New Head Coaches at the Helm of SVSEF Freestyle and Freeskiing Teams
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation is very pleased to announce to the addition of two experienced coaches to our freestyle and freeskiing coaching staff.
John Grigsby has been named the head coach of the SVSEF Freestyle Team and Tyler Conway will be the head coach of the SVSEF Freeskiing Team.
Most recently, the 35-year-old Grigsby served as Director of Freestyle Development at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail for six years where he was in charge of a staff of seven coaches and 57 athletes. Grigsby has guided eight athletes to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team and has nearly 20 years of coaching experience at Carrabassett Valley Academy, S/CVA and Gould Academy, all in Maine. His certifications include USSA Level I Moguls, USSA Level II Inverted Aerials and USSA Level III Coach and Chief of Course.
John Grigsby, originally from Portland, Maine, is an avid fly fisherman and guide.
“I’ve had a chance to help coach Hunter Bailey (2016 Junior World Champion/U.S. Ski Team), Heidi Kloser (2014 U.S. Olympian, Sochi) Tess Johnson (youngest ever athlete to make the U.S. Ski C Team at age 15) and Matt Leseur (Bermudian National Team at 2016 Junior Worlds at age 14). Also in the past I have coached U.S. Team members Alison DiGravio, Nessa Dziemain and Troy Tully,” Grigsby noted.
“I’m excited to be given the opportunity to work with the athletes and staff at SVSEF and look forward to taking the freestyle program to the next level.”
A 2006 graduate of Maine College of Fine Arts, Grigsby holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design and is a licensed fly fishing guide in the state of Colorado. He also enjoys archery and whitewater kayaking.
Tyler Conway also hails from New England and is looking forward to moving to Sun Valley and his new role at SVSEF.
“I am very excited to get there and start working with the athletes. I really like designing slopestyle and halfpipe runs for individual athletes so they will have successful competition days. I also like to see them progress on different levels, including school. I like having a positive influence on the kids,” Conway said.
The 36-year-old Conway grew up on a dairy farm in western New York, where he participated in many sports and was a standout high-school wrestler. His uncle introduced him to skiing and he started out as a ski instructor in Vermont and “competed in every local event I could get into at the time.”
His passion for the sport led him to freeskiing in part because he “saw where the sport was going” and he progressed from a terrain park attendant to designing and implementing lessons for slopestyle, halfpipe and big mountain skiers to coaching at Tahoe Freeride, Woodward at Copper Mountain, Colorado, and for the last seven years as the assistant program manager and head coach at Team Breck Sports Club in Colorado. His athletes, including current U.S. Team member Emilia Wint, have competed at the X-Games, U.S. Grand Prix, USASA Nationals, Dew Tour and Revolution Tour.
Conway’s certifications include Level 100 and 200 Freestyle licenses, and Level IV Woodward Trampoline Progression.
SVSEF Freestyle/Freeskiing Program Director Andy Ware remarked, “Both John and Tyler have a great history of helping athletes achieve their goals and earning the right to compete at the highest levels. We are excited to have both John and Tyler join our freestyle and freeskiing programs.”
Conway will come on board June 1 and Grigsby on June 20 – when summer training sessions begin at the SVSEF Air Barn at Community School. As well, both will be involved in hiring additional coaches for SVSEF.
“Now that John and Tyler are in place we will be able to collaborate and build the rest of the coaching staff based on their input and knowledge. We will keep everyone abreast of any developments,” Ware added.
Improvements at the Air Barn include a new air bag bringing the total to two air bags and working on a padded floor system surrounding the trampolines. Eliminating the foam pit and used mattresses will aid in creating a safer and cleaner training environment, according to Ware.
