With One Week To Go, 23 With Granite State Ties Slated For Sochi

With a little less than a week to go to the start of the Olympic Games, 23 athletes with New Hampshire connections are set to represent to United States in Sochi.

With a number of strong boarding school winter sport programs in the state, distinguishing who is a “New Hampshire athlete” and who isn’t can be a challenge. But here’s a general list of who’s who.

·         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 Conway, Biathlon

·         Hannah Dreissigacker, Dartmouth College, Biathlon*

·         Susan Dunklee, Dartmouth College, Biathlon*

·         Nick Fairall, Andover, Ski Jumping

·         Julia Ford, Holderness School, 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*

The athletes marked with an * come from “away,” but it’s their New Hampshire connection that we list.

Ten athletes born and raised in the Granite state are headed for Russia. These include veteran skiers Bode Miller and Kris Freeman, who have been on the international stage for more than a decade, and first-timers like biathlete Sean Doherty and slope-style skier Julia Krass.

Another 13 athletes not born in New Hampshire, but with strong ties to the state will wear the stars and stripes in Sochi as well. These include slalom standout Mikaela Shiffrin, who lived in Lyme while attending school at the Burke Mountain Academy, and Hockey player Kacey Bellamy who skated for the UNH wildcats.

What’s more the coach of the UNH women’s hockey team, Katey Stone will be the coach for the women’s Olympic squad.

**Note: An earlier version of this article failed to mention the 9 athletes who attended Dartmouth College. That has been amended**