Smiles for Miles as Fink-Debray bags eighth Baldy Hill Climb title
Dedicated athlete and trainer Miles Fink-Debray collected his eighth Baldy Hill Climb championship Saturday, completing the 1.86-mile, 3,140 vertical foot course from the bottom of Warm Springs to the top in 37 minutes and 57 seconds. With the victory, 27-year-old Fink-Debray became the only man to win the BHC eight times, breaking a seven-victory tie with Michael Tobin. Cross-country skier Henry Gorman was second in 38:51 and Gus Pelican third in 40:26 and second in the Cheeso Double.
“That was pretty impressive for Gus to be on podium for the double and the racing class,” SVSEF coach and co-organizer Tom Smith said.
Cheeso Double record-holder Brooke Hovey tackled the course on foot this year, winning in 43:33 to best a field of 23. She finished eighth overall in the 82-strong racing class. SVSEF Cross Country Gold Team member and last year’s champion Mary Rose was runner up in 50:24. Angenie McCleary was third in 51:43.
A Wayne Gretzky-like 99 turned out for hiking class, with Michele Hampton celebrating a recent birthday topping the field by more than a minute, clocking in at 54:38 to runner-up Scott Montgomery’s 55:43. Perennial competitor Tricia Swartling placed third in 56:38.
Connor, Bill and John Campbell combined to win the family class in 2:46.41.
In the 400-foot Kinderclimb, Nick Fehr, Michael Fehr and Lucy Lamoureux finished in under six minutes. Macy Devore and Will Lamoureux clocked in in less than seven minutes and Cody Lloyd, Ethan Chizum and Thijs Lloyd were under the 11-minute mark.
Richard Feldman barreled his way to a new course record in the biking portion of the Cheeso Double, completing the 2,600 vertical, nine-mile Cold Springs course in 59:54, lowering Josh Berry’s standard of 1:03.31 by more than three and a half minutes. He went on to place seventh overall in the climb and win the Double in 1:42.54. Pelican was second in 1:44.56 and Eric Chizum third in 1:54.07.
“I think Richard Feldman was one of the more impressive performances of the day, breaking the record by that much,” Smith remarked.
Janelle Connors captured the women’s Double division in 2:41.46. Eva DeWolfe finished second, just 1:23 off Connors’ first-place pace. Third place went to Brett Stevenson in 2:51.18.
Feldman claimed the biking crown ahead of Josh Berry, who lowered his personal best to 1:01.04. Pelican was third. Rebecca Rusch was the top woman and seventh overall in 1:17.35 followed by Connors and DeWolfe.
Racing class champions (youngest to oldest) were 19-under: Libby Kaiser (1:05.25), 20-29: Rose (50:24), 30-29: McCleary (51:43), 40-49: Hovey (43:33), 50-59: Kim Kawaguchi (54:29), 70-79: Gabriele Anderson (1:02.46), 19-under: Lukash Platil (41:23), 20-29: Fink-Debray 37:57, 30-39: Ceja Ramon (44:23), 40-49: Greg Lindstrom (41:56), 50-59: Jon Engen (44:35), 60-69: Cleve Johnson (56:23), and 70-79: Del Pletcher (57:48).
The event attracted 205 participants.
Calvin, Scott, Owen and Tizz Miller all made it to the top.
“I think it went really well,” Smith said. “Overall, results were a little bit slower than the past due to the re-grading of the ski run. It made for a really tough course. But I think it is a testament to how strong the field was as people still had really good times. It was a great day.”
Smith went on to thank community sponsors and supporters, including Sturtevants, Sun Valley Company, Backwoods, The Elephant’s Perch. Durance Cycleworks, Solomon, Sport Stat USA and Sun Summit.
“We would also like to thank the ski team parents for volunteering and making it happen. It’s a huge community event that would not take place without their help and the support of our sponsors,” Smith said.
