Women’s sports had a pivotal year in 2024. Financially and culturally, a steady rise in popularity and reach has made women’s sports more valuable than ever.
Tribune photojournalist Stacey Wescott is spending 2025 highlighting Illinois women athletes.
Sandra Sproch was beaming as she hopped off the first-place spot on the podium after back-to-back wins in the open female division at the 120th Norge Annual Winter Ski Jump Tournament in Fox River Grove on Jan. 26.
Sproch, 17, hails from the tiny town of Trout Valley, population 515. She beat skiers from Norway and Slovenia to win this year’s 70-meter women’s ski jump competitions.
Sproch is the newest member of the U.S. National Ski Jumping women’s team and has been competing on jumps nearly twice as large across Europe and the United States over the last several months. Still, she fiercely embraces her Norge Ski Club beginnings.
“My hill has taught me everything. Not only do I love this hill, I love this club that supports me so much,” she said.
The Sproch family has deep roots at Norge. Sproch started jumping when she was 6, following her older siblings Sebastian and Sabina.
“Sandra is outgoing and a real spitfire,” said Scott Smith, president of the Norge club for the last 25 years. “She is very motivated in the sport and wants to go to the next level. She has a realistic goal of making the next Olympics and she’d be the first female jumper from Norge to make it.”
His prediction may not be far off. Sproch was recently named one of 10 athletes to the U.S. roster competing in the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, starting Feb. 27. It will be her World Championships debut.
“Sandra’s had an incredible season so far, balancing success and growth,” said Trevor Edlund, head coach of the U.S. national women’s team. “As one of the youngest on the team, she’s already made a big impact — placing 17th individually at Junior Worlds and helping the mixed team secure a second-place podium finish. Earning a spot on the World Championship team for Trondheim is a huge accomplishment and a reflection of her hard work.
“She brings great energy to the team, constantly learning from her teammates and embracing every opportunity to gain experience on the sport’s biggest stages.”
Despite the excitement and opportunities over the last year, Sproch admits the mental toll and getting to the next level can be intimidating. She said it can be stressful to be away from family and friends, trying to catch up on school work, completing missed exams and working to accomplish her goal of graduating at the end of her junior year from Cary-Grove High School.
Still, Sproch doesn’t waver in her love of ski jumping.
“When I am in my zone, it is an unimaginable feeling. I can feel my breaths and my heart beating super fast,” she said. “Being on the gate when you have a super important competition is breathtaking. You want to stay focused but you’re so nervous that you feel like you’re going to do something super crazy and then once you actually have this super far jump you feel this unreal feeling, you feel all this excitement because you just think, ‘oh my goodness, I just went so far.’
“It is the best feeling in the world. Especially the feeling of flying. I can’t even describe it, it is so much fun. I feel like a marshmallow in the air. I feel like I have my own wings and I can do anything I want.”
Sproch is excited for the next steps and says the best thing about her sport is, “The people and experiences. I, personally, have traveled the world because of ski jumping and I am beyond grateful. I don’t think I would have had any of the opportunities I would have had without ski jumping.”
Sproch is one of three Norge Ski Club athletes on the U.S. National Team, joined by Kevin Bickner and Casey Larson.
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