We’re off and running with STORY PROJECT 2020, and as always if reading these stories brings a great story to mind, email it to jhastings@procutusa.com with that awesome picture!
BILLY DEMONG
Park City, Utah
billy@usanordic.org
What a year 2020 has been. Certainly, it has been the most demanding year I have had in this role. However, in these challenging times communities come together to create opportunities for reflection. This year more than ever we want Story Project to bring our community together to celebrate what we love about ski jumping and nordic combined and help USA Nordic continue to fuel the flight of all of our amazing athletes.
I know for me, my successes grew out of the amazing community and club I came from. Grasshopper camps at the White Sled Motor Inn led by Chris Hastings. Junior Nationals trips with Larry Stone and Corky Colby. And a six week camp organized by Joe Lamb, just to name a few. These were large parts of my pathway, which much later in life would lead to Olympic medals, and without these people, and the efforts of so many others, I would not have achieved the success I did.
The high peaks of the Adirondacks and the NYSEF ski club is where my roots are, but we all have our roots in some ski club from Maine to Alaska, that provided us the opportunities and pathway much like mine did. We all have a community that was with us through the ups and downs, and believe me, I had both. Whether it is Norge, SSWSC, Ishpeming, Andover, or Alaska, this year we want to be able to recognize the clubs that we come from, and tell their stories. We want to be able to acknowledge the pivotal role our clubs and our community play in the lives of so many skiers, as we continue to support these amazing sports we all love.
So, since the 2020 Kicks off on Giving Tuesday, we hope that you all will decide to give in recognition of your home club, and we have set up the fundraising platform to allow you to designate a club to give in honor of.
During these challenging times, clubs across America will continue to provide the amazing programming they always have, and continue to grow our community. Let’s take this month to reflect and remember, let’s think about all of our opportunities as we move forward. I encourage everyone to take the time to Zoom with folks that maybe we maybe haven’t talked to in a while. Let’s pick up the phone and reminisce about old stories with former teammates. Let’s write a thank you to old coaches. Let’s tell some stories.
Billy Demong
2010 Olympic Champion
Executive Director- USA Nordic Sport
Boy in the middle with the sweet zebra print suit below