2015 Baldy Hill Climb Results
Racing Class
Hiking Class
Cheeso Double Class
Biking Class
Rose rises to the occasion, wins Whiteface Climb to the Castle
Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Cross Country Gold Team member Mary Rose won the women's title Sunday at the Climb to the Castle in Whiteface, New York. Rose, 24, rollerskied her way up Whiteface Mountain's 4,867 feet in 45:14.1.
"It's a testament how hard work pays off over time. She's clearly been putting the work in for the last several years and now one of the better distance skiers in the country. It is not a surprise she had success at this event. Good job, Mary," SVSEF Cross Country Program Director Rick Kapala said.
Rose crossed the finish line 27 seconds ahead of runner up Annalies Cook (USBA). SVSEF teammate Paige Schember was 6th in 51:51.3.
Fellow Gold Team members Rogan Brown, Miles Havlick (9th) and Ben Lustgarten (12th) were also in the mix. Brown finished fourth in the men's race, 15.3 seconds behind winner Patrick Caldwell. SVSEF alumni Max Durtschi was 10th.
Lake Placid, New York, where Whiteface Mountain is located, was the site of the 1980 Winter Olympics. The Gold Team has been training on the East Coast for the past couple of weeks with head coach Colin Rodgers.
For a full account of the event, please check out Faster Skier.
Coach Rick Millett joins SVSEF's snowboard program
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation is pleased to welcome Rick Millett to the snowboard program as the new head coach for the Travel Team. Rick takes over for Nate Farrell who recently resigned to attend grad school at the University of Portland.
“Although I am going to miss Nate, I cannot fault a guy for wanting to further his education," Snowboard Program Director Andy Ware said. “I am really excited that our organization was able to bring in Rick Millett as the new head coach. Rick has a lot of competitive experience - both as a competitor and a coach. His enthusiasm for snowboarding is a 10 and he has the technical skills to back it up.”
Millett remarked, "I am wicked excited to have this opportunity to share my passion and knowledge with these athletes/riders. My successful competitive background helped make me a stand out coach. My first time arriving to Sun Valley, it was obvious to me that Baldy Mountain and Dollar Mountain are amazing training grounds for these riders to progress."
For the past decade, Millett has been the head coach of the snowboard program and park director for the Mt. Hood Summer ski and snowboard camps. He added,
“I am excited and honored to be a part of the SVSEF Snowboard Program. This very reputable program allows athletes to pursue a future or career in professional competitive snowboarding. I am looking forward to meeting all the athletes, parents, and staff, when I arrive in Idaho. I am stoked for our winter season. Let it snow!"
To see Rick Millett in action at Mt. Hood, HERE
Team-Specific Air Barn Training Starts Today
Team-specific training begins this week at the Air Barn for Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation athletes.
SVSEF Program Director Andy Ware, who heads the freestyle/freeski and snowboard divisions, sent the following correspondence to his athletes.
"Just a reminder that after school Air Barn training begins this week. The schedule is on the SVSEF website calendar, click here; https://svsef.org/events/
I know many athletes are playing other fall sports and that is great. Come join us once your season is wrapped up or if you have a day off and want to come bounce or ramp.
Sessions are $25 per session and I bill your SVSEF account weekly. After-school sessions are now team-specific so check the calendar to see when your team is training.
Please make sure you have renewed your USSA license and completed the SVSEF online registration prior to coming to the Air Barn, which is located at 100 Arrowleaf Road at Community School's Sagewillow Farm.
The new air bag is open and winch is on its way. Athletes can bring skis or snowboards now to get the feel of riding the ramp and we have a rail set up for athletes to try too. I currently do not have any inventory of extra skis or snowboards so athletes must bring their own gear."
For details or additional questions, contact Ware at aware@svsef.org.
FIS Team update from Coach Nate Schwing
FIS Team,
We have been busy in office working and planning for the nearing winter season. We have been sending out quite a bit of information about dryland and our upcoming fall camps. I wanted to send you all a quick summarization of what we have been working on and what we plan to work on as we move into the fall season.
Dryland – Our fall dryland program will kick off next week. The first day of dryland will be Tuesday, November 8. The team will meet at the Sun Valley Pavilion Lawn (flag pole) from 4-5:30 p.m.
