2009/2010 News

Tahoe League Diamond Peak Dual SL (2/27/10 - 2/28/10)

Cameron S. made it four for four in Tahoe League by taking first place in the boys 7/8 by a mere two-tenths of a second, while posting the fastest combined time of the day. Ben E. skied to a 5th place finish. Charlie P. led the way for the 9/10 boys with a 22nd place finish. The girls 7/8 demonstrated their mid-season form with five of the top six finishers, including Sydney M. (6), Dannah F. (5), Alex K. (4th), and Georgiana S. (3rd). Anya M. didn't let the fact that she was missing her regular skis affect her. She borrowed an un-waxed training pair and won her second consecutive Tahoe League race. Jasper C. was the top finisher for the 9/10 girls in 29th. Special recognition goes to Olivia O., who was sitting in 10th place until her second time was erased due to a disqualification. Olivia handled the incident with grace and a positive attitude. She showed that not only is she a skier on the rise, but possesses the spirit we strive to instill in all Sugar Bowl athletes.

On Sunday, racers 11 and up headed to Diamond Peak. Kevin B. (10th) and Scout A (8) led the way in the boys 15 and up. Sarah B. led the 11/12's in 22nd and Frances B. paced the 13/14 girls in 17th. Congratulations to all SBST athletes who participated in this race. (3/11/10)

Silver Belt

The Silver Belt Calcutta dinner and race was once again a transformative event. Sarah Street (Longton) magically transformed the Village Hall, which just 5 hours before was a jam packed Mighty Mite feeding trough, into an elegant, candelabra filled Mardi Gras palace. The food and drink of Guy Frenette transformed hungry skiers into happy and sated friends. Jim Hudson transformed thick wallets into thinner wallets as he masterfully ran the auction that helps fund and make the SBST the great organization it is. And the next day, ex-Olympians, World Cup racers and past National Champions are transformed back into highly competitive athletes attempting to win a silver belt buckle (or at least not be beaten by the likes of Scotty L. and Ty S. -- many without success!).

While the big winner was the Sugar Bowl Ski Team Foundation and it’s programs, there were many individual winners as well. After being the bridesmaid the last two years, Philip Hammarskjöld was the buyer of the winning team comprised of Anik Wild, Scotty L, Luke R. and Grace H. His name will be etched on the Silver Belt Perpetual Trophy on display in the Village Hall. With the fastest time of the day, Luke Patterson won the men’s silver belt buckle and newcomer and J3 coach Lesley Lemaseriur took the woman’s buckle. After much spirited bidding, the private jet to Montecito was taken down by the Clifford, James and Fitzpatrick families. Congratulations and thank you for your continued generosity! Special thanks go out to Heather, Bill, Peter Sprock (whose juicing made it the fastest race ever!), Kurt Engel, Jim Harleen and all the people that made the event so special. Photos.

Snow Rangers: A Day In the Life

Led by coach, Jon Rockwood (and consulting from Dave Riggs) the nine members of the new Snow Ranger program are certainly enjoying and learning about our winter environment. Following is a recap of their adventure last Saturday - a day of further developing avalanche transceiver skills and sidecountry touring, followed by snow camping in the Village. Deep snow, limited visibility and cold temps provided some challenges, but all did well due to their good attitudes and adventurous spirits.

In the afternoon, the Snow Rangers toured off the summit of Mt. Lincoln navigating the ridge to a gap in the cornice for entry to the goods on the full East Face down to the meadow. They then skinned back to Lunch Rock above Roller Pass and more powder turns down Judah Bowl. Good day, but not even close to over. The team dug in and set up tents behind the Village Hall, and they were introduced to the ASI high and light, in-the-tent cooking system. The five girls were adamant about all sharing one of the three 3-person dome tents, which given their size, was just fine on a cold (for Tahoe) night. They found it pretty neat to sit in a tight circle around the stove hung from the tent ceiling and chat about the day and other stuff while they rehydrated and refueled. Skepticism about a meal of mostly cook in the cup freeze dried food was overcome by tired legs and empty stomachs. The boys in the tent next door with coach Jon seemed to be having a similarly, but a tad rowdier, good time. There appeared to be no trouble falling asleep after dinner. And while the first time experience was kept close to home, no one needed to bail or even visit the Village Hall for the bathroom during the night. Thanks to Bela and Mimi at ASI for lending the tents.

A Rosy Performance at Rose - Tahoe League

January 23, 2010 Mt Rose, NV-
After a week of heavy snow, the Tahoe League Race Series returned to action at Mt Rose for a giant slalom. Mt Rose double groomed their Sunrise Bowl Race Arena to make all of the new snow as firm as possible. It was a cold and sometimes blustery day with periods of snow showers and sun, but athletes from Sugar Bowl and six other areas (split squad) showed their grit and determination down the rolling off-camber and rutted race track. And when the final racer crossed the finish line at 4:00, Sugar Bowl posted a banner day, with top results across the board.

Highlights in the 11 and ups included Sarah B in 5th for the girls 11/12 and Daniel K in 4th in the boys 11/12. Charlotte M took second despite having to hike in her second run in the girls 15 and up, while Scout A used a subtle touch on the soft snow to win both runs and earn first place in the boys 15+ age group.

