By Shannon Lukens. (Courtesy photos)
The 112th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival is this week. The royalty court has been announced by Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Longtime Steamboat Springs locals Rick and Heather DeVos are Grand Marshals. Rick was the Executive Director of SSWSC from 1999 through 2013.
This year’s Winter Carnival Queen is Merritt Flanigan who is a former Little Princess and has been skiing with SSWSC for 12 years. She is a senior at Steamboat Mountain School and on the FIS Alpine Team.
Junior Attendant Ella Wilson is a junior at Steamboat Springs High School. She started skiing with SSWSC 12 years ago and is now a U18 Nordic Combined athlete.
Junior Attendant Norah Graham is a junior at Steamboat Springs High School. She has been skiing with SSWSC for 14 years. She is on the Cross Country Ski Team.
Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Announces 112th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival Royalty
Rick and Heather DeVos to be honored as Grand Marshals
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club proudly announces the 112th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival Royalty. This year’s Grand Marshals are Heather and Rick DeVos, and the Winter Carnival Queen is Merritt Flanigan, and her junior attendants are Ella Wilson and Norah Graham. The little princesses are Annabelle Bryan, Charlotte Funk, Eleanor Iversen, Willow Katers, Rogue Kruse, Sagacity Mayer, Ensley O’Connor, and Christian Roberts.
The Grand Marshals Heather and Rick DeVos have been supporters of Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and incredible community members for many years. Heather came to Steamboat Springs in 1966, and Rick moved in 1979. Rick became Executive Director of Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club in 1999. During his tenure, he led the club to record growth and expanded club programs to include summer cycling. Under his guidance, the club grew from 450 to over 1,000 athletes. Rick retired from SSWSC in 2013, but much of his vision and passion live today with the many improvements he made while working at the club and with Howelsen Hill, including adding a ballfield, lighting on the face, snowmaking, and installing the Barrows Chair. They continue to be unwavering supporters of SSWSC and the Steamboat community.
The 112th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival Queen Merritt Flanigan has been skiing with SSWSC for 12 years; she started as a Little Toot when she was four and is now a senior at Steamboat Mountain School and a member of the FIS Alpine Team. “I love my team,” Flanigan shared. “Traveling around the country with some of my closest friends has been such a privilege. I feel so grateful to be part of this community.” When she isn’t racing or skiing, Merritt loves to freeski with her family, hang out with friends, swim in alpine lakes, concerts, and listen to Taylor Swift music. Flanigan was also a Winter Carnival princess when she was very young and has loved Winter Carnival ever since. She has skied down the face with flares and participated in the 100th Winter Carnival flash mob. Merritt finished reminiscing by saying, “I am honored to be part of the 112th Winter Carnival for a community that has given me so much. I am also pretty sure I had my career-best result at the Soda Pop Slalom.”
Ella Wilson is one of the 112th Winter Carnival’s junior attendants and is a junior at Steamboat Springs High School. She started skiing with the club 12 years ago and is now competing as a U18 Nordic Combined athlete. Wilson’s favorite thing about Nordic Combined is being able to do two sports in one and said, “Ski Jumping is almost completely mental and has to do with aerodynamics and flying, while Nordic skiing is all about strength, power, and speed.” Wilson said when asked about her favorite Winter Carnival, “ I love getting dressed up in LED lights to go off the ski jumps in the dark. Up on the jump, we could see all of the events going on, from the mogul skiers to the kids with flares, all the way to the crowds’ reactions to certain tricks… it really gave us a whole new perspective on the event. Not to mention sitting in the freezing cold with my closest friends, watching the biggest fireworks in the world go off. Now, that was cool!” When she isn’t skiing Wilson loves playing soccer and hanging out with friends.
Norah Graham is also one of the 112th Winter Carnival’s junior attendants and is a junior at Steamboat Springs High School. Graham is on the cross country ski team and has been skiing with SSWSC for 14 years. She says one of the many things she loves about her sport is the community. “The sportsmanship and relationships I have between my teammates is like no other. I have created so many bonds that I would not have had without my team. These bonds will last a lifetime.” She also loves hanging out with friends, studying for school, and spending time with her family. In summer, she goes camping with friends and family, rafting, mountain biking, and backpacking. Graham is also part of the SSHS Cross Country running team. One of her favorite Winter Carnival traditions is the 100-meter sprint on Saturday morning before Street Events. Nothing beats a chill morning, some friendly competition, and early-morning donuts!
The 112th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival, will take place February 5-9, 2025. This year’s theme is Let Your Light Shine! Some events with the Tread of Pioneers Museum are Tuesday, February 4. For more information and a full schedule of events for the 112th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival visit www.wintercarnivalsteamboat.com.
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ABOUT SSWSC
SSWSC provides sports and youth development programming for over 1,300 athletes in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, creating champions on and off the mountain. SSWSC’s goal is to be the best in the country at developing the complete athlete—coaching every individual to achieve the highest level of human potential and athletic performance—resulting in healthy, contributing members of our community and skilled, passionate athletes. SSWSC alumni have become Olympians, NCAA champions, collegiate scholars, CEOs, and leaders. Our programs include alpine, cross country, freestyle, freeskiing, nordic combined, jumping, snowboarding, backcountry education, strength and conditioning, cycling, and skateboarding. SSWSC is one of North America’s oldest and most successful winter sports clubs, serving tens of thousands of athletes for over a century, including 100 Olympians with 179 Olympic appearances and 19 Olympic medals. SSWSC has been honored with U.S. Ski & Snowboard Club of the Year five times, more than any other club in North America. For more information visit, www.sswsc.org.