SVSEF Snowboarding Team Hits the Woodward Park City Super Pipe
By Andy Gilbert, SVSEF Snowboarding Program Director and Head Coach
SVSEF Snowboarding Team Riders were back at Woodward Park City for a halfpipe camp and USASA Big Mt. West halfpipe events Feb 25-26.
Even with lack of a halfpipe locally learning how to ride transitions is a necessary skill in building great, well rounded riders. SVSEF Snowboard Coaches Nate Sheehan and Andy Gilbert took the team down to the freshly open 22-foot super pipe. In typical Sun Valley Snowboarder fashion, riders took to the pipe with no hesitation during the Friday training day. The team was also able to gain some practical knowledge from U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Head Coach, Rick Shimpeno—just back from Beijing, he came out to work with the kids.
After a great day of training, riders were able to put these new skills to work in the two events scheduled for Saturday. Everyone continued to build on each run they took during practice, showing solid straight airs with grabs, Alley Oops and bigger amplitude as the first event started.
The youngest riders, Enzo Schmillen and Rory Gadhia, showed great fundamentals and got creative with some spins up the pipe in their runs. Miles Hatzenbuehler and Henry Georgiades rode really solid lines in the pipe with “Hatz” doing some nice methods, Henry showed a ton of potential in this discipline looking confident on both walls with nice straight airs, Naomi Gorringe rode in her traditional confident way with an aggressive line that had her only getting five hits with big grabbed straight airs, which earned her the top podium spot. Karsen Miller who discover a love for halfpipe last season wasted no time getting to business.
Halfpipe #1 shook out like this for SV Riders:
Menehune Boys 11-12
5th Miles Hatzenbuehler
6th Henry Georgiades
7th Enzo Schmillen
8th Rory Gadhia
Menehune Girls 11-12
1st Naomi Gorringe
Breaker Boys 13-14
4th Karsen Miller
Keeping with the theme of building up, riders continued to progress as the second pipe event of the day began. Everyone wanted to step up their runs by adding amplitude and some creative spins to the mix. Enzo Schmillen added an Alley Oop comp to the bottom of this run, Rory Gadhia continued to improve and grabbed his airs all the way down the pipe and took some risks with spins near the bottom. Henry Georgiades really stepped up with solid airs and looked smooth between the walls riding a nice line. Miles Hatzenbuhler smoothed out his run with noticed improvement. Naomi Gorringe was at it again riding faster, going bigger, and adding a frontside 360 to her run—grabbing the top spot again. Karsen Miller could touch the podium in the first contest, so after landing a solid first run in the second comp he went for it, landed a really nice 540 on his second run, and boosted onto the podium in the process!
It was a great three days of learning in an awesome halfpipe. Halfpipe is a discipline that Sun Valley riders have always done well in, and the skills learned riding Baldy lend themselves to it very well. It was really inspiring to see these young riders take to it and love every minute of it!
Halfpipe #2 SV Results:
Menehune Boys 11-12
6th Henry Georgiades
7th Enzo Schmillen
8th Miles Hatzenbuehler
9th Rory Gadhia
Menehune Girls 11-12
1st Naomi Gorringe
Breaker Boys 13-14
3rd Karsen Miller
Feature Photo: U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Coach w/SVSEF Snowboard team riders L-R - Miles Hatzenbuehler, Karsen Miller, Rory Gadhia, Shimpeno, Enzo Schmillen, Naomi Gorringe.
Maya Lightner, Colin Hanna, and Finnigan Donley Find Gold at Schweitzer
SVSEF Takes Top Step in Four of Eight Races at FIS Western Region Speed Series
SUN VALLEY, Idaho – Feb. 21, 2022 – The SVSEF FIS Alpine Team traveled to Schweitzer Mountain Resort for the Western Region Speed Series from Feb. 15-18, bringing home eight podium spots including four gold, two silver, and two bronze. The Series was comprised of two Downhill (DH) and two Super G (SG) races for both the men and women.
Mother Nature dealt everything she could at the athletes over the course of the week. From consistent snow and fog, to respites of sunshine, high winds, and a few squalls thrown in—the weather posed struggles for everyone but the kids did a great job, stayed focused, and skied fast and strong.
“The FIS Team is heavy into the middle of the season where races are counting for Junior and Senior Nationals qualifying,” said Sue Schwartz, SVSEF FIS Coach. “The athletes are super supportive of each other. We’ve been able to work together during the week, celebrate the wins, and even more so, come together as a team. The performances are showing the strength we have across our team—from the podiums, to those racing to their personal bests and landing top 15, 20, or even top 30 results—all are a huge accomplishment at this level of competition.”
