Last Updated: 20.Apr.2016

We’re very excited to announce skiers Ben Lustgarten and Mary O’Connell as the newest additions to the Green Racing Project. Both of these two individuals were NCAA all-Americans in 2013, representatives for the US at Junior/U23 World Championships, captains of their college teams, and have interests that will be a wonderful addition to the Craftsbury community. Ben grew up in Burlington, VT, racing for Mansfield Nordic and Burlington High School before attending Middlebury College, and has skied professionally for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation for the past two years. Mary grew up in Steamboat Springs, CO, skiing for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club before attending Dartmouth College where she raced for four years on the Dartmouth Ski Team.

Ben graduated from Middlebury in 2014 with a degree in Physics, and hopes to put that knowledge to use at Craftsbury. Some of his most notable race results include winning Middlebury Carnival in 2014, placing 6th at US Nationals in the 15km Classic in 2014. He’s especially excited to get back to his home in Vermont: “I’m stoked..to train back where I grew up in the woods of Vermont and get in touch with my roots again”.

Mary will complete her degree in BioEngineering from Dartmouth this June. Among many top performances on the national level, she has a 2nd in the 5k Classic at NCAAs to her name from her freshman year at Dartmouth, as well as an 11th in the 15k classic at NCAAs in her home town of Steamboat this year. Mary is looking forward to “getting the opportunity to be involved with an organization that does an incredible job of maintaining sustainable practices and giving back to the community”.

Beyond their significant athletic goals and achievements, both Mary and Ben have missions of their own that dovetail with that of the Outdoor Center. I asked where they thought they’d see themselves in ten years, and how Craftsbury would play a role in that.

Mary: “I see myself either pursuing a higher educational degree or engaging in community service in the outdoors. I am very passionate about giving back to communities that have provided me with opportunities to reach my goals, and this is something that Craftsbury also takes part in. I hope to learn skills related to community involvement and sustainability at Craftsbury, that I can then take outside of Vermont and bring to other areas of the world.”

Ben: “In ten years, maybe being a mechanical engineer for a renewable energy company, or a mathematics teacher at a high school coaching Nordic Skiing. I would love to learn some skills about solar panels and energy usage at Craftsbury, as well as teaching skiing to younger athletes and possibly tutoring”.

Join us in welcoming Ben and Mary to the team and to the greater Craftsbury family!!