Welcome to the Whitefish Mountain Race Team

Whitefish Skiers at Big Sky Haul Home Hardware

2012-02-12T21:34:00.008-07:00

Britt Walton Skys the Jump at Big Sky

Six Whitefish Alpine Racers traveled to Big Sky Resort February 10-12, for a USSA Northern Division Junior Olympic Qualifier Series. Three Super G races were contested on the difficult Hangman’s Trail. A sizeable jump was constructed on the course, giving the racers even more challenge.
The Whitefish group proved to be up to the challenge of the speed and air time, returning to Whitefish with multiple medals; aka “Bringing Home the Hardware”.
Due to the difficulty of the track and the jump, Friday was scheduled as a training day to acquaint the racers with the challenge. Two races were held Saturday followed by one on Sunday.
Results for the three races are as Follows:
Jr. 2 Girls
Erin Tabish: 3rd, 4th and 5th.
Jr. 2 Boys
Nevada Kramer: 2nd, DNF and 4th.
Jacob Welch: 8th, DNF, 11th.
Jr. 3 Boys
Oliver Van Everen: 2nd, 4th and 1st
Britt Walton: 4th, 5th and 2nd
Cameron Welch: 16th, 12th and 11th.

Showdown at Bridger YSL Super-G

2012-02-09T09:50:00.001-07:00

Six young Whitefish Mountain ski racers competed this past weekend in a GS/Super G Kombi race held at Bridger Bowl. It was a great introduction to a “speed” event in which components of a Super G race were added to the traditional Giant Slalom platform. Pleasant temperatures and blue skies were welcomed by the 150 racers that competed in 3 separate, one-run races. With just 6 racers competing from Whitefish, they had impressive results, fielding 6 podium finishes and 3 top ten finishes in the 3 races.

With passionate coaching provided by Roy Loman and Zak Anderson, the team continues to be inspired to perform with excellence both on and off the hill. Both coaches felt the team really stepped up and pushed themselves to move to the next level. Coach Loman said, “In the 30+ years that I have been coaching, never I have seen more improvement from a team of athletes. Our group was so able to focus on what they needed to do to move to the next level; and we saw that work in their improvement for every individual on the team. It is seldom that you get that kind of focus and execution from an entire group."

A tenacious ten year-old Colter Upton topped the podium with a 1st place in his age group on Sunday with an aggressive run, following his two 2nd place finishes on Saturday. Eight year-old Marina Kramer demonstrated solid consistency, earning three 3rd place finishes throughout the weekend, in the 7-8 year old girls bracket.

A determined nine year-old Douglas Mercer had 3 top ten finishes--10th, 10th and 7th in his group. First year nine year-old racer William Lewison made fantastic improvements throughout the weekend, finishing more than 6 seconds faster in his final race.

Team leaders Story Crossett and Kristin Van Everen competed in the competitive 11-12 year old divisions and were both good examples of persistence and diligence for their teammates.

The next scheduled Youth Ski League races will be at Great Divide and Discovery followed by the season finale championships held at our very own Whitefish Mountain Resort March 23rd-25th. Wish the Whitefish racers good luck.

Large Whitefish Team with Strong Showing at Big Sky GS Races

2012-01-31T07:16:00.001-07:00

A strong contingent of Whitefish ski racers, ages 8-13, competed in two GS races recently held at Big Sky Resort, along with 180 other racers from throughout Montana. With team members battling illness, cold wind chills and a strong field of competitors, they performed well and had a lot of fun along the way.

Podium finishes for the Whitefish team included: Gardner Dominick with two 1st place finishes in the 7-8 year old boys group, Marina Kramer with a 3rd place in 7-8 year old girls, Colter Upton with two 3rd place finishes in 9-10 year old boys and Cameron Welch with a 2nd place in 13-14 year old boys.

Newcomer Liam Nelson finished with a strong 4th place finish on Sunday in the 9-10 year old boys division. Pixie Moore continues to move up in the highly competitive 11-12 year old girls bracket, breaking into the top 10 with a 9th place finish on Sunday. Other racers competing for Whitefish included James Thompson, Stella Eddy, Walt Hollensteiner, Kristin Van Everen, Caroline LeCompte and Story Crossett.

Upcoming YSL Race information: Great Divide/Discovery

2012-01-30T15:14:00.001-07:00

Here is a bit of info regarding 2 upcoming YSL Races; 1 at Great Divide and the other at Discover, near Anaconda.

Great Divide YSL
DATE; February 18 and 19, 2012
EVENT: Slalom - Saturday, and 2 Technical Combi Races - Sunday
RACERS ELIGIBLE: JIII, JIV, JV, JVI
LOCATION: Great Divide Ski Area, Marysville, Montana - 25 miles northwest of Helena, Montana.

Discovery GS Series

Events: GS, Saturday, March 3, 2012 – Morning and afternoon run
GS, Sunday, March 4, 2012 – Morning and afternoon run
Class: Men & Women - Youth Ski League - Classes J3 and younger
Registration: 8:00-9:00 a.m. Discovery Lodge 2nd Floor, Discovery Ski Area
Lift Tickets: Racers 12 and under $10 per day. Racers 13 and over $19 per day. Purchased directly by the coach. Payable by check. Parents and spectators must show their season pass in order to receive discounted lift tickets.

If you plan to go to either of these, let me know and I will place you on the list.

Both are great races...

This is who I have to
Great Divide: Kristin; Story and Colter
Discovery: Kristin; Story, Colter, James and Liam.

Both the La Quinta in Helena and the Fairmont Hot Springs have asked us to make our reservations quickly...(within the next week)

Helena Lodging (La Quinta)
Name: Whitefish Ski Team
Contact: Roy Loman

Arrival Date: February 17, 2011
Departure Date: February 19, 2011

6 - 2 queen bed rooms
Rate: $83.00 plus tax
Cancel by 6:00PM on date of arrival
Hotel Phone number to call for room block reservations: 406-449-4000 Individuals make own reservations and responsible for own room charges. Please make your reservations ASAP.

Discovery Lodging
Fairmont Hot Springs
1-800-332-3272 1500 Fairmont Road
(406) 797-3241 Fairmont, MT 59711
(406) 797-3260 FAX bbrown@fairmontmontana.com
Rate: $114

SPORTSMAN & SKI HAUS JO QUALIFIER

2012-01-24T10:33:00.006-07:00

FVSEF,the Sportsman & Ski Haus and the Whitefish Mountain Resort hosted the season’s first Junior Olympic Qualifier. The Qualifier consisted of 2 Giant Slalom races and 1 Slalom. Results from this and additional qualifiers held at Missoula Snow Bowl, Big Sky Resort and Red Lodge will be used to determine attendance at the Western Region’s Junior Olympics to be held at Big Sky and Bridger resorts and the FIS Western Region Championships at Schweitzer Basin, Idaho.
The opening series started with a Giant Slalom on the steep Ed’s Run at the Whitefish Resort. Excellent snow conditions provided an extremely good track for the 3 contested races. A second GS was held Sunday and the races concluded with a Slalom on Monday.
Local results from the Saturday GS include:
Women
Erin Tabish 7th; 15-16 year old category
Madeline Williams 3rd; 17-19
Men
Brittain Walton 6th; 13-14 year old category
Cameron Welch 12th; 13-14
Oliver Van Everen 13th; 13-14
Nevada Kramer 3rd; 15-16
Jacob Welch 9th; 15-16
Aaron Oberlitner 3rd; 17-19

Sunday GS
Women
Piper Howeth 5th; 13-14
Kelly Shea 6th; 13-14
Erin Tabish 3rd; 15-16
Madeline Williams 3rd 17-19
Men
Oliver Van Everen 7th; 13-14 Yrs.
Brittain Walton 10th; 13-14
Cameron Welch 12th; 13-14
Nevada Kramer 1st; 15-16
Jacob Welch 8th; 15-16
Aaron Oberlitner 2nd; 17-19

Monday Slalom
Women
Piper Howeth 7th; 13-14 Yrs.
Erin Tabish 4th; 15-16
Madeline Williams 2nd; 17-19
Men
Oliver Van Everen 6th; 13-14 Yrs
Brittain Walton 7th; 13-14
Cameron Welch 13th; 13-14
Jacob Welch 4th; 15-16

The Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation would like to thank it’s major sponsors, the Sportsman & Ski Haus and the North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic for their continued support.

Tommy Moe Series Begins with a GS on Sunday Jan 22, 2012

2012-01-19T22:03:00.002-07:00

Just a quick reminder to all that the Tommy Moe Series kicks off this week-end (Sunday) with a GS…

THIS IS A GREAT RACE SERIES TO PARTICIPATE IN!
See the link below for the schedule and more information...
See more here:http://skiwhitefish.com/programs.php (click on the Tommy Moe Tab)

Whitefish Ski Racers Compete at Bridger Bowl

2011-12-16T20:30:00.015-07:00

Five young Whitefish ski racers, ages 9-12, competed with 135 racers from Montana in the opening event of the season January 7-8th. The two day slalom race took place on the wind-chilled icy slopes of Bridger Bowl. Despite limited early season training in gates due to low snow, coaches’ Roy Loman and Zak Anderson had the athletes well prepared. The team’s dedication was evident throughout the weekend, as they gained valuable confidence and experience.

Strong performances by 9-year old Colter Upton, earned him a 1st place finish on Saturday and 2nd on Sunday, in his first year in the J5 division. Douglas Mercer, also 9, finished the weekend with two top ten finishes, 9th and 7th places. Rounding out the J5 boys group for Whitefish was newcomer William Lewison who gained valuable experience.

For the girls, J5 racer Stella Eddy had a strong finish Saturday in 6th place. Team leader Pixie Moore, 12, competed in the highly competitive J4 division, and had progressively stronger races as the weekend unfolded.

Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation would like to thank our major sponsors: Whitefish Mountain Resort, The Sportsman & Ski Haus, and North Valley Hospital. Anyone interested in the alpine race team please contact head coach Roy Loman at 802-236-1057.

Nevada Kramer races in FIS at Schweitzer

2011-12-16T20:30:00.014-07:00

Nevada Kramer, Whitefish, competed at the Schweitzer ski resort in Sand Point, Idaho in a FIS sanctioned alpine ski event January 5-8.
Kramer joined racers in an international field to compete in 2 Super Giant Slalom and 2 Giant Slalom races. In Thursday’s opening race, a Super Giant Slalom, Kramer ranked #83 in the field finished # 55 to move up strongly. He continued that pattern each day; starting # 87 on Friday and finishing 57. Saturday his start was 61 with a great finish in 38th position. Kramer finished Sunday’s race after starting 54 and finishing in the 48th spot.
Kramer’s coaches said: “Nevada has started strongly this season. He has prepared himself well through the summer and fall and is reaping the benefits by improving his ranking in nearly every race.”
Kramer’s next race is a GS and Slalom Series scheduled at Whitefish Mountain Resort January 14-16.

Nevada Finishes FIS Series in Panorama

2011-12-16T20:30:00.012-07:00

Nevada Kramer finished his first FIS series (2 GS and 2 SL) held at Panorama, CA. Nevada had a good series; moving up from his start position on average 20 places! Check out his results on the FIS page here:
Click Here! (Click on the "R" inside the square)

Nevada Competes in Panorama FIS

2011-12-16T20:30:00.008-07:00

Race Team teammate, Nevada Kramer, is competing at the Panorama, BC ski resort in a FIS alpine ski event Dec 18-21.
Kramer joins racers from over 9 countries to compete in 2 Giant Slalom and 2 Slalom races. In Sunday’s opening race, a Giant Slalom, Kramer started #92 in a field of over 110 racers. He finished 72 moving up 20 positions for the day. Day 2 will see another Giant Slalom, to be followed by Slalom’s on Day 3 and 4.

Bode at Val Gardena

2011-12-16T20:30:00.005-07:00

Click here to Read More …!

Be sure to also watch Fuez' run, it is a great run!

Meyer: It's Golden Age for US Ski Team!

2011-12-10T19:59:00.002-07:00

Click here to Read More About the Golden Age…!

Nolan Kasper; 4th in World Cup Slalom!

2011-12-08T22:06:00.003-07:00

I used to watch Nolan as a Jr. 4 in VT...He was a good skier...As all of you are! Which one of you will be the next 4th place World Cup skier?
Click here to Read More …!

