Politics & Government

Kuster Co-Hosts Send-Off for U.S. Olympians

The reception was held Monday in Washington, D.C.

Submitted by the Office of U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster:

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – To mark the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics, U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming-At Large) today joined with other members of the Congressional Ski and Snowboard Caucus to host a Send-off to Sochi event to celebrate the U.S. ski and snowboard teams as they prepare for competition in Sochi, Russia. The bipartisan send-off, hosted in the Longworth House Office Building, welcomed former Olympians and members of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, among other notables.

“I could not be more proud and more excited for the all of the amazing Olympic skiers and snowboarders from around New Hampshire and all across our country,” said Kuster, who serves with Lummis as co-chair of the Congressional Ski and Snowboard Caucus. “These amazing athletes have worked so hard for so long. Now they are ready to make their country proud as they go for the gold in Sochi.”

Of the 23 Olympic athletes with New Hampshire connections, 18 will participate in ski and snowboard events. A full  list of athletes with Granite State ties is included below. 

  • Nick Alexander, Lebanon, Ski Jumping
  • Gillian Apps, Dartmouth College, Hockey
  • Kacey Bellamy, University of New Hampshire, Hockey
  • Sophie Caldwell, Dartmouth College, Cross-Country Skiing
  • David Chodounsky, Dartmouth College, Alpine Skiing
  • Sean Doherty, Center Harbor, Biathlon
  • Hannah Dreissigacker, Dartmouth College, Biathlon
  • Susan Dunklee, Dartmouth College, Biathlon
  • Nick Fairall, Andover, Ski Jumping
  • Julia Ford, Holderness, Alpine Skiing
  • Kris Freeman, Andover, Cross-Country Skiing
  • Chas Guldemond, Laconia, Slopestyle Snowboarding
  • Nolan Kasper, Dartmouth College, Alpine Skiing
  • Hannah Kearney, Hanover, Freestyle Skiing
  • Julia Krass, Hanover, Slopestyle Skiing
  • Bode Miller, Franconia, Alpine Skiing
  • Ida Sargent, Dartmouth College, Cross-Country Skiing
  • Mikaela Shiffrin, Lyme, Apline Skiing
  • Leanne Smith, North Conway, Alpine Skiing
  • Katey Stone, University of New Hampshire, Hockey (Head Coach)
  • Sara Studebaker, Dartmouth College, Biathlon
  • James Van Riemsdyk, University of New Hampshire, Hockey
  • Andrew Weibrecht, Dartmouth College, Alpine Skiing 

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“For a small state, New Hampshire is the proud home of some of the nation’s best skiers and athletes,” Kuster said. “Now, these Granite Staters will show they belong among the best in the world.”

A former collegiate ski racer, Kuster joined with Lummis last year to revive the Congressional Ski and Snowboard Caucus to acknowledge the importance of winter sports to the New Hampshire economy and to the United States as a whole.


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