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SBST Coaching Staff
Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy’s Director of Competition, Aaron Atkins, has announced that Hermann Gollner and Ashley Carter will be returning as J1/2 coaches, and they will be joined by Guenther Birgmann. Guenther has coached the Austrian men’s and women’s teams and is most recently known for his success coaching an elite group of skiers at Kirkwood as well as his current summer position as Director of the Treble Cone Racing Academy in New Zealand. Guenther’s tremendous experience, skill, and determination will certainly have a positive impact on the entire Sugar Bowl program.
Danielle Nichols will be returning as Head of the J3 program and NCAA standout, Luke Patterson, will be back as well. The J1/2/3 staff will also include newcomers Rhys Mullens and Devin Gill. Rhys will be adding his professional strength and conditioning and extensive coaching experience to the staff. Devin was formerly a Carrabassett Valley Academy coach and University of Maine Alpine Team Captain.
“This incredible staff, combined with our new watering system, increased snowmaking capacity, and the extremely low athlete to coach ratio will allow us to provide the ultimate athletic training site,” said Executive Director, Bill Hudson.
Silver Belt
In the capable and creative hands of Dr. Sarah Street (Longton) and Tami
Becker the Village Hall never looked more beautiful. In preparation for the
Silver Belt Dinner and Calcutta, they transformed what only hours before had
been a Mighty Mite Feeding Station into a vision of elegance and sophistication.
A full house packed The Hall to eat, drink and merrily bid on their favorite
Calcutta Team and auction item. After much spirited bidding, the determined
consortium of Lebel-Rodarte-Wood-Shaftner secured the grand daddy live auction
item: A private jet to a week’s stay at a Santa Barbara vacation home! (Upon
finding out the names of the winning bidders, the owner of the property was
heard calling his agent to lower the deductible and raise the limits on the
homeowner’s policy.) Jim Hudson was once again the master auctioneer and Bill
Hudson the master of ceremonies while Heather made sure the food and drink
poured forth.
The next day on snow that could be used as a protective vest, the Calcutta Teams
took to the arena. The addition of a “Dream Team” headed by recent FIS winner
and Academy student Jake B. and National J2 Super G Champ Gabby A. (with the
Clifford Bros and the Fiorio Sisters) had past and hopeful champions taking snow
temps and begging Shaftner for high flouros. Handicapped 6 seconds (just to make
it fair) the Dream Team barely made it out of the first round and J3 coach Luke
“Eh?” Patterson had the fastest men’s time. But in the end, on his last run of
the day, Jake B. was able to nip Luke by .3 seconds and claim the Silver Belt
Buckle while his team (Owned by Patterson-Clifford-Harleen) took home the team
title by a scant 1.5 seconds. Ashley proved that there are still a few campaigns
left in the ol’ moon boots and won her 4th consecutive Buckle. Way to go Ash! In
the end another great weekend at the Bowl with a special thanks going out to all
the volunteers, donors and attendees who made it happen.
(Editor’s note: thank you Jim Harleen for your dedication to the success of the
event and for keeping us all laughing).
J4 Festival Qualifier (2/28/8)
The best J4’s in the Far West were in Mammoth last weekend competing for a chance to be invited to race in the J3 Jr. Olympics (best three out of sixteen invites go). Coach Jim had Natalie D. and Chase H. skiing fast with big smiles (loose and no pressure - his version of the New Year Giants). Wow - Natalie qualifies for JOs as 1st-year J4 and Chase bags two 3rds, two 4ths and two 5ths on the six runs! Great skiing girls! Results. (Jim Harleen, posted 2/29/8)
Freeride Crested Butte (2/28/8)
Andy and I (Sean) were in Crested Butte for the world extreme skiing championships. We had some great results too: Carmen F. 4th, Jonneke G. 5th, Galen R. 13th.