Some Fun Reading from this Week-Ends WC races in Beaver Creek

2011-12-07T20:21:00.003-07:00

Click here to Read More …!

Ligety wins at Beaver Creek!

2011-12-06T23:08:00.003-07:00

Read about it here:
Click here to Read More …!

Weibrecht scores well in Birds of Prey

2011-12-03T18:19:00.006-07:00

Coming back after injury...
Click here to Read More …!

Lindsey wins again at Lake Louise!

2011-12-03T18:14:00.002-07:00

Lindsey...give the girls a break!
Click here to Read More …!

Bode!

2011-12-03T18:08:00.002-07:00

Bode Wins At Beaver Creek!
Click here to Read More …!

Vonn Dominates at Lake Louise

2011-12-03T18:04:00.005-07:00

Lindsey just smashed the rest of the girls!
Read more here:
Click here to Read More …!

The Showcase of the Chefs

2011-12-01T09:58:00.005-07:00

Join us Friday, Dec 2nd for one of the premier social events of the season. The "Showcase of the Chefs" will be held at the Whitefish Lake Lodge at 7:00 pm.
Contact Roy Loman at 802.236.1057 for tickets.

THE SHOWCASE…!

U.S. Ski Team: Sarah Schleper takes 16-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin under her wing

2011-11-24T17:48:00.002-07:00

Click here to Read About Sarah and Mikaela…!

Thanksgiving Camp at Banff

2011-11-22T23:32:00.003-07:00

The snow is great and we are haveing a wonderful time...check us out at:
Click here to Read More …!

So...When You Have Fallen, Do You Think You Can't Get Up; Or Do You Think You Can Still Win!

2011-11-19T21:58:00.003-07:00

If you want to see how to really dig deep, Click here!

Montana Ski Areas are opening...check here to see when!

2011-11-18T18:36:00.002-07:00

Click here to Read More About the Montana Ski Area Openings!

Schleper wins USAs opening FIS GS

2011-11-17T17:43:00.003-07:00

Thursday November 17, 2011 US Ski Team Vetran Sarah Schleper won the first US race of the Ski Season, a FIS GS at Copper Mountain
Click here to Read More …!

Early Season Speed Events to begin at Lake Louise

2011-11-16T09:21:00.003-07:00

While the lack of snow in Europe caused the cancellation one World Cup Race, North America will host the Kick-Off Speed Events.
Click Here to Read More!

If we learn anything from athletics, this shold be a major lesson...

2011-11-14T22:32:00.004-07:00

Read about Albert Pujols and what athletes can and should learn for him here:...

Skit Team Opens Training at Vail

2011-11-03T20:49:00.001-06:00

To Read about the US Ski Team Training at Vail; Click Here...

2011-11-01T11:33:00.008-06:00

CLICK HERE to read "Ski Racing Magazine's" coverage on the new Warren Miller film "Like no Tomorrow."

Showings at the O'Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish Nov 11-12, 7:00 PM
Door Prizes-Raffle-Snack Bar and Beverages
Adults $15.00 12 and under $10.00

This is some very good Reading!

2011-10-28T20:15:00.002-06:00

Click here to read about runner Amber Crewse

This is some very good reading!

2011-10-28T20:07:00.004-06:00

http://www.denverpost.com/meyer/ci_19185690?source=rss

Ligety Doubles Week-end w/Win in Solden!

2011-10-23T10:56:00.001-06:00

Whitefish Mountain Resort Race Team
Ted Ligety methodically started the defense of his 2011 World Cup GS crown with the first win of the 2012 season Sunday (Oct 23) at Soelden, Austria and made the U.S. two for two on the weekend.

Read more here:

Vonn Wins Historic GS in Solden

2011-10-23T10:51:00.004-06:00

Lindsey Vonn Stages a Historic GS Win in Solden...
Watch Lindsey Vonn crush the GS in Soelden to take home her first win in that discipline. The win makes her the first U.S. woman EVER to win in all 5 disciplines.
View More Videos:

See her video from Solden here: www.usskiteam.com

2011 Team Awards

2011-04-19T21:25:00.006-06:00

The coaches have come together to recognize the strengths and attributes of each of our team members for 2011. While race results are widely used for recognition and that is rightly so, there are SO many more gains made in each season by all of our athletes.
Our Awards list covers the many things that we recognize as important attributes to success, both on and off the ski hill.
Each of our athletes has particular strengths that are necessary for success and we would like to recognize and celebrate those strengths with all of you. Most of these awards also contain an element of humor; after-all, we really did have fun while working quite hard all winter long.

ToView and enjoy our Awards List Click Here...

Erin Tabish Scores well in Panorama Canada

2011-04-03T21:03:00.002-06:00

Erin Tabish, competing in a FIS Series finished her second GS of the Series. She will Compete in Two Slaloms, one each for the next two days.
In the second GSm Erin started as bib 75 and finished in 66th. Her finish resulted in a strong improvement in her international ranking.

Erin Tabish Competes in Panorama

2011-04-02T20:31:00.003-06:00

Erin Tabish competed in a FIS Giant Slalom Race today. Erin started bib 76 and finished 48th, moving up 28 spots. A great effort for Erin today. She will compete in a GS tomorrow and a slalom each day for the following 2 days.

Jacob and Nevada at the OHG/Erin Tabish to Panorama

2011-04-01T20:50:00.003-06:00

Friday, April 1 was the GS of the Northern Division Championships. Jacob Welch and Nevada Kramer finished well on the first day, with the Slalom to be contested tomorrow (Saturday).
Nevada was the top Jr. 3 and finished 6th overall. Jacob was the 4th Jr. 3 and was 11th overall! Well done boys.

Erin Tabish traveled today to a FIS series in Panorama. Races in Panorama start Saturday, April 2nd and we will post results as they become known.

Bridger Bowl YSL Championships

2011-03-24T10:09:00.002-06:00

Nine athletes from the Whitefish Mountain Race Team travelled to Bridger Bowl to compete in the season finale YSL Championships March 18-20th. Over the course of 3 days, they raced in giant slalom, slalom and kombi courses, to finish out their competitive season.

Three skiers earned podium placements in a field of over 170 racers and Oliver Van Evern earned 3rd place in the Over-All; with his top placing in all three contested events. Nine year-old Colter Upton finished a successful racing season by topping the podium with a 1st place in slalom. He also raced to 2nd place in the kombi event and 3rd in giant slalom. Oliver Van Everen brought home two 3rd place trophies in a highly competitive field of 11-12 year olds, in GS and slalom. Jacob Welch skied to a 1st and 2nd place finish respectively, in boys J3 class.

After most of the ski season off to play competitive tennis, Britt Walton picked up where he left off and garnered two top 10 finishes in the speedy field of 11-12 year old boys: 8th in GS and 10th in kombi. In his first out-of-town race, Douglas Mercer brought home 3 medals in the 7-8 year old boys group with two 5th’s and a 6th place. Kristin Van Everen represented the girls of Whitefish well with 3 top ten finishes, including a 6th and two 8th’s . Jacques Eve ended his season with a 7th place in the kombi race and 9th in slalom.

Also representing Whitefish well were Cameron Welch and Story Crossett. The Whitefish Mountain Race Team athletes would all like to thank their dedicated coaching staff, led by head coach Roy Loman. Please give Roy a call at (406) 862 2912 if you are interested in the alpine race program. The team is also grateful to their sponsors: Hunter & Company, Hammer Nutrition and The Base Lodge Clinic (North Valley hospital).

Tommy Moe Dual Slalom Winners

2011-03-21T09:19:00.006-06:00

Tommy Moe Kids League
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Dual Slalom
Today was the Dual Slalom race for the Tommy Moe Kids Competition Series. We
had great mild sunny weather for this exciting final competition in the series. The
course included 2 individual courses side-by-side.
The morning race was the usual competition by age and gender categories. The afternoon race was a bracketed dual slalom elimination, including those with the top 16 overall times from the morning. The Dual Slalom format has the competitors racing against each other in run after run until the winner has eliminated all other competitors. The dual format is very exciting to watch and challenges the skiers in both technical ability and stamina.

Overall Results – Afternoon Race
1st Place Trophy to Zander Wold
2nd Place Trophy to Piper Howeth
3rd Place Trophy to Jack Kahle

Results by Category- Morning Race
Girls ages 5 - 6: Muriel Mercer* (1st), Elizabeth Spradlin (2nd)
Boys ages 5 - 6: Trey Nelson (1st), Decker Wold (2nd), Kelly Howeth (3rd)
Girls ages 7 - 8: Mikaela Daniels* (1st), Stella Eddy* (2nd), Kendall Reed (3rd)
Boys ages 7 - 8: William Hyatt (1st), Cameron Kahle* (2nd), Bode Wold* (3rd)
Girls ages 9 -10: Pixie Moore* (1st), Mia Hernandez* (2nd), Audrey Hyatt (3rd)
Boys ages 9 - 10: Liam Nelson* (1st), Keegan Wold* (2nd), Grant Kahle* (3rd)
Girls ages 11- 12: Piper Howeth* (1st), Isabelle Andersen (2nd), Ella VanBlack
(3rd)
Boys ages 11 - 12: Zander Wold* (1st), Jack Kahle* (2nd), Dawson Reinhart (3rd)
*Members of the Whitefish Mountain Resort Race Team.

All competitors raced well and we are very proud of all of them!

We’ve had another great season for the Tommy Moe series! Our total participation
level over the 6 events was higher than ever. Many thanks to all the families that
participate, the Snow Sports crew, Bill & Sharon Kahle and all the other volunteers
who make these events fun and successful.
For more information, check out HYPERLINK "http://skiwhitefish.com/
lessons_tommy_moe.php" http://skiwhitefish.com/lessons_tommy_moe.php or call
406-862-2909.

Tommy Moe Make-up GS Results

2011-03-15T10:36:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to all the Tommy Moe Racers and Volunteers!
Below is a cut and paste from the resort:

Tommy Moe Kids League
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Giant Slalom
Today was the Giant Slalom race for the Tommy Moe Kids Competition Series, but
with a different schedule. The race was in the morning with warm, sunny weather
and soft spring snow. The race was a Giant Slalom course with greater distance
between gates which allowed for larger turns and faster race times. Over 65
competitors participated in the event, with Oliver VanEveren running the fastest
combined time of 59.81.
The last competition of the year is the Dual Slalom event on Sunday, March 20th.
The cost of entry is $12. Note that the race times differ from the for this event to
allow for two rounds of competition. Registration is from 8- 9:30am at the Fireside
Room of Ed & Mully’s and the first round of races start at 10am. For more
information, check out http://skiwhitefish.com/lessons_tommy_moe.php or call
406-862-2909.
Results by Category
Girls ages 5 - 6: Alli Kernan (1st), Maya Schroder (2nd), Muriel Mercer* (3rd)
Boys ages 5 - 6: Drew Kernan (1st), Ty Schwaiger (2nd), Teague McDonald (3rd)
Girls ages 7 - 8: Stella Eddy* (1st), Marina Kramer* (2nd), Mikaela Daniels* (3rd)
Boys ages 7 - 8: Colter Upton* (1st), Gardner Dominick* (2nd), Douglas Mercer*
(3rd)
Girls ages 9 -10: Pixie Moore* (1st), Kristin VanEveren* (2nd), Audrey Hyatt* (3rd)
Boys ages 9 - 10: Liam Nelson* (1st), Carver Gilman*(2nd), Keegan Wold* (3rd)
Girls ages 11- 12: Piper Howeth* (1st), Isabelle Andersen* (2nd), Annie Howeth*
(3rd)
Boys ages 11 - 12: Oliver VanEveren* (1st), Brit Walton* (2nd), Zander Wold*
(3rd),
Overall Fastest Time: Oliver VanEveren*
*Members of the Whitefish Mountain Resort Race Team.

Zak has found some great Video for us to learn from

2011-03-10T20:54:00.008-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/l/09beb/www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib99OFhDibI

Zak has forwarded me a Youtube link of some awesome video that displays MANY of the attributes of skiing that we have been talking about and working on.
Listen to the dialogue and watch and you will see some outstanding examples of some great ski fundamentals.
I list a few things to look for below. what I suggest is that you watch the clip. Then look over the list below. Or perhaps you have your own thought in mind. Then watch the clip with that item in mind. Trying to key on every thing in this list will not likely be productive.

