Adirondack Sports January 2024
In this issue: 3 FROM THE TEAM 5 NEWS BRIEFS 7 ALPINE SKIING & SNOWBOARDING: Enjoy Winter at the Ski Areas 9 XC SKIING & SNOWSHOEING: Why Cross-Country Ski? 11 RUNNING & WALKING: Snowshoe Adventuring 15 CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Skiing in Canoe Country 19 COMMUNITY: Hiking the 46 High Peaks as a Family 23 BICYCLING: Capital Bicycle Racing Club 24 ATHLETE PROFILE: Biathlon with Jackie Garso, From Lake Clear to the World Cup 27-33 CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Winter Things to Do 35 OUTDOOR SPORTS: Laura’s Fireside Reads 37 HEALTH & FITNESS: Stotanism 39 NON-MEDICATED LIFE: Advanced Cholesterol Testing, Part Two 41-47 RACE RESULTS: Top Fall and Winter Finishers
In this issue:
3 FROM THE TEAM
5 NEWS BRIEFS
7 ALPINE SKIING & SNOWBOARDING: Enjoy Winter at the Ski Areas
9 XC SKIING & SNOWSHOEING: Why Cross-Country Ski?
11 RUNNING & WALKING: Snowshoe Adventuring
15 CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Skiing in Canoe Country
19 COMMUNITY: Hiking the 46 High Peaks as a Family
23 BICYCLING: Capital Bicycle Racing Club
24 ATHLETE PROFILE: Biathlon with Jackie Garso, From Lake Clear to the World Cup
27-33 CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Winter Things to Do
35 OUTDOOR SPORTS: Laura’s Fireside Reads
37 HEALTH & FITNESS: Stotanism
39 NON-MEDICATED LIFE: Advanced Cholesterol Testing, Part Two
41-47 RACE RESULTS: Top Fall and Winter Finishers
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24 <strong>Adirondack</strong> <strong>Sports</strong><br />
ATHLETE PROFILE<br />
Jackie<br />
Garso<br />
AGE: 24<br />
PARENTS: Joe Garso and Cindy Woods<br />
Garso<br />
HOMETOWN: Lake Clear<br />
CURRENT TEAM: Craftsbury Green<br />
Racing Project<br />
FAVORITE SNACK: Peanut Butter Cups<br />
■ BILL KOCH WITH DAD, 2011.<br />
■ COMPETING AT 2022<br />
IBU CUP TRAILS IN<br />
CRAFTSBURY, VT.<br />
PHIL BELENA<br />
■ CRAFTSBURY WITH<br />
MOM AND LIBBY, 2022.<br />
■ TRAINING IN SEEFELD,<br />
AUSTRIA IN DECEMBER<br />
2023. ANDREAS MEINICKE<br />
Her Journey from Lake<br />
Clear to the World Cup<br />
By Kate Halligan<br />
■ 2023 IBU CUP MIXED RELAY (JACKIE,<br />
AMANDA KAUTZER, SCOTT LACEY, TIM<br />
CUNNINGHAM, MIKE GIBSON, COACH)<br />
AFTER US’ BEST FINISH IN SEVERAL<br />
YEARS, CANMORE, ALBERTA.<br />
Jackie Garso has been named to the roster for the U.S. Biathlon World Cup<br />
team for the second trimester, with races set to begin on <strong>January</strong> 4, <strong>2024</strong>.<br />
Get to Know Jackie – Growing up in Lake Clear, Jackie tried nearly every<br />
sport, including running, soccer, swimming, tumbling, hockey, alpine and<br />
nordic skiing, lacrosse, and track. She even had a brief foray into speed skating<br />
and ski jumping. Gradually, the practices started to interfere with one<br />
another so that by the time she entered high school Jackie had to narrow<br />
her focus to Nordic skiing and cross country running for Saranac Lake High<br />
School. In addition, Jackie skied with New York Ski Education Foundation<br />
(NYSEF). The decision was well-made, as she would go on to win the 2016<br />
New York State Individual and Combined Nordic championship and compete<br />
at Junior Nationals, earning two top-15 results for the Mid-Atlantic team.<br />
A highlight and influence for Jackie’s athletic upbringing was Dewey<br />
Mountain Recreation Center in Saranac Lake. When asked about Dewey, Jackie<br />
said, “I am genuinely not sure if I can put into words how much Dewey influenced<br />
me, and how special it is to me. Physically, Dewey shaped my skiing in<br />
ways that are still obvious today – my preference for hilly courses, my willingness<br />
to take risks, and my descending skills were all honed there.” Related to competition,<br />
Dewey taught Jackie that racing could be fun and she could push herself,<br />
just for the sheer joy of it. In addition to athletics, Dewey taught her other lessons.<br />
For instance, Dewey instilled in Jackie a “respect for the outdoors, not just<br />
as a whole, but for a place you inhabit minute by minute.” Growing up at Dewey<br />
also taught her that you can navigate in to and out of almost any condition or<br />
obstacle, be it on the ski course or life, as long as you trust yourself.<br />
After high school, Jackie decided to attend St. Lawrence University after a<br />
campus visit. Interestingly, St. Lawrence was not Jackie’s first choice, believing<br />
it too stereotypical a choice for a kid from the North Country. However,<br />
following a campus visit, she quickly changed her mind. She liked the campus,<br />
the Nordic coaches, and, as an added bonus, she could continue to be<br />
teammates with her fellow New Yorker, Lucy Hochschartner from Lake Placid.<br />
During her time racing for the Saints, Jackie posted multiple top 20 finishes<br />
and qualified for the 2019 NCAA championship in Stowe, Vt. where she<br />
placed 33rd in the 5K skate race. Jackie graduated from St. Lawrence in 2020<br />
with a degree in Statistics, which she hopes to someday use as a data analyst<br />
for a professional sports team.