Monforte awarded 2015 Far West Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship

The Jeff Wattenmaker Scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship awarded annually to a deserving member of the Far West skiing community, and this year’s recipient is Nico Monforte of Olympic Valley, Calif., and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).

In order to be eligible for the award, applicants must be a member of the Far West Masters Scholarship Program and be accepted to or currently attending an accredited junior college, university, or vocational school for the coming fall.

The panel of five judges takes an in-depth look at each applicant and reaches out to the applicant’s coaches, teachers, and peers to get a sense of the character of each individual. Each year the makeup of the group of applicants has been outstanding.

Monforte and Jeff Wattenmaker’s daughter, Gwen

Monforte is a humble, kind, hard working, and talented young man, all qualities that make him a perfect example for young racers. Growing up in Olympic Valley, he ski raced through the U18 program of the Squaw Valley Ski Team and eventually found his niche in ski cross. After showing great promise, Monforte unfortunately injured himself training in Europe in the spring of 2014. Knowing he had many months of physical therapy ahead of him, he made the decision to start his university education last fall at UNR, focusing on a degree in mechanical engineering. While working on his studies, he continued an intense physical therapy regimen and finished the scholastic year on the dean’s list.

The Wattenmaker family is proud to be a member of the Far West community and love being part of the Masters Scholarship Program.

Jeff Wattenmaker initiated his namesake scholarship prior to his death in 2010. The ideals of the Far West Masters Scholarship Program were something Wattenmaker was very passionate about. In addition to passing his love of the mountains on to his children, he generously arranged to donate funds to expand the Far West Masters Scholarship Program in order to make funding available to members of the program who planned on higher education.

Release and photo courtesy of Far West Skiing/Eddie Mozen