Many of the athletes who competed at Schweitzer attended the recent SVSEF Speed Project at Soldier Mountain earlier in February. It was an opportunity for the athletes to spend time on their speed skis and work on jumping fundamentals and the ability to stay fast over a variety of terrain.
“The Soldier Mountain Speed Project was a really important part of the athletes’ speed progression this season,” said Schwartz. “The Downhill course at Schweitzer had two jumps, a long gliding section, and a lot of terrain to work with, and our athletes brought what they learned and practiced at Soldier directly to their results at this regional Speed Series.”
The event kicked off with the first Women’s Downhill on Feb. 15, but the men’s race was delayed until the second day due to foggy conditions. Maya Lightner skied away with two podium finishes—3rd place in the first Women’s Downhill and 1st place in the second race. Paige DeHart took 6th in race one and 15th in race two, while Cameron Crus skied to 7th and 12th respectively. Lauren Stendell earned the 23rd spot in both Women’s Downhill races.
In the Men’s Downhill, Colin Hanna took the overall win for both races held on Feb. 16. Finnigan Donley grabbed 7th and 5th place respectively, while Nils Galloway took 16th and 14th place, and Robby Cullen had a personal best starting in bib 54 and landing in 16th place in the second downhill after placing 26th in the first race. Kai Subith nailed two top 25 finishes in 24th and 21st.
The next two days would test the athletes’ speed at Super G. For the women, Paige DeHart took 3rd in the women’s first Super G race, with Maya Lightner in 10th, Jessica Blackburn in 18th, Logan Lindstrom 24th and Lauren Stendell sneaking into the top 30 in 28th. Maya Lightner returned to the podium in the women’s second Super G race taking 2nd, with Paige DeHart in 4th, Jessica Blackburn 13th after a bib 51 start, Lauren Stendell 28th and Logan Lindstrom 29th.
For the Men’s Super G, Finnigan Donley took 5th in race one and raced to the win in race two. Colin Hanna found 7th in the first race and joined his teammate on the podium in 2nd for the second race. Nils Galloway moved up from 9th in race one to 6th in race two. Oliver Brockway landed twice in the top 20 in 16th and 11th over the two races. Kai Subith and Robby Cullen both skied to top 30 finishes in race two with Subith in 20th and Cullen in 28th.
Up next for the SVSEF FIS team, some athletes will be traveling to Snowbasin for a Super G/GS Series from Mar. 1-4, and those selected to represent the Intermountain Division at the U18 National Championships will be heading to Vail from Mar. 1-7.
For complete race results, visit: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=AL&eventid=50128&seasoncode=2022
2022 Quigley Cup Brings Out Glitter, Unicorns, and All The Best Things!
"A fabulous sunny Sunday at the Quigley Nordic Cup on Sunday! Over 75 skiers ranging in ages from 3 to 13 participated in a 1.5km or 2.5km race at Quigley Nordic! SVSEF XC teams joined up with the Papoose Club to bring the Cup back to Hailey, and what a day we had! Heartfelt thanks to all of our volunteers, sponsors, parents, skiers! Way to rock the 2022 Quigley Cup!"
—Martha Pendl, SVSEF XC Devo North Head Coach
2022 QUIGLEY CUP RESULTS
Erik Babcock 2x Duals Champion at 2022 Sun Valley Freestyle Spectacular
The Sun Valley Freestyle Spectacular provided a stellar showcase under bluebird skies on Roundhouse Jan. 29-30. SVSEF hosted the event, with more than 90 athletes competing from across the western region. Erik Babcock from the SVSEF Freestyle Team led the charge with a 1st place overall on Sunday in singles and pushed repeat for the win in men’s duals on Sunday to become the event’s two-time Duals Champion. Marek Ruttler landed in 8th place overall in Sunday’s duals. Tillie Babcock took home 3rd overall for the women in singles on Saturday and 6th overall in duals on Sunday. SVSEF had athletes on the podium in nearly every age group.
SVSEF Freestyle Program Director, John Grigsby said “It was great to see such a big turnout for this year’s Sun Valley Freestyle Spectacular. We’re incredibly grateful to Sun Valley for allowing us to build a world-class venue, and to all the parents and volunteers for their support over the course of the event. We had 30-plus athletes from SVSEF, which is the largest showing ever from the club. It’s exciting to see the growth in our program at every level with kids across all age groups from never-ever to the defending duals champion.”
