SVSEF Achieves USSA Gold Level Club Certification
The United States Ski and Snowboard association (USSA) announced that it has elevated SVSEF’s club certification from Silver, which was originally awarded in 2014, to Gold, the highest honor possible. According to USSA, “this level of certification is intended for clubs that are Best in the World. These clubs serve as a model, both organizationally and athletically, and are resources to the sport as a whole in the U.S.” The designation of a club as Gold level is not an examination, but rather an opportunity for USSA to assess a club’s current situation and determine areas of need. Gold certified clubs possess a heightened level of accountability to maintain and build upon areas of both strength and improvement, to ensure the longevity and stability of the organization and to help, through feedback and observation, to grow the cumulative strength of clubs throughout regions and across the country.
Commented Ellen Adams, Club Development Manager for USSA, “USSA’s Podium Club Certification Program is designed to recognize excellence and create a platform for continued improvement. The process to achieve Podium level certification involves a rigorous, mission driven self-assessment and review of best principles and practices in eight areas of organizational performance. As a Gold certified club, SVSEF has demonstrated excellence in all areas and is recognized as an important partner of USSA and a leader among USSA Clubs. We look forward to continuing to work together.”
SVSEF is honored to receive this premier recognition from the national governing body of our sports, and to be included as one of the very best junior snowsport programs in the nation. Other Gold level clubs include Burke Mountain Academy, Mammoth Mountain Ski and Snowboard Team, Stratton Mountain School and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, to name a few. In conjunction with Gold level status, SVSEF will have access to heightened professional development opportunities for staff, support from club development expert consultants, discounted rates on consulting services, and the opportunity to be considered for the USSA High Performance Club Partnership Program, which opens up the potential for designation as a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team development site or high performance center.
“SVSEF’s new certification level combined with the U.S. Olympic Committee classification as an official Olympic Training Site clearly identifies SVSEF sport programs as setting an extremely high standard of quality, direction and content,” said Phil McNichol, SVSEF Athletic Director. “These accolades help assure we are striving in the right direction to reach our mission, which is ‘to provide exceptional snowsport programs for the youth of the Wood River Valley thereby enabling each participant to reach his/her athletic potential, while developing strong personal character through good sportsmanship, strong values, and individual goals.’”
The Week in Review: 1/10/17
I AM SVSEF
SVSEF values of sportsmanship, citizenship, character, teamwork, creativity, passion and perseverance are not ones that are newly championed; they are qualities that have held weight and importance for hundreds of years, across many societies, eras, continents. Perhaps we may think of character as the overarching quality that encompasses all of the other SVSEF values; sportsmanship, citizenship, teamwork, creativity, passion and perseverance all fit under the distinction of mental or moral qualities, which, by definition, make up a distinctive individual’s character.
Athletic success is invigorating, affirming and surely within reach of our athletes, in whatever ways they choose to define it. It is certainly something we strive for with these kids, to help them achieve what they have come to define for themselves as success in sport. Perhaps more than this, and in a way not necessarily discernible from an observer’s perspective, our hope is that lessons learned while in the organization become ingrained, so that they may be useful later in life. Yes, an affinity for athletic greatness is all well and good; but in future endeavors, I’d bet that character traits learned here and now will prove much more useful in the different communities, relationships and challenges in which our athletes find themselves.
In 1900, a year before his first term as president, Theodore Roosevelt addressed the importance of character in relation to intellectual and athletic success in an article for The Outlook.
But, in the long run, in the great battle of life, no brilliancy of intellect, no perfection of bodily development, will count when weighed in the balance against that assemblage of virtues, active and passive, of moral qualities, which we group together under the name of character; and if between any two contestants, even in [college] sport or in [college] work, the difference in character on the right side is as great as the difference of intellect or strength the other way, it is the character side that will win. (The Outlook, Vol. 64, 725)
Roosevelt’s assessment of how crucial strong, positive character is for an individual lends itself to SVSEF’s focus on developing “strong minds,” of helping prepare our athletes for whatever is thrown their way, and to set them up for success.
With this in mind, we’re introducing I am SVSEF: an opportunity each week to highlight our athletes for demonstrating the core values of SVSEF.
Sportsmanship • Citizenship • Character • Teamwork • Creativity • Passion • Perseverance
Here are the I Am SVSEF athletes featured for the week of January 9, 2017:
Alpine: Ethan Marx, an eighth grader at Community School and a member of the Alpine USSA Team, has worked really hard throughout summer training and into the on-snow season. A goal this season for Ethan has been to make the flip 30 – to place 30th on his first run in order to be the first competitor out of the gate on the second. This past weekend, he narrowly missed his goal with a 31st place finish – his enthusiasm and positivity around the prospect is infectious, regardless of your interest in alpine racer lineups. According to USSA head coach Will Brandenburg, “Ethan is always helping his teammates out, and his actions and words are good for morale; he is the epitome of what we’re talking about when we think of qualities we’re hoping are instilled in SVSEF athletes.”
