Athlete of the Month, February 2017 – Kipling Weisel
The Athlete of the Month for February is Kipling Weisel, an alpine Gold Team skier, an alumni of the program and a current member of the U.S. Alpine C Team. Kipling has spent the 2016-2017 season making his mark on the FIS NorAm Cup circuit, competing against top athletes from across the country, as well as from Canada. Sanctioned by the International Ski Federation, NorAm Cup requires qualification, and is a step below the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. In 16 races, which opened up with competition at Lake Louise in British Columbia, Kipling has secured 10 top-10 finishes, including three podiums. His current NorAm Cup ranking following competition at Copper on February 11 is an impressive sixth out of 130 athletes. Kipling’s growth and strong placement this season shows that he has a lot of potential, building off of natural athleticism, a deep drive and focused training. SVSEF Athletic Director Phil McNichol commented on his progress. “Kipling is having a breakthrough season. It’s exciting to see an SVSEF athlete moving up the ranks in the U.S. Alpine National Team.”
Kipling’s versatility has been evident throughout the winter; he has scored in four disciplines at NorAms, and has proven through this series and beyond that he’s a top contender. Kipling recently took a big step internationally, finishing ninth in the European Cup alpine combined at Sarntal, Italy, and has managed to fit in University races as well as FIS competitions between NorAms. He secured six top-10 results (three of those were podium finishes) in University competition, took home a win and a second-place finish in FIS races, and most recently made the podium in third in a European FIS giant slalom event at Turnau, Austria, March 3.
Kipling is currently attending Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, taking the fall and winter off to travel, train and compete. His ability to balance education and sport and to apply ample focus to each aspect has been instrumental to his success. We’re excited to see where he goes with both his skiing and his studies.
The Week in Review: 2/28/17
I AM SVSEF
“I am SVSEF” is an opportunity each week to highlight our athletes for demonstrating the core values of the organization.
Sportsmanship • Citizenship • Character • Teamwork • Creativity • Passion • Perseverance
ALPINE: North Series Head Coach Scott McGrew spoke to Maya Lightner's hard work and dedication, as she is this week's I am SVSEF athlete for alpine.
Maya Lightner has brought an incredible amount of focus and energy to her training these past few weeks. She battled it out with her friend and teammate Paige DeHart for the overall Monroe cup win this week. It is great to see maya working hard and having the results to back up the drive and passion she has. Great job this past week maya and congratulations! Maya has been a gracious teammate both on off the field and we are excited for a strong end to the season for her.
CROSS COUNTRY: From Ashley Knox, Head Comp Team Coach:
Katherine Estep has quietly put more work into ski team and working towards her goals than she would ever let on to. She is sweet, hardworking, modest, and holds herself to the highest standard. This year she faced the disappointment of having her goal of making Junior Nationals just within reach, only just to miss it – not for a lack of effort or ability. In that disappointment, Katherine was graceful and still the smiling girl who we as coaches love having around. We could see her determination, focus, and resolve already shifting to what she needs to accomplish and do now in order to make sure she reaches her goals and beyond next year.
FREESTYLE: Toby Rafford is a young athlete who is making his way up, and really leading the charge for the younger athletes. He just qualified for Junior Nationals, held here March 13-19. According to coach John Grigsby, Toby has been working hard on learning a back-full (back-flip with a 360) and just qualified that on snow this past weekend. He is hoping to use it at Junior Nationals. Said Grigsby, “Toby has turned over a new leaf and has really shown that he’s dedicated to improving.” Beyond his efforts on the snow, Toby is always on top of his grades.
PARK & PIPE: Ryan Dobi, an athlete on the SVSEF Freeski Team, has put in the work and has been trying a new run in slopestyle all season. At first he wasn’t landing his slopestyle run in competition. Coach Tyler Conway said that, "despite this, Ryan has been sticking with the goals that he set in the beginning of the year; he has practiced and worked hard at perfecting his run, which earned him a top spot in the slopestyle event over the weekend."
THE WEEK IN REVIEW – 2/28/17
Snowboard
From Andy Gilbert, SVSEF Snowboard Coach
The SVSEF Snowboard Team traveled to Jackson Wyoming to compete in the USASA Big Mtn. West Snowboard Series.
