UPDATE FROM NYSEF SNOWSPORTS

HERE IS THE LASTEST NEWS

Alpine athletes at Whiteface taking a break during the biggest snowfall of the year in the ADK!

NYSEF Alums Move Up The EISA Rankings

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Local NYSEF alumni raced on their home courses during last weekend’s Williams Carnival, held at Mt Van Hoevenberg. UVM placed first in the men’s skate relay, leading their squad was Karl Schulz. UNH nabbed 2nd place and the team featured two NYSEF Nordic alums, Scott Schulz and Bryce Hartman. Karl currently leads the Nordic NCAA EISA standings going into EISA Championships, hosted by Middlebury at the Rikert Ski Touring Center. More information on the athletes, including results and news, check out EISASKIING.org.

Moguls B Skiers Compete In Empire State Games

On February 2nd, Moguls “B” athletes competed in their final Empire States Games competition. The “B” level is designed for entry level skiers, 7 to 14 year old, though it is open to all age groups. The “A” level is designed for older, more experienced athletes and offers athletes the opportunity to qualify for national level events. Results and photos from the ESWG events can be found here.

Junior Ski Jumpers Raise Funds For Equipment

On February 1st, Nordic athletes competed on the K20, K48 and in Nordic Combined at the Lake Placid Ski Jumping Complex. During their competition, athletes were also jumping for a great cause: to raise funds for ski jumping equipment with their furthest jump of the day. Nicely done, athletes! Results from Empire State Games can be found here.

Portable Timing System At Gore

Gore athletes and families are fundraising during their annual Gore Ski Club Raffle! This year, they’re raising money to purchase a wireless portable timing system which coaches can use on the hill and sync to their cell phone app to provide instant timing results (with splits!). This system would be a terrific feature for current and future NYSEF athletes! The raffle drawing will be held on March 13. Need to buy your ticket? Find a Gore Ski Club member! WE APPRECIATE your support!

Fulfilling The NYSEF Legacy At Silversmith's

The Silversmith SL race has a long history of NYSEF podiums and we were excited to add to the list this past weekend! This year marked the 65th anniversary of the Silversmiths Race at Snow Ridge. Congrats to the top Northwood School and NYSEF athletes on your top 10 finishes (and new serving platters)! Results from the Silversmith’s race can be found on nyssra.org.

40th Anniversary of the 1980 Olympics

NYSEF athletes played their part in the 40th Anniversary of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. We hosted a Fun Zone in Mid's Park in downtown Lake Placid, NYSEF Olympians Andrew Weibrecht, Thomas Vonn and Tommy Biesemeyer took part in a Last Chair event at Whiteface, and Olympian Tim Burke took part in a panel discussion and a Discover Biathlon event with athletes and community members. Check out NYSEF's Facebook page @NYSEFSnowsports for photos!

U14s at McCauley Mountain and West Mountain

U14 athletes raced in the Mud, Sweat and Gears series at McCauley Mountain and West Mountain in early February. Local Winter term athlete Lilyann Fisher placed first both days. When asked about her preparation for the races, she said, “we are able to train every day which allows us more time to work on our skiing.” Lilyann is currently focusing on keeping her shoulders level and putting more pressure on her outside ski. A second year participant in Winter Term, Lilyann enjoys the “supportive group of peers and environment where we are able to ski a lot and get our school work done.” Results and photos can be found here.

Skier & Boarder Cross Recap: Empire State Winter Games

NYSEF-Gore athlete Hunter Goodwin, a 14-year-old athlete from Saratoga Springs, placed first in his division (U14 boys). Hunter says, “I felt nervous but excited to race.” When asked about his training, Hunter noted, “we train hard at Gore and we competed in races at Belleayre where I placed 1st and 2nd.” Clearly Hunter gained confidence in January based on these results! Results and photos from the rest of the NYSEF team can be found here.

