Dee Williams Fund: Grants for Freestyle Athletes

The Dee Williams Fund was established at the Vermont Community Foundation in 2021 by Dee's husband, Alex Gambal, with the support of families and friends. The Dee Williams Fund supports these athletic grants.

 

The mission of the Dee Williams Fund is to inspire and support young mogul skiers who demonstrate Diana Williams's talent, character, and commitment to the community and team.

 

Diana believed in positive coaching that helps young people learn to excel in their sport while also becoming successful students and caring members of their community. She cared for the whole person, not just the athlete. She wanted to ensure that her athletes who came from modest means had the chance to get the best coaching and could travel to national and international competitions -regardless of their financial situation. 

 

Freestyle student athletes currently enrolled at Stratton Mountain School can receive grants of up to $5,000. To be considered, applicants must demonstrate financial need and respond thoughtfully to the application questions.

 

Please email Freestyle Program Director Deb Newson for a copy of the application form.

 

 

At the age of 17, Diana Williams was named to the US Freestyle Ski Team, but on many occasions, her limited financial resources prevented her from traveling with the team to national and international World Cup competitions.

 

Upon retirement as an athlete from the US Ski Team, Diana went from competitor to coach. In 1988, at the young age of 25, she became director of the Killington Mountain School’s Freestyle program. In 1998, she became a US Olympic Team Coach and held the position until she retired from Olympic-level coaching in 2002.

 

Diana believed in coaching not only to help her athletes improve their skiing but also to learn how to be great people and contribute to their community. The legacy of the young athletes that Diana coached and developed is legendary in the Freestyle world. They were not only world-class competitors but, more importantly, young athletes who benefited from her rigor and athletic and intellectual honesty, which they have carried into adulthood.

 

After Diana passed away from cancer in 2020, her husband Alex decided he did not want to see other young athletes experience the financial limitations that Diana did, no matter their level of skill. With this in mind, he created the fund to continue Diana’s legacy of excellence and compassion.