Some of my key thought are:
1) The body is able to be stable because the work is being done by the feet and legs
2) Watch the rolling of the ankle and the lower leg and knee to help strengthen the edge angle and pressure on the outside ski.
3) Watch Travis move just enough up and strongly forward in the transition of each turn to keep him dynamically balanced forward on his skis
4) With this; both ankles are flexed forward providing balance to the front of the ski and allowing a position from which the ankles and lower legs can roll more powerfully to engage the edging motion. Of course, the majority of the edging is due to the extreme angulation and the foot being far outside the body, BUT the ankle and knee start the action and are paramount to the success of a well executed turn.
5) See how the inside knee is tucked against the chest in the deepest part of the turn; with the ankle flexed forward and the heel tending to be up against the butt in order to allow the extreme angulation and edge angle of the outside ski.
6) The inside ski mimics the outside ski, but the outside ski is the dominant and controlling ski.
7) The hands are quiet and in their "zone" for balance. Pay particular attention to the inside hand and how (when it stays in position) it helps to strengthen the position of the inside shoulder, further strengthening the balance to the dominant outside ski.
8) The placement of the turn is well above the gate with the apex above and somewhat outside the gate with the turn finishing at and tight on the gate.
9) The tuck is not unnecessarily low, but Travis works to be as aerodynamic as possible while allowing his legs and feet to make the best turns possible. Note that his hands and arms are as much as possible, working to deflect the wind away from his chest and his head(held low to stay out of the wind).
10) A few times and in the GS sequence Travis talks about "pushing (down on the outside ski)through the apex". Our words are usually: "build pressure (by pushing smoothly and dynamically through the leg and foot) from the top of the turn into the apex.(fall line)
11) Watch as in the the last DH sequence he moves over a roller bump; He will raise slightly to prepare, the roll his body forward and down to press down and realign with the new terrain on the back side of the bump.

Madeline and Erin at West Region Championships

2011-03-08T23:46:00.002-07:00

Quick report on today's Super G...will post more as we know it.

Very Solid races for our two girls: Madeline Williams 26th and Erin Tabish 32nd...against the best age group girls in the West.

Whitefish Skiers with Strong Finishes at Discovery Basin

2011-03-07T13:04:00.004-07:00

A strong contingent of alpine ski racers from The Whitefish Mountain Race Team competed in two giant slalom races at Discovery Basin March 5-6th. With a record 160 skiers, from all over Montana, the 12 Whitefish racers faired quite well with four 1st place finishes, three 2nd’s, and a host of top ten finishes. A long and demanding course required strong stamina and focus. The Whitefish team was up to the task.

The team was led by 12 year old Oliver Van Everen with two phenomenal runs on Saturday to capture the gold in a hotly contested J4 age group. Nine year old Colter Upton continued a streak by winning first place both days in the J6 division. Jacob Welch rounded out the first place winners with a win on Sunday in the J3’s.

Newcomer Gardner Dominick smoothly raced to two 2nd place finishes in the 7-8 year old division. Also new to the travel circuit in the girls J6 division, was Stella Eddy and Marina Kramer. Stella raced to a nice comeback 4th on Sunday, after 8th Saturday. Marina had two solid finishes, 6th and 8th.

Three Whitefish girls competed in the 9-10 year old division. Mia Hernandez had a strong showing with two top 10 finishes, 7th and 9th. Kristin Van Everen raced to 10th place both days. Pixie Moore had a 12th and 13th.

In the 11-12 year old division, Jacques Eve had a 9th place finish and Cameron Welch two 14th places in the boys group. In a large field of girls, Piper Howeth narrowly missed top ten with 11th and 12th place finishes.

Next up for the Youth Ski League group are the YSL Championships March 18th-20th at Bridger Bowl. As always, the team thanks their sponsors...Hammer Nutrition, Hunter & Company and The Base Lodge Clinic.

Tabish, Williams and Kramer Qualify to Championship Series

2011-03-04T23:25:00.002-07:00

We have very recently been notified that Erin Tabish and Madeline Williams have qualified to the Western Regional Championships to be held in Bogus Basin ID.
Additionally, Nevada Kramer qualified to the Junior Olympics to be held in the Lake Tahoe Region. We will post more information as it comes to us...

"Start the Turn Early"

2011-03-01T23:22:00.010-07:00

Start the Turn Early; we have all heard that advice from coaches throughout the years. Good thought I know, but are the right words in play here? I am not sure this fully addresses the concept needed. In my mind it begins to talk about two things: WHERE to start the turn and HOW to make the beginning of any turn more powerful and controlling for all skiers AND faster for ski racers.
WHERE to start the turn is a subject in itself and we can talk more about that at another time.
So that brings us back to “HOW to start the turn; AND with improved skill”. And another question: why we would want to improve the early portion of the turn?
For the purposes of this conversation, I think more clarity would be revealed by saying something more like: Get the new outside ski on edge and pressure it early in the arc of the turn. Most usually, good turns are arc shaped and reasonably smooth in nature.
Edging the ski first, then applying pressure strongly, yet smoothly and progressively starts the carving action cleanly, and helps to maintain current momentum and speed. Importantly, it carves the skier INTO the fall-line. We recognize pretty easily, a skier turning from a path traveling somewhat across the hill towards a path that is directly down the hill is going to accelerate… and with the accurate carving action already in place, this skier has a very good opportunity to preserve that speed and momentum going into the new path towards the start of the next turn.
There also is an important added benefit for the racer and recreational skier in this approach. Edging and pressuring the ski early also establishes control of the arc very early and allows the skier a much stronger aspect of control and balance.
Skiers who do not focus on carving into the fall-line tend to fixate on changing direction from right to left (or left to right) rather quickly and ultimately somewhat harshly. Edging is harsh and tends to happen at the conclusion of one turn then again at the conclusion of the next. Typically there is not much going on in-between these edge sets.
These turns tend to go from left to right very quickly with little dynamics happening in the middle of the turn. Turns of this nature will usually skid more in the bottom aspect of the tune due to the accumulated demands waiting to happen at this point. If a skier is late in establishing early carving, there is a period of “limbo” in the arc…balance is compromised during this limbo time and directional control is essentially non-existent, or chancy at best. If and when carving is introduced late in the turn the skier must do a great deal in a fairly short time and distance; further challenging the skier’s ability, balance and strength.
I consider the skill of early carving to be one of the three most important fundamental skills in skiing. The first skill is maintaining a balanced stance that has the ankles flexed into the front of the boot. The second is a strong and versatile pole plant that aids the skier in the transition/balance change from the dominant foot of one turn to the next dominant foot. And the third is becoming skilled in utilizing the aspect of early carving at the top/beginning of each turn.
Almost every skier is fluent with the bottom/finish of the turn. Only the better skiers master the top of the turn. Take some time each day to work on this and the other fundamental skills and I guarantee you will become a better skier!

Great Tommy Moe Results Today!

2011-02-27T21:48:00.004-07:00

Tommy Moe Kids League
Sunday, February 27, 2010
Giant Slalom
Today was the Giant Slalom race for the Tommy Moe Kids Competition Series. We
had great snow for the event, with warmer temperatures and perfect powder snow.
The race was a Giant Slalom course with greater distance between gates which
allowed for larger turns and faster race times. Over 40 competitors participated in
the event, with Piper Howeth running the fastest combined time of 60.56.
The next competition is the rescheduled Giant Slalom event on Sunday, March 13
th
.
The cost of entry is $12. Note that the race times differ from the regularly scheduled
races, due to conflicts with other events during the day. Registration is from 8-
9:30am at the Fireside Room of Ed & Mully’s and the race starts at 10am. For
more information, check out HYPERLINK "http://skiwhitefish.com/
lessons_tommy_moe.php" http://skiwhitefish.com/lessons_tommy_moe.php or call
406-862-2909.

Results by Category:
Girls ages 5 - 6: Alli Kernan (1st), Maya Schroder (2nd), Ashby Dominick* (3rd)
Boys ages 5 - 6: Drew Kernan (1st), Teague McDonald (2nd), Decker Wold* (3rd)
Girls ages 7 - 8: Stella Eddy* (1st), Mikaela Daniels* (2nd), Anna Elm* (3rd)
Boys ages 7 - 8: Colter Upton* (1st), Gardner Dominick* (2nd), Douglas Mercer* (3rd)
Girls ages 9 -10: Audrey Hyatt (1st)
Boys ages 9 - 10: Liam Nelson* (1st), Carver Gilman*(2nd), Walt Hollensteiner* (3rd)
Girls ages 11- 12:Piper Howeth*(1st), Haley Nicholson(2nd), Isabelle Andersen(3rd)
Boys ages 11 - 12: Zander Wold* (1st), Jack Kahle* (2nd), Jayron Venturini* (3rd)
Snowboard Boys 9-10: Mark Andersen (1st)
Overall Fastest Time: Piper Howeth*

*Members of the Whitefish Mountain Resort Race Team.

Williams and Kramer Continue to lead the Gold Cup Standings Through the Big Sky Super G Races

2011-02-27T21:42:00.002-07:00

These results were updated through the SG races in Big Sky February 26-27.

Madeline Williams and Nevada Kramer continue as the leaders of the Jim Barrier Gold Cup in their respective gender/age groups. Williams competes in the Jr. One age group (17-19 years) and Kramer competes as a Jr. Three (13-14 years).

Both Williams and Kramer are scoring top results in the season long series to maintian their lead in Gold Cup standings.

Jim Barrier Gold Cup The Jim Barrier Gold Cup is the Northern Division’s premier race series. This is a Continental Cup type competition using the same scoring principals designed to recognize the top racers in the Northern Division. Races
counting for Gold Cup points are the J1, J2, J3 qualifiers, all open races and the OHG race at Bridger Bowl in early April. The Gold Cup is open to all A, J1, J2, and J3 competitors.
Jim Barrier Gold Cup History Born in 1940, Jim Barrier grew up skiing for the Flathead County High School.
During the years 1956-1959, he was the #1 ranked alpine racer in Montana.
He was picked to be one of four alpine skiers to compete as a member of the US Olympic Ski Team at the first Winter Olympic Games held in the United States, 1960 Squaw Valley, California. He finished 16th in the GS, but fell in the slalom. He did not compete in the DH.
Barrier earned a four year skiing scholarship at MSU, but broke his leg in the fall of his freshman year. He joined the US Army, and skied for the Army. After discharge, he became a ski coach at Schweitzer Basin in ID. He later was hired by PNSA as their Divisional Coach. He introduced the first junior ski racing seeding system in the United States. In 1966, 1967, and 1968, he also worked with Bob Beattie and Gordon Eaton as Assistant Men’s Coach for the United States Ski Team. After the Olympics, he was hired by the Head Ski Company to develop a fiberglass ski
made by Dura Fiber, which was called the Head XR-1. Later, Jim became president of Dura Fiber Ski Company. His experience in business and manufacturing led him to a successful career in business; working for Kaiser Electro Precision and Kaiser Aerospace. Jim, always a fierce competitor lost his final battle to cancer in 2000.

Whitefish Alpine Race Team Speeds to Good Results in Big Sky Super G

2011-02-27T20:49:00.006-07:00

The Whitefish Alpine Race Team visited Big Sky, Montana for a USSA Sanctioned Super G race held on the difficult Hangman’s Course.
The Whitefish Skiers traveled with coaches Pete and Dick Collins, two former Whitefish Racers (and brothers) that have returned to share their racing experience with the current Juniors.
Super G typically combines high speed turns and jumps and is contested in 1 run, putting execution of that run at a premium. The technical races of Slalom and GS allow the combination of two runs giving an athlete a potential of recovering from a mistake on one of the runs. Saturday, the one run format allowed two races to be held at Big Sky
Saturday Morning Race
Madeline Williams 1st in the Jr. 1 women’s class
Erin Tabish 3rd in the Jr. 2 women’s class
Katherine Millette 14th in the Jr. 3 women’s class
Aaron Oberlitner 3rd in the Jr. 1 men’s class
Nevada Kramer 2nd in the Jr. 3 men’s class
Jacob Welch 10th in the Jr. 3 men’s class
Austin Oberlitner 18th in the Jr. 3 men’s class
Saturday Afternoon Race
Madeline Williams 1st Jr. 1 women
Erin Tabish 4th Jr. 2 women
Katherine Millette 10th Jr. 3 women
Aaron Oberlitner 3rd Jr. 1 men
Jacob Welch 8th Jr. 3 men
Sunday’s Race
Madeline Williams 1st Jr. 1 women
Erin Tabish 5th Jr. 2 women
Katherine Millette 13th Jr. 3 women
Aaron Oberlitner 4th Jr. 1 men
Nevada Kramer 2nd Jr. 3 men
Jacob Welch 9th Jr. 3 men
Austin Oberlitner 19th Jr. 3 men

Today we met Wayne Wong on the Hill!