Craftsbury, VT—A XC Skier’s Paradise

On January 25th and 26th, local Junior XC athletes were motivated to keep up with their fellow NYSEF alums in the 10K skate race and 10K classic mass start races, held in Craftsbury, VT. Families and friends gathered for BBQ's, waxing and to watch fast racing! Next up for the Junior XC Team are Junior Nationals in Truckee, CA beginning in March. Check out all the information on Junior Nationals here.

FIS Athletes Make a Mark in PA

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Photo taken from a NorAm earlier in February. Courtesy of @Northwood Skiing

For the first time ever, FIS racing came to Pennsylvania! Blue Mountain hosted two GS events on February 17th and 18th. Roughly 180 men and women took part in both days of racing—not a bad turnout for the state's first FIS races! Northwood and NYSEF athletes were ready to end their racing week with top results. We hope to be back to the beautiful state of PA for more racing in the future! Results can be found here.

Sophia Kelting: Athlete Spotlight

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Nordic athlete Sophia Kelting is beginning to make her mark with fast results. When asked about her training, Kelting answered “my coaches taught me to focus before a race… I found that good focus can make or break my race.” When asked about improvements this season, Sophia noted, “I have been working on my technique and will continue to do so, but I feel that it has improved considerably from last year. Now I need the strength to go along with it.” Some of Sophia’s short-term goals are to crack the top 20 at an Eastern Cup and top 30-40 at Junior Nationals.” Good luck, Sophia!

NYSEF - WF/Nordic Raffle

Support the club! Each NYSEF athlete will receive 12 raffle tickets to sell to their family, friends and community. This is a great opportunity to talk about your love for skiing and riding! We will be checking off everyone who picks up their tickets, so please ask your coach for tickets!

Safety Seminar at Whiteface

On February 9th and 10th, the Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF) , U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic Regional Development Authority at Whiteface Mountain (ORDA) and the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) hosted a safety seminar in conjunction with the FIS NorAm Cup races at Whiteface (February 10- 13).

The primary objective of the seminar was to educate stakeholders including coaches, officials, volunteers and athletes on the importance of a comprehensive protection plan, effective on-hill communication and proper protocol during a large scale race event. “Sports like alpine ski racing have inherent risks. However, we work hard to provide the best possible venue for our athletes with the proper protection in place. Our dedicated staff, officials and volunteers are passionate about providing a safe environment – we’re happy that we were able to partner and host this unique learning opportunity for visiting coaches and officials,” said John Norton, NYSEF Executive Director.

The full press release can be found here.

Super G NorAm at Whiteface Mountain

Athlete of the Month: Grant Pedersen

Grant Pedersen is a 15-year old snowboard athlete from Mount Olive, N.J. and is a sophomore at Mount Olive High School. Grant has participated in the NYSEF-Belleayre program for the last two seasons and competes in boarder cross, snowboard GS/SL, slopestyle and rail jam. According to his coaches, he improved his snowboarding considerably this season and always shows up to training with a great attitude. “Grant encompasses everything NYSEF and strives to teach and encourage each athlete to be the best version of themselves,” writes Belleayre Snowboarding Coach Carlie Capela. “Grant takes the time to be a true team player—cheering everyone on at a competition. The way he treats people is inspiring. He’s just a great role model for his younger teammates.”

As Grant improved in the sport, he also focused on having fun—a decision which saw him become even more of a positive influence on his teammates. “Although there may be a few hiccups during training, I always remind myself to have fun— maybe to step away from a trick I am having trouble with and return to it later,” adds Grant. His coaches attest to his growth as an athlete and eagerness to learn about the sport. “Not only is Grant striving to learn by asking questions, he takes what he learns to perfect his overall technique” said Coach Carlie. This season, Grant is working on setting up for the rails correctly and going off the lip of the jump to get more air.

Some of Grant’s goals this season are to make the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) Nationals and progress in the sport. When asked what he does to prepare for a competition, Grant said, “I visualize the course, rail or trick and listen to music to get pumped up and remind myself to have fun.”

What Grant enjoys most about the freeride program at Belleayre is seeing his friends and enjoying the camaraderie within the program.

When he is not snowboarding, Grant plays lacrosse and helps his dad in the garage working on motorcycles and cars.

