With many Winter Olympics qualifiers both hailing from and training in Vermont, local athletes are gearing up to watch their favorite competitors conquer the slopes in Milan-Cortina this February.Winter sports present many challenges, both physical and mental. Many athletes say they couldn’t succeed without their support system and their personal drive. Champions often take time to reflect on those impacts after they’ve reached daring heights. Lisa Wilcox Galotti, who was the 1984 national downhill ski champion, said training takes sacrifice and diligence. “They would come to us six days a week, every day after school, all day long, Saturday and Sunday,” Galotti said. “And it doesn’t matter if it’s below zero and blowing, we are going to be out there training, and we train all day. Either you love it or you don’t love it.”Maggie Parker and Amber Wood are both former competitive skiers. They said they remember those feelings clearly from their days on the slopes. “It makes me kind of emotional to watch,” Parker said. “Especially when people crash or mess up. And you can see that disappointment and pain and frustration. And I’m like ‘I know exactly how you feel.'”But all of the athletes we spoke with said pressure to do well often started with a desire to impress those closest to them.”I honestly often think about my dad and how much time he’s put into helping me with skiing. And I just– I think I want to make him proud. I want to do my best. It doesn’t matter what it is,” Wood said. Woodstock Ski Runners at Saskadena Six instructs roughly 400 athletes every season in Alpine and Nordic skiing. Those athletes range in age from 8 to 18 years old, and all of them are looking to one day join the professionals that they will see on the world stage in February at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
With many Winter Olympics qualifiers both hailing from and training in Vermont, local athletes are gearing up to watch their favorite competitors conquer the slopes in Milan-Cortina this February.
Winter sports present many challenges, both physical and mental. Many athletes say they couldn’t succeed without their support system and their personal drive.
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Champions often take time to reflect on those impacts after they’ve reached daring heights.
Lisa Wilcox Galotti, who was the 1984 national downhill ski champion, said training takes sacrifice and diligence.
“They would come to us six days a week, every day after school, all day long, Saturday and Sunday,” Galotti said. “And it doesn’t matter if it’s below zero and blowing, we are going to be out there training, and we train all day. Either you love it or you don’t love it.”
Maggie Parker and Amber Wood are both former competitive skiers. They said they remember those feelings clearly from their days on the slopes.
“It makes me kind of emotional to watch,” Parker said. “Especially when people crash or mess up. And you can see that disappointment and pain and frustration. And I’m like ‘I know exactly how you feel.'”
But all of the athletes we spoke with said pressure to do well often started with a desire to impress those closest to them.
“I honestly often think about my dad and how much time he’s put into helping me with skiing. And I just– I think I want to make him proud. I want to do my best. It doesn’t matter what it is,” Wood said.
Woodstock Ski Runners at Saskadena Six instructs roughly 400 athletes every season in Alpine and Nordic skiing. Those athletes range in age from 8 to 18 years old, and all of them are looking to one day join the professionals that they will see on the world stage in February at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
