Jack Young: from NCU Football to Cross Country Skiing Places 25th on World Cup, Citizen Cross Country Ski Races
JAY – Who would think a high school quarterback could be a top 30 World Cup Skier. Jack Young could. Jack grew up in Jay, Vermont and loved to do a bit of everything from hiking to theater (he played Bilbo Baggins in the middle school play), football and skiing to name a few. He graduated from North Country Union where he played football and also skied in the winter months. He did well at skiing having some top 10 finishes in the state meet but never qualified for the Northeast Junior National Team or came even close to junior international skiing. But he decided he would rather focus on skiing in college, so he applied to Colby College where the coach, Tracey Cote, often takes skiers who have done well and showed potential. My son, Anders Hanson, was a third year student and skier at Colby when Young applied. Both skied together with the Craftsbury Ski Club. He told the coach that Young has not trained year-round like most top level high school skiers, yet he was having the occasional top-five finish at larger competitions. What could he do if he actually focused on skiing?
photo by Eric Hanson
That answer came in December of 2023 when Young won a U.S. Supertour qualifier in sprinting. Heads turned. With this and a few good results at U.S. Nationals, the U.S. Ski Team gave Jack a chance to have a World Cup start when the tour came to North America in February of 2024 at Canmore, Alberta. Not only did Jack show up and race, he qualified 11th as the top U.S. skier finishing ahead of most Scandinavian skiers.
This past weekend in Lilliehammer, Norway, he skied to 25th in the qualifier and was the second American behind Ben Ogden from Stratton, Vt., (who won the qualifier against the best in the world). Young did not make it out of the quarterfinals but he’s there, learning, skiing fast, and showing what a well-rounded athlete can do if given a chance.
photo by Eric Hanson
Citizen Cross Country Ski Races
CRAFTSBURY – About 150 skiers donned racing bibs to ski in the opener races at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Mother nature made conditions a bit softer with plenty of natural snow mixed in with the snowmaking snow.
The first day was all about sprinting: one 1.5 km qualifier lap followed by the several heats made up of six skiers going head to head. Male and female skiers were mixed together in three brackets as skiers moved through the heats. The three Craftsbury Green Racing Project skiers went 1-2-3 led by John Schwinghamer, Braden Becker, and Joe Lynch. Craftsbury Academy graduate and senior UVM skier, Finn Sweet, placed 4th, and Sisu Lange (Craftsbury Ski Club – CSC) 41.
In Bracket 2, Quincy Massey-Bierman (Middlebury) took first followed by Greta Kilburn (UVM) 7. Both Massey-Bierman and Kilburn have ties to Greensboro. Craftsbury skiers included Asa Lloyd 19, Sam Bronkdyke 23, Ruth Krebs 25, and Emily Linton 41.
photo by Eric Hanson
In Bracket 3, Olivia Hanna (Ford Sayre) placed first along with Sara Saligman-McGill 6, Isabel Linton 9, Oryon Hart 11, Tillie Lange 13, and Damian Bolduc 27.
Skiers raced classic technique the second day with the younger skiers going 4.5 km and the open racers skiing 7.5 km. The course was a bit messy with it still snowing hard an hour before the race.
Finn Sweet won the men’s race (18:48), and Braden Becker was 3rd. CSC skiers included Sisu Lange 35, Sam Brondyke 52, Luke Murphy 56, Hayden Magnus 60, Max Demaine 62, Asa Lloyd 64, and Damian Bolduc 81.
In the women’s 7.5 km race, Annie McColgan (UVM) placed first in 22:25 followed by Greta Kilburn (UVM), Quincy Massey-Bierman (Middlebury) 3, Claire Serrano 14, Ruth Krebs 24, Isabel Linton 34, Tillie Lange 35, Emily Linton 40, Claire Pritchard 45, Oliva Serrano 49, Jessica Bolduc 51, Marie Voison 42, and Gina Campoli 53.
In the Under 16 races, Jorgen Pirrung (Mansfield Nordic) won in 13:16 followed by Isaac Nadzam 6, Oryon Hart 10, Elliott Stewart 18, and Phineas Marvin 19.
In the girls Under 16 race, Oliva Hanna (Ford Sayre) was first with CSC skiers Adele Pritchard, Aemilia Terrone 11, Nora Demaine 16, and Phoebe Bakeman 17.