I am so proud of all our athletes who competed out there. The others who attended, Marki B., Luke G., Mike H. also skied well but had some trouble finding their lines during comp. I really want to give an honorable mention to Max B. who also attended and happened to be one of the youngest competitors out there. He ended up in 30th place after "schooling " and beating half the field who had 3 or 4 years on him! So congratulations to MAX!!!!!!! During the first day of qualifying, Mike H. took a slide for life in a "No Fall Zone", He ended up wrapping a tree at about 15 mph, bruising his spleen. After all day of exams and tests in the Gunnison hospital, they released Mike with minor injuries and a bruised ego. I would like to thank Mike for the continued support of his team throughout the week, and cheer him on toward a speedy recovery! (Sean Carey, posted 2/29/8)
Perfect Day Greets Intrasquad #2 (2/17/8)
This past Saturday, on a day that could not have been more
perfect for an intrasquad race, the guessing game was in high gear. The Arena
Rats (AKA: Race Fathers) were standing at the bottom of the course in high
chatter mode predicting racer’s times as they crossed the finish line. (Mothers,
for whatever reason, seem largely immune to this habit.) “High 37, maybe low a
38…they were late on the money gate.” “Even with the hike it will still be a low
40.” “Nailed it, but at 37 pounds I don’t think it’s physically possible to
break 45 seconds.” “The snow plow out of the gate is gunna hurt her but it’s
still a solid 52, she’ll be a tough 2nd year mighty mite next year!” and so on
as the racers descended. There were two runs, though, that left this crowd
standing in stunned silence.
In the J5 girls it was Whitney M. who left the dads speechless with a hair
raising second run where both skis never touched the snow at the same time.
Every near high speed disaster was met with renewed determination and grit and
then another near cartwheeling yard sale. But Whitney not only finished, but
finished with a gold medal time showing she will be a contender at the J4/5
Championships later this year! Great skiing Whitney! Then, just when the dads
had the chatter back up to a full pitch, it was Riley P. who pulled their plug.
After Riles finished what was clearly the run of the day, the dads just looked
at each other shaking their heads in amazement until one said, “Well, I guess
the question is no longer, “Is he going to beat Bill Hudson in the Silver Belt
Race but rather, by how much is he going to beat him?”
Other notable winning performances were turned in by Girls MM Sidney M., Ben E.
in the MM Boys, Julia P. in the 7/8 Girls, Gordon C. in the 7/8 Boys, McKenzie
E. in the 9/10 Girls, Mitch E in the 9/10 Boys, Meredith “I’ll Beat Him Next
Time!” P. in the 11 and up Girls, Max A. in the 11 and up Boys, Luke R. in the
J5 Boys and Diana A. in the J4 Girls. Another wonderful day of ski racing at The
Bowl! Results. Photos.
(Jim Harleen, posted 2/19/8)
J4/5 Diamond Peak Slalom (1/26/8)
You could tell the Sugar Bowl families in the Diamond Peak parking lot because they were the one’s looking around quizzically and saying, “Where’s all the snow?” Where Sugar Bowl is sitting on 12 plus feet, Diamond Peak, a very nice family resort by the way, parks about ½ as much on their slopes showing the difference 20 miles can make. Although yet another storm was looming on the horizon, Saturday was a great day for racing with the sun out and the temperatures cold. Both the J4 and 5 race venues had the terrain to challenge the athletes in this well run race.
In the J5 girls, first year Maureen “MoMo” L. once again showed she can arc the boards by coming in third and first among the ‘98s. She was followed by Lily “Zigadenus Fremantii” Rose L. who, in a break out performance, took the 10th spot by putting down two very solid runs. She is a “star” in the making! Kathleen S. and Alanna D. took 13th and 14th putting 4 SBST girls on the first page. In the J5 Boys “Cool Hand” Luke R. took a slight detour and still managed to come in 5th. He was followed by Trent “T-Man” H. in 7th Matthew B. in 10th and Griffin“Godric” K. (think Harry Potter) in 14th. Once again the SBST squad took 4 of the top 15 places.
