BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sun Valley Community School is hosting a Community Watch Party celebrating five alumni competing in the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milano Cortina.

The athletes are Chase Josey, a 2013 graduate competing in snowboard halfpipe; Ryder Sarchett, a 2021 graduate competing in Alpine skiing; John Steel Hagenbuch, a 2020 graduate competing in Cross-Country Skiing,; Sammy Smith, a 2024 graduate competing in Cross-Country Skiing, and Peter Wolter, a 2017 graduate who will serve as the Paralympic Cross-Country Guide for Sun Valley’s Jake Adicoff in the Winter Paralympics in March.

The first Olympic viewing party is open to the entire community. It will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, as fans tune into Josey’s snowboarding competition.

Ryder Sarchett will compete in Giant Slalom on Saturday. PHOTO: Dustin Satloff for US Ski & Snowboard

An overnight watch party for Sun Valley Community School students and invited guests will begin at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, and conclude at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, as participants tune into Alpine and Cross-Country events.

The watch parties will be held in the school gymnasium. The overnight party will include food, activities, movies and live viewing of Olympic competition. Past Olympic alumni have been invited to join the celebration.

Head of School Ben Pettit noted that having five athletes from such a small school underscores the outsized impact of Sun Valley Community School’s unique approach to education and athletic development. It also shows the strength of its Ski Academy, which is located just minutes from Sun Valley Resort’s world-class ski slopes and some of the best groomed cross-country trails in the nation.

“We are so proud of these amazing alumni. Each of them joined our Sun Valley Ski Academy to pursue this dream and none of us at Sun Valley Community School are surprised that they are competing at this level on this world stage,” said Pettit. “And, as remarkable as they are as athletes, they are just as remarkable as human beings. We are with them all the way!”

John Steel Hagenbuch has been racing for the Dartmouth College Big Green Machine, in addition to the US Cross Country Ski Team. PHOTO: flying point

Chase Josey, who is appearing in his third Olympics, said that his teachers at Sun Valley Community School and his coaches from the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation always supported his Olympic dreams.

“I’m proud to be representing my Sun Valley area community again,” he said.

Two-time Alpine skiing Olympian Jonna Mendes said one of the most memorable parts of being an Olympian was feeling the strength of community behind her.

“It is something you never forget,” said Mendes, a four-time national champion, World Championship Super-G medalist and the director of the Sun Valley Ski Academy since its inception in 2011. “I cannot wait for our watch party as we come together to cheer on these five alumni and show the world just how much Sun Valley supports its Olympians and Paralympians. They have earned this moment, and I am so proud of who they are, how they compete, and how they represent our community.”

Chase Josey will compete in Snowboard Halfpipe. COURTESY: US Ski & Snowboard

The Sun Valley Ski Academy , a partnership between Sun valley Community School and the Sun Valley Ski Education, combines a vigorous college preparatory education with elite ski and snowboard training. Serving grades 9-12, it has graduated more than 400 student-athletes, including 11 U.S. ski, snowboard and Paralympic team members and 39 NCAA competitors.

SAMMY SMITH MAKES OLYMPIC DEBUT

Sun Valley’s Sammy Smith made her Olympic debut on Tuesday, racing around a 1.5-kilometer track in the Women’s Sprint Classic.

The event involved four races with the fastest 30 athletes from the first round moving on to the next round. Smith was the second-highest American finisher in the qualifier round, finishing 26th with a time of 3 minutes, 47.97 seconds.

Peter Wolter will lead fellow SVSEF Gold Team member Jake Adicoff in the 2026 Winter Paralympics in March. PHOTO: Dustin Satloff for U.S. Ski & Snowboard

She finished fourth out of six in the quarterfinal heat, eliminating her from competition. She ended up finishing 19th overall—two spots behind America’s most decorated cross-country racer Jessie Diggins.

Julie Kern posted the highest finish among Americans —eighth—in an event that the Swedes swept. Team USA’s Ben Ogden finished second in the Men’s spring after taking home gold in 2022.

Smith made the Olympic team even though she didn’t get on snow until just before Christmas as she was playing for the NCAA championship with her Stanford University team.

She is considered young in what Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Rick Kapala calls “an old ladies game.” Endurance athletes typically peak between 27 and 34 years of age in terms of endurance, says her Gold Team cohort Peter Wolter.

Smith grew up freestyle skiing and running track, in addition to skiing cross country. She contends that her cross training as a soccer player helps her as a cross country skier when she needs to negotiate tight corners.

She definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer. But, by the time the 2030 Winter Olympics roll around, she could emerge as a leader on USA’s cross-country team given that she would be out of college, not playing for a school championship and, possibly, training on snow early in the season.

HILARY KNIGHT HELPS SINK CANADA!

Sun Valley's Hilary Knight had an assist as Team USA defeated its biggest rival--Canada--5-0. It gave Team USA a sweep of Group A and its seventh straight defeat of Canada dating to the gold medal game of the world championships in April. Next up: The quarterfinals on Friday and Saturday.

BREEZY JOHNSON BEATS EVERYONE IN THE DOWNHILL A SECOND TIME BUT—

Breezy Johnson, who grew up in Victor, Idaho, missed out on her second gold of the Games on Tuesday in the Women’s Combined. She posted the fastest downhill of the day, but teammate Mikaela Shiffrin skied the slalom portion of the competition cautiously, ending up 15th.

Their combined times left them fourth, behind Team USA’s Paula Moltzen and Jackie Wiles, who won a bronze medal.

Johnson won gold in downhill on Sunday.