Sheil soars to ski jumping gold at Junior Nationals

Sheil soars to ski jumping gold at Junior Nationals

Salisbury Winter Sports Association ski jumper Islay Sheil, right, and teammate Caroline Chor placed first at Junior Nationals.

Provided

SALISBURY — Team SWSA reached new heights at the 2025 Junior Nationals Ski Jumping competition held in Park City, Utah.

Islay Sheil, 15, of Lakeville, won first place and a gold medal in the team competition with teammate Caroline Chor from the Ford Sayre Ski Club. They competed in the U16 category.

The annual event featured the best jumpers aged 12 to 19 in the U.S.

“Standing on the top of the podium was an unbelievable feeling,” Sheil said. “And I was also so happy that Seth was there as part of the coaching staff.”

Sheil is the first Salisbury Winter Sports Association athlete that has earned gold in the Junior National competition in many years, if ever.

From left to right,Coach Seth Gardner, Islay Sheil and Junior National Head Coach Colin DelaneyProvided

Seth Gardner, a SWSA jumper and coach gained his own notoriety when he was named assistant Junior National coach, a first in recent decades for SWSA.

“Coaching at the Junior National competition for the first time was an extraordinary experience,” Gardner said, “It was inspiring to see the growth of all of the athletes throughout the week.” He added that he was excited to bring back to Salisbury what he had learned in Park City “to help our athletes grow.”

Each year, the Junior Nationals rotate locations among the five divisions. SWSA will next host the event in 2027.

To learn more about SWSA visit jumpfest.org.

Latest News

Sharon Dennis Rosen

SHARON — Sharon Dennis Rosen, 83, died on Aug. 8, 2025, in New York City.

Born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, she grew up on her parents’ farm and attended Sharon Center School and Housatonic Valley Regional High School. She went on to study at Skidmore College before moving to New York City, where she married Dr. Harvey Rosen and together they raised two children.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between’ at the Moviehouse

Claire and Garland Jeffreys in the film “The King of In Between.”

Still from "The King of In between"

There is a scene in “The King of In Between,” a documentary about musician Garland Jeffreys, that shows his name as the answer to a question on the TV show “Jeopardy!”

“This moment was the film in a nutshell,” said Claire Jeffreys, the film’s producer and director, and Garland’s wife of 40 years. “Nobody knows the answer,” she continued. “So, you’re cool enough to be a Jeopardy question, but you’re still obscure enough that not one of the contestants even had a glimmer of the answer.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Haystack Book Festival: writers in conversation
Jerome A. Cohen, author of the memoir \u201cEastward, Westward: A Lifein Law.\u201d
Jerome A. Cohen, author of the memoir \u201cEastward, Westward: A Lifein Law.\u201d

The Haystack Book Festival, a program of the Norfolk Hub, brings renowned writers and thinkers to Norfolk for conversation. Celebrating its fifth season this fall, the festival will gather 18 writers for discussions at the Norfolk Library on Sept. 20 and Oct. 3 through 5.

Jerome A. Cohen, author of the memoir “Eastward, Westward: A Lifein Law.”Haystack Book Festival

Keep ReadingShow less