Norwich: One Tiny Vermont Town’s Secret to Happiness and Excellence
The extraordinary story of the small Vermont town that has likely produced more Olympians per capita than any other place in the country—and whose citizens provide a model for achieving excellence while leading a well-rounded life.
Norwich, a charming Vermont town of roughly three thousand residents, has sent an athlete to almost every Winter Olympics for the past thirty years—and three times that athlete has returned with a medal.
How does Norwich do it? To answer this question, New York Times reporter Karen Crouse moved to Vermont, immersing herself in the lives of Norwich Olympians past and present. There, amidst the organic farms and clapboard colonial buildings, she discovered a culture that’s the opposite of the hypercompetitive schoolyard of today’s tiger moms and eagle dads. In Norwich, kids aren’t cut from teams. They don’t specialize in a single sport, and they even root for their rivals. What’s more, their hands-off parents encourage them to simply enjoy themselves. Making it to the Olympics is seen not as the pinnacle of an athlete’s career but as a fun stop on the way to achieving other, longer-lasting dreams. Norwich, Crouse realized, wasn’t just raising better athletes than the rest of America; it was raising happier, healthier kids.
Full of inspiring stories of Olympians who excelled on and off the sports field—and had a blast doing so—Norwich is the book for every parent who wants to raise kids to be levelheaded, fulfilled, and successful.
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Beautifully written and touching! Compelling narrative of community life that propels young people to have fun and do their best. The town of Norwich is reminiscent of Santa Clara in the 1950âs and 60âs. Many Olympic athletes (predominantly swimmers) developed in the Santa Clara valley when it was still filled with orchards. That community was also small, nurturing and happy. There is a lot to be valued from this Norwichian way of life. Karen captures the essence of the community and it is good to be reminded of those…
Can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this book Can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I’m a lifelong fan of the Olympics–which has been a harder thing to be the last few years–and Crouse’s entertaining and insightful look at this one very special New England town reminded me why I love the Games. It also showed how, even in today’s world, sports can be a healthy part of a community. Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in sports or in how communities build and define themselves. A great antidote to the hype machine…
Lovely Book! I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in an afternoon! As a resident and parent, I feel this is a pretty accurate portrayal of life in Norwich. Crouse has identified the characteristics of this little town that make it a special place to live and part of the reason so many Olympians grew up here. Yes, Norwich is an affluent town. However, many other affluent towns have parents whom, with the best intentions, push children to be hyperfocused on success in sports rather than joyful…