By Gavin Kentch
Perry Thomas, head coach for the SMS T2 elite team for the past two-plus seasons, is stepping down from that position at the end of this week for personal reasons, Nordic Insights has learned. Maria Stuber, whose official job title is currently the SMS T2 Program Director, will take on more of a coaching role going into this winter, Stuber said in an email earlier today.
Thomas officially informed his team that he would be moving on only last week, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Nordic Insights. The announcement came during the recent U.S. Ski Team fall camp held in Park City.
“I’m leaving the team for personal reasons,” wrote Thomas to Nordic Insights earlier today. Thomas moves on from this position after roughly two-and-a-half seasons in Stratton; he began coaching at SMS in spring 2022. Thomas had spent the previous five seasons coaching at the University of Vermont.
Maria Stuber joined the SMS T2 team in spring 2023 as Program Director, but will have different duties this season than last. Stuber spoke at length to present logistical needs within the program:
“I am working closely with our advisory board to plan and we will continue to evaluate and evolve as needed,” Stuber wrote to Nordic Insights earlier today. “Our coaching staff has always worked well together on the big picture and day-to-day planning for the team. This summer, that has included myself, Perry, and some of the USST coaches that interface with our athletes.”
“I will be individualizing that plan for our athletes on all the various racing circuits,” Stuber continued. “I love this part of the job. Last winter, I was forced to take a back seat on some of the race support duties because I was pregnant. We had already planned for me to take on more of a leadership role in that realm this year and we will hire additional help as needed.
“We have put together a small working group that’s going to take some of the administrative level responsibilities off my plate so that I can focus on the athletes a little more right now. Sverre [Caldwell] will lead that group the same way he always has.
“We feel super confident that we can continue to function at a World Class level while taking our time evaluating the team’s needs and searching for the right candidate. Right now, we are staffed in the same capacity the team has been since its inception in 2012. We feel very fortunate to have the ability to hire additional staff and will do so thoughtfully.
“The SMS T2 Team is extremely strong in its vision and mission. We have a long history of athletes working together in Southern Vermont to be the best in the world and impact our community. We are excited for winter and to showcase this exceptional group of young people internationally and domestically. We appreciate Perry’s dedication to the team and wish him the absolute best with his family this winter.”
Matt Boobar, Nordic Director for Stratton Mountain School, sounded similar themes.
“Perry is stepping back from coaching,” Boobar wrote in an email. “We will miss him in the office, at training sessions and the wax trailer. Always a great collaborator. The elite team staff and board are busily planning for the transition.”
There are ten athletes on the SMS T2 team going into this season. Of those ten, four of them (Jessie Diggins, Ben Ogden, Julia Kern, and Sydney Palmer-Leger) have received Period 1 World Cup starts for the U.S. Five more athletes — Will Koch, Adam Witkowski, Fin Bailey, Ava Thurston, and Jack Lange — will begin the season focusing on some combination of NCAA racing and SuperTour racing. Nordiq Canada has yet to announce Period 1 starters, so I am uncertain of Rémi Drolet’s plans at this time.
SuperTour racing for the 2024/2025 season begins in less than two months, at the Birkie Trailhead on December 12. U.S. Nationals begin in Anchorage on January 2.
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