Week in Review: December 18

[et_pb_section bb_built="1" _builder_version="3.0.47"][et_pb_row custom_padding="27px|0px|0|0px|false|false" _builder_version="3.3.1"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_image src="https://svsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/jacksmith_gs_snowking_crop.jpg" _builder_version="3.3.1" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.3.1"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.3.1" custom_margin="-23px|||"] Jack Smith, first in the men's giant slalom
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ALPINE
FIS Open Tech series at Snow King
FIS athletes traveled to Jackson Hole for an Open Tech series at Snow King; over the course of four days, skiers competed in two slalom and two giant slalom races. SVSEF athletes walked away from the event with multiple podiums and winning runs; a good sign of things to come this season. Notably, Jack Smith claimed victory in both of the men’s giant slalom races (December 17 and 18). Lily Fitzgerald also skied onto the podium in the women’s giant slalom on December 17, finishing third behind Isabel Grondin and Zazie Huml. Bridger Harrison and Bennett Synder each had winning runs, in the giant slalom and slalom, respectively. Sage Curtis, a first year who made the flip this year from the USSA team, had a significant result in the first giant slalom, finishing 23rd overall. Alison Rathfon broke the top 10 twice (seventh in December 15th slalom, eighth in December 17th giant slalom). In an extraordinary instance of familial coordination, brothers Bennett and Will (alum) Snyder tied for seventh in the men’s opening slalom on December 15. Will also scored a top result in the slalom on December 16, taking bronze. "It was a good weekend; our skiers approached their races with good attitudes, despite tough conditions," said SVSEF Alpine Program Director Will Brandenburg. "There was better skiing out there than results, and we had really good results – it shaped up to be a nice series."
FULL RESULTS
 
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SNOWBOARD
Alum Chase Josey found the podium a second weekend in a row, this time in the Dew Tour modified superpipe at Breckenridge on Saturday, December 15. In the new Dew Tour event, which included slopestyle jumps at the beginning and end of the run, Josey finished second in the event, behind Australian Scotty James (who also won last week’s Grand Prix event at Copper). The alum scored 88.33 on his second run, securing his silver medal at the event.
 
TEAM USA WRITE-UP
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.3.1"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_image src="https://svsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/winterstart_prep-and-rick_sm.jpg" _builder_version="3.3.1" /][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.3.1" custom_margin="-23px|||"] Rick Kapala with Prep Team skiers, photo by Tory Canfield
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CROSS COUNTRY
SVSEF, along with Galena Lodge and BCRD, hosted its annual Winterstart race at Galena to kick off the local competition season. The event drew 80 participants, most of whom were SVSEF athletes. Leading the charge in the four-lap (roughly 8km) category was Gold Team skier Peter Holmes, who finished in 19:07. Behind him were Adam Witkowski (20:05) and Scott Schultz (20:31) to round out the podium. The three-lap category was dominated by SVSEF skiers, as well; Bjorn Halvorsen won with a time of 16:03, followed by Anja Grover in 17:49 and Sammy Smith one second behind Anja in third. In the group that completed two laps, Prep Team skier Holden Archie topped the field, finishing in 12:33. Berkeley Canfield was second in 12:43, and Teddy Hobbs third in 14:10. Sven Halvorsen, McCallen Campbell and Zach Quesnel went one-two-three on the single lap, and Levi Reuner, Duncan Freyberger and Anne O’Sullivan did the same in the mini loop category. SVSEF athletes head to Bozeman this weekend for their first JNQ of the season. Gold, PG and Comp athletes are also gearing up for U.S. Nationals, which will be held at Craftsbury, Vermont, in early January. Kevin Bolger, who narrowly missed qualifying for heats in the final sprint race of Period 1 on the World Cup circuit in Davos, Switzerland, has a break from racing before Period 2 picks up in Toblach, Italy.
FULL RESULTS - WINTERSTART
 
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Staff Spotlight: Lindsay Mann, Alpine USSA Coach and Mountain Awareness Program Coordinator

