Vienna Businesses Rally Around Local Olympic Hopeful

VIENNA, VA—6,916 miles. That's how far Vienna's own Veronica Day would travel if she made it to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

This weekend, Vienna businesses are rallying behind the local athlete to help her become part of the U.S. Olympic skeleton team. A number of shops are donating a portion of sales or offering sponsorships so Day can cover equipment, travel, and training expenses.

Vienna residents can support the athlete on Saturday, Sept. 16 during "Veronica Day" Day. She will be returning home to meet with locals at participating businesses throughout the day.

Those businesses sponsoring Day's effort are:

• Appletree II School: 712 Tapawingo Rd SW, Vienna, VA 22180
• Caboose Brewing Company: 520 Mill St NE, Vienna, VA 22180
• Caffe Amouri: 107 Church St NE, Vienna, VA 22180
• Chick-fil-A: 8461 Leesburg Pike B, Tysons, VA 22182
• Cycle Chi: 211 Mill St NE, Vienna, VA 22182
• Fisher Custom Homes: 131 Church St NE, Vienna, VA 22180
• Freeman House: 131 Church St NE, Vienna, VA 22180
• Grass Roots Fitness: 512 Maple Ave W, Vienna, VA 22180
• Hana Studio
• Just Like New: 145 Church St NW #200, Vienna, VA 22180
• Masterworks Window Fashions & Design: 5147 Pumphrey Drive Fairfax, Virginia 22032-2719
• Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio: 401 Maple Ave E, Vienna, VA 22180
• SourceCore Studio: 144 Church St NW #102, Vienna, VA 22180
• Stella & Dot: 1225-1299 N Chambliss St, Alexandria, VA 22312
• Urban Mattress: 229 Maple Ave E, Vienna, VA 22180
• Usborn Books & More: 507 Hillcrest DR SW Vienna, VA 22180
• Vienna Business Association: 243 Church Street, NW, Vienna , VA 22180

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Day, 2007 Madison High School, hadn't always been pursing skeleton racing. As a track and field star at Elon University, she has been named three-time Southern Conference Champion, nine-time All-Conference honoree, and Southern Conference Field Athlete of the Year as well as Elon’s Stein H. Basnight Most Outstanding Athlete Award recipient.

Day and her college roommate joked that they should join the bobsled team as they watched the 2010 Winter Olympics that Day. It ended up being close enough as she took up skeleton sled racing. "It’s like you’re flying. It’s smooth and fast and when you finish the first thing you want to do is go do it again," she says.

She's been training for six years and is ready to take the international stage. And the Vienna community will no doubt back her up along the way.

See more information about the fundraiser for Veronica Day here.

Image by Molly Choma