Billy Demong, a Vermontville native and Olympic medalist in Nordic combined, addresses a crowd at the Olympic Speedskating Oval in March 2022. (Enterprise photo — Lauren Yates)

It’s not everyday that a homegrown athlete is inducted into a national hall of fame. We couldn’t have been more proud to see Vermontville native Billy Demong recognized for his achievements this past weekend.

Demong, 43, became one of eight new members of the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony in Heber City, Utah on Saturday. He was chosen by a panel of more than 250 industry leaders among more than 70 nominees.

This honor further solidifies his place in history and highlights the impact he has had on not only Nordic sport — he famously won the first gold medal by a U.S. Nordic skier at the 2010 Olympics, as well as a a silver medal, four World Championship medals and 21 World Cup podiums throughout his career — but on the future generation of athletes. Demong served as the CEO of USA Nordic Sport, the national governing body for ski jumping and Nordic combined, from 2016 to 2022, through two Olympic Games and three World Championships. Now, he’s working part-time as a coach for Nordic teams in Park City, Utah and serves as vice chair on the North Country Sports Council Board of Directors. Though he now lives in Utah, Demong continues to inspire youth athletes all around the North Country and advocate for more resources that would allow more people to join the Olympic movement.

“My biggest thing is really, how do we make this more sustainable, more fun, for more kids, more clubs, more athletes in this country,” he told the Enterprise in 2022. “Right now, I think we’re 20 years overdue a bit of a reset in terms of what kind of resources are available.”

We couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of a place in the 2023 class of inductees to the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame than Billy Demong.