SVSEF and Soldier Mountain Partner to Host Downhill Skiing Speed Projects
SUN VALLEY, Idaho – January 28, 2022—In the coming two weeks, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) and Soldier Mountain will co-host the first-ever Intermountain Division (IMD) U14 Speed Project Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 and the U16, International Federation of Skiing (FIS), and Masters Speed Project Feb. 7 - 9 at Soldier Mountain. The events will conclude with a two-run alpine downhill race for U.S. Ski & Snowboard Masters on Wednesday, Feb. 9.
Seventy U14 junior athletes will be traveling to Soldier Mountain for the U14 Speed Project from across the Intermountain Division, including Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. The thirty athletes in the U16/FIS Speed Project are members of the SVSEF Alpine Teams and currently 26 Masters athletes will come from the Far West, Intermountain, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Northwest divisions including California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, to take part in the speed training and race.
"Working with the team at Soldier Mountain to build specific terrain and features, and to develop the downhill track for different age groups and terrain-based learning is an amazing opportunity,” said Will Brandenburg, SVSEF Alpine Program Director and former member of the U.S. Ski Team. “The ability for us to collectively build a safe and reliable place to train and race speed in the United States could be a game changer in this sport.”
Currently in the United States, there are only a handful of venues that build speed tracks for alpine downhill training. Access to train at these bigger resort venues is limited to pre- and late ski season in places like Copper Mountain, CO and Mammoth Mountain, CA; and pared down even more so at venues like Aspen, CO and Schweitzer, ID, where training is typically limited to their race weeks. Venues outside of major ski resorts will be key for this speed discipline of the sport to flourish because of the vast terrain and vertical required to be closed to the general public for liability purposes, and the willingness of the venues to create highly precise terrain builds for the safety of the athletes.
“We want to welcome camps and events with partners like the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation,” said Paul Alden, General Manager at Soldier Mountain. “SVSEF brings extensive expertise and experience and we have the appropriate training ground available—it’s a win-win. Because we’re currently not open Monday through Wednesday, we have the availability to help create meaningful opportunities like this for the athletes and coaches.”
For the past week, Brandenburg and SVSEF U16 Alpine Coach, Trevor Wagner, have spent time on site at Soldier designing and working on the venue with Soldier Mountain’s snowcat driver and groomer, Rob Loveland. Wagner brings extensive experience to the team having worked for U.S. Ski & Snowboard to build World Cup and NorAm venues.
“How we work with the athletes is all about progression and being able to repeatedly ski over the elements we build to understand timing, body movement patterns, and then helping the athletes gain confidence to go faster and jump bigger,” said Wagner. “You can only get that through dedicated runs for speed training and what we’re doing with Soldier Mountain is so unique. We’ll be on winter snow, all day long, and have the entire mountain for the kids to get comfortable with terrain and speed, as opposed to renting lanes for blocks of time, which is the norm at other venues.”
The partnership for this set of training camps is directly in line with how Soldier Mountain is reinventing itself as a friendly, welcoming, and reputable Idaho ski area. The team at Soldier Mountain is the first to say that they don’t deliver the same experience as the bigger resorts. They deliver a different experience and a different vibe at a fraction of the cost, yet it’s customer and quality first all the way around.
“We’re excited to welcome the ski team athletes and Masters skiers here to train and to make this an incredible experience for everyone involved,” continued Alden. “From our world-class training ground to our home-cooked meals and everything in between, we love that we can provide a very personal experience whether it’s for special events like these, or for our ski and snowboard guests throughout the season.”
About Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation
Since its inception in 1966, the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation has been a longstanding pillar in the community, providing snowsport programs and offering academic assistance to support student-athletes in reaching their highest potential. SVSEF offers an array of programs for athletes ages five and up, and no experience is necessary to join. The organization offers financial assistance to families, so that anyone who wishes to may participate. For more information, please visit www.svsef.org.