Athletes competed in slopestyle at Snow King Resort on Saturday, February 25. The team was made up entirely of U12 athletes. Although small in stature, the athletes rode with confidence, on a course that featured a rail box combo, medium sized jump, to bigger jump, and larger rail package. Nico Lerner stepped onto the podium in second with a solid run consisting of clean straight airs and solid rails. On the ladies’ side, Channing Curci took the win for Breaker Girls 12-13 with a frontside air and a “chicken salad” grab on the jumps and clean rails. Maddie Hothem landed in second with clean straight airs and good amplitude. Olive Gilbert took the silver in the Menehune Girls. Jack Verhaeghe and Walker pate went one and two in the Menehune Boys 10-11. Jack went frontside 360, method air to nose press on the box feature. Walker landed backside 360, frontside 180 and a clean box feature.
Sunday in the halfpipe at Teton Village, the kids really stepped up their game. Nico Lerner took the gold in the Grommet Boys 8-9 with good amplitude and solid grabs. Olive Gilbert took a silver medal in the Menehune Girls 10-11 group with an ally oop 360 and good straight airs. Maddie Hothem had good amplitude all day which landed her in third in the Breaker Girls 12-13 division. In the same group, Channing Curci pulled down a silver medal with a run that featured frontside 360 to half cab. And in the Menehune boys 10-11 group, the Sun Valley boys pulled the podium sweep! Caleb Hothem, who went huge all day and was leading after his first run, ultimately finished third. Walker Pate had runs that showed good tail and creative spins, and finished second. Taking the win with great amplitude and good trick selection was Jack Verhaeghe.
The pipe and park at Dollar has been paying off and is only getting better as we get into the best training time of our season. Up next, the team heads to Park City for our series finale, beginning on Thursday, March 2. After that will will know our National Championship Team and will begin preparing for that event the first week of April.
Freeski
The SVSEF Freeski Team competed in the USASA Jackson Hole slopestyle, halfpipe and rail jam event over the weekend. There were a number of podiums, with Harper Mallet taking first and scoring the highest hun of the day in the Freeski Breaker (12-13) boys category. Joey Markthaler shared the podium with him in third. Ryan Dobi, Freeski Junior (16-18), won all three events for the weekend. Kyle Kope, Freeski Youth (14-15) narrowly missed the podium, with a fourth place in the rail jam.
The team heads to Park City this coming weekend, March 2-5, for King of the Wasatch Series Finals. All events are AFP Bronze Level certified ski events and Rev Tour qualifiers if the athletes meet the requirements to compete in Rev Tour competitions. This is the last competition of the Big Mountain West series, and the final opportunity for athletes to qualify for USASA Nationals, which are held in April at Copper Mountain in Colorado.
Full results here
Cross Country
Prep and Devo Teams
A total of 275 athletes from the Intermountain Region, as well as from Alaska, descended upon the Lake Creek trails in Ketchum for this year’s Intermountain Youth Championships. The IYCs are a great opportunity for younger athletes to get a feel for what competition is like, to interact and race with other teams, and to see how their training throughout the season has paid off.
The weekend started with an individual start skate race, ranging from one to five kilometers, determined by age group.Athletes competed in a combined downhill and obstacle course in the afternoon, making their way down Torin’s Tucker (older athletes) and Big Biathlon (younger athletes), and navigating over bumps and through fencing mazes and bamboo forests.Sunday’s race was a classic mass start, on the same course as the skate race the day before, and seeded based on results in the two events the previous day.
All athletes skied well throughout the weekend, taking advantage of having trained on the course all season. Notable performances came from Sammy Smith, who won all three events in the U12 girls' division, and teammates Anika Vandenburgh and Berekely Canfield who found the podium multiple times throughout the weekend (Anika finished second in the skate and second in the downhill, while Berkeley was third in the downhill and second in the classic). Julia Sinnamon finished second for U10 girls in the downhill. Logan Smith also found the podium in each competition, with two second-place finishes in the skate and downhill behind Alaska's Quincy Donley, and a win in Sunday's classic race, after pulling away from the pack about halfway through. Luci Ludwig skied strong throughout, and ended the weekend with a third place finish in the classic. In her first race for SVSEF, Addy Bevers took bronze in the women's novice division in the skate race. Sebi Radl-Jones finished third in the U16 5km race, second in the downhill and third in the classic. Christine Estep finished her season as a Prep Team skier with a win in the U16 girls' classic race on Sunday.