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Lindsay Mann joined SVSEF in the fall of 2018; she came in with fresh perspective, incessant energy, understated professionalism, and a quirky, dry sense of humor. SVSEF is already reaping the benefits of having her on board – with a wealth of experience in both elite-level alpine ski racing and backcountry guiding, Lindsay is a welcome source of knowledge and motivation. This is not limited to the alpine USSA team and the big mountain program; diving in head-first, she has developed a Mountain Awareness Program (MAP) for SVSEF, which provides professional avalanche awareness and mountain awareness training to SVSEF athletes of all ages. Teaming up with the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, Sawtooth Mountain Guides, Sun Valley Guides, and BRASS, Lindsay has already orchestrated multiple informational sessions for athletes, coaches and parents alike. Lindsay's work with SVSEF has caught the attention of industry professionals – read the recent skiracing.com article that details her work that has resonated with the BRASS Foundation HERE.

In addition to her initiative as the Mountain Awareness Program Coordinator, Lindsay is on the hill with SVSEF athletes as an assistant coach for the alpine USSA team. We caught up with Lindsay to learn more about her and the experiences that have informed her current role – read all it below.
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You've mentioned that you were both a dancer and a skier when you were younger – why did you choose to pursue skiing?

Growing up I did ballet, gymnastics, ski racing and soccer. When I was 13 I was in the Boston Ballet's Youth Programs and ski racing for WVBBTS (Waterville Valley Black and Blue Trail Smashers). Due to my ski racing commitments, I never auditioned for the Nutcracker and this did not please my ballet teachers. At this point, I decided to pursue an activity in the mountains rather than an indoor sport. Since moving to Sun Valley, I have found a great dance community here and attend dance class regularly in Hailey at Idayoga. For dryland this fall the dance instructor, Sean, came and taught a hip hop class to our U16 athletes.

Where did you grow up skiing? How did you end up at Dartmouth?
I grew up skiing at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire and then attended Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS) for my junior and senior year of high school. In the East we often raced again college teams at FIS races, and all of the eastern collegiate ski teams always seemed to support each other. From being around this, I knew that I wanted to ski race in college and I thought that Dartmouth seemed like a good fit for me. Fortunately, I was lucky to get in and ski race for them for four years.

What is the biggest thing you took away/learned from skiing at Dartmouth?

Although ski racing is an individual sport, I really enjoyed the team atmosphere of college ski racing. To be successful as a college team we needed to have a strong nordic team and alpine team. Being in an environment where the team did well the harder I worked and trained motivated me to work hard and ski fast while I was there.

 
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Best memory from your time there?

In 2007, my senior year, the Dartmouth Ski team won NCAAS! It was the first time at Dartmouth that the women's ski team had been apart of a National Championship, and it was the highlight of my time there. One of the things that made the team so special this year was on the women's side we didn't have any stand out skier. In years past there was always one girl on the team that we expected would win races or do really well. I remember at one of our early season FIS races, my teammate Michelanne won an Eastern Cup GS race. The majority of the Eastern Collegiate Teams were at this race and I remember that although we were really excited for Michelanne, we all knew that we could all ski as fast as her. It was like a light clicked on for all of us and we knew that we could be a very strong team and compete. We carried that momentum with us throughout the whole season and into NCAAs.

How/when did you become interested in guiding and backcountry?

When I was 13, my ski team went up and skied Tuckerman's Ravine on Mt. Washington in the spring. My dad came with our group, too, and I really enjoyed being in the mountains and experiencing a different side of skiing. This was the first time it was on my radar and I knew that when I graduated college I wanted to move out West and get more into backcountry skiing. As a college graduation present my parents bought me a beacon, shovel and probe and paid for my Avalanche 1 Course. From there I had a good friend from college who worked for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc, and he helped me to get my first job guiding.

 
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How did high-level alpine racing inform/support your growth in guiding/backcountry?

Because I grew up a ski racer, I was really comfortable in the mountains and comfortable in difficult weather conditions. I was also used to spending time in a dynamic environment. As a ski racer there are many times that the plan changes, and you learn to be adaptable. This ability to adapt the plan has been a tremendous asset to me as a guide.