Equipment – I have been working with many families on purchasing equipment for the season. I have the sense that most families have either ordered equipment or are in the process of ordering equipment. I also know that there are some of you out there who haven’t begun the equipment ordering process yet. I recommend that if you haven’t ordered your skis equipment yet that you make that a priority in the near future. This is the time when reps and ski companies get busy and it pays off to order your equipment early so that you have ample time to prepare your equipment in time for fall camps. If anyone needs assistance or has any questions as to what they need to order, please get in touch with me.
Equipment night – We will be having our annual equipment night sometime around the end of September. This is a night where company reps come to town and sell their brands at a racer price discount. Local ski shops also sell race gear at a racer price discount. Equipment Night is a good time to pick up helmets, poles, gloves, suits, etc. I anticipate the date for Equipment Night will be solidified soon and we will pass that date along when it is set.
Fall Camps – The deadline for the Soelden World Cup trip and the Europe camp has come and past and we have our rosters set for those projects. We have a big group attending which is great! For those athletes not attending Europe we are planning a four-day slalom camp at Snow King, Nov. 5-8. We are working on solidifying a camp announcement and we will share that announcement soon.
Western Region Camps – The Western Region has gone though some staffing changes that have delayed their fall camp announcements and invites. The new WR staff began working together this week and I have been told that information on the Western Region camps will come out on Friday. We will have a number of athletes who will be invited to these projects and we will work with athletes and families individually to decide if there are Western Region camps that make sense in preparation for the season.
Career Development – Erika Rixon (formally Hogan) has been crafting SVSEF’s new career development program which assists SVSEF athletes with college and athletic planning following their time with SVSEF. The rollout of this program will happen in the fall with an initial meeting available to athletes and families. For this year’s seniors, you have most likely started the process of identifying potential schools. I know some seniors are further along in this process than others and we have been receiving valuable feedback from seniors who have visited schools and met with college coaches. Erika is available to assist in this process and I encourage seniors to get in touch with Erika and schedule a meeting with her. For any seniors who have aspirations or are considering ski racing beyond their time at SVSEF, the time is now to start exploring options and taking the initiative to contact potential college coaches.
G4G: Solly Gee! No Weekes effort. Carter and Company Tryder hardest
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation staged its second annual Golf for Gold tournament Tuesday at Bigwood Golf Course. The nine-hole tournament is a resurrection of the John Harker Memorial Golf Tournament run by the SVSEF from 1981 to 1993. Two flights were staged – morning and afternoon – with a total of 23 teams taking part in the event sponsored by Washington Federal.
This year, the Harker perpetual trophy was awarded to the foursome of Tim Carter, Jack Weekes, Josh Solly and Billy Tryder, who thanks to Solly’s towering drives, combined for a winning nine-under 27. The quartet finished one shot ahead of Dave Hennessy, Neil Bradshaw, Duncan Morton and Kurt Funkhouser. Due to a misplaced scorecard, the second-place foursome was not announced until three days after the tournament and well after prizes were distributed.
A card-off was utilized to determine third place (second place at the awards party), which went to birthday boy Phil McNichol, wife SJ McNichol, Hunter Storey and Gabe Schroder with a 29. Also carding 29 were Jill Brennan, Jim McElveen, Olin Glenne, and Robin Sarchett.
Grand prizes of 18-hole rounds of golf for four were donated by The Valley Club, Sun Valley Company and Bigwood Golf Course. No one was able to cash in on hole-in-one prizes of a Polaris snowmobile or ATV provided by Woodside Motor Sports in Hailey.
Earning $100 gift certificates to the Pioneer Saloon for Longest Drive was SJ McNichol on the ninth green and Neil Bradshaw on the third. Calloway putters were awarded to Jolie Dunn (#6) and Tim Carter (#5) for Closest to the Pin.
SVSEF alumna and Olympic Gold and Silver medalist Picabo Street participated in the tournament helping teammates Rob McGowan, Alex LaFleur, and David Holmes card a 33. She also addressed the crowd at the awards banquet.
