title in slalom while competing for DU. Jett has been a role model for his younger brothers, and Trey is hopeful he can follow the path his brother has taken all the way to a national title.
“He’s my older brother. He does the same things I do,” Trey said. “I’ve been where he’s been, so to see what he’s done, it makes me realize what’s possible for me and gives me goals to look forward to.”
Meanwhile, Chase will be 35 miles north in Boulder, skiing for the Buffaloes.
“I like that the ski program is really good,” Chase said. “I like that I don’t have to sacrifice a good education just to ski in college. So, I kind of get the best of both worlds.”
The pair isn’t worried about going to different campuses, though. Over the past two years, they’ve spent more and more time apart, developing as individuals.
Trey spent a year on the national team, traveling to NorAm races more often, while Chase competed at the NCAA level and in regional FIS races with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
“We weren’t together quite as much, so we could learn different lessons on our own and bring them back to each other,” Chase said.
They’ve always had a passion for skiing and a strong work ethic in common but have completely different personalities, dislike different foods and even have different birthdays despite being identical twins.
Chase was born before midnight on Oct. 12, and Trey was born after midnight on Oct. 14. So, when they throw on different team colors, it won’t completely throw the brothers off. They’ve been their own individuals since birth.
“When race day comes along, we’re obviously very competitive, but it’s not in a rival way,” Chase said. “It’s more like we both want each other to do well, but we want ourselves to do better.”
sreardon@steamboatpilot.com