About Soldier Mountain
Established in 1947, Soldier Mountain is a family friendly mountain resort located near Fairfield, Idaho, at 1043 N. Soldier Creek Rd. in the Soldier Mountains of the Sawtooth National Forest. It is about two hours from Boise, 80 minutes from Sun Valley, and 90 minutes from Twin Falls. The resort offers five mountain biking trails, a skills park, and a nine-hole disc golf course during the summer. In the winter it offers skiing and snowboarding on 35 named trails and a terrain park on the frontside and 2,000 acres of snowcat-accessible backcountry. Soldier Mountain has two chairlifts reaching an altitude of up to 7,177 ft. and a magic carpet. Its lodge restaurant serves homemade fare while The Fox Den Pub provides guests with a cozy spot to hang out after a great day on the mountain. Camping spots are available at the end of the resort’s parking lot at Pioneer Campground and along the road beyond, and motel lodging and vacation rentals are available in Fairfield about 10 miles away. Visit SoldierMountain.com for more information.
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Chase Josey on His Way to Beijing for Second Olympic Games
U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announced Friday that Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) Alumnus and Hailey, Idaho local, Chase Josey, has been nominated to the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team to represent Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Josey’s road to now his second Olympic Games goes back to his time as a member of the SVSEF Snowboarding team working with coach, Andy Gilbert.
SVSEF Snowboarding Program Director, Andy Gilbert, started working with nine-year-old Josey in 2005. In Josey’s junior and senior year of high school (2012-13) and the following year, Gilbert supported Josey on the road as he qualified for bigger events across the globe. As a halfpipe coach working with Team USA in 2018, Gilbert was there when Josey clinched his first Olympic spot at Mammoth in the last qualifying event.
“I really can’t think of a more deserving Olympian than Chase Josey,” said Gilbert. “His work ethic, humility, creativity, and determination are all things we should be proud of—these are the things on the snow that we admire,” Gilbert continued. “Off the snow, he’s an even better human—humble, thoughtful and grateful—always generous with his time around the younger riders, and I’m confident he’ll be giving back to snowboarding well beyond his competition days.”
Gilbert emphasized that being a kid that doesn’t come from one of snowboarding’s traditional hotbeds has allowed Chase to let his snowboarding to do the talking. He’s been able to somewhat quietly become one of the halfpipe elite, but that doesn’t define who he is as a snowboarder. He simply loves snowboarding and that’s an intangible thing—you can’t fake it.
“Throughout my younger years as a part of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, I was able to draw on the passion from everyone I was learning from and grow to truly love the sport,” said Chase Josey, two-time member of the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team and SVSEF Alum. “There was something special about the culture I was raised in within snowboarding—Andy taught me from the very beginning that it’s not all about winning—it’s about the people you meet, the memories you make, and the experiences you have along the way. I think that advice has always helped keep me tranquil and level-headed as I’ve been able to compete in the sport at this level,” Josey continued.
There were many collaborators from SVSEF as Josey matured as an athlete. Coaches and legends in our local snowboard world including Billy Olson, Jon French, AJ Grabos, Jacob “YAK” Tyler, Josh Keefer, Chatham Baker, and Ciam Parten. “So many should feel proud to have been a part of the path—we are all so stoked and proud of Chase and will be there riding right with him!” said Gilbert.
“Looking back on my years at SVSEF and my time on the snowboarding team, it’s so cool to have been able to work with and know so many coaches,” added Josey. “They all had a unique approach or a different angle I could draw from. Most athletes in this sport have one or two coaches and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to learn and refine my style with the influence of so many.”
While Josey’s training and competition schedule with Team USA keeps him on the road much of the year, Gilbert remains in close touch with Josey as a friend and mentor.
“Chase’s family deserves a ton of credit,” added Gilbert. “Kris and Bill have always been supportive of both their sons in their sports. They always allowed the coaches to do their job, have a voice, and truly be collaborators in the journey.”
“We couldn't be prouder of, or happier for Chase,” shared Kris and Bill Josey, Chase’s parents. “His accomplishments have come from his commitment to his sport of snowboarding. The dedication, hard work and passion he has put into it from the beginning, but especially over the past four years, is truly inspiring! And now it has earned him his second Olympic Halfpipe team nomination! WOW! We will be with him in spirit this time, but can't wait to cheer him on! Dream big & GO USA!”
OFFICIAL U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD SNOWBOARD TEAM ANNOUNCMENT
SVSEF XC Gold Team Athlete Kevin Bolger Heading to 2022 Beijing Olympic Games
U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the Cross Country team roster for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, and SVSEF XC Gold Team member, Kevin Bolger, is on the list among six men and eight women who will represent Team U.S.A. between February 5-20 when the cross country competitions are scheduled.
