Both today’s and tomorrow’s ski stars were present at Lugnet this weekend:
— Stjärnjakten means a lot to our organization. It creates an incredible sense of community, say Martina Westman and Agnes Brännström, youth leaders in Lycksele IF.
Stjärnjakten is the Swedish Ski Association’s youth initiative aimed at young skiers aged 9–12. Clubs sign up and collect points by completing different challenges presented by some of Sweden’s national team skiers. For example, one task might be organizing a training camp day (a challenge from William Poromaa) or creating a cheer chant (initiated by Jonna Sundling).
“Our main goal with Stjärnjakten is to create a fun activity for all 9–12-year-olds that strengthens the sense of community in the group, as the children share a common goal to work toward,” the federation writes on its website.
— We had a record number of clubs participating during the winter (41 clubs and 849 participating children). Among the clubs that manage to collect all the stars, we draw five finalists, says Anki Danielsson from the Swedish Ski Association.
During Saturday’s intense competition day, the finalist teams IFK Strömsund Skidor, Bondsjöhöjdens IK, Lycksele IF, Sundbybergs IK Skidor, and IF Hagen Skidklubb were at Lugnet to compete in an exciting and creative ski relay. The race included elements such as skiing through gates and skiing backwards.
This took place in front of a large crowd at Lugnet, as well as several of today’s world stars who were watching while warming up for the sprint prologue.
— It’s so exciting to experience this. For us it’s like a mini World Cup and an adventure. We drove eight hours by car on Friday, are staying at a school, get to compete here, and now we’ll watch the races before heading home again on Sunday evening, say Martina Westman and Agnes Brännström, youth leaders in Lycksele IF.
One skier in the large starting field received extra support from the Lycksele group.
— We cheer for everyone, but especially for Linn Svahn, who grew up in Lycksele, the Lycksele youngsters said.
What does it mean to come here and experience these days in Falun?
— A lot. It brings us together as a group and creates a great sense of unity. We’ve been doing Stjärnjakten throughout the winter season, and I think it—and the community it creates—has helped us both attract and keep many children and young people skiing with us. As many as 60 children and youths ski in the small town of Lycksele, say Martina Westman and Agnes Brännström before heading to the award ceremony, where national team star Truls Gisselman hands out trophies and medals.
Photo by Noa Arkebäck and Lukas Seiler, Falun 2027