This writeup by Jay Davis and Hilary McNamee was just sent out in the Ford Sayre newsletter.

Evan Nichols (Lyme) had a historically successful World University Games this past week, and he and Hannah Chipman (Norwich), Jack Lange (Lyme), and Caleb Zuckerman (Norwich) have all qualified to represent the United States at the highest level of international junior competitions in their respective Nordic sports! (Both Hannah and Jack also ski locally for Dartmouth.)

Evan, a member of the Nordic Combined US National Team (which combines xc skiing and jumping), competed this past week in Lake Placid NY at the World University Games, just missing a podium in the first competition and placing 3rd  in the final individual competition on Sunday.  He then earned, along with his partner, the United States' only gold medal so far in the Games, winning the team sprint event!  He will be representing the United States at the Nordic Combined Junior World Championships, also in Whistler, British Columbia, starting on January 28th.

Hannah has decided to take the winter term off from college and will be spending a few weeks in the hinterlands of Fort Kent, Maine before flying across the pond for the remainder of the winter! Hannah will go first to Estonia where she will compete in the IBU Junior Cup, then on to Junior European Champs in Latvia, before she connects with the US Youth and Junior National Biathlon team in Kazakhstan to race World Juniors (Mar. 4-12). Press release from the qualification races is here: (https://www.teamusa.org/US-Biathlon/News/2023/January/02/Athletes-Named-for-Upcoming-Youth--Junior-Competitions) and you can watch live or a replay of Biathlon Youth & Junior World Championships here: https://www.eurovisionsports.tv/ibu/.

Jack secured a spot on the World Junior Cross Country team after a standout week of racing at U.S. Senior Nationals in Houghton, MI. He’ll be headed to Whistler, British Columbia for the competitions along with Dartmouth teammate, and Vermont native, Ava Thurston in late January. (Jack also started off his college racing career with a bang last weekend at the Bates Carnival, skiing, as a freshman, to the 5th fastest time of any skier.)

The youngest of these skiers, Caleb is still a member of the Ford Sayre program and is a junior at Hanover High School.  He also qualified for World Juniors in Nordic Combined in British Columbia.

You can watch Jack, Evan and Caleb live at World Juniors on the FIS-Ski Website here.

Ford Sayre is so proud of all of these athletes, and we wish them the best as they represent the country, and our club, around the world!