Cross Country: Taylor Dorland, an eighth grader at the Sage School, is a new member of the Cross Country Prep Team after switching from alpine. Kelley Sinnott, Cross Country Prep Team Head Coach, observed, “learning a new sport can be very difficult and frustrating but Taylor has shown strong character, passion and perseverance through her learning process. Taylor is the kind of skier that manages to grit her teeth and grin at the same time; she is eager to learn and improve but also finds fun in ever part of cross country.”
Freestyle: Eliza Marks, a 10th grader at Community School, brings a really positive attitude that lends to the dynamic of the Freestyle Team. She shows up training every day with passion and interest. In competition, even on a bad day that doesn’t necessarily go her way, she doesn’t let it get her down and approaches the next challenge with confidence and anticipation. Coach Kurtis Fieguth commended Eliza for “taking to hear the advice we try to give her, and taking it to the snow – she’s made huge improvements over the past month and a half in doing so.”
Park & Pipe: Arlo Curry is a seventh grader at the Sage School and is a member of the Snowboard Progression Team. He comes to training with a great attitude, a smile on his face every day and a level of engagement that indicates a profound interest and enthusiasm for the sport. Said snowboard team manager Pat Lee, “Arlo performs to his highest standard at all times. He embraces challenges that arise and is committed and diligent to working through them. On top of that, Arlo is a great communicator, which is really helpful for the coaching staff.”
THE WEEK IN REVIEW – 1/10/17
CROSS COUNTRY
Comp, PG, Gold Teams
The SVSEF Cross Country Comp, PG and Gold teams are currently midway through the 2017 L.L. Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow in Park City, Utah. For many athletes across the U.S., Nationals are a pivotal week of racing; solid results can help an athlete qualify for World Cups, U23 World Championships and Junior Nationals. Top athletes from programs and universities across the nation are in Utah for the events, with numbers in attendance close to 600. Overall, courses were quite hard, which is befitting for a national championship event. “As hard as our trails are at Lake Creek,” said Rick Kapala, SVSEF Cross Country Program Director, “these trails are a little bit harder, in anticipation of U23 Worlds, which will take place at the same venue at the end of this month.”
Competition opened up on Saturday, January 7 with a 15/10km interval start skate race. The first day of racing was not really affected by inclement weather, which hit Sunday. But for the first athletes, which were the junior girls, it was tough all around, with cold temperatures, slow snow and a very challenging course. A standout performance for the day came from Gold Team skier Kelsey Phinney, who has typically been stronger in sprint events; with a 26th place finish in a field of 263 women in the 10km, Phinney is setting herself up as a viable contender for a spot on the team for U23 World Junior Championships; she is currently sitting in second with two more races to go this week.
Sunday’s classic sprint race came a drastic shift in temperature, and with it a downpour of rain. Despite the unfavorable conditions, morale on the SVSEF team was really good; kids handled it in stride and managed the challenges the weather presented quite well, which Kapala feels may be a natural extension of the relatively new normalcy of weather extremes in the West. Athletes competed on a newly designed sprint course, and were on some natural snow. It was unfortunate that the rainy weather fell on a classic sprint day; every team at one point or another struggled in regards to skis and getting the wax right for their athletes across the board.
The highlight of the day for SVSEF was an American podium sweep, in a way, as Kevin Bolger, who won the men’s sprint overall, is a former SVSEF PG athlete, and Gold Team skiers Jack Hegman and Cole Morgan went two and three.
Other than Peter Wolter, the junior squad is relatively inexperienced at this level, so these races are a great first step at exposure to higher level racing, in anticipation of them aging and getting into the mix. SVSEF junior boys skied quite well, with Peter Wolter, Eli Jensen and Keene Morowitz all qualifying for junior heats (the top 30 moved on from the initial qualifier). Morowitz had a very noteworthy qualifier, which was a really good indication that he has found his form.
Junior girls were led by Anja Jensen, who as a 14 year old very narrowly missed qualifying. Said Kapala, “for us as coaches, we look beyond the wins with developing athletes – cause that’s not going to tell the story of a 14 year old racing against 20 year olds. This was a tough course with tough conditions, and these girls are just getting started, as most are sophomores or young juniors.” A number of Jensen’s teammates just missed the cutoff as well.
Going into the next two days of races, Hegman is looking really strong for qualifying for U23s – he needs one more decent race to nail it down. Hegman is sitting in first for qualifying, as Patrick Caldwell pre-qualified with early season results. Morgan is also looking good, currently in second; if selections were made based off of the first two races, he would make the team. As he is a sprinter, he’ll have a chance to cement that seed in the race on Thursday. Phinney is also sitting well, in second on the list with two races to go. Five to six athletes, male and female, can qualify for U23s.
Matt Gelso, who has posted exceptional results this season, is down for now with a head cold; it remains to be seen if he’ll have another start at Nationals. Noted Kapala, “Gelso is going to World Cup races later this month regardless, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to push him to the point where it impacts him down the road – we’re going day-by-day with him.” The end goal is World Championships, and even though the process for qualification weighs Nationals a bit heavier than Super Tour races, good results in Europe could get him there. “We want him to go to Europe rested, recharged and ready to race to his abilities; a lot of the competitions there fit his ability set really well,” said Kapala.