The U14 Cup awards the top ten U14 athletes, based on their races throughout the season. Logan Smith won for girls, and teammate Luci Ludwig was third overall. Anja Grover made the top ten in eighth.
The Sportsmanship Award went to Jackson Hole Ski Club, and the Overall Team Award, given to the team with the highest points for the weekend, went to McCall.
Full results here
Alpine
North Series and Mini World Cup Teams
SVSEF hosted the Monroe Cup this past weekend, named in honor of former SVSEF executive director Lane Monroe. Lane also coached with the U.S. Ski Team. The event was well-attended, with nearly 200 competitors. Said Scott McGrew, Alpine Program Director and Head North Series Coach, “It was good to see the Mini World Cup crew in action. This was their first opportunity to compete at the North Series, and the weekend presented a great opportunity for the athletes to get some experience in an event with a larger field.”
A big thanks to Steve Porino for announcing during Saturday’s race, and to volunteers who helped make the event run smoothly.
The overall Monroe Cup winners were Maya Lightner (SVSEF) and Sebastian Brunner (JHSC), who were the overall U12 winners for the weekend. These two athletes will have their names engraved on the Monroe Cup trophy, shared over the years by many USST members, NCAA athletes, and other stellar kids from the past 20 years.
Full results here
IMD Team
The IMD Team was at Snow King in Jackson for their final qualifier, where conditions were great, with a good show of sunshine to balance out the cold. SVSEF stepped it up, with athletes winning five out of the six races; they competed in two slalom events and one giant slalom. Ryder Sarchett swept the weekend, winning all three events for men. Jessica Blackburn won the second slalom, and Marit Kaiser topped the girls’ podium in the giant slalom. Head Coach James Tautkus commended his athletes for “bringing it to the racecourse this past weekend; it was rewarding as a coach to see everything we’ve been working on come alive, from top to bottom. This team really knows how to step it up when they need to; when there’s pressure, or when they’re on the line, they resort to second gear.”
Full results here
SVSEF Mourns the Passing of Gary Black, Jr.
The world has become an emptier place with the passing of Gary Black, Jr.
Black, 75, peacefully slipped away from this physical realm at home in Sun Valley surrounded by his beloved family on Saturday, February 25. Diagnosed with cancer last fall, Gary spent his remaining months how he spent much of his life; reveling in his family and friends, enjoying lively conversations, appreciating the great outdoors, the sport of skiing and enjoying a glass of fine spirits – it was a glass that was always half full – as Gary’s vantage point on life.
Scott McGrew, SVSEF alpine director, recalled, "Gary was larger than life. He was motivated by the grace of the sport, by the power of its characters and the richness of its history. He was a visionary of the best kind; selfless, thought-provoking and persistent in his quest to lead an adventurous and inspired life. It was impossible not to get caught up in his boyish enthusiasm for everything he engaged - from skiing and family, to quiet and thoughtful moments with friends."
Gary’s unwavering interest in the sport of skiing and the outdoors budded with his service on the National Ski Patrol, took him from Oregon Ridge, Md., to Squaw Valley, California, and Portillo, Chile. Gary was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where his family legacy lay with the Baltimore Sun. He purchased Ski Racing magazine in 1984. At the time, it was a small publication. As publisher and CEO, Gary grew the magazine over the course of two decades into what it is today; a source of news and inspiration to the ski racing community, unparalleled in its commitment to telling the story of the growth of American skiing.
Ski Racing magazine remarked, “The world lost one of the greatest patrons of American ski racing yesterday,” said current SkiRacing.com Publisher and Chief Operating Officer Claire Abbe Brown. “Thanks to Gary’s passion for ski racing and extensive knowledge of journalism, our sport has a news medium that chronicles our sport with pride and professionalism to keep American ski racing visible as a world leader in winter sport. He was an incredible leader to our entire staff, someone we all deeply respected, and we all appreciate the opportunities he afforded us to cover the sport we love.”
Gary received numerous awards for his achievements in journalism: the Blegen Award, the FIS Journalist Award, the International Association of Ski Journalists (AIJS) lifetime achievement award and the International Skiing History Association (ISHA) lifetime achievement award.