Yellow bibs dominated the awards stand in the girls 7/8, as Sugar Bowl girls took 6 of the top 10 spots. Alex K and Dannah F skied to 7th and 6th place finishes respectively, and Sydney M rode the fastest second run to a 4th place finish. The all-Sugar Bowl-podium featured Anya M in third, Georgiana S in second, and Faith C standing on the top step. The boys 7/8 placed 4 in the top 10 with Dylan T in 8th, Michael P in 7th, and Hayden L in 4th. Cameron S won the second run to claim first for the second consecutive race.

Olivia O finished 6th to lead the 9/10 girls and Harrison M finished 8th, leading the 9/10 boys. Special recognition goes to Ben E (boys 7/8 who won the first run) and David N (9/10 boys 5th on first run) who were both well on their way to podium finishes before crashes halted impressive second runs. Congratulations to SBST athletes for representing our mountain so well. Results.

Slope Style at Squaw

Last Sunday Sugar Bowl skiers competed in the USSA slopestyle at Squaw Valley. Poor weather made for a tough day of competition but the kids worked through it, and walked away with some hardware. The course consisted of a down rail, a step down and a table/ hip option.

Sugar Bowl's young gun Jordie G. was the youngest competitor and won his age group for both events. Xander G. and Blake L. were 1st and 2nd in there age group for the two events. Both of them had different and creative runs that worked with the conditions. Zoe A. got 2nd in her age group in both events. Kyle F. and Andre T. were both affected by the wind and had trouble maintaining speed. But expect more in the future from these two. Everyone worked very hard and I'm very proud of the outcome. Congrats to everyone.

Aloha, Coach Davis Souza

Opening Day: Tahoe League Slalom (1/2/10 - 1/3/10)

Boreal, CA. -The Tahoe League Race Series kicked off its 2010 year with a 2-day opening slalom at Boreal on January 2nd and 3rd. On Saturday, racers 11 and up donned their shin guards for the opening race. A leaky gas line caused a brief delay, but once started, the race unfolded as planned under sunny skies. Scout A placed 7th in the B15&Up category while Sayles D made the G13/14 top 15. Charlotte M earned the bronze in the G15&Up with some fast skiing.

On Sunday, the 10&Under athletes took to the hill for a perfect day of racing on a calm, sunny day with firm, grippy snow. Sugar Bowl faced stiff competition from ten other mountains including Squaw Valley, Diamond Peak, Alpine Meadows, and Northstar, but put down some amazing runs. When the snow settled, the 7/8 girls walked away with an impressive showing of medals, placing 6 skiers in the top 10, including Erin T (10th), Alex K (9th), Dannah F (8th), and Georgiana S (7th). Anya M rode the third fastest second run time to a 5th place finish, and Faith C carved her way to second. Not to be outdone, the 7/8 boys took 5 of the top 13 spots, including 3 of the top 5 spots. Smooth Ben E cruised into 5th, while Hayden L charged into third, and Cameron S put down two smoking runs to earn the gold.

In the G9/10 division, Olivia O skied to a strong 14th place finish and David N (9th) cracked the top 10 in the very strong B9/10 category. Great job Sugar Bowl parents, coaches, and especially to our athletes for their performance on and off the course. Click Results for the complete race results. Sugar Bowl's Felix McLaughlin was on hand Sunday to capture the action on camera. Check out the photos from second run.

The next Tahoe League race is a split squad GS and takes place at Mt Rose on Saturday January 23rd for all ages. If your child would like to participate in this race, please discuss this with his/her coach. Registration must be completed for this race by Monday, January 18th. (1/8/10)

Academy Nordic

During the Thanksgiving week the SBA Nordic team traveled to West Yellowstone, Montana for an early season training camp. Austin Meng, Kelly Habibi, Evan Dion, Corey Talbott and Joanne Reid were there for seven days of twice a day training and some early season racing. The conditions were fantastic with cold, dry snow and 40 kilometers of groomed trail. The trails were crowded with over 1000 Nordic skiers from all over North America and the world, many of whom were there to compete in the first Super Tour ski races of the season-races - Olympic qualifying races for the 2010 U.S. Olympic team. The SBA team mostly focused on training but several athletes did compete in some of the races. The top SBA results came from Joanne Reid who was the top junior woman at the races and was 7th overall (3rd American and top junior) in the 10K skate race. Austin Meng also turned in some excellent results including 73 th (4th junior) in the classic sprint and 93rd (3rd junior) in the 15K skate race. Kelly Habibi and Corey Talbott started their racing season with a low-key 3K Biathlon race in which Kelly was 6th overall woman and Corey was 9th man. Corey is primarily an Alpine racer but has been training with the Nordic team due to a shin injury that currently prohibits Alpine training. Corey has picked up Nordic skiing extremely fast and his large aerobic capacity is serving him well on the Nordic trails.

The SBA Nordic team will start local racing with a 5/10k skate race at Royal Gorge on December 13th and the first CNISSF school race at Kirkwood on December 18th. (12/2/9)