Best trip you've been on?

This is a hard question..the past few years I have gotten into doing sail and ski trips. This was also initiated by my father who is both an avid skier and sailer, and thought it would be interesting to combine the two. One of my favorite places that we have gone to is Iceland. Where we ski in Iceland is only accessible by boat, and I've done four trips there now – it is pretty cool to be skiing in an area where we know that we are the only ones out there. In the past two years, Keely Kelleher and I have started running all girls backcountry ski trips in Iceland.

What do you like about guiding?
I enjoy taking people into the mountains showing them that with some effort you can get to some pretty amazing places. I also enjoy the teaching aspect of guiding.

 
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What are your goals at SVSEF this season?
To continue to create lifelong skiers and help each athlete reach their athletic potential. To show these athletes that the skills learned in ski racing translate into valuable life skills.

On the Avalanche Awareness side, my goal is to continue to educate staff, athletes and coaches about how we can teach the athletes good habits, to initiate conversations that we can be having with athletes as parents and coaches and develop understanding of tools that we can give our athletes, whether they are freeskiing in bounds or venturing out of bounds.

What do you like about the program and organization so far?

Everyone has been very welcoming in this community, which has made the transition pretty easy. Scotty and Will have also given me the opportunity to develop our Mountain Awareness Program and I really appreciate that. I think that there is a lot that we can do with these programs, and I am happy that I can be a part of making them happen and learning about the avalanche community here.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I really enjoying exploring in the mountains and dancing.

What advice do you have for your athletes?

Enjoy being in the mountains and being a part of SVSEF. Whether you are the fastest on your team or continuing to develop, SVSEF and being involved in these programs provide athletes with so many lifelong skills and long lasting friendships. This is truly a unique sport that we are a part of and I hope they take the time to enjoy it.
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Week in Review: December 11

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Photo: Woodward Copper
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SNOWBOARD
SVSEF alum Chase Josey, a member of the U.S. National Snowboard Team, hit the ground running for the 2018-2019 competition season at Copper for the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. In qualifying heats on Thursday, Josey posted a top result in second behind Ikko Anai of Japan. In the finals on Saturday, Josey earned his best result in his third and final run, putting him in third overall with a score of 90.50. Josey finished behind Australian Scotty James and American Toby Miller.
FULL RESULTS
 
 
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CROSS COUNTRY
SVSEF Gold and PG athletes competed on the second stop of the SuperTour, a North American FIS-sanctioned race series. This past weekend, the group raced at Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre within SilverStar Provincial Park in British Columbia. Saturday featured a freestyle sprint, and Sunday was a 10/15km classic race.
Peter Holmes led SVSEF in both the sprint and the men's 15km classic race, qualifying for the B final and finishing seventh overall on Saturday, and 10th overall on Sunday in the distance race. For women, Gold Team skier Maddie Morgan was 14th overall in the sprint, while teammate Katie Feldman was 22nd in a field of 46. PG skier Heidi Booher charged to 11th in the women's junior sprint. 
In the distance race on Sunday, Adam Luban followed Holmes' 10th place finish in 22nd out of 104 competitors, while Cate Brahms had a solid effort, finishing 15th overall in the women's 10km field of 88.
Athletes on the SuperTour have a brief reprieve before competing at Craftsbury, Vermont, for Nationals at the start of January.
FULL RESULTS
 
WORLD CUP
Gold Team skier Kevin Bolger continued his efforts on the World Cup circuit in Beitostolen, Norway. Bolger was selected to compete in the men's 4x7.5km mixed relay on Sunday, December 9; he skied the second classic leg for the United States. The men's relay team, which consisted of Bolger, Erik Bjornsen, Scott Patterson and Simi Hamilton, finished 12th overall. The World Cup racing continues this weekend in Davos, Switzerland.
RELAY RESULTS
 
 
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Athlete of the Week: December 6

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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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Zach Quesnel, 11, Cross Country Prep