Moving to Sun Valley in 1995, Gary and wife, Heather, raised their daughter Alexandra (Lexi), who joined older half-sisters Amanda and Serena. Committed to winter sports with a special affinity for alpine skiing, Gary joined the board of directors at the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation in August of 2003, serving for six years, including as board president from 2007-2009 and vice-president from 2006-2007. Although his term ended in 2009, Gary was committed to the endeavors of the organization, and stayed on as an honorary board member through 2012. His enthusiasm for the sport remained influential beyond the valley, as he also served as a trustee at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Foundation.
“Gary’s passion for snowsports led him to both foundation boards, the SVSEF and U.S. Ski Team,” said Paul Fremont-Smith, Jr., who served with Black as a trustee for both organizations. “He was passionate about both the development of youth ski programs and the reportage of the sport and results through the World Cup and Olympic levels. He was as aggressive in his reporting as he was skiing on the mountain. He liked to go fast and he was a remarkably good skier. At 75 he would be doing non-stops.”
McGrew added, "When I was just starting off as a young coach, Gary took me under his wing an provided guidance, counsel and endless encouragement. His depth of knowledge and storytelling savvy captivated and inspired me, and so many others, to join him for the adventure. I will always cherish the time I was able to spend with Gary as some of the most formative of my life. Thank you for everything, G.Black, Jr. May the adventure continue!"
The thoughts and prayers of the entire Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation family are with Gary’s family and friends, including wife, Heather, daughters, Amanda, Serena, and Lexi, as well his three grandchildren, Alexander, Adair and Harrison. We remember Gary with great affection, respect and appreciation for all he meant to us and the lasting legacy and imprint he made on the sport of skiing and the lives he touched. His amazing laugh will echo through the ages.
Reporting by Julia Seyferth
The Week in Review: 2/21/17
I AM SVSEF
"I am SVSEF" is an opportunity each week to highlight our athletes for demonstrating the core values of the organization.
Sportsmanship • Citizenship • Character • Teamwork • Creativity • Passion • Perseverance
ALPINE: Owen Walker is the Alpine "I am SVSEF" athlete for this week. Owen is a member of both the Mini World Cup team and the Nordic Devo Team. “He comes to team with a great attitude whether we are skiing gates or ripping the bowls,” says coach Sarah. "He is a hard worker and has a passion for skiing, which makes him a great athlete to work with."
CROSS COUNTRY: This week’s nominee is a Prep Team skier; Blake DeHart is recognized for the improvement he’s made in both skiing and attitude over the last couple weeks. Said Prep Team Head Coach Kelley Sinnott, “Blake has been pushing himself harder than ever recently and is demonstrating true passion and perseverance in his day to day training. I find it really great that Blake’s concentration and hard work have been paying off for him in races; his improved results are really reflecting his hard work. I hope his newfound focus and motivation mixed with his great sense of fun will rub off on his teammates!”
PARK & PIPE: Maddie Hothem, a SVSEF snowboarder, is this week’s I am SVSEF athlete for Park & Pipe. According to Pat Lee, Snowboard Team Manager, “Maddie has recently shown a great attitude and pushed herself to become a better snowboarder; anything she puts her mind to, she seems to accomplish. She and her family recently attended the Bogus Basin Slope Style competition and came home with a first place in her division. She is a pleasure to be around, and we are glad to have her on the team.”
THE WEEK IN REVIEW – 2/21/17
SNOWBOARDING
Payton Bacca competes at Junior Worlds
Payton Bacca competed at Junior World Championships in Klinovec, Czech Republic, in the discipline of boardercross. In a field in the individual event that was dominated by Europeans on February 18, Payton won her first heat, besting the number 14 ranked athlete from Czech Republic and the number 19 seed from Australia. Following that round, Payton raced to a final place of 32nd, the third U.S. finisher in the event.
In the women’s team event on Sunday, February 19, there were two American teams of two, paired based on their results in the previous competition. Payton was paired with Adalia Flores and was matched against the top-seeded Russian team (with Kristina Paul, who won the individual boardercross event on Saturday), as well as two teams from Czech Republic. Payton finished second in her heat, after passing both Czech competitors. Unfortunately, her teammate crashed in her leg of the race.
