Sargent recently joined nine professional skiers from across New England to participate in the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, a program in which members participate in various sustainability activities and community outreach intended to offset the environmental damage caused by ski training and racing.
As a professional cross-country ski team based in Craftsbury, Vt., the Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club trains throughout the year in preparation for upcoming competitions.
Sargent trained and competed with the club full-time during her off-term this past fall and races with the team throughout the year.
During the summer, however, the team strays from its strict training regimen to promote a greener lifestyle, Sargent said.
Sargent and her fellow skiiers partake in composting efforts, gather data on general lake health and survey the Craftsbury Outdoor Center's carbon emissions.
The skiers also work to expand the club's trails in a manner that minimizes damage to the surrounding ecosystem, according to the Green Racing Project website,
Additionally, the team reaches out to the community to encourage others to live environmentally-responsible lives, according to Sargent.
Members of the Green Racing Project currently in its second year is also working to set up an initiative that will encourage consumption of locally grown foods, as well as enable team members to install solar panels at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center and monitor the water quality in a nearby lake, Sargent added.
The team provides online updates through a blog that include both sustainability advice and information regarding the group's activities.
While at the club, Sargent also leads a group of seven to 14-year olds who train through dry-land exercises such as roller skiiing and running three times a week. She said that these sessions enable her to relive her own childhood experiences at the club.
"One of my favorite projects is coaching for the kids' ski program," she said. "It's the same program which I was a part of at that age so it's exciting to help the next generation of Craftsbury skiers."
Sargent said she has been able to acclimate quickly to the program since she grew up near Craftsbury and skiied with the club as a child.
"It was the perfect fit for me when the Green Racing Project started last spring," she said. "I was already familiar with the coach and the training plan so it's awesome to have a full-time program now with other things besides just training and skiing."
The program includes four Dartmouth alumni last year's men's Nordic team captain Patrick O'Brien '10, Chelsea Little '09, Hannah Dreissigacker '09 and Susan Dunklee '08.
Sargent said that her fellow teammates' commitment to the sport inspire her and that it has been great to train alongside fellow Dartmouth skiiers. "It really shows the strength of the Dartmouth ski team," she said. " It produces a lot of skiers who are capable of and want to continue the sport after graduation."
In her first season as the team captain this past year, Sargent attained unprecedented success. After a sophomore campaign with only one carnival victory, Sargent ended her junior year with seven wins and finished first in at least one event at every carnival she participated in.
Sargent highlighted last season with a third-place finish in the classic sprint race at the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska, after which she traveled to Germany and finished fourth at the U-23 World Championships.
Looking to next year, Sargent said she hopes to build on the momentum from last season on both an individual and team level.
