In the lead-up to this year's Winter Olympic Games, Vermont Public's new show, The Sports Rapport, has been interviewing Olympians with Vermont ties.
Cross-country skier Jack Young is set to compete in the Men's Sprint Classic bright and early Tuesday morning.
Young hails from Jay, and spoke with Vermont Public's Mitch Wertlieb just before traveling to Italy for the competition.
This interview was produced for video. We highly recommend watching. We’ve also provided a transcript, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Mitch Wertlieb: Jack again, thank you so much for the time. I know you're busy training, it's an exciting moment for you. I want to talk first about sort of your journey to get to where you are now. You played a lot of sports in high school: football, baseball, track and field. How did all those sports help in any way with your cross-country skiing ability and your love for that sport?
Jack Young: If we're talking about the technical side of things, not much, but playing a lot of ball sports obviously helps with being a better, well-rounded athlete, which I think is one of my biggest strengths in cross-country skiing. I think I'm a little bit more agile than your average World Cup skier, and I think that comes from playing a lot of different sports in high school. But then on kind of more of the mental side of things, I think playing some, although it's, I mean, it's Vermont D2 football, but even just playing high school football anywhere will get you to play in some relatively high pressure situations. Even though it's Vermont high school football, but it's still football. So, you're feeling a lot more nerves in those situations than at almost any level of cross-country skiing, other than the absolute highest, which I think has helped me at this level.
Mitch Wertlieb: I'm wondering about that shift, though, from like team sports, like baseball, football, very much team-oriented sports to an individualistic sport like skiing. Was that a difficult shift for you to make it all?
Jack Young: Yes and no. I quite enjoy individual sports. I really like that when I succeed, it's just me who succeeded, and when I fail, it's just me who failed, not necessarily like letting down the entire team when you fail. But also, there's just something so special about winning together that you kind of lose when you go into individual sports and you miss some of the camaraderie that comes along with that.
Mitch Wertlieb: I want to ask about some athletes that maybe have inspired you over the years. I read somewhere that you're a big fan of the Celtics and Jaylen Brown in particular, is that right?
Jack Young: I am. I forget where I said that, but I think I should have said Tom Brady and David Ortiz, because I'm a much bigger Patriots fan and Red Sox fan than I am a Celtics fan. But yeah, Jaylen Brown definitely inspires me. He's just the definition of a really good professional athlete with a good head on his shoulders, smart guy, knows what's going on in the court, and really cool to see him this year performing with Tatum gone, you know.
Mitch Wertlieb: Amazing what he's been doing, helping to carry that to where they are now, when folks thought they wouldn't even have a shot at the playoffs. David Ortiz, I'm guessing, because he's Mr. Clutch, maybe the greatest clutch hitter in the history baseball, at least in Red Sox history.
Jack Young: Exactly. I mean, I had his Fathead in my room growing up, like he was the guy for me. It's like, I still get chills whenever I'm bored and go on YouTube and watch, like, "greatest clutch moments, like David Ortiz of all time," or rewatch Four Days In October. Yeah, he's my favorite professional athlete of all time.
Mitch Wertlieb: What has the support been like from, you know, folks back in Jay, Vermont, where you're from, and really, all over Vermont? You've got a lot of people rooting for you.
Jack Young: Yeah, it's just been crazy. I think my favorite people to hear from are my friends in high school who I haven't talked to in a while, especially my teammates, like my football and baseball teammates in high school who I haven't talked to since we graduated. It's just fun to think about how much sport shaped our lives back then, and I'm still competing in it, and it's kind of fun to almost share that success with teammates that I've been competing with for, some of them, half my life, and that's a lot of fun.
Mitch Wertlieb: It must be a great feeling to speak with those folks that you know, that you played with, you know you go through the wars together on the field, and now they're here cheering you on from afar as you compete in the Olympic Games. Give us a sense of what your schedule is like. Do you know when your first race is, how many races you're going to be doing? I mean, what's it like for you going forward?
Jack Young: So, funny enough, I'll be doing either zero or one races at the Olympics.
Mitch Wertlieb: I hope it's one.
Jack Young: I hope it's one too. But that'd be on February 10. So, for all intents and purposes, I have to assume I'm gonna start. There's no like, half-assing, obviously, the training coming up into that race, and it's like, if I don't start, I don't start, that's not the end of the world. I'm still young, it's really early, and to be honest, it's a classic sprint in the Olympics, and I'm much stronger in skate. I wouldn't have incredibly high expectations for my result there anyway. I hope to make a breakthrough, don't get me wrong, but it's not crushing. The idea of not starting is not crushing to me, because I know I'm not quite there yet on the classic side of things.
Mitch Wertlieb: And you know, Jack, even if you don't, this experience, I have to imagine, maybe that hasn't quite sunk in yet, but this experience of being an Olympian, being over there, being part of the U.S. Men's Team, is that the reward itself, really?
Jack Young: Oh, my god, especially, being part of this men's team.
Mitch Wertlieb: What's that dynamic like? You know, you're just starting to meet some of these guys, or maybe you've met a lot of them before. What's that experience been like, getting to know your teammates?
Jack Young: It's fun because I've known of all of these guys, and I really got to know all of them last year with my first almost full season on the World Cup. And it's like, I've idolized so many of these guys and really put them up on a pedestal. And it's really cool just to feel like I'm just friends with them now. It's just like the dynamic of the relationship has changed so much over the last two years. And it's funny to think of the regard I held some of these guys two years ago, and now I just feel like we're friends, training partners and competing together at the same level is pretty crazy.
Mitch Wertlieb: At the time you and I were speaking, we're only about a week or two away from the Olympics. I got to ask, Jack, you seem like such a chill guy. How are you keeping yourself so composed? It's amazing. You look relaxed and confident, calm. Is that how you're feeling inside?
Jack Young: More or less. I mean, the uncertainty of the start definitely eats away at me sometimes, but I've had an amazing season so far to get me here. I achieved the goal of qualifying for the Olympics, and I'm really excited for the experience, regardless of what it holds. So yeah, I am. I'm feeling calm, confident, even if there's no racing to apply the confidence to.
Mitch Wertlieb: Do you have anything you want to say to the folks back in Vermont who are rooting you on?
Jack Young: Enjoy the snow. I'm terribly bummed to be missing what has seemed like one of the best winters of all time so far in Vermont. So like, go get some extra turns on the mountains without me. And yeah, I'll try to rip it up here in return.
Mitch Wertlieb: I think a lot of folks are going to be inspired by that very message. Jack Young, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us on The Sports Rapport. I really appreciate it, and best of luck.
Jack Young: Thank you.
