BY PAULA BENSON The Vermont Journal
STRATTON, Vt. – Professional cross-country skier and three-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins is the most decorated American cross-country skier in history. Diggins recently took home the overall and distance FIS Cross Country World Cup Crystal Globes, winning the last race of the season in Falun, Sweden. Originally from Afton, Minn., Diggins spends her summers training with the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 team, an elite group of world-class athletes based out of Stratton Mountain.
Started in 2013, SMS T2 has evolved over the years into a formidable crew that includes eight U.S. Ski Team members and three Olympians. The nonprofit program seeks to support international excellence in cross-country skiing, to grow the sport in local communities, and to promote a healthy lifestyle.
SMS T2 partners with the West River Sports Association, a volunteer-run organization that promotes the “physical and intellectual development” of area youth by offering programs in soccer and cross-country skiing.
Others on the team include local athletes Will Koch from Guilford, Finn Bailey from Peru, Ben Ogden from Landgrove, and Jack Lange from Lebanon, N.H.
Canadian Rémi Drolet joined the team after graduating from Harvard University this past spring. Drolet competed at the Beijing Olympics, and won the 2023 NCAA Championship 20-kilometer classic race in Lake Placid, N.Y.
On Saturday, Nov. 2, SMS T2 will give folks the opportunity to support this talented team of acclaimed athletes, meet team members, and join the community in sending the team off for a winter of hardcore racing.
Diggins, Ogden, and team members Julia Kern and Sydney Palmer-Leger have already made the initial World Cup team. The grueling competition schedule begins on Nov. 29, in Ruka, Finland, and ends March 23 in Lahti, Finland. The rest of SMS T2 will be racing the SuperTour or NCAA circuit, with the ultimate goal of making the World Championship team.
Known as The Send-off Campaign, Saturday’s event includes happy hour, dinner, and an auction, and is the biggest fundraising event of the year for SMS. Program director Maria Stuber said they were planning to arrange a group photo with the coveted Crystal Globe awarded to Diggins after winning the overall World Cup title in March. For more information, visit www.smseliteteam.wordpress.com/send-off-week-2024.
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