Med School Can Wait As Guide Reid Goble Preps For A Potential Paralympic Run

Reid Goble started applying to medical schools this past year, and he’s beginning to hear back on which one he might attend after next year’s Winter Paralympics.

Goble, who turns 26 on April 30, was a human biology major at Michigan Tech. Since graduating in 2021, he has worked several healthcare jobs with the plan of someday becoming a physician.

But Goble has told medical schools that he intends to wait one year before he starts taking classes. He needs that time to continue cross-country skiing and training for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, where he could serve as a personal guide for visually impaired skier Jake Adicoff.

“I definitely will do what I can to support Jake,” Goble said.

Adicoff, who has earned a gold and three silvers medals at the past three Winter Paralympics, has some lofty goals for himself over the next year. He hopes to win multiple Nordic skiing events in Milano Cortina, and he could very well rely on Goble and another guide or two to help lead him around the course and to the finish line.

So, medical school is temporarily on hold for Goble, a native of Petoskey, Michigan.

“For me, a part of skiing that I really like is competing, and so I will do this next year as a super fun year,” Goble said. “But at the same time, it’s not a year that I’ll be messing around all year. It’ll be pretty similar and structured (to this year).

“I still have goals myself, and I want to be fast for Jake. That’s what I enjoy doing – training and trying to be as fast as I can. … I’m still going to put my all into it and try to be the fastest skier that I can be.”

Goble is one of several professional skiers who guided for Adicoff this past season. They’re like a team during a race, with Goble skiing slightly ahead of Adicoff to help direct him around the course. As his guide, Goble stands on the medal podium with Adicoff and wins any medal that his good friend earns.

In February, with Goble serving as his guide, Adicoff got off to a strong start at the FIS Para-Cross Country World Championships in Toblach, Italy. He overcame tricky course conditions to win the 10-kilometer interval start classic cross-country skiing race on the opening day, Feb. 12.

The next day, Adicoff and Goble skied the anchor leg for the Americans during the mixed open relay race. They had ground to make up when it was their turn to ski 2.5 kilometers, and they helped lead the U.S. to the silver medal — behind only Ukraine.

“We went really hard to try to catch as many people as fast as possible,” Goble said. “Around like 1.5K in, I was like, ‘Man, I’m losing steam for sure.’ And Jake was like, ‘Go! Go! Go!’ And I’m like, ‘OK.’ I finished that one, and I was like, ‘That was one of the harder things I’ve done this year.’”

Growing up in Michigan, Goble learned to ski at a young age while going out on the trails with his parents. His father skied in college like Goble later did at Michigan Tech, and as a kid, Goble said he dreamed of someday competing at the Winter Olympics.

While in high school, Goble occasionally spent his summers in Sun Valley, Idaho. There is a tight-knit community of Nordic skiers who train in Sun Valley, and Goble eventually became friends with Adicoff, who grew up there and is a few years older than him.

A year ago, Adicoff sent Goble a text message wondering if he would be interested in serving as his guide for the final world cup event of the season in Prince George, British Columbia. Goble responded that he’d love to race with him.

With Goble providing direction, Adicoff earned a silver medal in the middle-distance race in Prince George. The duo then won a pair of golds over the next few days — first for the cross-country sprint, followed by the long distance race a day later.

“I would say the hardest part about guiding Jake is the fact that he’s fast,” Goble said. “And so, the first time I did it, I asked him what he needed, and I was like, ‘OK, I can do that.’ I know Jake, and I’ve raced against him before. He’s fast, so I kind of went into it with the mentality of, ‘This is my race, like I’m racing today. This is going to hurt. I need to go hard.’”

Goble still competes in professional races and has his own goals as a Nordic skier. He said Adicoff is such a fast skier that he needs top athletes who are in race shape to guide him.

“They do count the guides as athletes, and I feel like I’m doing athletic stuff there, but my role is Jake for sure,” Goble said. “But it is fun to be a part of that team and assist him.”

Alex Abrams has written about Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to USParaNordic.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.