CONGRATS, GRANT AND GOOD LUCK WITH THE REST OF YOUR SEASON!

Hear from athletes and coaches from our moguls team!

Moguls has consistently been our smallest contingent at NYSEF but their scoring system and sport are by far the most complicated and intense. Athletes go down a steep course through bumps and land 2 different jumps, all while being timed. Athletes must find a way to look as graceful as possible while being judged at the same time.

Skiers are judged on their turns in the bumps (60%) which includes keeping their knees together, not bobbing their head, and keeping their body as tight as possible. There are also 2 jumps with different degrees of amplitude and difficulty (20%). Although there are some limitations to the type of tricks athletes perform, the tricks, in general, are always advancing so it is important for officials, coaches and athletes to remain relevant and updated on these changes. Finally, athletes are judged on their speed (20%)— how fast they can make it down the course.

Max Oechsner (pictured), a NYSEF athlete who attends Northwood School, was looking for “a ski program with a great venue, qualified coaching staff and a good atmosphere.” In 2018, Max started in the NYSEF Winter Term Program, a program he chose for “the overall environment and one-on-one support,” said Max. In the Winter Term Program, Max says he was able to “train so much and be around Olympians and other competitive athletes daily.” To learn more about the NYSEF Moguls Programs, visit nysef.org/freeride.

Kevin Drury...clinches the Crystal Globe

Northwood School and NYSEF alum Kevin Drury has had an unbelievable season on the FIS Ski Cross World Cup, highlighted by his multiple World Cup victories, podium finishes, and clinching of the Crystal Globe for the overall World Cup season title. With the World Cup overall in hand, Drury continues his fantastic season while adding an element of adventure to his fans.

Below are Kevin’s 2020 podium finishes:

Megeve, FRA placed 1st

Idre Fjäll, SWE placed 2nd

Nakiska, CAN placed 2^nd

Innichen, ITA placed 1st

Arosa, SUI Kevin placed 1st

Val Thorens, FRA placed 1st

Sunny Valley, RUS placed 2nd

Hear from Kevin Drury in a "Behind the Scenes" interview here.

Updates to the Timing and Finish Building at Whiteface

The next phase

With support from donors, NYSEF was able to begin updates to the finish and timing building at Whiteface. The project began with updates to the outside of the building and an addition of a storage shed. So what else is going on?

The upstairs: NYSEF expanded the volunteer area so there is no overflow into the timing space with the addition of a window so volunteers can view the race/course. With a smaller timing area, we added an announcer booth which was formerly downstairs.

In the volunteer space, we built out benches for seating, installed fit-lock rubber tiles and updated windows, walls and kitchen essentials.

Downstairs: With the new shed, we are now able to store racing equipment including gates, b-net and course maintenance tools. By moving the above items into the new storage shed, we were able to make the first floor into one, large, gathering space (with a new TV for linked to live-timing results)! The floor will be used for spectators and athletes to view the course and stay warm.

Similar to the top floor, we built out benches around the perimeter for seating space and installed fit-lock rubber tiles.

We are not done yet! Stay tuned for more upgrades this spring!

"Your Turn" Women's Ski Clinic with Lisa Ballard and Andrew Weibrecht

Join NYSEF alumni Lisa Ballard and Andrew Weibrecht on March 2nd-4th, 2020 for an exciting women’s ski clinic. This exciting experience will help YOU to improve your skiing at Whitefance and to inform you about all the latest ski trends and new women’s ski gear. More details on this March event can be found here.

UNH Student- Athlete of the Week: Scott Schulz

NYSEF Nordic alum Scott Schulz received the Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight award for the week of February 17-23rd at the University of New Hampshire (UNH)!

Scott placed 10th in the men's Nordic 10K classic with 33 points (25:07.) at the Williams Carnival and took 2nd in the 3x5k relay with fellow NYSEF alum, Bryce Hartman. His placements helped UNH total 723 points to finish in fourth place behind Middlebury (855), Vermont (843) and Dartmouth (752). More on Scott's season can be found here. Go Scott!