2011-02-26T19:03:00.006-07:00

We met Wayne Wong on the hill at Whitefish today; I can't tell you how much he influenced modern skiing so I would refer you here for a beginning of an explanation!

http://www.greatoutdoors.com/blogs/gordys/20091106/blazing-skis-%E2%80%93-wayne-wong-the-face-of-freestyle-skiing

Whitefish Team Attends the Jeremiah Thompson Memorial Slalom Series

2011-02-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

The Missoula Snowbowl and the Missoula Ski Educational Ski Foundation hosted 3 days of slalom racing as the Jeremiah Thompson Memorial Slalom Series. I had the pleasure of knowing Jeremiah Thompson as a member of the Dartmouth Ski Team. We were lucky to have the Dartmouth Team train on our hill often and also competed with them frequently. Jeremiah Thompson was a standout skier and a leader that my team wanted to emulate.
Whitefish Results for the series were as follows:
February 11, 2011
Madeline Williams 3rd Jr. 1 women
Katherine Millette 8th Jr. 3 women
Erin Tabish 8th Jr. 2 women
Jacob Welch 8th Jr. 3 men
Austin Oberlitner 14th Jr. 3 nen

February 12, 2011
Madeline Williams 4th Jr. 1 women
Katherine Millette 6th Jr. 3 women
Nevada Kramer 1st Jr. 3 men
Aaron Oberlitner 3rd Jr. 1 men
Austin Oberlitner 10th Jr. 3 Men

Feb 13, 2011
Madeline Williams 4th Jr. 1 women
Katherine Millette 10th Jr. 3 women
Aaron Oberlitner 4th Jr.1 men
Jacob Welch 11th Jr. 3 men
Austin Oberlitner 12th Jr. 3 men

Williams and Kramer Continue to Lead the Coveted Gold Cup Standings

2011-02-23T21:56:00.006-07:00

Madeline Williams and Nevada Kramer continue as the leaders of the Jim Barrier Gold Cup in their respective gender/age groups. Williams competes in the Jr. One age group (17-19 years) and Kramer competes as a Jr. Three (13-14 years).

Both Williams and Kramer are scoring top results in the season long series to maintian their lead in Gold Cup standings.

Jim Barrier Gold Cup The Jim Barrier Gold Cup is the Northern Division’s premier race series. This is a Continental Cup type competition using the same scoring principals designed to recognize the top racers in the Northern Division. Races
counting for Gold Cup points are the J1, J2, J3 qualifiers, all open races and the OHG race at Bridger Bowl in early April. The Gold Cup is open to all A, J1, J2, and J3 competitors.
Jim Barrier Gold Cup History Born in 1940, Jim Barrier grew up skiing for the Flathead County High School.
During the years 1956-1959, he was the #1 ranked alpine racer in Montana.
He was picked to be one of four alpine skiers to compete as a member of the US Olympic Ski Team at the first Winter Olympic Games held in the United States, 1960 Squaw Valley, California. He finished 16th in the GS, but fell in the slalom. He did not compete in the DH.
Barrier earned a four year skiing scholarship at MSU, but broke his leg in the fall of his freshman year. He joined the US Army, and skied for the Army. After discharge, he became a ski coach at Schweitzer Basin in ID. He later was hired by PNSA as their Divisional Coach. He introduced the first junior ski racing seeding system in the United States. In 1966, 1967, and 1968, he also worked with Bob Beattie and Gordon Eaton as Assistant Men’s Coach for the United States Ski Team. After the Olympics, he was hired by the Head Ski Company to develop a fiberglass ski
made by Dura Fiber, which was called the Head XR-1. Later, Jim became president of Dura Fiber Ski Company. His experience in business and manufacturing led him to a successful career in business; working for Kaiser Electro Precision and Kaiser Aerospace. Jim, always a fierce competitor lost his final battle to cancer in 2000.

Whitefish Skiers do well at Great Divide

2011-02-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Whitefish YSL competitors traveled to Great Divide Ski Area near Helena Montana for a 3 day tournament that contested Slalom, Giant Slalom and Kombi on Feb 19, 20 and 21.
The slalom, held on the Belmont Bowl course was a challenging event on a held on a cold and blustery day. The Whitefish group held well against the odds and Pixie Moore and Kristin Van Everen were 6th and 7th respectively in their age categories. Jacques Eve finished 13th giving up some ground in the first run and coming back strongly with a solid second run.
The GS, starting very near the top of the Belmont Bowl course offered much better weather conditions and Pixie Moore responded with a 6th in her age group followed closely by teammate Kristin Van Everen in 9th. Jacques Eve responded with a very near podium finish 4th place.
Monday the Kinder Kombi challenged the Whitefish bunch and they responded well to the challenge for some great results. The Kombi, a fairly new event combines the characteristics of Slalom and Giant Slalom. The one run nature of this race demands perfection combined with speed and truly rewards those who inspect the course with accuracy and execute well in that run.
Kristin Van Everen finished 6th in category, followed by Pixie Moore, 7th less than 3/10 of a second behind.
Colter Upton, from Whitefish, roasted his completion winning his age group by 5+ seconds. Upton’s time would have finished 2nd in the next age category.
The next stop on the YSL tour is a March 5, event at Discovery Mountain near Anaconda, MT. Discovery will host 2 Giant Slalom Races and their venue is considered to be one of the most interesting GS trails on the circuit.

Williams, Kramer lead Gold Cup Standings

2011-01-31T17:38:00.004-07:00

Madeline Williams and Nevada Kramer were updated as the current leaders of the Jim Barrier Gold Cup in their respective gender/age groups. Williams competes in the Jr. One age group (17-19 years) and Kramer competes as a Jr. Three (13-14 years).

Jim Barrier Gold Cup The Jim Barrier Gold Cup is Northern Division’s premier race series. This is a
continental cup type competition for the top racers in Northern Division. Races
counting for Gold Cup points are the J1, J2, J3 qualifiers, all open races (not RMC
Invitational) and the OHG and are open to all A, J1, J2, and J3 competitors.
Recognition of these athletes will be at the Over the Hill Gang race.
Jim Barrier Gold Cup History Born in 1940, Jim Barrier grew up skiing for the Flathead County High School.
During the years 1956-1959, he was the #1 ranked alpine racer in Montana.
He tried out for and was picked to be one of four alpine skiers to compete as a
member of the US Olympic Ski Team at the first Winter Olympic Games held in
the United States, 1960 Squaw Valley, California. He finished 16th in the GS, but
fell in the slalom. He did not compete in the DH.
Jim Barrier earned a four year skiing scholarship at MSU, but broke his leg in the
fall of his freshman year. He joined the US Army, and skied for the Army. After
discharge, he was a ski coach at Schweitzer. He later was hired by PNSA as
the Divisional Coach. He introduced the first junior ski racing seeding system in the
United States. In 1966, 1967, and 1968, he also worked with Bob Beattie and
Gordon Eaton as Assistant Men’s Coach for the United States Ski Team. After
the Olympics, he was hired by the Head Ski Company to develop a fiberglass ski
made by Dura Fiber, which was called the Head XR-1. Later, Jim became president of Dura Fiber Ski Company. His experience in business and manufacturing led him to a successful career in business; working for Kaiser Electro Precision and Kaiser Aerospace. Jim, always a fierce competitor lost his final battle to cancer in 2000.

Whitefish attends the Bridger Qualifier

2011-01-31T17:19:00.004-07:00

The Whitefish Resort Alpine Race Team visited Bozeman’s Bridger Bowel for a USSA sanctioned race series January 28, 29, and 30. Two Giant Slalom races and one Slalom race were contested over the three days with over 60 competitors participating in the events.

Whitefish skier’s results for the 3 days were:

January 28 GS #1
Junior Three Women category
Katherine Millette 10th place

Junior Two Women category:
Erin Tabish 1st place (1st overall)

Junior One Women category:
Michela Millette: 2nd place
Madeline Williams: 4th place

Junior Three Men
Nevada Kramer 3rd place
Austin Oberlitner 10th place
Jacob Welch 11th place

January 29, GS #2
Junior Three Women
Katherine Millette 7th place

Junior Two Women
Erin Tabish 5th place

Junior One Women
Michela Millette 1st place
Madeline Williams 2nd place

Junior Three Men
Nevada Kramer 2nd place
Jacob Welch 11th place

January 30, Slalom
Junior Three Women
Katherine Millette 12th place

Junior Two Women
Erin Tabish 1st place (1st overall)

Junior One Women
Madeline Williams 1st place
Michaela Millette 3rd place

January 30, Men’s Slalom

Junior Three Men
Nevada Kramer 1st
Jacob Welch 12th
Austin Oberlitner 17th

Junior One Men
Aaron Oberlitner 2nd

The Whitefish Alpine Race Team would like to thank The Base Lodge Clinic of the North Valley Hospital, Hammer Nutrition, and Hunter & Company for their help and continued support.

The Coaches and I have been talking about Pole Plants!

2011-01-25T23:01:00.004-07:00

Pole Plant Fundamentals
The Pole Plant is one of the more fundamental issues relating to performance skiing.
Three things come to mind as primary factors in our performance skiing. They are: the pole plant, Balance on the front portion of the foot (ankles flexed forward to the front of the ski boot), and a transition of balance and carving very early in the arc of the turn…
I think today we will talk primarily about the pole plant….
While the feet are the most primary functional component to skiing (after-all they do control the skis directly) the pole plant is a VERY large part of the transition from one foot to the next.
Our need to teach, solidify, improve and maintain the pole plant for our skiing athletes is based on a very real need to assist in the working of the feet and in particular the transition from the dominant foot of one turn to the dominant foot of the next turn.
So…what does this pole plant do? Well, it does a bunch of things and much of it is difficult to recognize or point out; as it (especially as the athlete matures) becomes an almost artistic tool that is used in very impromptu situations to save the skier from difficulty. OK then; if this is the case, then a strong pole plant MAY just save our bacon at times…
Some of the things that we CAN count on the pole plant doing are:
1) It marks the beginning of each turn. As such; it helps us to determine rhythm and each race course, slope or bump run has its own rhythm that a skiing athlete needs to attune to.
2) It helps the athlete to move and move forward at the beginning of each turn…
3) When used properly, it helps to maintain a “stacked and square” stance that promotes a balanced position on the skis. (a double pole plant is particularly good in this order)
4) It aids in the balance change from foot to foot and in difficult transitions it helps to secure the upper body in its best balance movements from turn to turn. (AKA a bacon saver…)
What the heck does a good pole plant look like? Hmmm…Well then; it looks as though it will depend on 1) needs and 2) the pole planting ability of the skier…
1) The strongest pole plant will occur somewhere around the beginning of the turn and will only be actuated by the wrist. It will allow the hands to stay in the best “zone” for balance. The pole will angle forward and touch the snow actively (though not excessively) near the tip of the skis
2) Aggressive and accelerating turns may allow a slightly modified pole plant that touches slightly ahead of the boot, but still promotes movement and forward balance with the proper rhythm.
3) GS pole plants can diminish a bit, and they often flourish as the “double pole plant”, but again; if you need to save your bacon, I hope you own a strong forward placement pole plant!

Skiers can progress to some degree without a strong pole plant, but they will be severely limited in how far they can progress.

Though it seemingly is a small and easily learned skill, The pole plant is so varied in its use and necessity, it is best learned at an early age. With early development of the pole plant skill, athletes have much more opportunity to develop a variety of uses and strengths for that skill.