“It is vitally important we support our SVSEF Gold athletes and their quest to be the best in the world. At one time I was that athlete and I could not have gotten where I did without the SVSEF and my hometown. The SVSEF made me the person I am today,” Street said.
![FullSizeRender[2]](https://svsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/FullSizeRender2.jpg)
Picabo Street with the Harker Trophy
SVSEF’s 2015-16 Gold Program is comprised of U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team athletes Chase Josey (snowboard), Tai Barrymore and Jacob Beebe (freeski), Kipling Weisel and Tanner Josey (alpine) as well as Nordic skiers Mary Rose, Deedra Irwin, Paige Schember, Matt Gelso, Miles Havlick, Ben Lustgarten and Rogan Brown. The program was formed by the SVSEF in 2005 as a way to support our elite athletes who had risen to the top and were ready to compete on an international level. One former SVSEF Gold Team member is 2014 Olympic halfpipe champion Kaitlyn Farrington.
Hank Minor and the crew at Bigwood Grill staged a fabulous buffet dinner on the deck where a proverbial good time was had by all. Doug Kaiser was the grand prize raffle winner of a half-day skiing with Picabo Street.
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation would like to thank everyone who participated, donated, volunteered and worked toward making this event a success, especially Washington Federal, Hank Minor and Bigwood Grill, Woodside Motorsports, Swire Coca Cola, Rocky Mountain Hardware, Pioneer Saloon, Sun Valley Company, The Valley Club, Bigwood Golf Course, Kelley Sinnott and the SVSEF Nordic Gold Team. We are indebted to you one and all and hope to see you again next year.
Results
2015 Golf for Gold Tournament
1st place – 27: Tim Carter, Josh Solly, Jack Weekes, Billy Tryder
2nd place – 28: Dave Hennessy, Neil Bradshaw, Duncan Morton, Kurt Funkhouser
3rd place – 29: SJ McNichol, Phil McNichol, Gabe Schroder, Hunter Storey
4th place – 29: Jill Brennan, Jim McElveen, Olin Glenne, Robin Sarchett
5th place – 29: Lane Monroe, Pat Bauman, Chris Mazzola, Kirk Anderson
30: Bill Mason, JB Barlow, Shawn Aicher, Steve Meyers
31: Zach Crist, Rich Fabiano, Baird Gourlay, Carmen Bradley
32: Sheila Naghsh, Chris Zarkos, Milt Smalls, Ron Miller
32: John Perenchio, Ben Pettit, Luis Sanchez, Will Brandenburg
32: Hank Minor, Aaron Thompson, Gardiner Young, Wyatt Minor
32: Eric Madsen, Per Lindfors, Bryan Jorgensen, John Iasonides
32: Kyle Rafford, Barrett Molter, Dave Swenke, Agung Prabowo
33: Picabo Street, Rob McGowan, Alex LaFleur, David Holmes
33: Julie Daniels-West, Janet Appleton, Tom West, Glen Thomas
34: Linda Hadam, Tom Van Hemelryck, Stuart Siderman, Jeff Harris
34: Brick Blackburn, Tyler Ferris, John Blackburn, Jake Blackburn
34: Val Gillespie, Roger Roland, DJ Hart, Byron Karrys
35: Sam Adicoff, Ron Parsons, Bruce Martin, Jim Taft
35: Scott McGrew, Andy Ware, Nate Schwing, Brett Jacobson
36: Diana Hoover, Pat Gentry, Jolie Dunn, Spooky Taft
36: Chase Josey, Andy Gilbert, Mike Fitzpatrick, Jon Verhaeghe
35: John Shay, Orlie Sather, Burr Sproatt, Brian Caulkins
37: Michael Halstead, Paul Carson, John Broschofsky, Nick Maricich
New Zealand alpine camp an epic adventure on and off snow
Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Alpine Program Director Scott McGrew wrote his final dispatch about training camp in New Zealand while flying home Wednesday. Here's what he shared.
Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Alpine Program Director Scott McGrew wrote his final dispatch about training camp in New Zealand while flying home Wednesday. Here's what he shared.As the island fades beneath us, we are now en route flying from Queenstown to Auckland. As such, I can't help but find it amazing that all of us (and hopefully all our gear), found our way onboard this aircraft. Traveling overseas as a ski team is no easy matter; the amount of planning, equipment, and logistics make for an epic trip, and nothing is simple.
The departure process was a big one as we buffed out our respective houses, made a final lap through Wanaka, headed over the mountains to Queenstown, and managed to check all 15 of us and our 36 bags through the ticket kiosk. Now that we are in the air, I finally have a moment to send a much overdue update.
Since the last note I wrote, so much has happened! After spending a few weeks in close quarters with the kids, I realize how connected everyone is through social media. In the old days, the only trickle of information was what came through the coaches email, or a seldom landline phone call. From what I can gather, within minutes of something exciting happening, it is already published, uploaded, and worldwide. I have the strong sense that parents are very in the loop on the trip and everything that we have been up to. I realize that some of you may not be getting the constant media updates – so here is a little color for the record.
From the coaches' perspective – it was an incredible camp. This place is beyond breathtaking and we got a serious dose of the New Zealand mountains. We skied 13 of 14 days, and visited three different areas (except the FIS crew which went to two). We had FIS starts, logged some epic training sessions, got soaked to the bone before sunrise, freeskied powder in Treble Cone, got to know the town of Wanaka like the back of our hand, finally got acclimated to driving on the left hand side of the road, became EXPERTS in the art of fitting and removing snow chains, got encased in frozen ice, got to hear god knows how many different accents, played loads of soccer, got to know the Wanaka medical clinic quite well, learned the rules of rugby, and worked extremely hard on our skiing.
After the last update, the weather turned nasty. We were battling it out up there, but oh my can the weather get bad down here. The races were postponed for a day, so we headed back down the valley, waited a few hours then went up to catch Treble Cone for the rest of the day. It was an incredible day of skiing. The mountain was STEEP, and the clouds started to part making it hard to believe that we could be skiing such an epic day with no one out there. It was a nice change from the morning’s dose of buckets and buckets of rain. The views were unlike anything I have ever seen with the lakes below, and the Chroma pop colors. Unreal… The kids were pumped.
The following day, I grabbed the athletes who were not racing and went to Roundhill, a tiny ski area situated three hours north of Wanaka on Lake Tekabu. The place was really something. For the most part it was a Rotarun type mountain. Not much more than a surface lift and simple terrain. Of course, there was something to it as the men's and women's U.S. World Cup teams were training there. We drilled and drilled alongside Mikeala, Lydsey, Steve Nyman, Andrew Weibrecht, and the rest of the crew. It was a great day, topped off with the world’s longest rope tow. Impressive little place in the middle of now where. We loved it. It is amazing how much you can accomplish with such a simple setup. You are always on your feet, in the zone, as you watch everyone train and drill. There is no chairlift escape from the work being done and it is quiet evident what the U.S. National team was doing there…. It is a hotbed of improvement and something we will be looking at in the future. Meanwhile, Nate and the FIS crew were hammering it out in Cardrona at the FIS races. It was a great race, with a perfect size field and scorable conditions.
The next day was the slalom race. The FIS crew, again, raced and I had training set up on the lower mountain. We had a great day of slalom training. Everyone who didn’t finish the first run came and joined for the slalom session and we capitalized on the icy surface. Run after run we worked on turn shape, independent feet, and solid positioning on our skis – the theme of the camp. This finished up our eighth straight day on snow. That evening we went to a theater in Wanaka called the Paradiso. Best movie theater I have ever been to. The seats are all old cozy couches, they serve you dinner followed by fresh baked cookies at intermission; the entire experience was unique and totally cool.