Today’s race is a 30/20/10/5 km classic. Athletes will be skiing on a condensed 3.75km loop, made entirely of manmade snow as a result of the rain on Sunday. Thursday’s race is a skate sprint.
Full results here
Devo, Prep, Comp Teams
SVSEF athletes who did not make the trip to Nationals opted for the Snowmaker Classic on Saturday, which is a local classic race. This year, it took place on Sun Valley trails, and athletes selected either ten, five or 3 km for distance. Temperatures were in the double digit negatives when race organizers arrived, and start time was postponed to allow those to rise. This was a good training opportunity for SVSEF athletes, as it gave them experience pushing their bodies on a relatively flat course in extreme temperatures.
Full results here
ALPINE
USSA Team
It was a good weekend for the Alpine USSA team, which competed in Jackson, Wyoming, at Snow King. The event was a qualifier, and SVSEF saw some athletes who made the top 30 for the first time. As a group, the team is in quite a good position to have a number of skiers qualify for Regionals. Overall, 30 girls and 26 boys will qualify, and there are two more opportunities left to make the cut. It was a cold weekend of racing, which made it hard to get a good warm up; the weekend saw less skiing and more time in the lodge. Said USSA head coach Will Brandenburg, “that makes it tough to be able to get into the groove of the weekend; it makes a major difference. The athletes handled the adjustment well.”
Lily Fitzgerald had an amazing weekend; she swept the races, not just for U16s, but overall, and won by over 1.5 seconds each time. At the Eric Hayes Memorial races, she had success but not as much as she wanted to. According to Brandenburg, “she had a good mindset in training the two weeks over Christmas break; she’s been building on her skiing and getting better, and we’re starting to see that hard work pay off. Another highlight of the weekend was having SVSEF boys on the podium for every U16 race; Buey Grossman took second in the first giant slalom, and teammate Jack Smith was second in both the second giant slalom and the slalom.
Full results here
IMD Team
Alpine IMD was in Park City over the weekend for the Park City Jr. IMD Cup. Reflecting on the weekend, head coach James Tautkus said, “this past weekend was a good test of our team’s strength from top to bottom. It affirmed our efforts thus far and indicated where we need to put in the work. As a staff we are very proud of what these athletes have been capable of and hope it encourages them to take their effort to the next level."
SVSEF did well across the events, claiming three out of six first place finishes between men and women. Ryder Sarchett took the men's overall title for the weekend by winning the slalom and the second giant slalom. Anhwei Kirk won the slalom and was third in the first giant slalom. Marit Kaiser was second in both GS races and Nathan Gowe was fifth in the slalom, sixth in the first giant slalom and second in the second giant slalom. Josh Blackburn was fifth in the first giant slalom and his sister Jessica was third in the slalom.
Full results will be posted soon
FIS Team
FIS athletes were also met by extreme cold in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the IMD Cup events. Temperatures sat around -25 the first day of racing and -26 the second. Athletes faced the elements head on; top finishes were posted by Jake Blackburn, who had two top-ten results in the giant slalom events, Carter Jendrezek, who finished out the weekend in eighth in the slalom, Libby Kaiser, who maintained consistency across all races, going 16-14-11, and Grace Pepin, who jumped up from results in the 40s and 50s on January 6 and 7 to 15th in the slalom on January 8.
Full results will be posted soon
FREESKIING
The SVSEF Freeski A-team made a trip to Colorado last week. Will Griffith competed for the chance to make the Rev Tour in slopestyle, and Hanna Blackwell spent her time logging significant training hours in the halfpipe.
Griffith skied two stand-up runs, scoring highest on the second. Skiing into the first rail, he spun a front 270 out landing switch, went backwards into the first jump spinning a right side 360 with tail grab landing switch, continued backwards into the second jump spinning a left cork 540 with a Japan grab, skied forward off the third jump spinning a left rodeo 720 with a safety grab, landing forward and sliding the last rail spinning a back 450 out. Griffith, who just turned 16 years old, ended up in sixth place. He competed against Yuki Sato (20 years old) and Gen Sasaki (20 years old), who are both from Japan and who are trying to make a bid for the Olympics in 2018. Said freestyle head coach Tyler Conway, “being at an event like this and seeing what it takes to get first place at this level of competition helps an athlete develop mentally and prepares them for future events.”
Hanna Blackwell also traveled to Colorado to train in Copper Mountain’s halfpipe. This halfpipe is one of two open in North America; the other is in Calgary. Hanna was not the only athlete taking advantage of the feature; David Wise, halfpipe Olympic Gold medalist and three-time X-Games Gold medalist, was training on the same halfpipe. Commented Conway, “it takes a lot of repetition and exposure in the halfpipe to get better. We’re looking forward to having the halfpipe at Dollar complete soon, as it will allow SVSEF athletes to have the advantage of getting in laps and pushing their halfpipe skiing skills.”