We know there will be many questions, so do not hesitate to ask…
Thanks,
The Coaches…

A briefing on the Showdown Ski Race

2011-01-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

Every season there is a stop on the Northern Division YSL circuit that brings an especially broad smile to my face: The Showdown Super G. While it may be a glorified Giant Slalom by USSA course set standards there is no doubt that a J4 going 50 plus mph qualifies as a speed event. Aside from the racing at Showdown there's usually some fresh powder and sunshine mixed into the 3 day event. But the best part of the trip is (as cliche as it sounds) the journey.

Of the 16 ski resorts (I use the term "resort" extremely loosely) in Montana there are few that rival Showdown. I'm not talking about huge chute lines, awesome nightlife, or high speed trams...I'm talking real Montana skiing. It's the kind of place that makes you feel like time travel is possible. Pleasantville meets Ski School meets Deadwood. If I had to sum it up in a word? Classic.

The two towns that sit just down the canyon from Showdown are Neihart and Monarch. These old mining towns still have prospectors holding court at the local watering hole. I'm not kidding, they still prospect and even pan for gold on occasion. The ski hill itself has been in operation since the 1930's when some skiing pioneers founded the Great Falls Ski Club. I can only imagine what the drive was like back then -- it's about an hour and half now.

There aren't many pretensions at Showdown. The rental shop is in an old A-frame that looks as old as the mountain itself (see picture above). The breakfast special is called the Miner, the drink special is coffee (until noon), and everyone is on a first name basis, including the owner. George has owned and operated Showdown since God bequethed it to him on the sixth day, or so it seems anyway. Old George is a bit of a curmudgeony fellow but he runs a tight ship. He might be bellowing instructions to the staff one minute and then serving you hot coffee with a smile the next.

The skiing at Showdown is also free of pretension and the lack of posers is pretty refreshing. Porphory peak provides some solid vertical and with an elevation a little over 8,000 ft there's always a fair amount of snow. Every time I visit it's either a bluebird day or a powder day and on a few occasions it's been both. I won't spray about awesome pillow drops or perfectly spaced tree lines; I'll leave it to you check out the action yourself. Oh, and if you're in the area make sure to stop by the Cub's Den or the Lazy Doe for a frosty pint and a few stories, I gaurantee a classic moment will occur.

Nevada is leading the "Gold Cup"

2011-01-13T21:43:00.002-07:00

Congratulations to Nevada Kramer for currently leading the Gold Cup points for his age group. The Gold Cup is the season long Northern Division Series described here: The Jim Barrier Gold Cup is Northern Division’s premier race series. This is a
continental cup type competition for the top racers in Northern Division. Races
counting for Gold Cup points are the J1, J2, J3 qualifiers, all open races (not RMC
Invitational) and the OHG and are open to all A, J1, J2, and J3 competitors.

Red Lodge/Silver Run Qualifier

2011-01-11T21:16:00.003-07:00

We Just Returned From Red Lodge and the Northern Division Qualifier. Our results were very good: Check them out here: http://www.northernussa.org./calendar/index.html Scroll down in the "ND USSA Column and click on the appropriate links for January 7, 8, 9 at Red Lodge (Silver Run)

Red Lodge Qualifier Jr 3 and Older

2011-01-04T21:50:00.001-07:00

Our Jr. 3s and older athletes will be traveling to Red Lodge this weekend for a Qualifier series of GS races and 1 Slalom. See more here: http://www.northernussa.org./

Holiday Schedule

2010-12-25T20:02:00.004-07:00

Please remember the entire season long competition and training schedule is posted on the right column of the Blog Spot a bit down the page.
It is also posted as a paper copy on the wall of the Team Room. If there are other ways that help disseminate information please let me know and I will work towards that goal.
I will try to get any schedule changes (and there may be some due to weather or other influences) out by email and/or on the other schedules as soon as I can.

Sunday Dec 26th. RACE TEAM MEMBERS 10-1:00
USSA: Slalom Training
YSL: Slalom Training

Monday Dec 27th: All Groups (RACE TEAM and JR RACE TEAM) Meet at 9:00
RACE TEAM meets OUTSIDE; JR RACE TEAM meets INSIDE (TV Room)
USSA: Slalom Training
YSL: Slalom Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30

Tuesday, Dec 28th: All groups meet at 9:00 am (outside)
ALL TEAM PHOTO
USSA: Slalom Training
YSL: Slalom Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30

Wednesday, Dec 29th: All Groups meet at 9:00 (outside)
USSA: GS Training
YSL: GS Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30

Thursday, Dec 30th: All Groups meet at 9:00 (outside)
USSA: GS Training
YSL: GS Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30

Friday, Dec 31th: All Groups meet at 9:00 (outside)
USSA: GS Training
YSL: GS Training
JR. TEAM: Freeskiing and drills
Lunch on own: 11:30-12:30

Saturday, Jan 1: No Training

Sunday, Jan 2: RACE TEAM training
USSA: SL
YSL: GS

This is Basketball not skiing, but....

2010-12-23T20:26:00.001-07:00

But; it says some really cool things; ask some really hard questions and speaks about many great athletes! Very worth sharing!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/sports/ncaabasketball/22uconn.html

Lindsey Vonn Wins Again!

2010-12-19T21:19:00.004-07:00

VAL d'ISERE, France (Dec. 19) – Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) regained the overall lead over German Maria Riesch, winning the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup super combined to sweep the weekend in Val d'Isere.

Read more here:
http://www.usskiteam.com/alpine/news?storyId=3169

Ligety wins 3rd World Cup GS in a Row

2010-12-19T21:16:00.005-07:00

ALTA BADIA, Italy (Dec. 19) – Two-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) mastered the icy Alta Badia slope to capture his third consecutive GS victory Sunday and take the first World Cup overall lead of his career. The last time a World Cup male won three consecutive GS races was Austrian great Hermann Maier during the 2001 season.
Read more here:
http://www.usskiteam.com/alpine/news?storyId=3164

Lindsay Vonn Wins at VAL d'ISERE

2010-12-18T22:17:00.001-07:00

Vonn Wins, Regains Downhill Lead
VAL d'ISERE, France (Dec. 18) – Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) captured a stunning victory Saturday to regain the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup downhill standings lead as German Maria Riesch finished 24th. Teammate Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) was 8th with five Americans finishing inside the top 30.
http://www.usskiteam.com/alpine/news?storyId=3148

Video of World Cup Stars displaying Fundamental Skills

2010-12-14T12:07:00.003-07:00

As we start the season working on our fundamentals, I happened on this video clip that shows some World Cup stars skiing some pretty good turns. We saw a couple of these guys at the World Cup at Lake Louise this Thanksgiving. (THAT was an exciting race!) I am always amazed at how easy these guys make it look. But then when breaking it down, it really comes to mastering some pretty easy fundamental skills and doing them VERY well. It DOES TAKE discipline and practice to polish those skills to the level that we will see in the Video clips.

To begin with, you see very little body movement in any of these skiers. Using a balanced athletic stance with good hand/arm position, ankles flexed forward and knees flexed; their turns begin at/with their feet. The turns start with a subtle (and hardly noticeable, but still very dynamic) rolling of the ankles. Then the legs become more involved and you can see the rolling of the ankles and knees as the turn develops. The feet and legs are allowed to move outside the body to promote lateral balance, but the body remains quite(and still in that balanced athletic stance), with the majority of the work done with the feet and legs. In all cases a strong pole plant is used. Didier Cuche uses a somewhat unusual style of arm movement, but it works well for his body type. The other clips show a more usual pole planting mechanism.

You will also notice the balance change from one foot to the new foot at the beginning of the new turn. This is especially seen in Thomas Grandi's second clip. In each turn the inside foot will work to mimic the movements of the outside foot, but the outside foot of the turn IS the more dominent in order to best control the turn shape and maintain balance throughout the "ARC" and be prepared to easily move into the next arc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTboYL8CjaU

Banff Fall Camp 2010

2010-11-29T21:07:00.014-07:00

What a Week! The weather was wild as the Canadian Wilderness! 3 days of Below zero Temps! Wow, but look at the photo and note that the Base Lodge was so close we were able to duck in from time to time and warm-up quite nicely...and no wind made it work quite well in our favor...(or favour, if you're in Canada...)Even with the cold temps we had a very favorable camp experience. The lane had man-made snow and was an excellent pitch for getting the season started. Great lunches were included and served at the base lodge, a bus delivered us to and from and we had a really cool place to stay complete with pool, hot tub and a very good waxing area. The Banff restaurant, The Elk and Oarsman served our group a very nice traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. We trained some with the Rocky Mountain College Team and saw Thomas Grandi as well as many other teams from all about. We had a great hike mid-week and finished the program by viewing a VERY exciting Men's World Cup Downhill Race. Our game sighting inventory included: Hundreds of Elk, many deer, a lynx, a wolf (we think) a hundred or more mountain sheep and some brave chipmunks that kept darting across our lane...Even though the season is only starting, I am looking forward to next year's trip to Banff! See our Photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/WhitefishRaceTeam
Cut and paste to your browser if this does not work as a link.

A Prosperous Evening of Cuisine, Beverage, Good Company, Auction and Poker

2010-11-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

The Showcase of the Chefs

A Prosperous Evening of Cuisine, Beverage, Good Company, Auction and Poker

The Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation and I would like to invite you to attend and support the “Showcase of the Chefs” here in Whitefish on Dec 2nd at 6:00 pm. The Showcase is a longstanding tradition and one of the premier social functions here in the Valley. Held at the well-known Lodge at Whitefish Lake on Wisconsin Avenue; the event enjoys a pleasant and innovative dining set-up that actually does showcase 8 chefs from the best restaurants in the Whitefish area. Each Chef and their representative establishment, set up a station that serves their own trademark menu item, complete with complimentary wine matching their represented cuisine. Imagine a Chef’s version of a “Battle of the Bands”… Dinner guests may ‘roam the room’ and graze from one or all the buffet tables as they wish. It creates an especially fun atmosphere that provides some great food and an ambiance that promotes mingling and fun social interaction with the whole attendance. Tickets are $75.00 per person. Where else can you have dinner from 8 of the best chefs in the valley, wine and all the fun you can have for $75 a person? Because of the popularity of the event, tickets may not be available for sale at the door.

As you might guess, we see and visit with a lot of old friends. We all think you would enjoy the occasion.

Tied to the event are a Silent Auction and a Live Auction that always has terrific items available. As always there is a great representation of both Silent and Live Auction items. Additionally live poker tables will be on-site for your enjoyment!

Of course the Showcase is a fundraiser to help the Foundation with its mission of supporting our athletes in their competitive endeavors. As you know our program gives our children a quality program that helps them set healthy goals and make good lifestyle choices.

If you are unable to attend there are other ways that you can support the Showcase of the Chefs. Of course you can buy tickets even if you are unable to attend. Our ticket sales are very important to our outcome. Additionally our auction can always use items for both the silent and live auctions and donations are tax deductable. If a company or a large group would like to reserve a table we are able to reserve that table and a group of 10 tickets for a total of $750.

We know you will consider your evening at the Showcase to be a wonderful social outing, but also know that your support of our programs will be even more lasting by helping to support quality programs for our children.

Rooms for the evening are available at special pricing. The Lodge at Whitefish Lake will offer “take the elevator home” rate. In the lodge it is $129 and in the Viking Lodge the rate is $99 for Showcase guests.

We appreciate the help and we hope to see you at the Showcase.

You may contact any FVSEF board member or Richard Kramer at rk@redcaboosediner.com or (406) 250-9786

Thanks!

Roy

Fall Ski Camp in Banff!

2010-11-19T23:21:00.003-07:00

We will travel to Banff on Sunday for a 5 day gate camp, Monday through Friday. Manmade snow, a private lane, great terrain and lift turnaround, a Super Thanksgiving Dinner, and the Men's World Cup Downhill on Saturday...what is not to "Like"?

2010-11-02T10:25:00.003-06:00

FVSEF Meeting this Wed Nov 3rd

2010-11-01T18:09:00.001-06:00

Come one, come all. Everyone is invited to attend Foundation Board of Directors meetings and fundraising planning sessions. Our regular meetings are open and we value participation from all.