The next day we took off from skiing. It was cold, windy and rainy – perfect to head to Queenstown. We spent the day perusing the hustle and bustle of the mountain town. Some of the kids (and myself) leapt off “The Ledge” on the quintessential bungy experience. I never really imagined bungy jumping in a pounding snowstorm, but that is what we did. Queenstown was a great spot for everyone to do some souvenir shopping, and get a little bit of a ‘city’ experience (compared to quiet little Wanaka). The town is situated right on the shores of an azure colored lake, is jam packed with young world travelers and curio shops, no doubt some of these kids will come back and visit again…
After a journey back to Wanaka, it was early to bed – back at it for five-day intensive training block.
The next five days of training were unbelievable. The weather was much improved and the surface was solid. We trained slalom the first day. It was a great day of training until…..unfortunately, Ella got a pretty good knee tweak at the end of our session. Hopefully it is on the lighter side of the injury spectrum. Ella and I have spent some time each day since at the local ‘physio’ clinic in Wanaka. It is worth mentioning that, although it sucked to be there getting Ella rehab work, it was a phenomenal clinic. For an hour long session with a physio (aka Physical Therapist), the cost is around $15 U.S. These folks were very professional, very educated, and have worked on a phenomenal number of elite athletes. Ella was getting great care with mobility work, strength work, acupuncture, and diagnostics. I was really impressed with the whole experience, and I hope Ella a speedy recovery when we get home!
The next four days marked some of the best training I can remember, anywhere. We were logging double sessions each day; hammering out volume with full-length giant slalom, followed by full length slalom. It was superb training and everyone was busting their butts to make the most of it. Setting courses with headlamps, and inspecting during the sunrise are some of those experiences that totally define alpine. The hours we keep are ridiculous and the amount of work it takes to get the gates in the snow, coaches in place, athletes warmed up, tuned up, and ready to go is phenomenal. This was a great way to finish up our onsnow camp. We are all departing New Zealand ready to come back for more…The Austrian men and women’s world cup teams just arrived on our final day at Cardrona so it certainly felt like we were in the right place and caught it at a great time.
Thank you everyone for entrusting us with your children. It is clearly a huge responsibility and privilege to travel with these fine young adults and Nate and myself had a great time being with kids. The energy, creativity, work ethic, and passion for skiing and adventure was fun to be around. These are the types of experiences that will beget more opportunity as our athletes and children learn about themselves and the world around them – and then seek more through the confidence gained. This is the foundation of experience that makes for both athletic achievement and burgeoning world citizens and future leaders.
SVSEF Welcomes New Board Members, Says Goodbye To Others
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Board of Directors recently bid farewell to three longtime members and welcomed three new members.
Last Tuesday, board president Jennifer Milgard (above) presided over her last meeting before turning the gavel over to incoming president Sam Adicoff. Milgard served on the SVSEF board for six years. Her daughter, Molly, is a current member of the U16 Alpine Team and oldest daughter, Madi, was part of the alpine program for eight years. Adicoff has been a board member for four years this August.
Two other board members who also came aboard in 2009, vice president Tim Hamilton and secretary Muffy Ritz, attended their final monthly meeting for the SVSEF.
SVSEF Executive Director Rob Clayton remarked, “I am really grateful for the time, contributions and effort that Jen, Tim and Muffy have given the organization during the past six years. Jen spent her final year as the Board Chair. She was a pleasure to work with and through her leadership has left the SVSEF in a better place than she arrived. The same can be said for Tim and Muffy. Their hard work and wisdom have been a great benefit to the SVSEF. We are going to miss all three.”
Two-year board member Charlie Dunn was elected vice president and Kelly Allison secretary. Allison is a SVSEF alumni and member of the board dating back to July 2012. Jim DeWolfe, elected to the board in April, takes over for Adicoff as treasurer.
Two former SVSEF parents and a five-time Swedish national skiing champion were elected to the board Tuesday in the form of Dave Wilson, Rebecca Waycott and Kathinka Tunney.
Wilson, the father of SVSEF alpine alumni Regan and Katie, is a longtime local contractor who served as Mayor of Sun Valley from 1999 to 2004. After graduating from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1968, Wilson was employed by the U.S. Justice Department as a supervisory criminal investigator from 1969 to 1977. He established Wilson Construction in 1977 and was an executive member of the National Association of Home Builders for several years, culminating with serving as president in 2005. Following a six-year tenure as chairman of the Idaho Housing Finance Association, Wilson currently serves as Public Interest Director of the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, Iowa. According to Wilson, the bank possesses 125 billion dollars in assets. Dave and wife Trish reside in Sun Valley.
