Congrats to Ava (and SMS skier Fin Bailey) on receiving the prestigious Gallagher Award from NENSA!
From NENSA:
In 2014 NENSA began the tradition of honoring the most outstanding male and female Eastern Cup skiers with the Gallagher Award. As we build excitement for the new season, NENSA is pleased to announce that Ava Thurston (Mansfield Nordic) and Fin Bailey (Stratton Mountain School) are the 2022 Eastern Cup Champions. Their inspired efforts are a perfect way to celebrate Mike Gallagher’s legacy as an athlete, coach, and community leader.
Thurston matriculated to Dartmouth College this fall after one of the most storied Vermont High School careers in both cross country running and skiing — including numerous State titles in each sport. On the Eastern Cup circuit she was the top junior woman in six of the eight races, placing second to two different Canadians in the events she did not win. Thurston went on to Junior Nationals in Minnesota last March and swept all three individual events and anchored the New England U18 Team to victory. If you pull up the most current F.I.S. points list you will find Thurston is ranked 1st for her birth year (2004) in distance and 2nd in sprint — now, that is something that would make Mike Gallagher proud to see!
Adam Terko, Mansfield Nordic Ski Club Head Coach, describes Thurston, “Ava has a lot of strengths, both literally and figuratively. But her pure love of skiing (not just racing, but skiing itself) is what strikes me most. She’s motivated to be a better skier, not just a faster skier. Because of that motivation it’s hard to imagine something she won’t be able to do on a pair of skis or for the sport itself.”
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