Board of Directors meeting and Fundraising Planning Session this Wednesday November 3 at the Crush Wine Bar is Whitefish. 6:15 PM

 Review/approve minutes 3/02/10
 Financial Report-Alpine & Freestyle-Heidi
 Program Director
o Roy Loman-Alpine
 Program updates
 Trophy Display
o Bill Cubbage-Freestyle
 Program updates
 Discussion (we will limit this discussion to 20 minutes for this meeting)
o Foundations future relationship with WSI
1. Alpine & Freestyle programs
 Fundraising
o Warren Miller Film--Kent Taylor
o NxGen—Tim Hinderman
o Corporate Sponsors
o Showcase work session

 Next Meeting Date November 10
 Adjourn

Snow on the "Hill"

2010-10-25T21:55:00.004-06:00

I can't lie...seeing the snow on our hill today, all the way to the base area, really toggled the switch for me! OK! Now I can align with the calenday and be way ready for winter, a lot of snow, some great training, skiing and some terrificlly good times shared among all of us!

David Chodunsky Blog Page

2010-10-22T09:22:00.004-06:00

David's blog page has some good reading for all of us. It clearly shows the values of goal setting, evaluation of our progress towards our goals and how we might most positively respond to and modify that plan according to our evaluation… His persistance is mighty. David is working to make the US Ski Team and ultimately score well on the World Cup. His path, having gone through college first, is not the most normal of paths to the US Ski Team. I personally think that many college programs are very capable of preparing athletes for this level of competition. David’s experience and that of many of his teammates tends to prove to me that possibility is very viable.

I had had the good fortune to meet David in the East when he was skiing with the Dartmouth College Team. I think you will enjoy this reading and find some interesting insights in his web-site. I especially enjoyed his “Bio” page and particularly his comments about his college years!

Enjoy: http://www.davidchodounsky.com/biography/

Parents Meeting

2010-10-19T20:38:00.000-06:00

Hi Ski Racing Families,

Don’t forget that Monday October 25th is our parents meeting. The time and location are now set at: 6:00 pm at the Whitefish Library.

Please do try to attend as this will be instrumental in kicking off our season in many ways. I will talk about our plans for our programs and try to quickly outline our plans and expectations for the coming season. FVSEF will also spend some time with their early season items. This is an important meeting and I urge you to have at least one family member present.

Thanks and I hope to see you all there!

Let's Ride This Wednesday 10/20

2010-10-17T22:27:00.001-06:00

The weather looks great: Let's celebrate with another crushing ride at the Lion Mountain Trailhead: 4:15 pm...see you there.

Whitefish Alpine Officials Training

2010-10-17T22:14:00.001-06:00

Hey all of you Race Officials;

I just wanted to send along a short thank you for participating in our Officials training this week-end. It was a beautiful week-end and I know you all have a lot to get ready for winter.

But I also know that you recognize the importance of what you have just done and how strongly it will impact the children involved in our chosen sport!

We all know what a great sport it is, but without all of you to keep it going strong, alpine skiing would suffer greatly…

Also want to be sure to thank our staunch supporters Bob Petitt from Bozeman and Sherri Hale for coming to lead our training programs!

Thanks again and I will see you on the hill SOON!

2010-09-28T21:24:00.002-06:00

Bike Raffle Results! Thank you very much for all your help! We did the Raffle at the Farmer's Market tonight...nice so see that the Bike was won by our old friend Geoff Callaway! Thanks to Cowboy Gerald for helping us to draw the winning ticket. Frank Tabish (our raffle chairperson) reports success for the raffle with the final accounting to come. This would be one sweet bike to win!!! Can't wait till next year's opportunity...

Bike Raffle Results

2010-09-28T21:18:00.003-06:00

Ski Swap

2010-09-26T21:14:00.001-06:00

It was a great get together today with the Swap! It was really nice to see everybody.

It seemed as though we made progress in helping to get everyone outfitted. October 6th many of the ski company reps will be here at the Base Lodge (at the resort) 6-8 pm. Skis boots and bindings can be ordered from them at reduced prices.

I tried to note any equipment that didn’t sell today. If you have not contacted me with equipment that you have or need please do let me know. Getting the best fitting and most suitable gear for our group is an important task for us.

I know of a few Jackets that are up for resale as well, so let me know of your needs…

Thanks for a great day!

Another Fun Mountain Bike Ride Last Wednesday

2010-09-17T11:02:00.003-06:00

That was a great ride. Everyone has really improved their skills and fittness level, our pace has gone way up.
We had a great turn-out and were able to support two groups on the trails, Thanks Philip for splitting the group with me.
Tentatively I am planning to ride again this Wed, 9/22 again at 4:15 at Lion Mountain.
That trail system offers us so much and is quite easy for us to access.
Hope to see you there!

What a good ride today, lets do it again nex Wednesday!

2010-09-01T21:24:00.004-06:00

We had a terrific ride at the Lion Mountain section of the Whitefish Trails today. The Whitefish Trails group has done a truely remarkable job with their project. We see so many happy users each time we come here! More and more each time.
Our group really had a great time and my thanks to Geoff and Philip for their leadership!

We plan to ride here again next Wednesday!

Bike Raffle Ticket Sales Were Great Today!

2010-08-28T22:49:00.002-06:00

Hi sports fans,

I just wanted to report that I had a good day today with Bike Raffle ticket sales: 31 tickets…the challenge is on!

Remember, These dollars go directly to saving you money for traveling expenses.

The bike is such a great bike and the cause is a great one as well! It is helpful to have two such large selling points available. People enjoy helping to keep our children active and involved in healthy activities, and they are definitely interested in winning the bike. It looks awesome and at a $3,000 retail value it would be a big win. Let me know if you would like to see it, it is a killer bike.

Thanks for all your support along the way!

THESE GIRLS ROCK! "RIDE LIKE A GIRL!!"

2010-08-27T09:49:00.005-06:00

An excellant ride at Lion Mountian with Pixie, Kristin, and Piper...I somehow managed to photo them behind the trees...See some more photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/WhitefishRaceTeam/THESEGIRLSROCKRIDELIKEAGIRL#

2010 Huckleberry Hike...We Had "Berry" Much Fun

2010-08-27T09:17:00.002-06:00

We got out and about on the Mountain for a bit of exercise and some picking...also some great views and a fun opportunity to visit with Rosie who is visiting from Minnisota for a few days.

A great Mountain Bike Ride at Haskil Basin:

2010-08-24T23:25:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Oliver for showing us some GREAT riding. Nice roads leading to some double track, then to some KILLER (really FUN) single track; then some quite pleasant back country roads, with views (including going right under an Eagles nest) and on up to the resort.

The single track (an option) is SUPER riding. Tight turns, technical terrain, (banks, roots and rock) really rivals eastern style technical single track. What is special about it is that is also quite flowing and maintains momentum through the whole length. My hat is off to who-ever laid out this trail!!!

Hope to ride with you!

Great Northern Hike Fall 2010

2010-08-22T20:02:00.001-06:00

Hi there multi-sport families.

I want to confirm that we are planning a Great Northern Mountain hike for Sunday, Sept 19. This is an epic hike! It is a difficult hike and some may want to consider hiking only ½ or so. BUT, do come along for at least a portion of it. You won’t regret the experience. Once having done it, you will only look forward to doing it again. The views are astounding and the summit is a wonderful achievement. Coach Tom Pacheco is our tour leader, having hiked this peak multiple times. Preparation is key. The first part of the trail is pretty steep; once you reach the ridge the grade is consistent and moderate, with a couple of spots that are quite narrow. The return is similar, understanding that the steeper descent at the end is demanding.
I do recommend this hike it is a very special experience. We are after all, a group that revels in accomplishing difficult tasks!

Here are photos from our last hike of GN: http://picasaweb.google.com/WhitefishRaceTeam/GreatNorthernHike2008#

And here is info on the web about the hike: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1W1ADBF_en&q=Hike+Great+Northern+Mountain++montana&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g-p1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Let me know if you have questions, More information is to follow...

Roy

Getting Ready for Winter

2010-08-09T11:19:00.000-06:00

August Greetings Ski Racing Families,

Some great cool nights and the beginnings of some change in the vegetation tell me the summer season is beginning to wane slightly. The early and late day color of the sunlight are also telling me the sun is moving lower on the horizon. I am not about to stop having summer fun yet, but I do see that a new season is on the way and skiing close behind that.

FIS Membership
For those athletes who will be 15 or older and will wish to compete at the elite FIS level, the August 15 deadline is approaching, so you will want to take care of that membership. USSA membership will need to be done at the same time. For those who will not compete in FIS races, but will compete in USSA events, we have until October 15 to register USSA memberships.
If you have any questions, please let me know.

Bike Raffle
The Bike Raffle drawing is scheduled for September 28, so we have a bit of time to sell more tickets. That drawing will sneak-up on us so stay with the ticket sales as best you can. Remember the raffle proceeds directly influence (lower) your costs, so be as active with your sales as you can. If you need more tickets contact either Frank Tabish (406) 250-9450 or Bill Kahle (406) 270-9467.

Winter Preparations
We all consider skiing to be an athletic event and that means good athletes make good skiers. Being a goal driven group, most of us would like to be great skiers and that means a need to be great athletes. Of course a side benefit of being a great (and life-long) athlete is the physical health and mental benefits that come with that fitness level.

Fitness is a long-term process that places fitness activities in the right time frame for each individual. If we consider development on a continuum from younger to more mature, things like agility, co-ordination, balance timing, anticipation and similar skills are learned most-easily at younger ages. Games, gymnastics, dance, team sports, biking and others are all great development tools. For athletes in pre-puberty; stamina, good movements , basic strength, flexibility and continuation of the above skills are important.

Strength is one component of fitness and is very important for skiing. For pre-puberty athletes, strength gains usually do not come from the building of muscle mass, but more often from the development of the neurology that control the muscles. That neurology “learns” to recruit more muscle fibers and typically better co-ordinates the efforts of muscle groups to provide some pretty significant strength gains. Activities like games, team sports, gymnastics, biking, in-line skating, rock climbing and others help and should be continued. Resistance training can also be incorporated. At the pre-puberty age, body weight activities will usually be the safest and most productive. Body weight activities are exercises like push-ups, pull-ups and other calisthenics. Excessive weight training when the young bones and connective tissues are not mature enough may be injurious. However, a safe introduction to weight room exercise can be productive for pre-puberty athletes. Emphasis should be on technical proficiency of the exercises, not on accumulating a lot of weight on the bar. Usually, a broom-stick or similar bar is substituted for a weight bar until the correct movement patterns can be satisfied. The correctly done movements will train the athlete’s neurology and provide strength gain while ensuring the correct (and more safe) movement patterns are reinforced for post-puberty training loads.

Our post-puberty athletes should be continuing this process and adding more elements as well. At this time of year, these athletes should have a sound aerobic base for stamina and have built up a solid component of over-all strength. This is the time of the year to begin the process of converting that strength to power. Strength means you can move heavy resistance. Power means you can do so very quickly. Skiing well at an aggressive level requires great power. A routine at this time of year should have some long aerobic maintenance, but also should be shifting to more sprinting kind of activities and intensity. Weight room exercise can contain strength gain exercises (higher weight, lower repetitions) but should have workouts that are structured with less weight and higher velocity movements. Remember, always do the exercises with quality (and safer) movement patterns.
Plyometric (jumping) exercises are very good for power development, but must be structured for the fitness level of the athlete. Many of these activities (ladder drills, low hurdles and others) can help develop agility and co-ordination as well) The jump-rope is a form of plyometrics that also helps to develop co-ordination, timing, anticipation and rhythm.
Core strength (front, sides and back of the torso) should be trained 5-6 days a week. Many muscle groups require a day of rest after an work-out. The core muscles are structured with an energy system that allows them to work more continuously. They can and should be trained more frequently.
Flexibility (stretching) should be done daily.

Good athletes make good skiers…

Equipment
Having the right equipment is also extremely important for our success. We should be making some general assumptions about some of our gear at this point. What will we need for skis, boots, helmets, etc. It is a bit early to know exactly what sizes we will need for winter, but keep this all in mind.
Those of you who have gear you will want to move to another family, this is a good time to formulate that list. You can use me as a clearing house for those lists, but I need to know model, size and how much you would like for your gear.
I will set up an equipment swap for the fall and will let you know the dates and location for that as I can.
We will also work to have a system for acquiring new equipment at a discount and I will keep you informed about that process as it comes along.

