Athlete of the Week: December 23
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We're back with Athlete of the Week! SVSEF provides ski and snowboard programming to nearly 700 athletes in the Wood River Valley. Athlete of the Week is an opportunity to highlight individuals who embody the values championed by this organization; sportsmanship, citizenship, character, teamwork, creativity, passion and perseverance.
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Cash Mintz proved to be a great teammate last weekend, when a fellow athlete was injured and the coach was farther down the run. Cash waited with his teammate until the Ski Patrol arrived. He often skis in the back of the group to be able to help his teammates, and is always looking out for their safety and well-being.
- Brian Caulkins, Baldy Devo Head Coach
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Peter is a 5th grader at the Community School. He is a very mindful athlete making good food choices, and always has a positive attitude. Peter is a second-year Mini Xtreme skier and is skiing very well this year. I think it is really great that he knows when to be cautious and when to send it. He represents Mini X well because he loves skiing off-piste and doing jumps. One particularly great thing about Peter as a teammate is that he is always looking out for his friends, which makes him a great role model for the team.
- Ben Schumacher, MiniX Head Coach
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Henry Dolson is our athlete of the week. Henry has impressed with his attitude and work ethic. Although he is new to the team this season, he has really acclimated quickly and leads by example. His willingness to push himself and enjoy the process is admirable.
- Gui Mattheis-Brown, Freeski Progression Head Coach
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Athlete of the Week: December 16
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We're back with Athlete of the Week! SVSEF provides ski and snowboard programming to nearly 700 athletes in the Wood River Valley. Athlete of the Week is an opportunity to highlight individuals who embody the values championed by this organization; sportsmanship, citizenship, character, teamwork, creativity, passion and perseverance.
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Peyton Sundberg competes on SVSEF’s Alpine FIS Team. When I think of Peyton, the word that comes to mind is consistency. Peyton steadily works at her craft day in and day out. Peyton does a phenomenal job with her conditioning, and that was noticeable immediately when we hit the snow in November! On snow, she diligently woks on her form and tactics. Peyton takes a lot of runs, and is determined to improve. She represents what we love to see from Alpine FIS athletes. Peyton is passionate about the sport, she is committed to improving her craft, and she has excellent character.
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Austin has been a part of our SVSEF family over the past few years. He is consistently one of the most thoughtful and kind athletes out there. His dedication is unwavering; at the beginning of the dryland season, Austin came up with the goal of learning a backflip on the trampoline. He has spent countless hours working on it,and recently achieved his goal. Austin is a joy to have on the team, and sets a good example both in his training and in his everyday approach to life.
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New to cross country skiing, this enthusiastic and infectiously happy girl decided to make her first try at skating at the Winterstart race last weekend. What an accomplishment! She is a kind teammate, up for a challenge and willing to try every day she comes to practice, on dry land or on snow. It is an honor to be around her bright and shining smile. There is no telling where Vivian might go when she sets her mind to it.
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Athlete of the Week: December 14
"Athlete of the Week" is an opportunity to highlight our athletes for demonstrating the core values of the organization.
Sportsmanship • Citizenship • Character • Teamwork • Creativity • Passion • Perseverance
ALPINE: LOLA STREET
Lola Street, 14, is this week’s alpine athlete of the week. Lola has done an amazing job this fall and early winter on all fronts. She has managed to crush her dryland training and factor in as a leading member of her volleyball squad. Now that winter is upon us, she is taking that drive and persistence to the training slopes. Lola’s coach Chuck Harris commented, “Lola has done a wonderful job in our prep season and is now bringing that joy, drive, and fire to the training hill. She is great athlete and a wonderful teammate on the USSA squad.” Lola exemplifies the SVSEF core values and we are super stoked to have the opportunity to give her this shout out. Well deserved.
CROSS COUNTRY: SYDNEY PALMER-LEGER
CROSS COUNTRY: SYDNEY PALMER-LEGERSydney Palmer-Leger, 15, relocated to Sun Valley this year with her family. Her brother, Drew, is also part of the cross country program as a post grad athlete. As soon as she joined the team, her values and personality were apparent – Program Director Rick Kapala noted that she “immediately elevated the group, and has constantly engaged her teammates at practices in a positive way.” With an incredible work ethic, a great head for racing and an attitude geared towards taking advantage of every opportunity given to her to improve, Sydney is an example of how hard work pays off. Results at early season races indicate that she’s made a jump from being one of the best U16s country to, quite possibly, the best – she is able to compete at the highest level with the best juniors out there. “We knew she was a really good cross country racer, but what we’ve figured out is that she is a really good teammate and really engaging – we couldn’t be happier,” said Kapala.