Full results here
FREESTYLE
The Bumpin’ at the Bird course at Snowbird proved more than adequate for SVSEF Freestyle athletes, who took to it this past weekend. The event counts towards overall rankings and for qualifying for Junior Nationals and U.S. Freestyle Championships. SVSEF had four boys in top 10 the first day, with Holden Largay winning overall, and teammates Brody Buchwalter, Luke Rizzo and Alex LaFleur going five-six-seven. On the second day, SVSEF had four in top ten again, but this included different athletes, which speaks to the spread and range of the team. Alex LaFleur made a ton of improvements, and coach Kurtis Fieguth commented that his run on the second day was the best he’s seen from LaFleur thus far. Luke Rizzo was on a similar trajectory, making significant improvements over the weekend – both seemed to learn a lot about their form throughout the events. In the girls’ competitions, Eliza Marks finished strong in duals, with a second place finish overall. Addie Rafford was third in moguls. Said Fieguth, “all of our kids skied really well, especially going up against strong skiers in the division; they really held their own.”
Results can be found here (Sunday’s results aren’t yet posted)
Athlete of the Month, December 2016 – Matt Gelso
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.
Matt Gelso, a 28-year old Gold Team cross country skier who has been with SVSEF for going on seven years now, started the season with a bang and established himself as the male leader after period one on the Super Tour circuit, which draws top athletes from across the United States. Matt decidedly won both Super Tour events at the season opener in West Yellowstone, December 3 and 4. He proceeded to net two more commendable results on the circuit just a week later at the Silver Star Nor Ams in British Columbia, with a fifth place finish in the classic sprint event and a second place podium in the 15km skate race. Ending period one of the Super Tour in first has qualified him for World Cup starts in Sweden and South Korea in January and February. Before heading overseas, however, Matt will be competing at U.S. Nationals, beginning this Saturday at Soldier Hollow in Utah.
Chris Mallory, Head Gold Team Coach, expanded on Matt’s preparation and progression, noting that “Matt has certainly found his stride this season. He brought a lot of focus to the training year and I think for him, being able to spend four weeks of the summer and fall on snow this year really helped. He’s been with the Gold Team for seven years now, so he’s got a great amount of experience and knowledge of what he needs to do to find his form.”
Matt is no newcomer to success in the sport, as he has amassed a number of standout results throughout his racing career. From his time as a junior skier in Truckee, California, to his four years as a racer for the University of Colorado to his current place on the Gold Team, Matt has competed at FIS World Cups and FIS World Ski Championships, has secured top-three results at U.S. National Championships and has won an NCAA individual championship. Starting the season off with these strong finishes bodes well for the athlete as he looks to qualify for the FIS World Ski Championships, which take place this year in late February in Lahti, Finland.[osd_social_media_sharing]
The Week in Review – 12/27/16
With the holidays and all, this week’s update is brief – best wishes for a happy and safe new year.
SVSEF Freestyle Team takes on training and competition in Colorado
The SVSEF Freestyle Team spent two weeks leading up to the holidays in Colorado for training and competition. The first week was comprised of camps in Vail and Aspen, where athletes were able to apply tricks they have been working on all summer in the Air Barn. Brody Buchwalter made a big breakthrough, as this was his first time back on snow after taking last season off due to injury.
The second half of the trip took place in Winter Park for U.S. Selections, where the top 50 athletes in the country competed for starts in NorAm and World Cup events. The caliber of the athletes in the field was extremely high; there were four U.S. Ski Team athletes, U.S. athlete Bryon Wilson, winner of a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympic games, and several international athletes. Holden Largay and Eliza Marks led the charge for SVSEF, and both earned an alternate spot on the tour. Largay finished 18th in the mogul event on December 19, and Marks’ best finish was 34th in dual moguls on December 22.
Freestyle athletes next compete at the Intermountain Season Opener in Snowbird, January 6-8.
Complete results
Freeskiing takes advantage of park and pipe features in Park City
Six SVSEF freeski athletes made their way to Park City December 18-22 for some valuable training on park and pipe features, as they are not yet available here in Sun Valley. Skiers had access to two medium/large jumps, which enabled them to work on slopestyle runs. The athletes were also able to spend time on nearly 20 different rail features, which were changed around each night for variety. In total, the group fit in three and a half days of skiing, with the added bonus of being able to practice on the 20x12-foot trampolines at the Center of Excellence.
Alpine FIS competes at Steamboat
SVSEF alpine FIS athletes competed in three slalom races in Steamboat, December 19-21. Erin Smith led the women on December 19 in 16th, followed by Skylar Cooley in 21st, PG skier Ruby Marden in 24th and PG Ella Pepin 36th out of a total of 68 athletes. Duncan Fuller and John Blackburn recorded DNFs for the day. The next day, Skylar Cooley finished 23rd and Ruby Marden, a postgrad, finished 46th in a field of 78 competitors. Teammates Erin Smith and Ella Pepin (PG) recorded DNFs. Duncan Fuller was 31st in the men’s event, which saw a total of 67 athletes, and John Blackburn had a DNF. In the final slalom on December 21, Marden landed 35th in a field of 57 women, and teammates Cooley, Pepin and Smith did not finish. Duncan Fuller cruised to 43rd in the men’s race, which fielded 71 athletes. Right behind him in 44th was teammate John Blackburn.
