YOUR AD HERE »

Julia Mancuso thanks community for support during Truckee speech

Jason Shueh
Sierra Sun
Jason Shueh/Sierra SunOlympic medalist and hometown hero Julia Mancuso spoke with residents at the newly reorganized Good Morning Truckee community meeting on Tuesday.
ALL |

TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; Olympic medalist and hometown hero Julia Mancuso spoke with residents at the newly reorganized Good Morning Truckee community meeting on Tuesday to talk about her 2010 Olympic accolades and thank supporters.

and#8220;My family has been a big part of this community my whole life … growing up, and this is just a way to just say and#8216;hiand#8217; and give back,and#8221; Mancuso said in an interview before her presentation alongside Squaw Valley USAand#8217;s CEO Andy Wirth.

Julia said her biggest accomplishments and#8212; including her gold medal in Turin, Italy, in 2006 and two silver medals in Vancouver last year and#8212; were very much tied to her time growing up in Squaw Valley.



and#8220;I feel really lucky every time I come back here,and#8221; Mancuso said.

Mancuso said the Tahoe-Truckee region holds many memories for her, and inspiration received from local pros eventually brought her to the Olympics and helped develop herself as an athlete in the disciplines of downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom and combined skiing.



and#8220;Iand#8217;m just so lucky to grow up with an amazing community,and#8221; she said. and#8220;I spend six months out of the country traveling and skiing, and I get to see so many great ski resorts, but to me nothing has ever compared to what I have here at home.and#8221;

Just before the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Mancuso said her coach told her she should train in Jackson, Wyo.; however she made a last minute change to instead return to Squaw. Mancuso said she believes this decision helped her achieve the focus she needed for the Olympic games and secure the two silver medals.

and#8220;I just had this really good feeling that I should go home back to Tahoe,and#8221; Mancuso said. and#8220;I made that decision to come back here and ski for four days before heading up to Vancouver and it was the first time Iand#8217;ve been home in the winter since I was 15, so like 11 years.and#8221;

Finishing her presentation, Mancuso thanked locals for continued support.


Support Local Journalism

 

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.