GRP Snow Welcomes New Members
The Green Racing Project is excited to add two biathletes to its snow roster. Grace Castonguay and Bjorn Westervelt have both been part of U23 training during the past several summers and will be moving to Craftsbury as full time members of the team this summer. Please join us in welcoming them to our community!
Grace Castonguay
Grace wrapped up her college career at Saint Michael’s college in Burlington this spring. The Jackson, NH native studied Economics and Accounting during her time as a Purple Knight.
Grace didn’t have the same start to skiing that many of her XC peers did, only taking up the sport at the age of 17. However, she’s packed a lot into her short career, earning IBU starts only 2 years after taking up the rifle, and getting named to the US Biathlon (USBA) National Team this spring.
In her spare time, Grace is a passionate knitter with a specialty in sweater-making. She also enjoys making (and drinking) espresso, trying her best at subpar latte art, and works part-time in her degree field of Finance and Accounting. She is excited for her first year of training as a full-time professional biathlete and being pushed by her new teammates.
"The possibility of combining my goals in skiing and biathlon while living out the mission of Craftsbury, finding meaningful work not only in training, but in projects and initiatives in the community and at the Center, is incredibly exciting," shared Grace.
Bjorn Westervelt
Bjorn Westervelt is a familiar face, having skied and trained at Craftsbury since he was 13 until now joining the full-time team. Bjorn has been successful in both skiing and biathlon, taking a win at the 2023 FISU World University Games and 5 Junior World Championships on the biathlon side while representing the UVM Catamounts at NCAAs on the XC side. And this spring, in addition to joining the GRP he was named to the USBA National team.
The UVM grad has wrapped up his Mechanical Engineering degree and will be joining the Craftsbury community full-time this summer. When not training, Bjorn loves building things, specifically woodworking custom furniture. Cooking and mountain biking are other ways he fills his time away from the range, rollerloop and gym.
"I have been part of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center community through the junior ski programs since I was 13 years old," writes Bjorn. "During this time I always looked up to the GRP athletes and aspired to be on the team one day. The past few summers I have trained with the U23 GRP program and I am looking forward to being a full blown 'Greenie'."