Complete results
I AM SVSEF – the video
I AM SVSEF: words that are spoken with pride, ownership, awareness. That instill
an innate sense of place, belonging, purpose. That continue to hold meaning
outside the world of skis, boots, boards and poles.
I AM SVSEF from svsef on Vimeo.
The Week in Review – 12/20/16
The start of the competitive season on snow usually comes with a mix of excitement and nerves; it’s the first opportunity a winter athlete has to concretely see how their training all spring, summer and fall has been paying off. That being said, athletes progress and grow even more once they actually get on snow – this is just the beginning.
Chase Josey captures bronze in halfpipe at Toyota U.S. Grand Prix
SVSEF alumni and current Gold Team snowboarder Chase Josey started things off right this past week, securing third place in the first World Cup halfpipe of the season, the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain. This was the Hailey native’s second World Cup podium, as he finished with a silver medal at the Mammoth Grand Prix last season in January. To earn bronze at Copper, Josey cleanly executed a run that featured a Double Michalchuk, frontside double cork 1080 indy, his “double bacon flip,” (or a switch double crippler) and a switch backside 900 mute, according to U.S. Snowboarding. Josey’s score of 93.75 set him apart from the rest of the international pack of 44 athletes and put him solidly on the podium behind Patrick Burgener of Switzerland, who landed in first with a score of 96.25, and Iouri Podladtchikov (IPod), also of Switzerland, who was an Olympic champion in Sochi in the halfpipe.
Complete results
U.S. Snowboarding Press Release
Alpine FIS opens up season at FIS Tech at Snow King
The Alpine FIS Team competed at the Western Region FIS Tech races at Snow King in Jackson Hole last week, which featured four races for each competitor during the course of two days; two slaloms the first day, and two giant slalom races the second.
In the ladies’ first slalom on December 13, Erin Smith finished fifth. Skylar Cooley was seventh, Ruby Marden eighth and Ella Pepin 10th. Molly Milgard finished 15th, Grace Pepin 21st, Libby Kaiser 23rd, Kaia Jensen 28th and Katelyn Rathfon 29th. In the second event of the day, Marden was sixth, Milgard 10th, Kaiser 14th, Grace Pepin 16th, Katelyn Rathfon 17th and Jensen 22nd. Ella Pepin and Cooley did not finish their second run and Smith did not finish her first.
In the men’s first slalom race, Filippo Collini skied to 14th for SVSEF, followed by John Blackburn in 16th, Matt O’Connor in 20th, Jake Blackburn in 26th, Julian Plank in 27th, Max Noddings in 29th and Thomas Klose in 31st. Noah Leininger was 33rd, Cooper Dart 34th, Carter Jendrezak 36th, Ian Hanna 38th and Blake Deilke 41st. The second slalom event saw Filippo Collini again leading the way, this time finishing 10th. John Blackburn was 12th, Spencer Wright 14th, Hayden Terjeson 18th, Leininger 26, Walter Lafky 27th and Deilke 33rd. Plank and Ian Hanna did not finish their second run, and Klose, Jake Blackburn, Jendrezak, Dart, O’Connor, Charlie Lamb, DeWolfe and Duncan Fuller did not finish their first.
Athletes switched over to giant slalom for December 14, the second day of racing. Erin Smith skied a foolproof race and finished third. Katelyn Rathfon was 15th, Molly Milgard 18th, Grace Pepin 24th, Libby Kaiser 25th and Kaia Jensen 26th. Skylar Cooley and Ella Pepin did not finish their second run. Smith took to the podium again in the second race of the day, this time finishing second. Skylar Cooley was eighth, Katelyn Rathfon 10th, Milgard 13th, Jensen 18th, Kaiser 20th and Grace Pepin 23rd.
John Blackburn had a standout day in the men’s event, earning second place in the first giant slalom event. Filippo Collini was eighth, Hayden Terjeson 10th, Duncan Fuller 16th, Charlie Lamb 22nd, Walter Lafky 26th, Noah Leininger 28th, Max Noddings 29, Julian Plank 30th, Jake Blackburn 31st, Thomas Klose 37th, Blake Deilke 42nd and Ian Hanna 44th. Matt O’Connor and Spencer Wright did not finish the second run, and Cooper Dart, Carter Jendrezak and Kristian DeWolfe did not finish the first. In the men’s final race, another giant slalom, Collini was fifth, Dart 15th, DeWolfe 19th, Leininger 22nd, Plank 24th, Jake Blackburn 25th, Noddings 26th, O’Connor 33rd, Klose 37th, Deilke 41st and Hanna 42nd. Jendrezak, Lamb, Fuller, Terjeson and John Blackburn did not finish the second run, and Lafky and Wright did not finish the first.
Complete results
Cross country competes at first JNQ of the season at Jackson
Cross country comp and prep team athletes headed down to Jackson Hole for the first Junior National Qualifiers event of the season. In all, there were around 325 competitors on course each day. Friday’s race was an individual start classic; the weather was rainy, which put most athletes who had them on zeros – for those who didn’t, it was a tricky wax day. Temperatures dropped dramatically to negative digits for the Saturday mass start skate race.
