UPDATE FROM NYSEF SNOWSPORTS
January 2018
UP CLOSE: Freeride Program enhances creativity
NYSEF Freeride Program Helps Skiers With Creativity - by Griffin Kelly (Lake Placid News). Get ‘UP CLOSE’ with Freeride coach, Justin Perry and Freeride Director, Mike Kirchner as they discuss style, flips, training and much more! Get more updates here.
A Message from Program Director Rich Burnley
To start 2018 off right, Gore will be getting new bibs! THANK YOU to Sports Page and Gore Mountain Lodge / becks TAVERN for partnering on this special opportunity. They look sharp! Learn about 2017 and 2018 happenings, here.
Flying around the world with Coach Colin Delaney
NYSEF had a great New Year’s Master’s Ski Jump with athletes of all ages competing on the K48 and K90. Also in December, NYSEF Alums competed in Olympic Trials in Utah. More updates on Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined can be found here.
XC Skiing Results and Playing in Alaska
Karl and Scott Schulz of Lake Placid, N.Y. traveled to Anchorage, Alaska to compete in U.S. Nationals in hopes of making to the next level. These races determine roster spots for FIS Junior World Championships and U18 Scandinavian Cup teams! It is easy to say that the field was stacked with talent. The Schulz boys went to Alaska with a goal and accomplished it. Hear their story, here.
Alpine Skiing: Hovey Memorial Race
The New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) had a busy Sunday of U10, U12 and U14 racing on Draper's Drop. Several NYSEF athletes started the New Year on the podium. Congrats to all the athletes who pushed hard out of start gate and participated in this special event. More information and results can be found here.
NYSEF Hall of Fame: Honoring our Founders
The NYSEF Hall of Fame is a tribute to the history of NYSEF. The Hall of Fame honors NYSEF members who have made a significant impact on the organization. It recognizes athletes of distinguished accomplishment as well as individuals who have contributed to the success and growth of NYSEF as a youth sports organization. Learn about our inductees, here.
Athlete of the Month: Brady Mason
Brady Mason is a first year U16 alpine skiing athlete from Silver Spring, Maryland. Although Brady’s home ski area is Roundtop Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania, he had the opportunity to train with NYSEF in the Winter Term program this past December - he trained in Copper, Colorado and at Whiteface Mountain.
“Coming from a small mountain to being able to train two weeks in Copper Mountain to being surrounded by Olympic athletes made me feel like I was living the lifestyle of a true athlete…I had to make sure my hard work on and off the snow showed that,” Brady commented.
Winter Term Program Director, Beatty Schlueter said, “Brady gives 110% on the hill and in the classroom. His attention to detail in sport as well as his studies made him a great role model for other student-athletes…we enjoyed having him join us for December and hope to have him back soon!”
Learn more about how Brady made Athlete of the Month, here.
ALUM Spotlight: Tim Burke
NYSEF Snowsports alum, Tim Burke starts 2018 with his a great performance finishing fourth-place in the men’s 10-kilometer sprint at the BMW IBU World Cup 4 in Oberhof!
Burke’s performance in Oberhof was his best since finishing third in a World Cup sprint in Oestersund, Sweden during the 2013-14 season.
"Burke appears to be peaking at the right time. With the Olympics in PyeongChang set start in just over a month, Burke’s improvement in sprint races is evident," excerpt from NBC's Olympic blog.
In February, Burke will head to his fourth Olympic Winter Games, along with U.S. Biathlon his teammate and fellow NYSEF alum, Lowell Bailey.
Learn about Tim's success in 2018, here.
"I am at a better advantage to enjoy skiing for the rest of my life because of NYSEF." - Erik Sparkowski
Getting to know World Cup Athlete, New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) Alum and Simsbury, C.T. Native, Erik Sparkowski
“This is how we do it…” is frequently playing from Erik Sparkowski’s headphones prior to a competition. When asked if he had any rituals before a large race event, Sparkowski answered, “I just want to have fun while getting amped up listening to R&B, 90’s hip hop…or the Billboard 100 Country Station.” Having fun and making a new goal daily has been a key passion of Sparkowski’s from the beginning.
Sparkowski began in the alpine ski racing program at the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) at the age at 7. Sparkowski’s father, Ed, skied for Bates College and gave him the opportunity to test out gates as early as 3 years old. Sparkowski did the long weekend journey to Whiteface from his hometown, Simsbury, Connecticut. He transitioned into freestyle and Ski Cross as soon as he turned into a teenager. The spectator motivated sport, Ski Cross, is a part of freestyle skiing in which four skiers start at the same time and compete on a specially constructed course over jumps and rolls while going through gates.
The reasoning for switching snow sport disciplines was simple. “I was motivated to challenge myself and try something different than traditional alpine ski racing,” Sparkowski said. Who would have imagined that the transition would gain him a World Cup start at Nakiska Ski Area in Alberta, Canada on January 18-19, 2018? Learn more about Sparkowski, here.
Save the Dates
Leave a Legacy
January 13-15, 2018: U.S. Ski and Snowboard Eastern ‘A’ Moguls - Whiteface
January 20, 2018: NYSEF Nordic Family Reception-Social
January 20-21, 2018: Harry Eldridge Memorial and Junior National Qualifier - XC
January 27-28, 2018: USASA SS, SX & BX Competitions AND Clarkson MacConnell Division FIS-U - Whiteface
February 2-4, 2018: Empire State Winter Games - all disciplines
February 13-16, 2018: U.S. Ski and Snowboard Women’s NorAm GS/SL, Whiteface
February 19, 2018: USASA SX, BX - Gore
February 23-25, 2018: NYSSRA U19 State Championships, Gore
March 1-4, 2018: NYSSRA U14 State Championships, Whiteface
March 15-18, 2018: U.S. Ski and Snowboard Eastern U14 Championships, Whiteface
March 22-25, 2018: U.S. Ski and Snowboard Eastern Finals, Gore
June 10, 2018: Annual Golf Classic - Social
August 18, 2018: Summer Benefit - Social
A planned gift is one of the easiest gifts to make. Leave a lasting legacy with NYSEF. Gifts can be made through stocks, bonds, real estate and much more!
BENEFITS:
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-Your gifts are exempt from federal estate taxes.
-You leave your legacy with an organization you are passionate about like NYSEF.
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Staff Corner: Share Your Story!
Name: Hadley Driscoll
Job Title: Race Administrator (Whiteface) and Assistant Development Director
Favorite Hobby: Yoga, Road Biking (dorky, I know...)
How did you get involved with NYSEF Snowsports?
When I moved to Lake Placid, my dad introduced me to Beatty Schlueter. At the Flaming Leaves Festival, Beatty mentioned an opportunity with NYSEF. Having lived in Lake Placid and working at ORDA, I heard great things about NYSEF and jumped at the opportunity. Although a Midwest girl by birth (repping St. Louis!), my heart is in the mountains. My dad, being a former ski racer, instilled that passion in all of his kids at a young age. Since moving to Lake Placid and working at NYSEF my passion and knowledge about snowsports has grown tenfold.
What are the top three ‘unique’ things that make NYSEF special?
- The 'NYSEF 'Family.' From Day 1 the NYSEF Community treated me like one of their own, even though I did not have the opportunity to participate in NYSEF as a kid.
- The incredible talent that has come from this grassroots program. From a young age, the emphasis is on fun and the FUN-damentals and takes them to the highest level of competition as young adults.
- Since NYSEF is across 6 disciplines, athletes have the opportunity to expose themselves to a variety of snowsports.