As for J4 Boys, well, let’s just say they were the John Muirs of the event -- hiking fools. They were flying off the race course liking they were being shot out of a lawn seed spreader with none making the top 15. While Beau “Dacious” M. skied very well and took 17th others did put in good individual runs with Riley “Eeyore” P. and Charlie “Special” K. lighting up their second runs. The J4 Girls faired better and were led by Diana A. in 4th, Anna “Jim Hudson Says My Dad Doesn’t Know the First Thing About Ski Racing” H. in 5th, Natalie D. in 7th and “High Speed” Chase H. in 11th. Natalie and Chase will be heading to Mammoth for the J4 invitation only festival later this month. Wish them success! Now, anyone know how to get to Mt. Shasta? Results. (Jim Harleen, posted 2/2/8)
J3’s Step Up Big at Junior Olympics Qualifier (1/19/8 - 1/21/8)
At the J3 JO Slalom Qualifier here at the Bowl, a parent was heard joking that
he wished his son was a soccer player where he at least had a 50% chance of winning.
The truth is that in ski racing some of the greatest successes happen off the
“first page” or when an athlete, through dedication and/or grit makes the most
of their ability and reaches a personal goal (let’s call this the James C. “Cliffy”
JO Award). These are the most compelling and lasting stories and this past weekend’s
racing was filled with them.
On day one, Devin “Vinnie” M. gets the bad luck of the random draw and has to start last out of the gate in 89th. His luck doesn’t change much all weekend getting one bad draw and rutted course after another. Nevertheless, he shows great fortitude winning two “Hard Charger Awards” signifying the athlete who advanced the most places from their starting order. (59 places on Saturday!) Nice work Vinnie! Then there’s Christopher “”Critter” L. who shows what dedication, hard work, and opening up the throttles can do by taking a 15th and 7th, two of his best finishes ever! Ellie P. in only her second year of Far West Racing makes “the flip” (top 30 after the 1st run) two days in a row after starting in the 50’s. Conner “Freeski” E., a first year 3, and to date a weekend and holiday skier, has a great festival and takes a 17th, 18th and 20th. Devin D., another first year 3 stays on the first page (top 15) with two 10ths and a 13th. Mara G. (pictured) skied very solidly all weekend making the top ten with a 4th and a 5th. Zach A. took advantage of the home hill placing 3rd and 6th, Grace D. powered to a 7th and 8th, Dylan “Freight Train” M. took home medals for a 14th and 15th and Evan “Ghost” S. and William “Porterhouse” C. came home with a 6th and a 7th respectively. A great effort by all J3 athletes!
For the life of me, I don’t know what Danielle, Tracy and Luke were so nervous about the week before!?! Now it’s time bring out the long boards and head down to Mammoth for the Super G’s! Results. Photos. (Jim Harleen, posted 1/26/8)
Sugar Bowl Tahoe League Season Opener (1/12/8 - 1/13/8)
Kurt Engle made sure his Sugar Bowl Race Department was ready for the traditional start of the TLRS this past weekend. Kurt would be the first to tell you he and his staff work so hard because they have some awfully big shoes to fill. His department’s efforts were rewarded with a near flawless race that would have made DVR proud. The level of racing in the Tahoe League has risen dramatically over the past 5 years and this fact was on full display both Saturday and Sunday.
There were a couple break-out performances led by Addie M., Grace H. and Gordon C. in the 7/8 division. Addie took home the gold (proving that her older siblings weren’t the only ones to get some Lindsay’s prodigious athletic talent) and won by over 4 seconds! Grace H. took third and was less than a .5 second from making it a 1-2 start to the day for the SBST girls. Gordon C. brought home the silver in the boys 7/8 and was only .3 seconds from gold! Great start to the season for our youngest racers. Other highlights were Gavin L. racing to 7th in the 7/8 boys, Campbell D., Daphne J. and Makenna M. going 6-7-8 in the 9/10 girls and Baron Davis winning in the 15/up division posting the fastest time of the day. Nice skiing kids! Results. Photos. (Jim Harleen, posted 1/18/8)
Northstar J4/5 Giant Slalom (1/12/8 - 1/13/8)
With upwards of 70-80 kids racing, to win a Far West race is something most do not get a chance to experience. To win a race as a first year J5 is even less common but that is exactly what “Cool Hand” Luke R. did at Northstar…….twice! Luke followed up his convincing win on Saturday by leading a 1-2-3 sweep on Sunday with Griffin K. Austin “Martin” M. (think cars) close on his heels. Nice work guys! In the very, make that very, very competitive J4 boys the SBST was led by Riley P.’s 7th and 10th place finishes. Look for Riles on the podium as the year progresses as this kid has talent to burn. Riley was followed in 12th and 17th place Charlie “Special” K. who has emerged the past two years as a real contender. Great technical skills matched with the nerves to bring the freight down the hill.