In the men’s U20/U18 5km classic race Friday, SVSEF PG athlete Eli Jensen took the win in a time of 17:08.6. Comp team skier Henry Raff was seventh overall and the second U18 finisher. PG Andrew Siegel was 16th, PG Bjorn Schou was 27th, and comp skier Landon Nurge was 35th. Cooper Roquet finished 37th, Keene Morawitz 43rd, Carter Ros 48th and Joe Hall 51st. In the women’s U20/U18 5km, PG skier Sarah Goble led SVSEF in eighth. Eve Jensen was 13th and the eighth U18 racer to finish. Lily Brunelle was right behind in 14th, the ninth U18 finisher. Kirsys Campbell skied to 25th, Laura Anderson to 38th, Michaela Petty 48th and Ellie Gorham 69th.
U16 athletes also skied the 5km course. Johnny Hagenbuch led the charge in third on the men’s side. Cash Dart finished 14th, Aidan Burchmore 24th, Cole Reeves 29th, Landon Paschall 31st, Sebi Radl-Jones 35th, Jake Gorham 36th and Kai Nelson 37th. SVSEF has a large U16 women’s contingent this season; Sophia Mazzoni and Anja Jensen finished two-three, respectively, and teammates Jenna Nurge and Ella Wolter went five-six. Chloe Tanous skied to 10th, Sascha Leidecker 12th, Laine Allison 14th, Katherine Estep 15th, Eva Grover 22nd, Christine Estep 25th, Kate Horowitz 27th, Tia Vontver 32nd, Kate Stone 33rd and Quinn Closser 38th.
Competitors under the U14 designation skied a 3km course. Alex Shaffer finished 17th, Blake DeHart 22nd and Fisher Gardner 27th. Logan Smith was seventh for girls, Luci Ludwig 11th, Anja Grover 13th, Crosby Boe 26th, Anneka Thompson 27th, Meg Keating 29th and Lyla Maxwell 30th. Sammy Smith won the girls’ U12 2km race, and Holden Archie was fifth for the boys, Tucker Smith sixth and McCallen Campbell 10th. In the novice 3km class, Sara King-Nakaoka was sixth, Taylor Dorland seventh and Grace Bloomfield 15th.
An arguably more exciting mass start format opened up competition for skate races on Saturday. SVSEF went one-two in the U20 men’s 10km; Andrew Siegel took first in a time of 26:39.8, and teammate Eli Jensen was 2.7 seconds back in second. Carter Ros was seventh in the field of 16. The U18 men also raced a 10km; Henry Raff was 10th, Cooper Roquet 18th, Landon Nurge 20th, Joe Hall 35th and Keene Morawitz 41st. Sarah Goble made the podium in the women’s U20 7.5km, finishing third. Laura Anderson broke the top ten, finishing eighth. In the U18 7.5km, Eve Jensen led the way in 10th, followed by Lily Brunelle in 11th, Kirsys Campbell in 13th, Michaela Petty 23rd and Ellie Gorham 34th.
Johnny Hagenbuch secured a win in the U16 men’s 5km skate mass start, finishing in 12:50.7. Landon Paschall was 19th, Aidan Burchmore 24th, Sebi Radl-Jones 29th, Kai Nelson 32nd and Jake Gorham 33rd. U16 skier Anja Jensen got her second podium of the weekend, again finishing third. Sophia Mazzoni was fourth, Ella Wolter fifth and Sascha Leidecker 10th. Katherine Estep finished 12th, Laine Allison 13th, Jenna Nurge 16th, Chloe Tanous 20th, Eva Grover 21st Tia Vontver 26th, Kate Horowitz 27th, Christine Estep 31st, Kate Stone 32nd and Quinn Closser 37th.
In the men’s U14 3km race, Fisher Gardner was 19th, Blake DeHart 20th, and Alex Shaffer 21st. Logan Smith won the girls’ 3km in 9:42.3. Luci Ludwig was fifth, Anja Grover eighth, Crosby Boe 17th, Anneka Thompson 27th, Lyla Maxell 29th and Meg Keating 30th. Sammy Smith again won the girls’ U12 2km race. Tucker Smith was fourth in the boys’ U12 2km, and McCallen Campbell was 11th. Taylor Dorland, who switched over from alpine this year, won the girls’ novice race. Teammate Sara King-Nakaoka was third and Grace Bloomfield was 12th.
Complete results
Alpine FIS and USSA in midst of competitions at Eric Hays Memorial in Park City
The 35th annual Eric Hays Memorial at Park City kicked off with open slalom races on the 17th, drawing athletes from all over the Intermountain region. Maddie Ferris, our SVSEF Athlete of the Month for November for demonstrating high levels of dedication and motivation in the dryland season, finished fourth in the women’s race. Teammate Lily Fitzgerald was seventh, Molly Milgard 17th, Katelyn Rathfon 18th, Merumo Ishimaru 19th, Carlota Pomes 27th and Grace Pepin 32nd. Bennett Snyder led the charge for SVSEF in the men’s slalom with a ninth place finish. Kristian DeWolfe was 12th, Hayden Terjeson 12th, and Thomas Klose 14th. Also finishing in the top 30 was Cooper Dart in 16th, Buey Grossman in 18th, Matt O’Connor 19th, Jack Smith 20th, Carter Jendrezak 22nd, Max Noddings 23rd, Wyatt Minor 24th and Noah Leininger 26th.