MOGULS: RAINEY WILSON
Rainey Wilson, 16, is the athlete of the week for moguls. Rainey, a member of the Travel Team, has been been showing up to training everyday to prepare for U.S. Freestyle Selections. Coach Kurtis Fieguth commended Rainey. “She is always a great role model for the younger athletes in the program. She does this by staying positive, working hard, and having fun.” Rainey is the only female athlete from the Travel Team to qualify this year for U.S. Selections, which are being held in Winter Park Colorado.
PARK & PIPE: CHARLEY BINGHAM
Charley Bingham, 16, is the park & pipe athlete of the week. Charley is always happy to be on his skis – Program Director Tyler Conway testified to this, saying, “Charley is one of the most stoked athletes I have every skied with.” He is out there every day, is eager to learn and progress in his slopestyle skiing, and is constantly pushing teammates and himself on and off the hill, throwing high fives all around.” The SVSEF park and pipe team is thrilled that Charley is part of the squad.
Athlete of the Month, November – Maddie Ferris
For the athlete who has grown up on snow, who knows what a good turn feels like and who has cultivated a love for the sport, dryland training can drag on for a bit; especially when we’re still patiently waiting for more of the natural stuff to fall into place while December quietly creeps in. Dedication is indeed a virtue in these circumstances for the SVSEF athlete; with this in mind, our inaugural SVSEF athlete of the month for the 2016-2017 season is Maddie Ferris, for embodying this and embracing the rigors of dryland training in the lead up to what is sure to be a season with plenty of snow, soon enough.
Maddie is an alpine skier on the SVSEF Alpine USSA Team, and is a tenth grader at the Community School. After a number of successes last season, she has been working hard to make gains both in the weight room and with on-snow technique. Maddie has been putting in the time, and the benefits of doing so are showing through. Aside from the sessions here at home, she has attended three training camps, in Mammoth, Colorado, and New Zealand. Said Will Brandenburg, Head USSA Coach, “Maddie has had a great offseason. She worked hard to make some major improvements on snow, and off the snow she dedicated herself to the gym, making huge changes in her strength. She has pushed herself to new limits and it has been super fun to see the hard work!”
We’re looking forward to seeing how Maddie’s commitment and resolve translate onto snow this season.
Yuri McClure grabs giant slalom silver at Sugar Bowl, is SVSEF Athlete of the Week
Yuri, in top form.
Congratulations to this week’s SVSEF athlete of the week Yuri McClure. Yuri is a graduating senior at Wood River High School. Last week Yuri scored his best FIS giant slalom result of his career at Sugar Bowl, California, as the top junior and second overall to 23 year old Canadian Robert Overing. Yuri’s 33pt FIS giant slalom result lands him in the top five giant slalom skiers for his year of birth in the country. Yuri has been making minor modifications to his technique in the ramp up to the Sugar Bowl event under the tutelege of coach Nate Schwing and his stellar FIS staff. “We started to play around with subtle movements with Yuri’s turn initiation and things started to click,” said Schwing. “It was really exciting to see Yuri start to align all the pieces, he is a phenomenal skier and it came together for him.”
Hunter Diehl, SVSEF Athlete of the Week, clinches spots at JNs and U.S. Freestyle Championships
On the verge of qualifying for post-season events, Hunter Diehl stepped it up to get the nod to both Junior Nationals and the U.S. Freestyle Championships, making him this week’s SVSEF Athlete of the Week.
Hunter get some air
Hunter is a U15 who has been skiing with SVSEF for many years. For the athlete, this season has proven to be one of pushing limits and delivering when it counted. With a last-chance qualifying event in February at Northstar, California, Hunter earned a spot at Junior Nationals here in Sun Valley, and at the U.S. Freestyle Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. At Junior Nationals, he finished 39th overall in a field of 76 in the men’s mogul event. In his U15 age class, Hunter bagged third. Perhaps more impressive was his finish at the U.S. Freestyle Championships; in a strong field and against athletes ten years his senior, Hunter again brought the heat and clinched 39th overall in the men’s mogul and first in the U15 class. Given that it was his first time at the event, this was an outstanding result.
Hunter finishes third in the U15 men's moguls at Junior Nationals
"It all begins and ends in your mind. What you give power to has power over you." Hunter’s success is exemplary of this idea from Leon Brown; his confidence, positive mindset and commitment kept him focused on succeeding when the stakes were high.
With his recent achievements, Hunter earned a spot at the U.S. Freestyle Team Young Guns camp, a development camp for aerial and mogul athletes that will take place this summer. Only the top three competitors in an age class qualify from Junior Nationals.