Ledger soars to new heights
Lake Placid native Beckett Ledger reached the highest level of domestic competition this winter when he won the U.S. Cup overall championship in nordic combined.
Ledger, an 18-year-old NYSEF athlete, moved to Park City, Utah in the fall to pursue his dream of becoming one of the top American athletes in his sport. He spent two months in Europe training with the Junior National team and Slovenian team, along with fellow Lake Placid native Nina Lussi, a NYSEF alumna. After competing in Russia, he said he was able to “really see where you need to be for the next season by competing with the best in the world.”
Ledger has a demanding summer training schedule which he hopes will conclude at the Flaming Leaves Festival in Lake Placid. He took first place in the under-20 age group at last year’s Flaming Leaves competition.
“I really want a top five finish at nationals, which will hopefully take place in Lake Placid this fall,” Ledger said.
One of Ledger’s mentors in the sport is Ben Loomis, a nordic combined athlete out of Park City who competed in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
“Ben shows up-and-coming athletes that you can be a good American in the sport,” Ledger said. “He is also the top in his age in the world.”
Ledger’s long-term plans are “to make the next Olympics, the 2021 World Championships and to get a top 15 at Junior Worlds.”
When Ledger is not concentrating on nordic combined, he is mountain biking, having a burrito at Wyatt’s in Lake Placid or working for his dad where he is training to be a carpenter.