Hundreds of people gathered on the streets of downtown Richmond Thursday evening for a parade for local 2026 Winter Olympians Ryan Cochran-Siegel, Julia Kern, Paula Moltzan and Ben Ogden.
The procession included children on roller skis and young ski club members wearing bibs and holding flags, the four Olympians waving from convertibles and three firetrucks in tow.
“I’m really excited for it. I’ve never been a part of something like this,” said Kern, a two-time Olympian and Richmond resident. “I didn't come from a ski community, so being here in Richmond, which is so Vermont community oriented, it feels really special. It just makes me feel emotional seeing how many people are excited.”
Two-time Olympic silver medalist Ogden is excited to be back in Vermont for the summer following the long cross-country season that saw him break a 50-year medal drought for the U.S. men’s cross-country team.
“It’s been really fun,” he said. “I've gotten to interact a lot with the Vermont community and everybody has just been so kind and so welcoming and generous with their time, so it's been a lot of fun. And I mean, it's a great, great position to be in.”
The parade traveled down a long stretch of Richmond’s Bridge Street, where supporters lined both sides of the road, stretching from Route 2 all the way to Cochran Road on the other side of the Winooski River.
“When the parade first came over the bridge where I was standing, I burst into tears,” said Montpelier resident Susan Atwood. “It was so sweet, and to see the young kids on their skis and poles, and then all the ski clubs coming across, and then the Olympic skiers. It was just, I don't know — it was the best.”
Parade-goers remarked that the strong turnout and great energy at the event was indicative of the strength and closeness of Vermont’s skiing community.
“It made me cry because I've watched this going on for years and years,” said Leicester resident Don Brush. “I sat in the desk next to Mickey Cochran (the co-founder of his family’s eponymous ski area in Richmond) for years at work, and all he talked about was skiing, and that's what he loved. He put his heart and soul in it, and he's getting rewards now, even though he's not around.”
