Nixon outpacing the rest at 86

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 4/14/16

At 86 years of age, Warwick resident Bill Nixon is still blazing the trails.

At age 85 in 2015, Nixon was No. 1 nationally for the 85-89-year-old age division in the giant slalom event of the …

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Nixon outpacing the rest at 86

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At 86 years of age, Warwick resident Bill Nixon is still blazing the trails.

At age 85 in 2015, Nixon was No. 1 nationally for the 85-89-year-old age division in the giant slalom event of the National Standard Race, NASTAR – the world’s largest ski and snowboard race program.

Fast forward to 2016, and Nixon is still holding that No. 1 ranking in the Gold Division, setting the bar with a run in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, back in March.

“It sounds crazy, but there are a lot of people in my age group,” Nixon said. “I ski with people who ski 100 days a year. Like guys play golf, every day they go skiing. It’s a lot of fun.”

Nixon began skiing at the age of 30, and didn’t begin racing competitively until the age of 50. Like practicing any sport, the more he skied, the better he got at it.

He got so good, in fact, that he has collected north of 300 gold medals in his 30-plus years of competitive racing.

His skill set and drive have allowed him to remain as one of the best in the nation into his 80s – something that is pretty unique. Currently, Nixon is joined by only two other skiers in the U.S. on the Gold Division list on the NASTAR website.

It’s something that he takes a step back to appreciate from time to time. He’s truly in select company.

“If you look at it by how you’re ranked, they have the gold, silver and bronze [divisions], and you have to have a certain handicap to fall in any of those categories,” Nixon said. “Most guys don’t get it to bronze. When you check to see which guys are in the group with you, there may only be four or five.”

Nixon will be eligible to race for three more years in his current division after this year, but if he is able to continue racing after that, he’ll have the opportunity to do so.

On the NASTAR website, they have a 90-94-year-old age group, in addition to a 95-plus age group.

Nixon has no plans of stopping any time soon. He’s going to ski as long as he’s able to.

“Oh yeah,” Nixon responded when asked if he plans on retaining his title for as long as he can. “I’ll keep at it.”

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