Track star Elle Perrier St. Pierre has made her home state of Vermont proud at this year’s Olympics, qualifying for a chance at a medal in the women’s 1500m final after clinching third place in the semis yesterday, Aug. 8.

At every race, her biggest supporter can be seen cheering her on from the sidelines – her husband, Jamie St. Pierre, who she works with at their dairy farm. Both are from the small agricultural town of Montgomery, Vermont, with a population of only 1,000 people, the St. Pierre’s have known each other all their lives.

Learn everything you need to know about the couple’s story below.

Who is Jamie St. Pierre?

Jamie St. Pierre grew up in Montgomery, Vermont, the same town as Elle Purrier.

While Elle Purrier St. Perrier graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in nutrition, Jamie St. Pierre studied animal science at Cornell University. He has traveled the world learning different dairy farming techniques, visiting places like Italy and China.

St. Pierre now works as a dairy farmer at his family’s farm, Pleasant Valley Farms, the largest family-owned dairy farm in the state. Elle St. Pierre, who grew up on a dairy farm herself, helps manage the place when she is not running.

Despite his busy schedule with dairy farming, Jamie St. Pierre always finds time to help his wife train.

“I will follow along with her on my bike through the trails near our home, that’s the only way I can keep up,” St. Pierre said to The Burlington Press back in 2021, prior to Elle St. Pierre competing in the Tokyo Olympics. “She is competitive as all hell and wants to win.”

After Elle won first in the 5000m and third in the 1500m at the Olympic trials in June, she said on Instagram that she could not have done it without her best friend Jamie.

“He’s always my biggest supporter,” St. Pierre wrote in her caption. “He believes in me more than anyone, even more than I believe in myself at times.”

Timeline of Jamie and Elle St. Pierre’s relationship

► 2002: Jamie St. Pierre and Elle Perrier met at 7 years old at a 4H cow exhibition at an agricultural fair.

► 2010: Jamie asked Elle to prom their freshman year at Richford Junior Senior High School. They have been together ever since.

► 2018: Both graduate from college.

► 2020: Jamie and Elle St. Pierre get married at Pleasant Valley Farms.

► 2023: The couple’s first son, Ivan, is born.

More Olympians from VT: Bronze for Maher! Vermont native, US women’s rugby sevens win historic medal in Paris

How to watch Elle St. Pierre at the Olympics

St. Pierre will go for gold in the women’s 1500m final Saturday, Aug. 10 at 2:25 p.m. EST. The race will be available to watch live on the NBC channel, or through streaming on Peacock and all NBC platforms.

For the first time in recent memory, the Vermont high school boys and girls basketball basketball semifinals held annually at Barre Auditorium will undergo significant changes.

The Vermont Principals’ Association and the Barre Tournament Committee have announced scheduling alterations to enhance the fan experience for the Division II, III and IV Final Four contests at Barre Aud.

Each division’s semifinal games will be played on the same night. Previously, D-II and D-IV were split up during the week before a Saturday championship tripleheader.

More: Fair Haven girls basketball unseats North Country with second-half comeback in D-II final

The changes take effect for the 2025 tournament.

“These changes are aimed at optimizing the tournament for players, coaches, and most importantly, the fans who make this event so special,” said Lauren Thomas, the VPA’s assistant executive director, in a statement.

The new semifinal schedule at Barre Auditorium

The new schedule for semifinals:

• Division IV: To be played Monday night at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45.
• Division II: To be played Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45.
• Division III: To be played Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45.
• Additional note: Championships will remain in the same order on Saturday: D-IV, D-II and D-III.

New protocol for spectators at Barre Auditorium

The VPA also announced a new protocol for fans who plan on attending semifinal games at Barre Aud. Upon conclusion of the first game, officials will ask spectators to vacate the gym before the start of the second semifinal.

“This strategic adjustment ensures that both games and their respective spectators have ample access to seating within the Barre Auditorium without disruption,” a VPA news release stated.

Last year, the VPA sold 10,178 online tickets for the 12 games played at Barre Aud (six semifinals, six title games), according to data the VPA provided to the Burlington Free Press.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

In the wake of last month’s catastrophic flooding, lawmakers signed off on a request from Gov. Phil Scott this week to move $14 million into new housing and business relief programs.

That cash will be split evenly between an effort to purchase and site new mobile homes for low-income Vermonters and a grant program for businesses, farms and non-profits who pledge to reopen their doors and bring back employees.

Scott requested and received approvals for the transfers Thursday from Vermont’s Emergency Board, a special panel on which he sits which also includes the Legislature’s four money committee chairs. The committee can meet when lawmakers are not otherwise in session to approve spending. For now, the $14 million will be diverted from a special fund held at the Treasurer’s office for the purposes of bond redemption, but Scott’s office said the fund would be replenished when lawmakers come back this winter and pass their regular appropriation bills.

At least 21 homes were completely destroyed by the floods this July, and another 100 were severely damaged and could become uninhabitable, according to preliminary state estimates.

“The loss of those homes is devastating for homeowners and renters, and the loss of those units only contributes to Vermont’s housing crisis, which has been building for decades,” Vermont Commerce and Community Development Secretary Lindsay Kurrle told the Emergency Board.

With legislative approval in hand, the state now plans to spend $7 million to site and purchase new, energy-efficient mobile homes.

Officials estimate sitework, acquisition and placement should cost about $130,000 per unit. Program participants will be required to purchase the homes, but officials say that available finance assistance could bring the cost of a mortgage as low as $55,000. Money from each home’s purchase will be reinvested into a fund, managed by the Vermont State Housing Authority, to continue acquiring and siting new homes.

The “Rapid Response Mobile Home Infill Program” could have 15 units ready within 12 weeks, according to state officials, and 100 new homes in place by next June. In total, Kurrle said the state hopes to create roughly 250 new units over the next few years.

Last year, the state created the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program to help businesses, landlords and nonprofits recover from 2023’s historic mid-summer flood. The Emergency Board also signed off Thursday on Scott’s request to top off an updated version of that program with another $7 million. Grants will be capped at $100,000, and businesses will be able to request reimbursement for up to 30% of their uncovered losses.

Officials will set aside 10% of the funds for BIPOC-owned businesses, and 40% for farms.

Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts said in an interview Thursday that 79 farms so far have reported a total of $4.3 million in damage from last month’s storms. Two-thirds of the affected farmers don’t have crop or livestock insurance, the secretary said.

These grants will be “helpful,” Tebbetts said, although he acknowledged they would not make farmers whole.

“It gives them a chance to live another day,” he said.

Also last year, the state moved $10 million initially earmarked for weatherization into a new program aimed at helping flood-impacted Vermonters replace damaged appliances with energy-efficient alternatives. Only a little over $2 million of that has been spent, Public Services Commissioner June Tierney told the Emergency Board, who gave her the authority to make this year’s flood survivors eligible for the program as well.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.