“It's a childhood dream come true,” said Kevin Bolger, SVSEF XC Gold Team and member of the U.S. Ski Team. “Being named to my first Olympic team is something I’ve been working towards my entire career, and to be able to share this news with my family and everyone who has supported me to this point is just as rewarding as when I was told I made the team!”
After high school, Bolger moved from Wisconsin to ski for the SVSEF XC Post Grad team from 2011-2013 and then for the University of Utah from 2013-2017. Since 2017, he has been a member of the SVSEF XC Gold Team. Yesterday, Bolger was nominated to the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team to represent Team U.S.A. at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. At minimum, Bolger will compete in the Men’s Freestyle Sprint, currently scheduled for Tuesday, February 8.
"We’re so stoked for Kevin on his Olympic nomination and it’s been fun to support him on this journey since he spent some Post Grad years in Sun Valley a decade ago,” said Chris Mallory, SVSEF XC Gold Team Head Coach. “This sport takes years of work and lots of determination to get to this level, and the SVSEF community is excited to cheer him on in a few weeks' time."
Kevin Bolger, 28, grew up in Minocqua, WI, where his love for sliding across the snow with skis on his feet began in the third grade. His unrelenting passion for the sport combined with the hard work and commitment it takes to excel has driven Kevin to chase his Olympic dream. One of his favorite ski memories is winning his first U.S. National Title and having his parents there to watch. The opportunity to consistently set the bar higher with his goals in skiing is what drives him daily and crossing the finish line at the Olympic Games will be the pinnacle of Kevin's career to date.
SVSEF Cross Country Program Director, Rick Kapala, added, "We’re really proud of Kevin—he started off with our program as a post-grad for a couple of years and went on to continue building his career at the University of Utah. Coming back to our program as a Gold Team member—it feels great that he's followed his path, made this commitment, and now has this opportunity come full circle. It couldn't happen to a better guy. He’s a super hard worker. Super deserving. So happy for him. Now we’ll pull for him to find that gear, go to the Games, and have a result he will be stoked about. We're really happy for him!"
Bolger splits his time training between at U.S. Team Camps run regularly through the spring, summer, and fall in Sun Valley, Norway, and Sweden.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the men’s team I get to travel with to Beijing,” said Bolger. “It goes without saying the men’s team is putting up big results on the World Cup, and now I think we can expect some big results at the Olympics!”
Watch Team USA compete on the networks of NBC throughout the Olympics, February 4-20, 2022. Follow the team throughout the Beijing Olympics on Instagram @usskiteam or Facebook @usskiandsnowboard
OFFICIAL U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD CROSS COUNTRY TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
SVSEF Athletes Race on National Stage at Western Region Elite FIS Tech Series
Ryder Sarchett Takes Third Overall in Giant Slalom Plus Top 20 Finishes for SVSEF
Some of the country’s best men and women junior and collegiate alpine ski racers qualified to compete in Sun Valley between Jan. 10-13 at the Western Region Cup #2 FIS Elite Tech Series. Both men and women competed in two days of slalom and two days of giant slalom with their eyes set on lowering their FIS points and ultimately working their way toward the next level of ski racing in North America—the NorAm Series.
Consistent weather and clear skies over the four days provided optimal racing conditions. The week’s slalom races were held on Hemingway into Greyhawk and the giant slalom on Warm Springs. “The support from Sun Valley Company to allow us to run a dual venue ski race made a huge difference, and the impression left on the competitors and the Western Region helped elevate Sun Valley as a host site for major competitions of moving forward,” said Will Brandenburg, SVSEF Alpine Program Director and the event’s Chief of Race. “We couldn't do this without Sun Valley, the SVSEF staff, coaches, ski patrol, and volunteers, including parents, and former athletes,” he continued. “We drove a FIS minimum penalty and that only happens maybe ten times amongst hundreds of FIS events across the country in any given season.”
The event served as a U18 and U.S. National Qualifier with field sizes of ninety athletes. SVSEF athletes put themselves in great position to qualify for both of these major events.
“We’re excited about where our SVSEF FIS team is headed,” said Brandenburg. “They’ve raised the bar high for themselves and we’re proud of their efforts,” he continued. “Each of our athletes had moments of extraordinary skiing, and having our U18 athletes winning individual runs and placing top 10 overall in an event of this caliber is exceptional.”