Next year’s team
I have been told that our team training prices will continue at the same price level for next year. The only increase is the daily rate for the Holiday Camp. All of our season long Team prices include the Holiday Camp. The daily rate is for those who may be visiting. That is great news and I will let you know when the registration forms come available on the internet. I hope you will choose to do as many training days as possible. More time on snow equals more improvement. If you have interest in the Academy program let me know. Our Academy skiers have found it to be very productive.

If you know of new families who are interested in participating with the team, let me know. I would like to add them to our communication process as quickly as possible.

That should be plenty to digest for now, but I will add more soon…see you then!

Physical Conditioning

2010-05-23T17:24:00.005-06:00

I think we all know and consider skiing and especially ski racing to be an athletic event. Realizing that, we understand how important physical conditioning is to our sport. Strength, power, agility, stamina, flexibility and other components of fitness are all important factors in both the performance and enjoyment of skiing.

Below are some very general thoughts for our group about conditioning.

Staying fit can and should be a lifetime process. It is also a process of building. More complex and intense functions of fitness are layered over base and preparation layers. The fitness of a World Cup athlete has been a process of many years. Fitness can be looked at a game of cycles/periods. Some cycles are longer (a lifetime) some more intermediate (perhaps 6-8 weeks) and some short. (An individual workout should have a cycle of warm-up, the work itself, and a cool-down.)

If we consider the cycle of a lifetime, we would think of what might be proper for a particular age group. Age groups can contain quite a bit of overlap. Some 14 year olds are physically more mature than some 16 year olds. Ages listed below are quite general and would be most accurately considered as an attempt to list general physical maturity. Also it is important to consider that girls at the general age group of 10-14, are typically more physically mature than boys of the same age group. In ski racing it is not uncommon to see girls of this age beating the boys.

For our younger athletes it is important to build general athleticism. To be a great skier at any age, you must be first a great athlete. At the younger ages, (6-13) motor-skill development is quite important. Access to many different sports/games with an emphasis on variety and fun helps to build adaptability. Agility, balance and coordination are good focus points. Rehearsal of proper ski technique with lots of repetition fits well here.

Aerobic capacity and development of base strength is a good focus for ages 10-15 or so. Strength workouts are primarily body weight exercises and if weight training is used, technique and form are stressed. Multi-sport participation continues to be important in the development of general athleticism.

As the athletes mature (14-15 and up) training can become more specific to a chosen sport and more intense. Anaerobic capacity can and should be trained and it becomes more appropriate to work to increase muscle mass. As age and commitment to a given sport develop, outside sports might tend to take on more of an aspect of cross-training, and chosen to fit into the seasonal cycle of preparation for the favored sport.

A seasonal cycle for skiing might be constructed with a period of active rest immediately following the previous ski season. Active rest could be considered fun relativity low intensity activities. May and June would contain aerobic and general strength gain focus. The remaining time flowing to the ski season gradually shifts to the gain of muscle mass, a shift to anaerobic gain and power increases. These later principles are dependent on the base gained in the early part of the cycle or the physical age of the particular athlete. Core strength, flexibility and agility can be practiced all year-long.

These are some pretty general guidelines that can help to promote success for all of our participants. I will be out of the area until early August, but will stay in touch through email. When I return, I would look forward to mountain biking or taking part in any other activities that help us with our fitness and team building. Do let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts we can employ.

Some Thoughts from Park City...

2010-05-20T11:54:00.000-06:00

I was looking through notes from my recent trip to Park City where I attended a bank of national meetings for USSA. Thumbing through the pages, I am finding many things. One thought pattern that began to develop in a discussion on Youth Development was of particular interest to me. It very much aligns with my own philosophies and I think all of our coaches share the same thoughts.

I will keep this brief, as I know it is coming on Summer…

The discussion pointed out that for our youth, well managed competition and training can and should be used to nurture physical skills, technical skills and preparation for the future. This all becomes very intertwined…Here at Whitefish we teach a lot; we spend time on skill development searching for improvement and mastery. While it is tempting to just ski, ski, ski (and skiing is very important), without the mastery of basic fundamental skills, true potential will be difficult to realize. As skills are cemented and mastered, free-skiing becomes the playground where the athlete learns to employ those skills in many different ways and in many different situations. However, without mastery of the skills, less productive habits can and will be patterned.

Much the same is true with gate training. Gate training for our younger skiers should be included in the teaching aspect, designed to help develop fundamental skills, then provide the right amount of challenge to promote accelerated learning. As skiers progress, we should never abandon an emphasis on fundamental skills, but gate training can also evolve to more difficult challenges and even race simulation.

Lots of skiing and race simulation (without teaching development) can lead to improvement, but without the work of developing the proper foundation that improvement is limited. Remember the Leaning Tower of Pisa; quite a building, but obviously lacking the proper foundation…The building is beautiful, but has taken a great deal of energy and modifications to try to make up for the lack of a proper foundation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa

Well managed racing and competition are an integral part of the process. Properly chosen and administered, it provides a goal structure and challenge that is a very effective growth/learning stimulus.

Our approach emphasizes long-term success. Time spent on the foundation of skill development and mastery will provide us with a much better long-term outcome.

Thanks for listening…hope you enjoy the program!

Roy

News from Park City Meetings

2010-05-13T22:13:00.004-06:00

Whew! That was a long day...meetings today were scheduled from 7:45 am til 9:00 pm.
We were lucky and done at 7:30 pm. But the meetings were good and we got information on rules changes, alpine officials training and requirements, athlete training and testing, race course certification and more.

Some information that most of us will enjoy hearing about:
1) National USSA Membership prices will stay the same as last year.
2) On-line registration has been simplified/clarified
3) Audi, Sprint, High sierra and N'eve have become USSA partners and will give USSA registants access to special offers on the last page of the on-line registraion process.
4) Printing of the membership card has become more simple.

More is scheduled for tomorrow and I will update you soon...

USSA Congress/Spring Meetings

2010-05-12T20:16:00.002-06:00

USSA is conducting its annual Congress (convention) in Park City, Utah this week.
Officials from the Northern Division are attending and include President, Rick Duncan (Deerlodge), Vice-President, Roy Loman (Whitefish), Sherri Hale, Whitefish (Division Manager), Officials Chair, Bob Petitt (Bozeman) and Alpine Competitions Commettiee Chairman, Jeremy Ueland (Big Sky).
The week-long sessions schedules meetings to review and make changes in rules, qualification procedures, competition schedules and other issues pertinant to next year. The Northern Division group is attending Alpine ski racing sessions, USSA is also conducting organizational meetings in Snowboarding and Freestyle Skiing.
The busy schedule began Tuesday and concludes Saturday evening at 9:30.

Not a Tournament Golf Outing

2010-05-05T10:28:00.008-06:00

Dear FVSEF Families and Supporters,

I wonder if anyone has contacted you about your firm participating in the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation’s “Not-A-Tournament" Golf Fundraiser.

Our Fundraisers are important to help us keep our program costs low and more importantly, our participation levels as high as possible. The Not-A-Tournament Golf fundraiser has some distinct advantages to both the foundation and to participating firms. Your participation would greatly help the Foundation in its fundraising efforts. Secondly, for a $ 150.00 tax deductable donation, your firm would be recognized by a prominent group of golfers at one of 3 prestigious golf courses in the Flathead Valley.

The event places distinctive and tasteful signs recognizing contributors near the tee boxes and other strategic areas for a 3 day period during the busy Memorial Day Week-end. All three courses are open to the public and typically fill their tee times for the week-end. The result is considerable recognition for your firm by a large public, as well as the tax deductable donation to the Foundation.

If you would like more information regarding the “Not-A-Tournament” outing please contact Richard Kramer at (406) 250 9706 or by email at: rk@redcaboosediner.com

Thanks for your participation.

Awards/Recognition Picnic Staves Off Weather

2010-05-03T13:51:00.004-06:00

Our 2010 Awards/Recognition Picnic seemed to create its own "Eye" in the weather pattern. We were able to enjoy a great time outdoors visiting and sharing experiences from our last winter season. The turn-out was great, there was plenty of food, the company was fun and there were plenty of games be enjoyed. Click on the "Race Team Photo Album" link found on the right side of our blog page under "Usable Links" If any of you have photos of the day send them along and I will post them along with these.

Great Day, thanks to everybody whose help made this and our season so much fun!
Roy

Non-Winter Ski Camps

2010-04-27T12:37:00.001-06:00

Some Answers to Questions About Summer or Fall Ski Camps

Many questions surround the value of non-winter ski camps. Questions like: Why is a non-winter camp important? When should I schedule a non-winter camp? How old should participants be?

Non-winter camps are valuable for a variety of reasons and the camp atmosphere provides multiple benefits. Typically camps allow athletes to focus on their skiing without other distractions. Also, the consecutive training sessions promote progressive and solid skill development from day to day. Typically this promotes skill retention.

Camps are normally scheduled outside the competition season. This most typically allows their focus to be developmental in nature and promotes a stronger learning base. There are some exceptions and we will address those later. Non-winter camps may be scheduled in the spring, summer or fall. Spring and fall are often difficult to schedule around school schedules. Even the summer season has scheduling questions. When is the best time to attend? Early summer typically offers more snow and terrain options that help set up productive training situations. Late summer is closer to the coming ski season, but snow and terrain options are far more limited.

For most athletes and families one to two camps can be considered. One camp is great, offers terrific experiences and builds fundamental skills in a cost effective manner. One camp also still allows our families plenty of summer fun for themselves while providing a strong skiing experience. If considering two camps, the first typically would be scheduled in early summer and be fundamentally oriented. The second most usually would be scheduled in the fall and build on the progression from the first camp. Fall camps are typically still fundamentals oriented, but usually contain more gate time and are considered a part of the build-up for the winter competition season. The most elite of athletes might consider 3 camps: a fundamentals camp in early summer, a gate camp late summer/early fall and a late fall gate camp as a tune-up to the early December competition season.

Camps can be productive for many age groups depending on the attitude of the particular skier. Special considerations should be made for the youngest of athletes to make their experience most productive. Camps usually ski for the first half of the day, and then do other activities, including dryland training in the afternoon. Evenings can be educational sessions or free time depending on the particular schedule. Younger athletes may choose to forgo afternoon activities with the older athletes and likely require family support for the evening. Combinations of this can be made, depending on the maturity, stamina of the athlete and the wishes of the family. Usually with younger athletes families will schedule a family trip around the ski camp to manage these needs and options.

Our plan for the coming summer and fall is to offer two camps, one the second half of June at Mt Hood, Oregon. We are investigating a second camp during Thanksgiving vacation in Canada that will give us a training opportunity and access to viewing the World Cup races scheduled at Lake Louise Nov 27-28 2010.

Summer Ski Camp Schedule

2010-04-22T16:19:00.003-06:00

Hey Ski Racing Families,

I have a few things I wanted to pass along. If you won't be using your skis for summer skiing try to put the skis away for the summer with a coat of wax on them. Even if you will ski on them this summer they should have wax on them for now. Also, it is best to buckle your boots when you store them as it helps them keep their shape. Prior to summer skiing do try on the boots to be sure you have not outgrown them.

For next year do let me know if you have equipment that you will want to pass along, or if you will be looking for equipment. Remember we will likely have some access to equipment from selected companies in the fall. We will also organize our fall equipment swap at the Saddle Club and I will let you know of that date when the time nears. And do let me know what you may have, or need, so I can help facilitate any appropriate exchanges.

I also have Summer Ski Camp information. We have been notified that the Red Lodge Camp has been cancelled due to lack of snow.

We will again partner with the Mt Hood Academy and the Mt Bachelor group for camps in June that will be held on Mt. Hood. The schedule will look like this:

Camp 1: Jr. 3s and older
Arrive June 19- ski June 20-24; depart after skiing on the 24th.
5 days on snow GS and SL
Cost estimate is $955.00

Camp 2: J4/J5 –
Arrive June 26, ski June 27 –30; depart after skiing on the 30th.
4 Days on Snow GS and SL
Cost estimated is $685

These camps have been very productive and we are looking forward to them this summer. Both groups utilize the Academy House for housing and meals and the price is inclusive of that. I am sure arrangements could be made if families wanted to make other plans. Also last year we had a few athletes use the train to travel from Whitefish to White Salmon, near Hood River. I was able to pick them up at the train station there.

