{"id":802991,"date":"2020-01-12T19:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-01-13T02:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=377207"},"modified":"2020-01-13T09:00:44","modified_gmt":"2020-01-13T16:00:44","slug":"olivero-despite-heartbreak-summits-staberg-vaille-keep-their-fight-alive-at-youth-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/olivero-despite-heartbreak-summits-staberg-vaille-keep-their-fight-alive-at-youth-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivero: Despite heartbreak, Summit\u2019s Staberg, Vaille keep their fight alive at Youth Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Grace Staberg of Summit County skis during Friday’s 2020 Youth Winter Olympic individual ski mountaineering competition in Switzerland.<\/strong>
Ben Queenborough \/ Olympic Information Services<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

This week in Switzerland is the latest competition where Summit High School seniors Grace Staberg and Jeremiah Vaille are competing together. In recent years, Staberg and Vaille have shone as members of the Summit High cross-country team, the Tigers track and field team and at various ski mountaineering events.<\/p>\n

But come Tuesday, Jan. 14, for the first time, Staberg and Vaille will be direct teammates in a singular competition, when the four Americans competing in ski mountaineering at the Lausanne 2020 Youth Winter Olympics team up for the mixed-gender relay race.<\/p>\n

For Staberg and Vaille, it\u2019ll be the exclamation point \u2014 the final chapter \u2014 in a once-in-a-lifetime Youth Olympic experience they earned for themselves over the past couple of years. Over the past few winters, two things were apparent:<\/p>\n

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  1. The sport of ski mountaineering would debut at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympics as a sort of test-run to see if the sport may be added to the official Olympic program.<\/li>\n
  2. Considering U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association President Ram Mikulas and Head Coach Joe Howdyshell \u2014 among other important figures \u2014 live here in Summit County, talented young Summit County athletes would have an edge in representing the red, white and blue at Lausanne 2020.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Amid competition from other talented Summit individuals, Staberg and Vaille rose to the top, punching two of the four tickets to Lausanne 2020. The Summit duo had a whirlwind day last Friday, Jan. 10, that reminded the young athletes that, despite the intensive journey that led here, this isn\u2019t the finish line. There is never a finish line \u2014 especially in a place like Summit County that prides itself on lifelong activity.<\/p>\n

    On one hand, Staberg and Vaille realized their Youth Olympic dreams, crossing the finish line in third and 17th places, respectively, in the 6-mile, 890-meters-of-elevation-gain individual race in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland.<\/p>\n

    On the other hand, the duo had a devastating development<\/a> crystallize why in sports, and in life, it\u2019s crucial to always look ahead to the next opportunity. Moments before Staberg was to walk up to the podium and accept her bronze medal, she was informed a technicality \u2014 her racing skins sticking out of an unzipped suit \u2014 added three minutes to her official time. The penalty, effectively, ripped a Youth Olympic medal from Staberg\u2019s neck \u2014 a reality the young athlete said she struggled with through Saturday.<\/p>\n

    But speaking by phone on Sunday while taking a train back to the athlete\u2019s village dubbed \u201cThe Vortex\u201d in Lausanne, Staberg put her psyche in perspective.<\/p>\n

    Yes, she had worked so hard in recent years in Summit County and in Europe strengthening her skills to become one of the best youth female ski mountaineers in the world. Yes, on Friday she worked her way back from a start where she didn\u2019t feel strong to burst through the mid-pack and assume bronze-medal position on the fourth and final climb. Yes, in the moment it seemed like she was having the Youth Olympic triumph she dreamed of when she powered through an uphill finish, giving all she had.<\/p>\n

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