Athletes of the Month: February

SVSEF athletes of the month are selected collectively by program directors, based on successful athletic performance in competition. Luke Rizzo, a skier with the mogul travel team, and Jessica Blackburn, a member of the alpine IMD team, are the athletes of the month for February.


© Glen Allison

LUKE RIZZO

Luke Rizzo, 17, is a skier on the mogul travel team. He is currently the third ranked junior (18 and under) in the Intermountain region, the 12th junior in the country, and 16th overall in the country (excluding U.S. team members). He has skied to a couple first places finishes this season, and took sixth and seventh at the Intermountain Division Championships in moguls and duals in February. Luke competed in his first NorAm last week in Park City; this is the level of competition that falls directly below World Cups, with high-caliber athletes from all over the world. Last week, there were skiers from Japan, Australia, Russia, Korea, Canada and Germany, and many of them have recently skied on the World Cup circuit. Also competing were a few athletes currently on the U.S. team. “I was extremely happy to see all his hard work throughout the season pay off,” said Mogul Technical Director John Grigsby. “Just getting the invitation to ski with the25 top-ranked athletes in the U.S. is a huge.” Luke is currently in Park City for Junior Nationals, where he has good chance of standing on the podium.

Jessica Blackburn, the overall winner at last weekend’s qualifier.

JESSICA BLACKBURN

Jessica, 13, has had a fantastic season thus far, winning four races, including two in the last qualifier in Park City. Her wins last weekend propelled her to the overall award for the weekend, making her the first IMD girl to qualify for U14 Western Region Junior Championships in Jackson Hole. In addition, Jessica has been a model athlete this season, coming to training every day with an incredible level of focus. She pushes to get as many runs as she possibly can, communicates well with coaches, and is a great teammate to her peers. Due to her terrific effort this past season, Jessica has learned quite a bit about the reward of hard work and encourages her to passionately pursue ski racing. As a SVSEF IMD staff, we are very proud of her.

– Head Coach James Tautkus


ALSO MAKING WAVES: KEVIN BOLGER

Cross country Gold Team skier Kevin Bolger turned heads at his World Cup debut on March 3, and with good reason. The former University of Utah skier, who joined the Gold Team last year, walked away at the end of the day in eleventh place in the skate sprint in Lahti, Finland. Bolger jetted over to Europe when he was selected to ski the World Cup circuit, based on his top spot on the North American-based SuperTour circuit. Dubbed “the surprising man,” by the Norwegian announcers, because he had virtually come out of nowhere, Kevin led the American men, and topped a number of international competitors who have plenty of experience racing at the World Cup and Olympic level. Not bad, for a first go – congratulations to Kevin, and we can’t wait to see what he does from here.
 

Kevin, second from left. Photo: Ophira Group, via FasterSkier

 


Athletes of the Month: January

SVSEF athletes of the month are selected collectively by program directors, based on successful athletic performance in competition. Sammy Smith, who is a member of both the cross country prep team and the moguls travel team, and Ryder Sarchett, a member of the alpine USSA team, are the athletes of the month for January.


RYDER SARCHETT

On the podium at the U16 NPS project at Burke. 1st place Jack Reich (Steamboat), 2nd place Copper Puckett (Steamboat), 3rd place Ryder Sarchett (SVSEF).

Ryder Sarchett, a member of the Alpine USSA Team, has had quite an incredible month. Great results qualified him for the U16 National Performance Series, held at Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, January 9-12. The NPS series was a qualifying race for the best U16s in the country. Battling a back injury, Ryder was forced to skip one of the races; despite this setback, he was able to come back the next day and compete. A third place in the slalom race and a third in the giant slalom secured his ticket to Europe, representing the U.S. at the Seven Nations Cup (now the OPA Cup).
One of six U.S. male skiers to compete at the OPA Cup, Ryder took tenth in the slalom on February 8, and was the top American finisher. In the giant slalom on February 9, he finished second overall for his first run, but did not complete his second run.
USSA Head Coach Chuck Harris, who accompanied Ryder to the NPS event as well as the OPA Cup in Liechtenstein spoke to Ryder’s motivation. “Ryder has a tremendous drive. He can never ski enough. He is continuously the first one at training and the last one to leave. His time, commitment, and love of the sport is far and above anything I have ever been a part of. He pushes the coaches, he pushes his teammates, and most importantly he pushes himself.


SAMMY SMITH

 

Sammy in 1st for moguls at Deer Valley.

 
Sammy leads the way in the JNQ sprint at Lake Creek. Photo by Glen Allison.

As a first-year U14, Sammy is currently ranked first for female U14 athletes in the Intermountain Region in cross country skiing. Highlights include a double win at home at the Sun Valley junior national qualifiers, January 22-23.
“Sammy is one of the hardest workers we’ve had on the team,” said Prep Team Head Coach Kelley Sinnott. “Only in the sixth grade but already a leader amongst her peers, even the older boys have to fight to keep up with her on a hard effort training day. The other kids feed off her positive energy and hard work.”
Setting Sammy apart is her keen body awareness – a lot of kids her age have trouble translating words into action. Sammy is able to hear feedback about her technique and make the physical adjustment quickly and seamlessly. Her understanding of technique and body position is very apparent – Sammy has some of the best V2 technique of any skier in the program, boy or girl, through Comp Team.
Also distinctive is Sammy’s eagerness to rise to the challenge – she seems to feed off both her competitive drive and the intensity of the workout. “She flourishes in the tougher moments,” said Sinnott. “Sammy would rather do double pole intervals up the hardest hill than give in or choose an easier path.”
Sammy is as formidable a threat in moguls as she is in cross country. Only 12 years old, she is currently the 15th ranked junior in the country (juniors are 18 and under). Highlights so far this season include winning back-to-back at Squaw Valley and finishing third at Deer Valley on the World Cup course, Champion. Currently at Divisional Championships in Park City, Sammy was the top finisher in her age group (F13) in two moguls events on February 10 and 11, taking eighth overall on the 10th and sixth overall on the 11th. Two U.S. Team athletes were in the field, one of whom just skied in the World Cup at Deer Valley.
Both cross country and mogul coaches appreciate Sammy’s attitude and temperament, on top of her athletic success. “She is one of the kindest, most polite and most modest kids we’ve had – she is thankful for what she has and the work and time her coaches dedicate to her success, and she accepts accolades without fanfare,” noted Sinnott.
With such a packed schedule, Sammy’s high level of maturity and great time management are key. “She always shows up to team on time ready to work, takes full advantage of our training sessions, and always has big smile on her face,” added Josh Zuck, Sammy’s moguls coach.
“Sammy is a great skier, and at such a young age, we can’t wait to see what she is capable of as she grows bigger and gets older,” concluded Sinnott. “I and the other coaches all enjoy coaching her immensely.”