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With the 29th Winter Olympics underway, Glens Falls native Lyndsay Strange is no stranger to the grandest stage in sports.
“I think the word I’ve used before is, it’s truly electric,” Strange said. “It’s such an honor, especially the opening ceremonies. It’s electric. It’s magical.”
The 2022 games in Beijing are her second go-around after coaching in the 2018 games in Pyeongchang. Twice is nice for Lyndsay, but still surreal to friends and family back home.
What You Need To Know
- Glens Falls native Lyndsay Strange has always done things different in life
- Her passion is skiing, and it has brought her to the top of the mountain
- Strange is coaching in her second consecutive Winter Olympics as the Alpine ski coach for Team Mexico
“My mom is my number one bragger and supporter, and she is just over the moon. A lot of my old friends are just as excited for me, and they’re like, ‘wow, you’re doing it again,’” Strange says. “Not just once but twice. But it’s so sweet to hear that support from old friends back home.”
The funny thing about Strange’s journey is she’s neither a coach nor an athlete for Team USA, or even Team Canada. She’s the Alpine ski coach for Team Mexico, a position she landed after meeting U.S. ski legend Sarah Schleper, who started to ski for Mexico after marrying her husband, who is from the country.
“We were coaching together and became best friends, and then once she started competing again for Team Mexico, she asked me to help represent her and help coach and take her though all the events,” Strange said. “She’s one of those friends, like an old friend you have. You might not see each other for a while, but once you do, you’re right back in it.”
It was her foot in the door, but more importantly, the start of a lasting friendship, a bond defined on the slopes. And while the 2018 Games ended with no medals for the duo, anything is possible in 2022.
“She jokes, but I think she’s not joking like, ‘I dreamed about getting medal! I think the Olympic miracle can really happen,’ ” Strange said with a smile. “I mean, I think we would just be laughing and crying and not even believing our eyes if that were to happen.”
There’s no telling what will happen in Beijing, but no matter what, Strange won’t forget the untraditional path that led her to the Olympics.
“I always was a little different, or had different priorities, and I really followed my dreams, which was skiing. And this is how I got to the very, very top,” Strange says. “It’s unbelievable to me and I’m so proud of that, and I hope that just continues to shape my career and bring me to more new experiences. That’s just my biggest priority, is having experiences and taking opportunities, and I think this is exactly that.”
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