The 2016-2017 is slowly coming to an end here at Gore and Whiteface – while temperatures are on the rise and folks are looking at spring sports and waiting for the golf course to open, the mountain still has plenty of snow with the International Pond Skimming competition coming up this weekend at Whiteface! Meanwhile, some NYSEF athletes are still on the road competing, finishing the last races of their season.

The U14 program wrapped up their season with a number of athletes qualifying to move on to regional and international competition. At the New York State Championships that were held at West Mountain in early March, NYSEF sent over half of the NYSSRA athletes moving on to Eastern Championships – 17 of 28! A highlight for this series was that NYSEF athletes took the top 9 female spots on the overall state ranking! At the Eastern Regional Championships at Sunday River, Maine, a number of athletes had positive results with Jaden Klebba placing top 10 in all three races (8th in SG, 9th in GS and 3rd in SL) and Norah Dempsey snagging a top 10 in SG (9th). On the boys side, Winter Term / Toggenburg athlete Ben DeGirolamo posting 3rd in Super G. With plenty of other great runs and races, 5 athletes moved onto the U14 Can-Am Series at Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (Jaden Klebba, Norah Dempsey, Ben DeGirolamo, Rowen Norfolk, Audrey Higgins-Lopez, Emma Reynolds, Sonja Toishi and Northwood School’s Gabby Cote as an alternate).

Some of the NYSEF U14s at Sunday River for the Eastern Champs with coach Jimbo

On the U16 front, NYSEF saw similar success with many athletes qualifying from the U16 State Championships to Regional, National and International championships. 12 of 24 NYSSRA athletes that qualified on to Eastern Championships are from NYSEF and/or Northwood School. Northwood School’s Sarah Bennett took top honors by winning all three events at States and moving on to Eastern Championships. With great results at Easterns including a 3rd in GS, 1st and 2nd in each SL, Sarah was named U16 Overall Champion and moved on to U16 CanAms, U16 USSA Nationals and will soon head to the international Whistler Cup in Canada. Other NYSEF athletes that shined at U16 Eastern Champs include Inez Burkard who placed 9th in SG and 12th in GS while Sarah Coombs (Northwood School) placed 15th in the SG and 10th in SL. Hugh Dempsey also sneaked into the top seed in the first SL placing 15th. Additionally, five NYSEF U16s headed to the Eastern U16 Finals at Okemo where Beth Fisher grabbed a podium finish with 2nd in the SG.

Sarah Bennett and Inez Burkard at the U16 Eastern Championships at Stowe.

The NYSEF U19s had success at both the state and regional levels. One highlight includes NYSEF Gore athletes Lane Feldeisen, Evan Scriven and Richard Gimbel sweeping the podium in the first GS. Lane also took 2nd in the SL while Evan took 2nd in the second GS. Other podium performances include Lexi Barile (Northwood School, 3rd in the first GS). Four boys and four girls qualified on the initial list from States to represent NYSEF at the Eastern USSA Finals which were held at Gore Mountain in mid-March. NYSEF athletes shined again at the regional event with Evan taking 1st in the SG and GS, Lane taking 2nd in the SG and SL, Richard taking 4th in GS and Charles Larsen taking 4th in the SG. Kimberly Ellis (Northwood School) took the gold while Lexi took 4th in the SG. At the FIS level, Northwood athlete Mattieu Cote continued to perform at a high level and had great results as a first-year FIS athlete. Highlights including winning his first FIS race at Stratton Mt. in December, qualifying for the USSA National Junior Championships at Sugarloaf in March and recently chosen for the Berlack and Astle Award. Additionally, he’s currently ranked the 9th best GS skier in the country for his age. Also a notable  from Northwood, Lily Silverstein returned after her first season as a FIS athlete in 2015-2016 season was plagued with injury. After a solid season of racing, she finished the season with FIS points below 100 in each SL and GS.

Matthieu Cote ripping a GS at Whiteface

We’re extremely proud of all the athletes, coaches and parents in the NYSEF program for their commitment to their sport in the 2016-2017 ski season. Remember – NEXT SEASON STARTS NOW so be sure to sign up for summer camps and stay active off-snow. Looking forward to a great 2017-2018 season!