Of note for team USA was a victory in the men’s team event – this was the first team victory ever at Junior Worlds. Jake Vedder (‘98, Ann Arbor, Michigan) and Senna Leith (‘97, Vail, Colorado) took the win.
Payton next competes at FIS Nor-Ams in Colorado, February 22-23.
Women's boardercross results
Chase Josey second overall for FIS World Cup season
SVSEF alumni and Gold Team athlete Chase Josey competed at Phoenix Park in PyeongChang, South Korea, which was the final stop on the FIS World Cup halfpipe tour. The competition served as an official Olympic test event in preparation for next year’s Winter Olympics. Chase qualified second behind fellow American Shaun White on Friday, February 17 in the men’s halfpipe event. In the finals, Chase finished sixth; Australian Scott James won the event, followed by Shaun White in second and Yiwei Zhang of China in third. Chase’s result combined with those from previous World Cup events this season put him in second on the podium for overall World Cup standings this season.
Full results here
ALPINE
Mini World Cup, North Series
For Sunday’s Arkoosh Cup held locally at Rotarun, competitors raced giant slalom in a range of conditions, from blazing sun to whiteout snowstorms. This was the 48th annual iteration of the event, named for the Arkoosh family, who helped develop Rotarun Ski Area. It drew athletes ages four through twelve to Rotarun; a total of 113 competitors attended. Program Director Scott McGrew spoke to the range of athletes there. “It was a super fun event that represented a lot of different elements. There were ski team and non ski team categories, lots of parents and grandparents, and kids of all ages. Despite getting off to a little late of a start as we were trying to get all the right kids into all the right categories, we had an exciting ski race and people were having a great time.” McGrew also commended the coaches for their professionalism in building and maintaining the course, and for putting on a great event for a great cause.
Paige DeHart and Cole Curci won the overall titles, and will have their names etched into the Arkoosh Trophy.
Full results here
FIS
FIS athletes are at Snow King in Jackson Hole, in the midst of the Wild West Classic, a Western Region FIS Open series.
Sunday was a giant slalom event, with 79 competitors in the women’s field. Erin Smith was 19th, the top SVSEF finisher. Katelyn Rathfon had a strong race, finishing 26th. She was followed by Skylar Cooley in 27th. Ella Pepin jumped up 14 spots to 37th from 51st.
The men did not race on February 19.
Monday featured a giant slalom; Haley Cutler was the top SVSEF finisher, coming in sixth in a field of 74. Erin Smith was 19th, Skylar Cooley 30th and Ella Pepin 38th.
In the men’s giant slalom on February 20, four SVSEF male competitors broke the top 30, with Filippo Collini in 23rd, Yuri McClure in 25th, Julian Plank in 27th and Will Snyder in 30th. Julian’s result was less than half his starting bib number for the race; similarly, Filippo rose from 41st to 23rd, a jump of 18 places.
The racing continues on Tuesday with a slalom, followed by another slalom to round out the series on Wednesday.
Full results here
FREESKIING
Tai Barrymore returns to the pipe
Tai Barrymore, SVSEF alumni and Gold Team athlete, returned to competition in halfpipe for the first time in over a year. Tai missed last season due to injury. He dropped into the halfpipe qualifiers on February 18 in PyeongChang for the Olympic test event, ending up 16th overall. This meant that he did not move onto the finals – but it was a solid first run back.
Freeskiing Travel Team
SVSEF Freestyle athletes headed to Aspen for the Aspen Snowmass Open, "one of the last and longest running independent open competitions in the nation." According to Tyler Conway, Head Freeski Coach, "the Aspen Open is the biggest opportunity for unknown skiers to get recognition and to ski the X Games course. Aspen Open has been running for 12 years and most of the winners of this event have gone on to win X Games events, and/or Olympic medals." Will Griffith skied both slopestyle and big air, and Hanna Blackwell competed in the halfpipe. In a field populated with athletes from Canada, France, New Zealand and Japan, Hanna Blackwell finished 14th in the women's halfpipe. Jacob Beebe, a SVSEF Gold athlete, was 35th in halpipe. In the men's slopestyle event, Will Griffith was 39th, and in big air he finished 26th.