[/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author="Kelley Sinnott" portrait_url="https://svsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ks4.jpg" _builder_version="3.3.1" job_title="Cross Country Assistant Program Director and Prep Team Head Coach"]
Zach Quesnel is the epitome of team spirit!  His energy and enthusiasm for cross country skiing and the SVSEF team is never-ending and contagious; from below freezing temps to intervals to games, Zach tackles all the parts of skiing with the same zest for adventure and fun. Zach has demonstrated his constant positivity on a daily basis in training, but also recently at the team training camp in West Yellowstone.  Zach’s energy was visibly rubbing off on his teammates and the older kids at that camp, with his never-ceasing smile and excitement for each day on snow; he quickly was named by the older kids their own 'personal mascot.' This is Zach’s first year on Prep Team, and we can only hope that this young man’s love of skiing and SVSEF will be as strong tomorrow as it is today!
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Merumo Ishimaru, 16, Alpine FIS


[/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author="Josie Brownell" portrait_url="https://svsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/j_brownell_staff.jpg" _builder_version="3.3.1" job_title="Alpine Program Coordinator & North Series Coach"]
This is Merumo’s first year on the FIS team, and the coaches have already seen tremendous growth this season. Mer is working hard on snow and in the gym and consistently brings great energy to every session. Last weekend, while freeskiing, Mer saw a man fall and asked her coach if she could stop to help him. The man was blown away by her level of respect for other skiers, and retold the story to other SVSEF coaches he saw throughout the day. Mer is starting the season off right and we are so pumped to have her on the team!
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Caleo Morrison, 10, Mini Xtreme & Cross Country Devo North


[/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author="Ben Schumacher" portrait_url="https://svsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/bens.jpg" _builder_version="3.3.1" job_title="Mini Xtreme Head Coach"]
Caleo Morrison is our pick because of his positive attitude during the last dryland training. We took a small hike up above the barn and stopped for a little meeting. Caleo and his pal Silas wanted to go higher and he ran to a high point above the barn. I told this story to his dad Brian, and he said Caleo always has run like a deer.
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Mikey Nannini, 16, Big Mountain


[/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author="Conor Davis" portrait_url="https://svsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/staff_cdavis.jpg" _builder_version="3.3.1" job_title="Big Mountain Head Coach"]
The Big Mountain Team would like to highlight Mikey Nannini as our Athlete of the Week. Mikey is our team cowboy with a strong handshake which also displays his genuine character. He is commuting from Kimberly to be a part of this team and has been such an asset to the team dynamic; he is always positive and enthusiastic. Mikey is a strong athlete – he also competes in team roping, and won the Filer Rodeo this fall. I can see that he is determined to continually improve his skiing abilities, and he has shown that he is willing to work hard to achieve his goals! 
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Mikey Nannini from svsef on Vimeo.
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Week in Review: 12/4/18

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We're back with the Week in Review; a look at what SVSEF athletes have been up to in their competitions and travels.

 

ALPINE

SVSEF FIS athletes competed at Copper in giant slalom and super G events. In the November 26 giant slalom, Bridger Harrison finished 33rd overall, and Jack Smith did not finish. In the following day’s giant slalom, the roles were reversed; Jack skied to 28th, while Harrison did not finish. Competition switched gears to super G on November 28, with two competitions (one to replace a race intended to be held November 29). Jack Smith, Bridger Harrison and Bennett Snyder all stepped it up with solid runs and a tight grouping in both races. In the morning, Jack was 15th, Bridger 16th and Bennett Snyder 18th. In the second race of the day, Bennett finished 13th, Bridger 16th and Jack 17th; this was a significant result for the team, as it was SVSEF’s first ever U18 podium sweep at a FIS sanctioned competition.

 

 
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Cate Brams (l), Johnny Hagenbuch (r), photos by Ian Harvey
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CROSS COUNTRY

SVSEF Comp, PG and Gold Team athletes spent two weekends racing on the Rendezvous trails in West Yellowstone, Montana. On November 24, athletes competed in a 5/10k freestyle FIS race. Comp team skier Johnny Hagenbuch took an impressive second place in a field of top collegiate and professional athletes, and Gold Team skier Adam Luban took fourth. In the women’s field, Comp team athlete Sydney Palmer-Leger was seventh and Gold Team skier Katie Feldman was tenth. Athletes returned to West Yellowstone for the SuperTour season opener on December 1-2.