"I look forward to helping our kids in the valley becoming better young adults," Wilson said.
Rebecca Waycott’s two children, Colin and Louisa, are SVSEF alumni as well, with Colin skiing on the alpine team for 11 years. A graduate of Wellesley College, Waycott earned a pair of master’s degrees in international business from Thunderbird Graduate School, and counseling psychology from Pacifica Graduate School in California.
"The experience of ski team and the influence our incredible coaches had on our children was irreplaceable," Waycott said. "It helped make them who the successful young adults that they are today. I am thrilled to be joining the SVSEF board as I feel that SVSEF is one of the most important nonprofits in our valley."
In 2002, Waycott co-founded St. Thomas Playhouse in Ketchum and has served as committee chair of the organization since 2007. She is also a current member of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s Education Outreach Committee. Waycott was president of the Community School’s parent’s association from 2006 to 2008. She lives in Ketchum with her husband Richard. The Waycott family moved to Ketchum in 2001 after a period of 20 years spent living in Venezuela and Brazil.
Waycott remarked, "Our wonderful programs combined with a great school system helps to attract great families to the Wood River Valley - families who are interested in a healthy and creative environment for their children combined with athletics and a strong educational system. I look forward to spreading the word about all of the benefits SVSEF brings to our athletes and their families. It's a wonderful program."
Kathinka Tunney was born in Sweden and grew up to be a formidable ski racer, competing for the national team at the 1962 World Championships and 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria. A five-time Swedish National Champion (4DH/1GS), Tunney’s best World Cup finish was seventh place in downhill at St. Moritz. She went on to race on the Sierra Tahoe Pro Circuit in 1975.
Fluent in English, Swedish and French, Tunney graduated from the School of Translation and Interpreting at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Married to former U.S. Senator John Tunney, California, the pair shares three children and “one awesome Norwich Terrier,” and reside in Ketchum.
“I look forward to being part of a board that is devoted to enhancing the name of SVSEF in the development of superb race teams in the disciplines of alpine & nordic skiing and assisting more talented young athletes in the community to have access and financial support to participate in the many activities offered by SVSEF that will shape their futures and fill their daily lives with the many joys of sports such as enduring friendships and physical health,” Tunney said.
Tunney sits on the board of advisors for the Positive Coaching Alliance in California and was formerly a member of the Special Olympics, California, and Special Olympics International. She served as chairman of the Special Olympics Sports Rules Committee, World Games Committee and chaired the Site Selection Committee, which selected Los Angeles as the location for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, which will be the largest single event held LA since the 1984 Summer Olympics with 7,000 athletes representing 170 countries, according to Tunney.
Tunney cites her hobbies as Nordic and alpine skiing, biking, water skiing and climbing the Alps and Mont Blanc.
“Our new members bring great perspective to the Board. Both Dave and Rebecca have had children pass through the SVSEF and know what the benefits of the program are. Kathinka brings a strong competitive background to the SVSEF along with a great deal of nonprofit experience. We are fortunate to gain three well-qualified members to replace our outgoing group of exceptional people,” Clayton said.
Idaho Mountain Express reports on SVSEF expansion of USOC designation
The Idaho Mountain Express today reported on the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation's expanding United States Olympic Committee designation as an official Olympic Training Site for four winter disciplines: alpine, cross country. freestyle/freeskiing and snowboard. Click here to read reporter Amy Busek's story.
We are proud of all our athletes and proud that We Are SVSEF.
[vimeo width="auto" height="411"]http://vimeo.com/111648306[/vimeo]
Several of our athletes sat down with Mark Oliver to talk about the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and what it means to them. Here's the finished video that premiered at the 2014 Wild West Game Dinner Saturday in Sun Valley. We are proud of all our athletes and proud that We Are SVSEF.