JC Schoonmaker and Emma Ribom

Standing above a roaring wood fire, JC and Emma told the story of December 9, 2023, one very special race day at Östersund, in Emma’s home country of Sweden. She won her sprint race, and JC took 3rd place. It was his first time in a final, and first World Cup podium. They talked about the challenges of World Cup sprint racing. While each individual race is fairly short, the process of getting to the finals is long and hard. You have to race near the top of the pack in qualifying, quarterfinals and semi-final races to even make the final.

After their presentation JC and Emma entertained questions. Most of the thoughtful inquiries came from young racers, who were keen to pick up the secrets that enabled JC and Emma to make it to the upper echelon of cross-country ski racing.

While the younger crowd was focused on improving their racing technique, the large contingent of older folks (umm, more mature individuals?) was warmed by the chance to appreciate the success of a home town kid. We were friends with his parents, had coached him or skied with him, or were just community members, happy to see Tahoe’s cross-country ski community find success.

It was also encouraging to see that Emma’s journey as a skier in Sweden was similar to JC’s. She started skiing at an early age, and benefitted from a similar series of club and racing programs that give a young skier the opportunity to shine. It was also a touching part of the evening for me to see that while racers and countries might compete on the trails, once the racing is over an American and a Swede racer can come together. This was exemplified by how after winning her race, Emma quickly rushed over to see JC’s success in his final.

While the credit for the success of a skier should go directly to that skier, it is important as a cross-country skiing community that we provide the resources that enable skiers to reach their potential. The North Tahoe cross-country ski community should feel proud that we have provided this opportunity. Then it takes an athlete with a lot of talent, perseverance, time, endurance and perhaps a bit of luck. We wish the best of luck to both JC and Emma as they race in Canada and Minnesota in the coming weeks.