The first race of the SuperTour opening weekend was a 1.5k freestyle sprint. First-year Gold Team athlete and former Middlebury skier Adam Luban led the charge, skiing into the men’s final heat and finishing fourth overall behind Andy Newell, Ben Lustgarten and Ricardo Izquierdo-Bernier. Teammate Peter Holmes qualified for semifinals, finishing tenth overall in the men’s field. Top racers in the women’s field for SVSEF were Katie Feldman in 16th, Maddie Morgan in 19th, and Ella Jackson (Aus) in 20th. In the junior men’s field, Adam Witkowski had a solid effort, making it to finals and skiing to sixth overall. Haydn Halvorsen was first across the line in the B final. Jake Jampel was also in the B final, and landed 12th overall. Starting her season off strong was Sophia Mazzoni, who won the Junior Women’s sprint in a time of 3:23.35. Teammate Anja Jensen joined her in the final and on the podium in third. SVSEF had four athletes in the B final; Sydney Palmer-Leger won the B final and finished seventh, Logan Smith finished eighth, Jenna Nurge ninth and Heidi Booher tenth.

Sunday’s race was a 10/15k freestyle. Johnny Hagenbuch mirrored his success from the previous week with a fifth place overall finish in the men’s 15k, and was the first U18 finisher. Peter Holmes tied for eighth, Adam Luban was 13th, and alum Eli Jensen (now skiing for the University of Montana) rounded out the top 20, tied for 20th. Sydney Palmer-Leger led the SVSEF women, skiing to fifth in the women’s 10k. Katie Feldman also broke the top ten in eighth.

In the U18/20 division, Johnny Hagenbuch was first and Scott Schulz fourth. Sydney Palmer-Leger was first for U18/20 women, followed by Anja Jensen in third, Sophia Mazzoni fifth, Lily Brunelle sixth, and Heidi Booher and Jenna Nurge tenth and 11th.

FIS WOMEN'S 5K FREESTYLE RESULTS

FIS MEN'S 10K FREESTYLE RESULTS

SUPERTOUR RESULTS

 


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Adam Luban (r) in fourth in the men's SuperTour sprint

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WORLD CUP

Gold Team athlete Kevin Bolger is representing the U.S. on the World Cup circuit for the 2018-2019 season. Opening races were held in Kuusamo, Finland; Kevin finished 55th in the 1.4k classic sprint (second U.S. skier behind teammate Erik Bjornsen) and 63rd in the 15k classic. The team moved onto Lillehammer, Norway, where the weekend again began with a sprint, this time freestyle. Kevin was again the second fastest American (after veteran Simi Hamilton), skiing to 61st. In the 15k freestyle race, Kevin was 68th, and in Sunday’s 15k classic pursuit, he finished 59th. The team is currently in Beitostolen, Norway, training for this weekend’s 15/30k freestyle and 4x5/4x7.5k relay.

 

WORLD CUP RESULTS
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Recap: 2018 Baldy Hill Climb

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Despite the smoke that had settled into the valley on the morning of September 29, 180 participants turned up for this year's Baldy Hill Climb. For the trek to the top of the 3,140-foot mountain, competitors could pick their poison – biking, hiking, racing (on foot), or, if they were feeling really gung-ho, the Cheeso Double. Named in memory of Craig "Cheeso" Kjesbo, a SVSEF alpine coach, the Cheeso Double involves biking to the top of Baldy first thing, taking the lift down, and joining the racing class for another jaunt back up to the top. Indeed, it is not for the faint of heart, body or mind.