In the J5 girls it was Maureen “MoMo” L. leading the way for the SBST in 6th place on Saturday and another first year 5 Kathleen S. in 10th place on Sunday. In the girls J4 Chase H. followed up her Intrasquad win with 6th and 5th place finishes and she was joined in the top ten by Diana Abbott, Natalie DeMuro and Claire Carroll, all first year 4’s! On to Diamond Peak! Results. (Jim Harleen, posted 1/i8/8)
Intrasquad #1 (12/30/7)
There if no ski racing more fun for participants and spectators alike than a Sugar Bowl Ski Team Intrasquad Race and Revival Meeting. No driving, all the kids participate together on their home hill and at the end of the day the Right Reverend Jim Hudson is on Village Hall podium calling out to the converted, “WITH A TIME OF 123.54 SECONDS, FROM THE SUGAR BOWL SKI TEAM….” It’s a beautiful thing
On race day it appeared that if your name was not Eisenstadt you’d have to elbow your way on to the podium. In the MM boys, 7/8 boy and 9/10 boys the Brothers E, Ben, Johnny and Mitch went 2, 1, 1 for a near family sweep. Hayden L. took the MM boys win and Dylan T. took third. In the MM girls it was Sydney M. claiming the top spot followed by Lindsay K. and Dannah F. 7/8 boys had Gavin L. in second and Gordon C. taking the Bronze. 7/8 Girls Julia P. climbed to the top of the podium followed by Addie M. and Paige H. who narrowly beating the Sarah “Edge Dweller” R. 9/10 Boys had Garrett G. in second and Xander G. in third. In the 9/10 girls division Makenna M. led the charge followed closely by Daphne J. and Campbell D. In the 11 and up Meredith P. took Gold (but still couldn’t beat her bother’s “fastest time of the day,” 107.31!) and was followed by Alex A. and Elle K. In the boys 11 and up Alex A. led the way with Brian N. taking second and Brother Scout A. placing third. In the stacked J5 boys division it was Luke R. in first, Leo N. second and Griffin K. in third. J5 girls it was MoMo L once again with the bird’s eye view but less than a second behind came hard charging Natalie B. with Meghan W. hot on her heels. The top three J4 girls were separated by less than a second with Chase H. chasing her way to the gold followed by Anna H. and Diana A. (All first year 4’s!) In the J4 boys it was Riley P. with the fastest time of the day followed by a laser focused Chris F. in second and Big Beau M. in third.
There were a lot of jittery stomachs, especially amongst those racing for the first time, but the Intrasquad went a long ways in preparing the kids for this weekend’s Tahoe League and J4/5 races. A big thanks to all the parents and coaches who made the day such a success. (Jim Harleen, posted 1/8/8)
Village Ball (12/28/7)
On the 28th of December the Village Hall was home to the sold out “Village Ball: A Culinary Adventure.” A new event that combined the Village Culinary Adventure and the Sugar Ball was attended by over 130 residents of the Sugar Bowl Village. The meal was expertly conceived by Elissa Hambrecht and Brendan Dyson and perfectly prepared by Heather’s beau, Guy Frenette from Moody’s, Chef Tom from the Sugar Bowl Academy, and Mighty Mite coach Don Triplet. Jim Harleen organized (with a masterful combination of cracking the whip and confidence building) the wait staff of 18 from the ranks of the Sugar Bowl Ski Team and they performed their job flawlessly receiving a rousing ovation for their efforts. The guests were thoroughly pleased and the event was a financial success as well raising money for the team’s programs and scholarship fund. Thank you Brendan, Elisa, Jim and the Sugar Bowl Village community for your continued enthusiastic and generous support! Go SBSTF!! (Jim Harleen, posted 1/8/8)
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