On the men’s side, SVSEF Alumni and U.S. Ski Team member, Ryder Sarchett, placed third overall in Thursday’s giant slalom. SVSEF’s Finnigan Donley and Kai Subith laid down fastest runs overall in slalom and giant slalom respectively this week against high-level collegiate athletes and athletes much older than them from across the U.S.A. Colin Hanna and Nils Galloway showed their talent and speed with top 10 finishes in Monday’s slalom event, which made a huge impression given they are still U18 ski racers. Carter Sammis held his own with two top 20 finishes in slalom.
“We’re excited to finish this series on a high note in front of a home crowd, and with the athletes showing so much support for each other,” said Gladys Weidt, SVSEF FIS Head Coach. “Our athletes did really well across the board and we saw improvements throughout the week, which is a great sign for the season and what we can continue to build upon,” she continued.
On the women’s side, Logan Lindstrom kicked things off with a 14th overall finish in Monday’s giant slalom. Two women on the SVSEF FIS team were born and raised in the Wood River Valley and have grown up through the program—Jessica Blackburn earned a top 13 overall finish in Tuesday’s giant slalom and 19th in Wednesday’s slalom; and Saba Grossman snagged 23rd in Monday’s giant slalom, 20th in Wednesday’s slalom, and 16th in Thursday’s slalom. Paige DeHart, competing up to the U18 class, placed top 25 overall in Wednesday’s slalom and moved up to 17th overall in Thursday’s slalom.
Next up for the SVSEF FIS team—various members of the team will travel to Big Sky, MT for the Western Region FIS Devo series Jan. 21-24, to the University of Utah FIS U race at Park City, UT Jan. 23-25, and then another Western Region Elite FIS series at Park City, UT and Snowbird, UT Feb. 1-4.
Complete race results can be found at fis-ski.com.
Lead Photo of Ryder Sarchett by Tim Carter.
Alpine Program Season Recap: Taking Strides Forward in a Complicated Competition Year
For the purely recreational skier, the winter sport season is already far in the rear-view mirror. For SVSEF Alpine Athletes, however, the season is only barely wrapping up; our athletes are only just beginning to experience pause enough to look back at last six months. Despite a competitive season characterized by cancellations, restricted travel, and unpredictable schedules, the Alpine program excelled this year, perhaps even more than seasons past. When winds of uncertainty get blowing, it pays well to focus on strengthening your roots; our traveling teams were asked to do just that, centering their programming on group progression and perfection of the fundamentals.
While this strategy ultimately tends to pay off in team culture and lifelong skiers, it also tends to yield competitive successes. SVSEF’s North Series team stands out as an example of the potential in focusing on group progression; not only were athletes on the whole finishing well, but they were in constant close competition with one another, no one athlete holding onto a ranking without challenge from multiple other sides. By the numbers, here’s an idea of just how well our athletes did:
SVSEF North Series athletes scored 40 spots in the top 5 and 22 podiums across 5 locations and 24 races. On average this season, our girls composed 36.7% of the top thirty, while our boys composed 34.9% of the top thirty. Of all SVSEF female athletes attending a given race, an average of 69.7% of finished in the top thirty; 70.6% of SVSEF male athletes attending finished in the top thirty. Of the athletes who attended the North Championships in Bogus Basin, SVSEF had six male podiums out of 12 opportunities, four female podiums out of 12 opportunities, and 17 top-five finishes out of 40 opportunities across both genders.
This trend continued at the U14 Intermountain Division level, with head coach Charlotte Gourlay explaining this of the season: “We had some major improvement from all the kids. Each athlete had a least one race run this season that was memorable and exciting!” For our U14 athletes, we had 33 top five finishes and 21 podiums across four locations and 20 races. Across half of the locations the overall male winners were SVSEF athletes, while female athletes made up three quarters of overall winners. On average, female SVSEF athletes made up 23% of top 30, while male athletes composed 10% of the top thirty. By the end of the season, seven athletes (3 female and 4 male) were invited to a special end of season Western Region project at Squaw Valley, focusing on skill development in GS and Super G.
Head coach of our Alpine USSA team, Nate Schwing, shared: “This season was a case study of what can happen without many conveniences we are used to; the focus was very much on the skiing and individual improvement.” The outcome was 27 podiums and 45 top-five finishes, across six locations and 38 races. SVSEF athletes composed a third of the top fifteen on average, scoring 116 spots in the top fifteen out of 570 opportunities. The team saw one full podium sweep and several near sweeps.