Full results here
The Week in Review: 2/14/17
I AM SVSEF
ALPINE: Kaia Jensen is this week’s I am SVSEF athlete. Says coach Brett Morris, “Kaia has been working really hard all year and especially these past couple of weeks, going out on her own repeatedly working on drills and trying to make some adjustments to here skiing. Additionally, her attitude has been phenomenal, always keeping positive and trying to see the best in situations even when results aren’t going her way. At Schweitzer speed Kaia, entering her first FIS speed (DH and SG) series did a great job. She got down from one run of SG and had the biggest grin on her face just from the thrill and joy of running the course. Her time didn’t matter; she just had pure fun.”
CROSS COUNTRY: According to Dave Bingham, Cross Country Devo Head Coach, “Zach Quesnel is one of those first-to-come, last-to-leave kids that shows up ready to rock. As a lead dog of the hard charging “Omega” Team, Zach dives in to every practice like a golden lab goes after a thrown stick. Despite a somewhat quiet demeanor, Zach manages to project an enthusiasm for sport that fellow athletes just want to be part of. Not surprisingly, Zack’s mom and uncles are all SVSEF alumni, solid community contributors, and just plain great folks. Congrats to Zach for being coaches’ pick for athlete of the week!”
FREESTYLE: This past competition, coaches saw a lot of progress in Luke Rizzo’s skiing. Dedication to his workouts during the year have moved him up through the rankings. Luke is polite, respectful, consistently there and puts in the work; he is an exceptional role model for the younger athletes growing up in the program.
PARK & PIPE: Ridge Dirksmeier is at every practice, giving 100% and pushing himself and his teammates to be their best selves. A quality that is important for making improvements is a good attitude; Ridge certainly brings this, and is open to learning more about the sport and what he can do to make strides.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW – 2/14/17
Alpine
FIS/USSA Teams – Laura Flood Memorial Cup
The Laura Flood Memorial Cup took place last weekend on Baldy, despite heavy rain that closed down the mountain for two consecutive days. This was a U16 qualifier, as well as an open USSA race. All teams decided to stay an extra day and race on Monday – a race occurrence – since the event was a qualifier and conditions ended up working out. A huge thank you goes out to Sun Valley Company, SVSEF staff and all of the volunteers who made this event a resounding success, despite the extreme weather and the conditions and changes that ensued.
Snow conditions set up to be extremely icy – Will Brandenburg, SVSEF Head USSA Coach and a former World Cup and Olympic skier, observed that “it ended up setting up like a World Cup venue for the GS race on Monday – it was the type of surface that people try to make – we got lucky.”
Strong results came from both FIS and USSA athletes. SVSEF women took five of the top ten spots in both slaloms events, with Lily Fitzgerald taking the win on Saturday and Merumo Ishimaru claiming first on Sunday. The men took went one through four on Saturday, with Charlie Lamb claiming victory. They took three of the top ten spots on Sunday; Filippo Collini was first, followed by Bennett Snyder in second. FIS athlete Haley Cutler won the women’s giant slalom on Monday, with teammate Alli Rathfon in second. Maddie Ferris broke the top ten, finishing sixth. The men finished strong, with five in the top ten on the final day of the weekend. Filippo Collini again took the win.
Emma MacGuffie earned the unofficial move-up award for the weekend, cruising from starts in the 80s into the top 15 and top 10 in the two slalom events, securing a spot for regionals. The SVSEF U16 athletes have proven their strength as a unit this season, having secured a win at every U16 event throughout the last two qualifiers – in 12 races total, SVSEF has had seven different winners – Lily Fitzgerald, Bennett Snyder, Jack Smith, Merumo Ishimaru, Buey Grossman, Alli Rathfon and Wyatt Barth have all reached the top of the podium.
The overall Laura Flood Memorial Cup winners this year were Filippo Collini and Merumo Ishimaru. The overall award is based on the second slalom race and the giant slalom, as the event has historically featured these two events. Filippo won the men’s slalom on Sunday, as well as the giant slalom on Monday. Merumo won the Sunday slalom and was 29th in the giant slalom.