This year's race class champion for men was Miles Fink-Debray, a local alumni of the SVSEF alpine program who has shown a knack for this particular challenge; Miles has now won the Baldy Hill Climb nine times. Miles finished the climb in 37 minutes and 37 seconds. Fifteen seconds behind him with a time of 37:52 was Adam Luban, a fresh face on the cross country Gold Team. Peter Holmes, another Gold Team skier, finished in third in 40:30. For women, Alexa Turzian claimed victory with a time of 47 minutes and 33 seconds. The SVSEF cross country alum topped the field by over a minute, even having just completed the biking portion of the Cheeso Double. SVSEF alums and current SVSEF coaches Emily Williams and Sloan Storey rounded out the top three, with times of 48:46 and 49:18, respectively.

In his first go at the Cheeso Double, Eric Chizum won in the men's category with a combined total time of 1:49:05. Thomas Liby was second, and Joel Brazil third. Brooke Hovey, a SVSEF coach and parent, powered to first for women in 2:06:19, followed by Alexa Turzian in 2:26:55 and Alison Burpee in 2:45:56. Brooke Hovey and Eric Chizum both took the win for the bike portion of the competition, as well. Breaking into the top three for overall bike results were Brandon Lynch in the men's race, pushing Thomas Liby to third, and Shelly Wisenhant, pushing Alexa Turzian to third for women.

Thank you to Sturtevants and Washington Federal, who sponsored the event, and to all of the volunteers who helped make the day go smoothly.

To view more photos, click HERE.

 

RESULTS:

Kindercup

Bike

Cheeso Double

Overall Hike

Men's Hike

Women's Hike

Overall Men's Race

Overall Women's Race

Breakdown by Age Class

 

 

Women's race class podium: Emily Williams (2), Alexa Turzian (1), Sloan Storey (3)

 

Men's race podium: Alex Luban (2), Miles Fink-Debray (1), Peter Holmes (3)

 

 

SVSEF Executive Director Scott McGrew crosses the finish line

 

Alexa Turzian in the final stretch

 

SVSEF Alpine Program Director Will Brandenburg and daughter Georgia put in some volunteer hours
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Registration Open for SVSEF Air Barn Action Camps

Sign up now through your online account!

If you have questions, please contact the office at 208.726.4129, or Tyler Conway at 970.409.9617 / tconway@svsef.org.

 


Week in Review: April 10

Nico (l) with his overall award, and Oliver Antrim (VT) in second for snowboard grommet boys

PARK & PIPE

USASA Nationals, Snowboarding (April 5)

On the fifth and final day of USASA Nationals for Snowboarding, Nico Lerner finished eighth in boardercross. Nico put together a great week of riding, finishing near the top of his field in every discipline (halfpipe-5, slopestyle-4, giant slalom-2, slalom-2, boardercross-8). He really stepped up to the challenge that comes with competing on a grander stage that normal, winning the Grommet age class overall title at USASA Nationals. The coaching staff is extremely proud of how hard Nico has worked all season to get to this point; he came to Nationals prepared and rode with composure and passion, and the results showed. In the halfpipe on day five, Jack Verhaeghe finished ninth for breaker (12-13) boys, Sebastian Lerner was 11th for menehune (10-11) boys and Caleb Hothem was 16th in the same age class. Jack was ninth overall based on all results throughout the week for his age group. (View results from days one through four here).
FULL RESULTS

Walker Woodring in first and Barrett Beyer in second (slopestyle)

USASA Nationals, Freeskiing

USASA Nationals continued with freekiing. Walker Woodring and Barrett Beyer went one and two for ruggies (7 and under) in slopestyle. In the freeski open slopestyle, Will Griffith was 25th and Ryan Dobi 35th. In the halfpipe, Ridge Dirksmeier took the win for freeski youth (14-15), and Joey Markthaler was second. For freeski menehune (10-11), Ben Fethke walked away win the win, and Zeppelin Pilaro and Easton Turck were 40th and 43rd. In the rail jam event, Will Griffith finished fifth for the open class, and Ryan Dobi was 16th. Barrett Beyer came in 12th for the ruggies (7 and under) rail jam. Ben Fethke and Easton Turck both competed in slopestyle for menehune boys on Tuesday (results forthcoming).
There is one more day left, with SVSEF athletes competing in slopestyle and halfpipe.
FULL RESULTS
 