Finally, at the highest level, our FIS team collected 27 podiums, and approximately one win per every six races (for a total ten first-place finishes across three different athletes). Over the course of the season, SVSEF’s FIS team collected 53 top-ten finishes across seven athletes. Of our athletes that travelled to the cutthroat-competition zone of Europe, we received six top ten finishes and three podiums across two athletes, Ryder Sarchett and Dasha Romanov. In a final victory for our Alpine community, Sarchett, Romanov, Jack Smith, and Jesse Keefe were all named to the US Ski Team from SVSEF.
The Alpine X team—our skier cross team—while faced with limited competition opportunities, managed to score three third-place finishes, four fourth-place finishes, three fifth-place finishes, and one first-place finish.
Alpine Director Will Brandenburg concludes: “We focus on progression. These results make it very clear to me we did a fantastic job as a community in allowing opportunities for our athletes to progress. We experienced an enormous amount of success this race season in all of our age groups. The coaches did a phenomenal job, and we want to all thank the community for supporting our approach. This amount of success is a community effort and I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who supports our efforts to better ourselves and this program. The culture of this program is inspiring to be a part of as we continue to build on the foundation formed from past generations.”
SVSEF's Jesse Keefe to Compete with the U.S. National Para Alpine Team
SVSEF's Jesse Keefe to Compete with the U.S. National Para Alpine Team
“We are a ski family. We learn how to walk through how we ski, so that’s what we did with Jesse.” explains Kirsta Gehrke, mother of 17-year-old, newly-named National Para Alpine athlete, Jesse Keefe.
Keefe, a SVSEF athlete of ten years, earned his position with the National Para Alpine Team after a series of impressive finishes in World Para Alpine Skiing races over the 2020-2021 season. Keefe accrued nine top-three finishes across three slalom, three giant slalom, and three Super G races, including two golds and a bronze at the National Championships in Winter Park, CO. Keefe’s performance this season ranks him at 15th in Slalom, 35th in Giant Slalom and 34th in Super G by the International Paralympic Committee. In addition to being named to the National Para Alpine Team, these results qualify Keefe for the 2022 Winter Paralympics Games in Beijing, China.
When Keefe wasn’t racing World Para Alpine Skiing races this season, he competed alongside his SVSEF teammates at FIS races throughout the Western Region. Since his first Kindercup at the age of three, Keefe cut his teeth as a racer alongside able-bodied peers. From the Devo team now to FIS, Keefe has been treated no differently than his teammates; he had never even raced in a designated Para Alpine race until last year.
Born without an ankle bone, Keefe’s leg was amputated below the knee at 11 months old; he uses an advanced prosthetic for skiing. “We’ve never treated him different, and neither did SVSEF. Most people didn’t even know until he took his prosthetic off,” Gehrke laughs. “I think he was on the Mini World Cup team, and he was standing on the podium outside of Apples. He took his leg off and held it over his head like a trophy.”
Beneath this good sense of humor is a diligent, determined athlete. “It is awesome working with Jesse. He works his butt off. He works hard in the gym, on the field and on the mountain. He continues to amaze me and the rest of coaching staff with what he does, and continues to do each day.” Gladys Weidt, Head FIS coach, shares. “He’s resilient and tough. He is extremely coachable, and he has a really great outlook on anything and everything. He gets along with everyone, and personally I’ve never even really seen him in a bummed-out mood. He doesn’t let results get the best of him.”
The payoff of Keefe’s open-minded attitude and tenacious work ethic has long been anticipated, which makes the realization of these next tremendous steps in his career all the more powerful to those who have cheered him on. “I am still kind of grasping at the fact that this is happening. It’s something we have talked about his whole life, and for it to actually be happening is amazing. His first race was the Kindercup, at age 3, and he made it onto the front of the paper. You could just see he was going to be a ski racer, at three years old, on the front page of the paper... and I’m just along for the ride, I’m his cheerleader. It’s his journey, you know?” Gehrke adds.
While competing with the National Para Alpine Team in the upcoming season, Keefe will remain training with SVSEF in Ketchum. When asked what her hopes are for Jesse this upcoming season, Coach Weidt offered: “I hope he continues to learn through experience by getting into different atmospheres, meeting different people, and keeps excelling for the rest of his career. A lot of doors are going to open for him this upcoming year, and I want him to take it step by step, continue growing and improving.” Knowing Keefe’s track record to date, we can expect these hopes—and far more—to be achieved by this latest athlete to represent our community on the world stage.