Full results here
FIS Team
Three FIS athletes competed at FIS-sanctioned races in Copper over the past week, which saw top racers from throughout North America, as well as a few U.S. Ski Team World Cup speed racers. Haley Cutler finished the nine-race series with five top-15 overall finishes, helping her earn 11th place overall in the final Nor-Am Series Downhill standings. On top of that, she secured a top-10 finish in the U.S. National Championship Downhill race, also held at Copper.
This was Erin Smith’s second Nor-Am Series; the athlete managed to score her first Nor-Am Series points (these are given to the top 30 overall finishers). Skylar Cooley, despite having just come off a nasty flu, earned her first Nor-Am at Copper, from Nor-Am points earned in the super-G races.
Coach Brett Jacobsen applauded the athletes for their “hard work, solid attitudes and impressive skiing” in a high-caliber field.
Full results here
Cross Country
Comp/Prep Teams
Cross country Comp and Prep skiers competed in their final JNQ at West Yellowstone. Saturday was a skate sprint; the snow set up really well and the crew did a great job grooming, following a day of rain and sloppy snow on Friday. There were a number of SVSEF athletes who had their best-ever results on Saturday. Katherine Estep had her best result to date, finishing fifth overall and reaching the A final. Keene Morawitz had his best skate sprint result, qualifying for the B final. Lily Brunelle also made B finals. Overall, it was a good day for SVSEF, and the race helped solidify qualifying for Junior Nationals for a number of athletes.
The final JNQ race on Sunday was a classic mass start. Highlights for the day were Peter Wolter skiing to a win in the U18/U20 men’s 10km, in his last effort as a SVSEF athlete. Eli Jensen brought up a solid fourth. Henry Raff and Andrew Siegel both secured positions on the Intermountain JN team. PG skier Sarah Goble, despite battling illness all weekend, still managed to ski to third. In the men’s U16 race, Johnny Hagenbuch was third in a closely contested race. The U16 girls had a strong day, taking first, third and fourth; Sophia Mazzoni took the win, skiing hard off the front of the pack. Laine Allison threw down a big result, out-lunging teammate Anja Jensen for third and cementing her position for Junior Nationals.
SVSEF qualified 13 athletes overall to represent the Intermountain Division at Junior Nationals. On top of that, Sarah Goble, a PG skier, will represent the Great Lakes region, and Bentley Walker-Broose will compete as a guest skier; he is an Australian athlete who has been training and racing with SVSEF.
SVSEF athletes qualified for Junior Nationals:
U16 girls
Sophia Mazzoni
Anja Jensen
Ella Wolter
Laine Allison
U16 boys
Johnny Hagenbuch
Cash Dart
U18-20 girls
Lily Brunelle
Eve Jensen
U18-20 boys
Peter Wolter
Eli Jensen
Andrew Siegel
Henry Raff
Keene Morawitz
Full results here
Full IMD JNQ rankings here
Freestyle
Freestyle athletes were in Deer Valley, Utah for moguls and duals. Athletes competed on the longest course they have been on to date, and one of the toughest; it was used a week previous as a World Cup competition venue, with Olympic-caliber athletes competing. The course was 250 meters long, which is a quarter longer than the average mogul course.
A heavy downpour of rain plagued training on Friday, before it transitioned to snow, making conditions more challenging on Saturday with six to eight new inches. On Sunday, everything froze; with an icy, hard surface, conditions were tough.
Saturday was a singles event, with tough competition on the men’s side in the form of former U.S. team members. SVSEF had four athletes in the top 15 in the men’s competition and five in the top 10 in the ladies’ event; the highlight was an overall win for 11-year old Sammy Smith in a field of athletes up to eight years her senior, who threw a 360 to a backflip. (Sammy’s performance over the weekend qualified her for Nationals, which will have to wait, as the minimum age requirement to compete is 14.) In the men’s competition, Alex LaFleur was eighth, Brody Buchwalter 10th, Henry Cherp 11th and Luke Rizzo 12th. In the ladies’ event, Sammy was first, Addie Rafford wasn’t far behind in fourth, Esmee Verheijen finished seventh, Katie Markthaler ninth and Eliza Marks tenth.
Sunday’s first competition was a singles run to seed for duals later that day. Addie Rafford was second overall and Sammy Smith third. Luke Rizzo led the SVSEF men in fourth, followed by Alex LaFleur in fifth. Toby Rafford, a young gun, had a stand out performance with a sixth place finish, and Ben Anderson made the top ten in seventh. Toby hung with the older athletes and was able to qualify for Junior Nationals. Luke’s result helped him qualify for Nationals, which are at Steamboat at the end of March.