Racing continued on the 18th with a second slalom. Merumo Ishimaru, a Community School student who hails from Hokkaido, Japan and is part of the Sun Valley Ski Academy, skied a strong race and finished on the podium in second place. Lily Fitzgerald narrowly missed joining her, finishing in fourth. Molly Milgard was sixth, Katelyn Rathfon 10th, Alli Rathfon 11th, Carlota Pomes 14th and Grace Pepin 20th. Bennett Snyder again had the top SVSEF finish of the day in the men’s race, coming in fifth. Right behind him was teammate Kristian DeWolfe in sixth and Jack Smith in eighth. Charlie Lamb secured a top-15 spot in 15th, Carter Jendrezak was 16th, Buey Grossman 21st, Jake Blackburn 23rd, Max Noddings 25th and Noah Leininger 28th.
Yesterday’s race was a giant slalom, and two SVSEF athletes came out swinging to take one-two on the day in the women’s event. Alli Rathfon took the win, and Lily Fitzgerald was second, .06 seconds off the winning time. Katelyn Rathfon finished fifth, Merumo Ishimaru ninth, Marit Kaiser 19th, Maddie Ferris 23rd, Carlota Pomes 25th, Sage Holter 26th, and Molly Milgard 29th. Bennett Snyder broke through in the men’s race, also securing a podium with a second place finish. A solid grouping of SVSEF athletes followed, with Charlie Lamb in seventh, Wyatt Minor in eighth, Max Noddings in ninth, Buey Grossman in 10th and Jack Smith in 12th. Noah Leininger finished 14th, Charlie Stumph 15th, Cooper Dart 18th, Hayden Terjeson 20th, Carter Jendrezak tied for 23rd and Julian Plank was 26th.
Today is the final day of racing, with a second giant slalom.
Complete results
Freestyle kicks off competition at U.S. Selections in Winter Park
Winter Park in Colorado is currently hosting Freestyle U. S. Selections, which serve the purpose of qualifying skiers for NorAm competition starts, and possibly U.S. World Cup starts. The events draw highly qualified competitors from all over the U.S., as they’re a stepping stone to national and international events. Athletes competed yesterday in moguls, and will again compete on Wednesday in moguls and Thursday in dual moguls. SVSEF's Eliza Marks put down a solid result with a 41st place finish, in a field of competitors from China, Austria, Australia, and across the U.S. Eliza was the youngest athlete in the women's event, and competed against women up to ten years her senior. Holden Largay led the charge in men's moguls for SVSEF, finishing 18th. Brody Buchwalter was 46th, Luke Rizzo 47th, Alex LaFleur 50th, Hunter Diehl 57th and Wilson Dunn 58th in a highly competitive field of 67. The competition continues Wednesday – stay tuned.
Complete results
"On the Rise" – SVPN features SVSEF athletes in its January 2017 issue
SVPN highlights some of the athletes who make this organization what it is. Read the full story here.
The Week in Review - 12/13/16
It’s been an eventful week for SVSEF athletes, with early season races in the books and productive training sessions on fresh snow. Efforts both in competition and practice have been focused, grounding and energizing – now’s the time to put all that training to use, work on areas of improvement, seek challenge and have a grand old time in the upcoming winter season.
Cross Country Gold Team finds Super Tour podiums at Silver Star
Following a strong Super Tour opener at West Yellowstone, the SVSEF Cross Country Gold Team headed north to the Sovereign Lakes Nordic Center in Silver Star, BC, where they spent the week training in preparation for the second round of Super Tour races. Saturday featured a 1.2-km classic sprint, followed by a 15/10km freestyle race on Sunday. The race weekend came with temperatures in the single digits, compared to the sub-zero numbers the team saw all week prior. Julia Kern of the SMS Elite Team won the women’s sprint, followed by Liz Guiney of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project in second, and Kaitlynn Miller, of the same affiliation, in third. Mary Rose qualified for the B-final, finishing 10th overall. Reese Hanneman of Alaska Pacific University took first in the men’s race, followed closely by SVSEF Gold Team skier Cole Morgan, who was 0.87 seconds out of first and who had won the men’s qualifier earlier that day. SMS Elite Team skier Ben Saxton rounded out the podium in third. SVSEF’s Matt Gelso continued his solid Super Tour efforts with a fifth place finish.
Chris Mallory, Cross Country Gold Team Head Coach, gave some insight about the day. "Cole Morgan started things off right for the team Saturday with a blazing fast classic qualifier, winning by four seconds. He opted to double pole the course, which played to his strengths well. After three rounds of racing, Cole placed second on the day to Hanneman in a tough double pole battle down the finishing stretch. It was a great spectating course with a series of four climbs that wound in and out of the stadium. Gelso also skied strong all day, making it to the A Final. He was one of the few to go with kick wax all day and stride the final decisive climb. It was fun to watch the two guys take two different approaches to the course, both having some success."