ALPINE

Western Region Spring Series, Mammoth

Fresh off of Junior Championships, FIS athletes jetted to Mammoth for Western Region Spring Series. (Click here for a review of days one through three).
On the final day of racing, Lily Fitzgerald again led the girls, coming in fifth in the giant slalom. Alli Rathfon was ninth, Maddie Ferris was 11th, Erin Smith 12th, Skylar Cooley 24th and Elizabeth Vanderkloot 26th.  For the men’s giant slalom, Jack Smith had an impressive finish in third. Jake Blackburn finished fifth, Hayden Terjeson eighth, Max Noddings 12th, Spencer Wright 14th, and Noah Leininger 18th for a successful end to the series.
FULL RESULTS
 

U14 Spring Project

SVSEF skiers participated in the IMD U14 Spring Project at Grand Targhee. According to U.S. Ski and Snowboard, “the project is designed to focus on bringing the best IMD athletes and IMD coaches together to enhance their skill development and build friendships with fellow IMD athletes.” The top 15 athletes born in 2005 and top five born in 2006 per gender were invited to attend. Max Meucci, Cole Curci, Zephyr Carruth,  Tommy Normand, Reece Walther-Porino, Asia Angel, Ruby Crist, Charlotte Davis-Jeffers and Natalie Gowe represented SVSEF.
 

Photo by Marcelo Mourier

Gary Black Jr. Memorial Race

SVSEF hosted the second annual Gary Black Jr. Memorial, formerly called the Hobson Memorial. The race is named of the late Gary Black Jr., who was a former SVSEF board member and a big supporter of the organization and of alpine skiing. The race was a dual giant slalom, with athletes taking two runs and ranked on their best run. Costumes were encouraged, and SVSEF skiers came out in full force – rainbows, unicorns, and Harry Potter could be spotted speeding down the course.
In the girls U8 category, the top three racers were Bianca Smith, Jasmine Smiley and Savannah Pringle. In the U10 category, Reese Kelley was first, Frances Goodyear second and Skye Pringle third. For U12s, Taylor Hovey finished on the top podium spot, followed by Ella Shaughnessy and Rowan Desler. Maya Lightner was first for U14s, Anabel Viesturs second and Goldie Kirk third.
Wyatt Limburg led U8 boys, with Declan O’Toole in second and Finn O’Donnell in third. Like his sister, Tommy Hovey won his age class (U10). Will Lamoureaux took silver and Charlie Reid bronze. Will Kogelmann won for U12s, followed by Paxton Sammis and twin brother Drew Kogelmann. In the U14 age class, Jesse Keefe took the win, followed by Bryce Kanowsky and James Wright.
The day ended with awards and a barbeque – thanks to the Ciminos for their generosity in letting us use their space.
 

Boys' U10 podium (l-r, Joey Pierre, Will Lamoureux, Tommy Hovey, Charlie Reid and Sawyer Morgan), photo by Marcelo Mourier

FULL RESULTS
PHOTOS
 
 
Buey Grossman, coach Chuck Harris and Merumo Ishimaru, photo by Jim Grossman

Snow Cup/Last Chance

SVSEF opted to forgo the first slalom of the Snowbird Snow Cup, and competed in their first race on Sunday. Buey Grossman charged to third in the field of over 100 athletes. Max Moss was 32nd, Finn Mallinen 38th, Nils Galloway 40th, Carter Sammis 48th, Shaw McCoubrey 68th, Ethan Marx 71st, Taylor Rixon 79th, Nico Gaggero 81st and Robbie Cullen 82nd.
For women, Merumo Ishimaru was the top finisher for the day, both for SVSEF and overall. She had a combined time of 1:36.50. Sage Curtis finished 19th, Emma MacGuffife 26th, Carly Walther-Porino 33rd, Falon Hanna 37th, Anhwei Kirk 38th, Hannah Ferris 42nd, Agnes Kind 47th and Tatum Minor 74th.
FULL RESULTS