In duals, Luke was fourth and Alex fifth. Addie finished on the podium in second for the ladies, Sammy Smith was fourth and Rainey Wilson was eighth.
This was the last event for Intermountain qualification for Junior Nationals. A full list will be released next week of qualified athletes.
Full results here
Snowboard
Phebe Erickson and Aidan Green competed in Mammoth at the Rev Tour, despite the rugged weather that shut down the freeski aspect. Phebe finished 18th in the women’s field of 50 and Aidan was 17th in the men’s competition.
Payton Bacca just left for Junior Worlds in the Czech Republic yesterday, to represent the U.S. in boardercross. The event takes place February 18.
The Snowboard Team had a small crew head over to Bogus Basin for the USASA slopestyle event. Nico and Sebastian Lerner, Maddie and Caleb Hothem Chelsea Kelley from Australia competed for SVSEF. Everyone came home with some hardware; Nico got fjrst in his age division, Sebastian secured a win and Caleb was second in their division, Maddie Hothem was first for girls, and Chelsea finished first for the younger girls’ division.
Freeski
Freeskiing events at the Mammoth stop on the Toyota U.S. Revolution Tour were cancelled due to weather (wind, heavy snow). The next stop is Seven Springs, PA, March 6-8, and will feature freeski halfpipe and slopestyle.
The Jackson Hole Big Mtn. West Series was also cancelled due to weather. A couple of SVSEF athletes who live in Boise decided to stay home and compete in a USASA slopestyle event at Bogus Basin; Kyle Kope ended up in third place, and Ryan Dobi was first in his age group. Results have not yet been posted.
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Laura Flood Memorial Cup 2017 – Results
February 11
February 12
February 13
Athlete of the Month, January 2017 – Cole Morgan
Each month, we’ll be featuring an SVSEF athlete who has been selected by program directors in recognition of exceptional results in their respective sport.
Cole Morgan, a first-year Gold Team skier, has been making his mark in cross country sprint races this season. Following promising early-season Super Tour finishes, Cole approached U.S. Nationals at the beginning of January with confidence and tenacity, skiing smart qualifiers and heats that landed him in third on the American podium in the classic sprint. With this result along with earlier season points, Cole qualified to represent the U.S. at World Championships in Lahti, Finland, which will be held this month. Following these successes, Cole represented the U.S. at the U23 World Championships at Soldier Hollow, Utah. His focus at the week-long event was the classic sprint; if any pressure was felt, this being the only race he would partake in for the week, it went unnoticed by spectators; Cole skied all the way into the semifinals, where he finished fifth in his heat, putting him in ninth overall. This result secured his selection to the U.S. Team for World Cup Finals, which will be held in Quebec City in March.
Cole is originally from Bozeman, Montana. He spent a post-graduate year skiing for SVSEF back in 2012, before attending the University of Vermont. He leaves for Finland on February 16.
Message from Phil McNichol, Athletic Director
SVSEF is excited to be advancing forward with the use of an online evaluation tool (Coach Evaluator) to help coaches stay in tune with their coaching delivery as well as drive improvements through ongoing feedback from fellow staff, athletes and parents. Coach Evaluator is the premier coach evaluation software for schools and athletic organizations and is the Official Coach Evaluation Partner of Positive Coaching Alliance (SVSEF is also an official partner of Positive Coaching Alliance, PCA). PCA strongly believes that coach evaluation is one of the most powerful tools available to an athletic director or youth sports organization leader. Setting clear expectations, providing a job description, and then following-up on those with evaluations provides great direction and encouragement for coaches to conduct themselves in a way that upholds positive culture. Improving and providing this process is one of my long-term goals within all of SVSEF’s Athletic Programs. Look forward to this tool reaching athletes, parents and staff later this year.
“Progress, of the best kind, is comparatively slow. Great results cannot be achieved at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step.” - Samuel Smiles
To everyone, I thank you for your continued hard work and efforts. The impact you have in the life’s of our athletes has more meaning than I can describe. Good luck and don’t forget to enjoy the journey!