Sunday's freestyle race featured fresh snow and tough climbs. Scott Patterson of APU took the men’s 15km win in a time of 40:00.2. Gelso maintained the consistency he's shown from early on this season, skiing into second place, 13.2 seconds behind Patterson. Tad Elliot of Vail finished third. SVSEF’s Jack Hegman was 10th, Rogan Brown 11th, and Cole Morgan 28th. APU took home another win on Sunday, with Chelsea Holmes leading the women’s field. Katharine Ogden of SMS Elite was second, and her teammate Erika Flowers was third. Mary Rose led the SVSEF women in fifth; Deedra Irwin skied to ninth, and Annie Pokorny to 23rd. Rose and Irwin's results marked their best races of the season thus far.
Gelso's result on Sunday secured his top spot on the U.S. Super Tour points list, and earned him World Cup starts beginning in late January in Sweden and South Korea.
The Gold Team returns home to Sun Valley for a breather before their next stint at Soldier Hollow for the Senior Nationals the second week of January.
Complete sprint results
Complete distance results
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Cross Country Devo, Prep and Comp Team athletes warm up with local Winterstart races
The snowstorm we saw last weekend left Galena Lodge with over a foot of fresh powder, just in time for the annual Winterstart event. This year, there were two, four and eight-kilometer options for participants. All courses began in the ever-scenic Senate Meadows and headed up Jenny’s Way into the woods before breaking out at the northeastern side of the field. The snow was soft and temperatures cold, which meant slightly slower going. In the men’s two-kilometer race, Blake DeHart finished first in a time of 7:40. Right behind him was Fisher Gardner, who finished second in 7:43. Alex Shafer was third, and Mats Radl-Jones fourth; all are SVSEF skiers. In the women’s two-kilometer race, SVSEF’s Sammy Smith took first in a time of 7:26. Anja Grover was just one second off the winning time, landing her in second place. SVSEF’s Berkeley Canfield finished fourth, Taylor Dorland fifth, Anneka Thompson sixth, and Riley Siegel, the only Devo participant, crossed the line in eighth.
The four-kilometer option headed up Nello’s and brought racers to the southern end of the meadows. SVSEF skiers made up the entire men’s and women’s fields for this length. Sebi Radl-Jones took first in the men’s race with a time of 15:50; Jake Gorham was second. Luci Ludwig topped the women’s field in 16:40, and was followed by teammates Christine Estep in second, Tia Vontver third, Kate Stone fourth, Kate Horowitz fifth and Quinn Closser sixth.
Racers who opted for the eight-kilometer course skied the four kilometer course twice. There were no SVSEF athletes in the men’s race, which was won by Bill Nurge in a time of 27:11. SVSEF alum Alexa Turzian won the women’s event in 30:11, followed by Kristin Monahan, SVSEF Comp Team Coach. Monahan’s athlete Eve Jensen rounded out the podium in third, Gold Team skier Kelsey Phinney was fourth, and SVSEF’s Anja Jensen, Sascha Leidecker and Ellie Gorham were fifth, sixth and seventh.
Complete results
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SVSEF Gold Team skier Kipling Wiesel and PG athlete Haley Cutler stake out top finishes in Canada
Lake Louise in BC hosted two Nor-Am downhills and one Canadian National Championship downhill. According to SVSEF FIS coach Brett Jacobson, “cold temperatures and clean skiing rule up in Lake Louise. Highs of -9 with lows creeping to -30 degrees Fahrenheit all week helped to make an amazing racing surface. Lake Louise staff and volunteers worked their tails off to make one of the best courses available.” SVSEF Gold Team skier Kipling Wiesel and PG skier Haley Cutler made the most of the favorable course – Weisel finished in sixth and eighth in the Nor-Am downhills, and Cutler was fifth for her first race, but did not finish her second. In the Canadian National Championship downhill, Weisel narrowly missed the podium, skiing into fourth. Cutler rebounded from a hard tumble in the previous Nor-Am downhill on a very difficult section of the course, and ended up in sixth for the third event.
At Panorama Resort, the terrain was “unrelenting and challenging, yet consistent.” Cutler came in seventh place in her first super G, and Weisel finished 18th and 13th in the two races. Races at Panorama continue through the 18th of December – look for more results soon.
Complete Lake Louise results
Panorama Results
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Hanna Blackwell competes at Rev Tour at Copper
(words by Tyler Conway, SVSEF Head Freeski Coach)
Hanna Blackwell set out to compete in the U.S. Revolution Tour on December 10, 2016 at Copper Mountain Resort in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This being an Olympic qualifying season, athletes from all over the world competed in this halfpipe event. The Rev Tour is a stepping-stone to the U.S. Freeskiing Team and serves as a platform for young athletes to make a name for themselves. With limited halfpipe training due to unseasonably warm temperatures, Hanna took advantage of the only halfpipe open in the USA. She skied well for the first competition of the season, finishing in 30th. This shows the importance of the halfpipe and slopestyle ski training that Dollar Mountain provides for the SVSEF Freeski Team; helping us compete with the world’s best.
Complete results