We are also working on a late fall camp in Canada. This camp would likely occur during the Thanksgiving Vacation and finish by watching the World Cup races. I will let you know more as this progresses.

Please let me know what your interest is so I can plan the camp season.

2010 Alpine Race Team Picnic

2010-04-14T11:02:00.002-06:00

When: Sunday, May 2- 3:30-6:00 PM
Where: The Saddle Club 605 Wisconson Ave
What: A social event to mix, mingle, eat, play some games and award/acknowledge our program participants.

Please join us for a picnic and enjoy some time together off the ski hill. The Foundation will provide grilled food and drinks. Please bring the following if your name begins with:
A-G: Hors d'oeuvres and 1 bag of chips
H-M: Side dish
N-Z: Dessert

You may want to bring your favorite outdoor chairs or blankets.
Our schedule:
3:30 EAT AND SOCIALIZE
4:30 GAMES AND RELAYS
5:15 RECOGITION AWARDS

Please RSVP to: mpwelch@centurytel.net Please let us know what you intend to bring so we don't end up w/40 lbs of great potatoe salad!

We will also discuss the coming Bike Raffle and a t-shirt plan for our team. Remember the Bike Raffle proceeds do directly towards lowering our event travel costs and have been very effective in the past.

See you all there!

2010-04-12T16:53:00.001-06:00

You may have seen the Team Suburban at the ski area or around town and been curious about the vehicles history.
The trusty steed has been the transportation for quite a few coaches and older athletes when traveling to a variety of race series throughout the Western US. The vehicle is owned and maintained by the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation. The FVSEF also subsidies some of the travel costs incurred when the vehicle transports athletes or coaches to events. Athletes and families share in the remaining transportation costs. In its many treks around the countryside the suburban proudly displays the badges of the many sponsors who contribute to offsetting the expenses of the suburban, and other program operational costs through the non-profit Foundation.
The 1995 Suburban was donated by Shelly and Tim Geiszler of Missoula. Shelly (Olsson) Geiszler, her children and many other Olsson children are Whitefish Race Team Alumni.
Many hands go into making the 200,000 + mile vehicle a workable transportation source for our Team. We would like to thank the Geiszlers for supplying the vehicle; Don K Chevrolet who helps to maintain the vehicle; Summit Signs for keeping the badges current; and the sponsors: North Valley Hospital and the Base Lodge Clinic, Hammer Nutrition, Joseph Eve Accounting, Karl Tyler Chevrolet, The Red Caboose Diner and Conductors Row.
If you are aware of any businesses that would benefit from the recognition of a badge on the Suburban, please let us know. We also know the current Suburban has a limited life ahead of us and would be very interested in discussing the benefits of donation of a suburban (or like vehicle) to the Foundation. Contact Richard Kramer, 406 250 9786 or Bill Kahle, 406 270 9467.

Whitefish Skiers earn Academic Awards

2010-04-10T16:21:00.000-06:00

Five Whitefish Alpine competitors were tapped with top Academic Awards by the Northern Division of USSA. To be eligible for these awards the alpine racers must have at least a 3.65 grade point average and qualify for either the Junior Olympics (age 13-14) or the Western Region Championships (ages 15-19).
The Academic Awards were presented at the Northern Division’s Championship Series races, the OHG Series, held at Bridger Bowl near Bozeman March 2nd-4th.

Receiving the award from the Whitefish Team was: Annie Jobe, Erin Tabish, Michela Millette and Nevada Kramer. Nick Becker received an Honorable Mention award for his high level of achievement athletically and scholastically.

Whitefish coach Roy Loman added: “This is a great award to receive and the award congratulates those skiers who epitomize the mind/body connection that true sportsmanship promotes. This group really deserves this award and I am so proud of them for earning it. But, we also had other skiers in our Academy Program who just missed this award from an athletic point of view. The athletics are important as well, but they are so hard to judge, as they point to specific race results that may or may not go your way. There is always some luck involved in race results, but the academic side is tried and true earned long-term results. Scott Kahle’s grade point was way up there, but he missed on the athletic component by a whisker.”

This season, these skiers and many others were assisted in their competitive efforts with generous support of the North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic.

OHG Divisional Championships

2010-04-04T10:52:00.000-06:00

Skiers from the Whitefish Mountain Resort Alpine Race Team competed in the Northern Division Alpine Championship event held at Bridger Bowl near Bozeman April 2nd and 3rd. The Championship events concluded a season long series that included races at the Whitefish Mountain, Snow Bowl in Missoula, Big Sky, and an earlier series at Bridger.

In Friday’s Giant Slalom the Whitefish team finished strong with podium results and other scoring finishes.

Anna Job led the group with a 2nd place finish in the 13-14 age class. Madeline Williams was 3rd in the 15-16 age group. Erin Tabish finished just off the podium of the 13-14 group in 4th place. Nevada Kramer and Nick Becker were 7th and 8th respectively in the 13-14 age group.

Saturday’s Slalom was challenging with new snow falling throughout the contest. The Bridger course crew worked extremely hard to provide a very fair and safe race despite the challenging conditions.

Anna Jobe and Madeline Williams were strong in the Slalom and each finished 2nd in their respective age groups. Erin Tabish posted the fasted first run in her age group and was 4th overall in that run which included girls from the MSU Ski Team. Kramer and Becker, skiing consistently, were 6th and 7th in the 13-14 age class. Both Kramer and Becker will ski another year in their age class.

The Northern Division Series is used to determine qualifications for the Junior Olympics and the Western Region Championship races. Whitefish Team members Anna Jobe and Erin Tabish qualified for and competed in the Junior Olympics held in Bend Oregon. Michela Millette competed in the Western Regional Championships held in Schweitzer Basin, ID.

The Whitefish Team was awarded the 3rd place team trophy for its accomplishment throughout the series.

This season, these skiers and many others were assisted in their competitive efforts with generous support of the North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic.

Whitefish Skiers do well in Big Sky Downhill

2010-03-29T10:48:00.000-06:00

Whitefish Resort Race Team skiers, Madeline Williams and Nick Becker competed in 3 days of Downhill racing and training at the Big Sky Ski Area March 26-28. A day of training was followed by two days of racing. Speeds over 70 mph were posted on the Big Horn course which drops nearly 1500 feet and runs well over a mile in length.

Williams, racing in the 15-16 year-old age category placed third in both races. Becker competed in the 13-14 year-old category and posted seventh and eighth respectively.

Whitefish coach, Roy Loman said: “Madeline was awesome; she left the starting gate aggressively each run and was looking for more speed where-ever she could find it… and Becker really proved his affinity for speed in his first downhill appearance. He is in the first year of his age group and he showed that he will be right there in front of the group in his next outing.”

Throughout the season, these skiers and many others were assisted in their competitive efforts with generous support of the North Valley Hospital’s Base Lodge Clinic.

Whitefish Elite Skiers Excell

2010-03-21T20:02:00.003-06:00

2010 Whitefish Mountain Race Team Academy and Race Team members excell!
With the recent excitement created by the U.S. Olympic Ski Team’s success in the Vancouver Olympics, we now turn our attention to our own Whitefish Mountain Resort Race Team. They too, are fun and exciting to watch and support. Among the 51 member team, are the 13 and 14 year old J3 kids. Meet Annie, Erin, Scott, Nick, Jacob, Luke and Nevada. No, they’re not Olympic level yet but boy can they ever go fast on a pair of skis.

They are all part of the Race Team Academy, a 4 day a week program for intensive ski race training and competition. It includes early dismissal from school on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, so they have to be good students to participate. In fact, one parent recently remarked, “I don’t think there is a B among them.” Head Coach Roy Loman says they are a pretty special bunch and that “they are all driven to perform but have healthy outlooks at the same time”. They are very supportive of one another.

They are great friends, on and off the mountain. Roy believes skiing is helping to shape who they are. The first day of my 7 year old’s experience on the team, one of the J3 kids openly(and without prompting) walked up to him, greeted him by name and helped him to feel comfortable. I didn’t know 13 year old boys did that sort of thing. Another time I was riding up the chair with a different one of these kids and he unselfishly told me about how good one of his teammates is. And it was genuine.

Perhaps this young Whitefish Mountain Race Team embodies one of our recent alpine Olympic stars’ words: “ It's cool to have a gold medal and to have a full set of medals from here. It's good for my team and it's going to make a cool collection. But besides
that, they are just medals. Those performances that we put down as a team
Sunday -- that's what is really going to carry on. That's what was special
to be a part of." -Bode Miller.

The Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation which helps to underwrite ski racing and freestyle on Big Mountain, is a non-profit entity and donations are accepted to make it easier for our athletes to compete at the highest level possible, and to achieve their goals. Corporate sponsors this year include North Valley Hospital Base Lodge Clinic, Hammer Nutrition, Joseph Eve Certified Public Accountants, and Karl Tyler Chevrolet. Please contact Bill Kahle (270-9467) or Richard Kramer (250-9786) if you would like to donate or become a sponsor.

Our J3 thru J1 athletes (13-18 year olds) compete in the Northern Division of USSA where competitors include college level racers up to age 25. Top 20 finishes this year include the following:
January 8th Whitefish Mountain Giant Slalom Ladies: Annie Jobe 3rd, Erin Tabish 15th, Michela Millette 17th, Madeline Williams 18th. Men: Wes Beougher 8th, Aaron Oberlitner 13th.
January 10th Whitefish Mountain Giant Slalom Ladies: Annie Jobe 7th, Michela Millette 11th, Erin Tabish 13th, Maddie Williams 14th. Men: Scott Kahle 17th, Nevada Kramer 18th.
January 23rd Red Lodge Mountain Slalom Ladies: Madeline Williams 13th, Michela Millette 14th. Men: Nevada Kramer 19th.
January 24th Red Mountain Lodge Slalom Ladies: Michela Millette 17th, Madeline Williams 19th.
February 13th Snowbowl Slalom Ladies: Erin Tabish 5th, Annie Jobe 8th. Men: Wes Beougher 5th.
February 14th Snowbowl Slalom Ladies: Erin Tabish 3rd, Madeline Williams 14th, Michela Millette 16th.
February 15th Snowbowl Slalom Ladies: Annie Jobe 3rd, Madeline Williams 14th. Men: Aaron Oberlitner 15th.
February 20th Big Sky Resort Super G Race 1 Ladies: Annie Jobe 2nd, Michela Millette 5th, Madeline Williams 13th, Erin Tabish 14th. Men: Nevada Kramer 15th, Nick Becker 17th, Scott Kahle 19th.
February 20th Big Sky Resort Super G Race 2 Ladies: Annie Jobe 6th, Michela Millette 7th, Madeline Williams 9th, Erin Tabish 13th. Men: Aaron Oberlitner 14th.
February 21st Big Sky Resort Super G Ladies: Annie Jobe 4th, Michela Millette 5th, Madeline Williams 6th, Erin Tabish 15th. Men: Aaron Oberlitner 13th.
February 27th Bridger Bowl Giant Slalom Ladies: Annie Jobe 3rd, Michela Millette 9th, Madeline Williams 16th. Men: Wes Beougher 9th, Aaron Oberlitner 19th.
February 28th Bridger Bowl Slalom Ladies: Erin Tabish 7th, Michela Millette 14th. Men: Nick Becker 16th, Nevada Kramer 19th.

In addition, Annie Jobe and Erin Tabish competed in the invitation-only, prestigious Topolino shootout in Park City, Utah on January 23rd-24th, where they gained valuable experience against top competitors from the U.S.

Our J1 and J2 athletes (ages 15-18) Michela Millette, Madeline Williams, Aaron Oberlitner, and Wes Beogher are all excelling on and off the race course this year. Michela Millette qualified for the Western Region Championships this year, held at Schweitzer Mountain March 6-9th. Maddie Williams was chosen as an alternate.

Three members of the Whitefish team have qualified for the upcoming J3 Junior Olympics to be held at Mount Bachelor near Bend, Oregon. Wish the best of luck to Annie Jobe, Erin Tabish, and Nevada Kramer.