BEAVER CREEK, Colo. — On a snowy afternoon, following a day of watching top-level ski racing, the teenage triplets took a moment to relax on a couch next to a roaring fire near the slopes at Beaver Creek.A rare chance to just do nothing.It’s been a whirlwind winter for Helaina, Henri IV and Henniyah Rivers in their quest to represent their mother’s country of Jamaica, a nation associated more for sprinting than skiing, at the Winter Olympics next month. Their dream was put in motion long ago by their father, who, appropriately enough, was born in a neighborhood known as Jamaica in Queens, New York. It’s a dream that comes with significance, too: As Black ski racers in a predominantly white sport, the triplets see making this team as a way to open doors for more racers of color to follow in their tracks.The 18-year-olds born minutes apart in Brooklyn have been all over the globe competing in lower-tier races in an effort to qualify for the technical events, slalom and giant slalom. Henri already has a spot, in the slalom, and his sisters are close. The deadline is Jan. 18.“It would just be groundbreaking for three 18-year-old Black triplets to represent Jamaica, a non-snow sport country, on the global stage,” Helaina said. “I think about that every time I go to bed.”The seeds of this quest were planted decades ago, when thei …
