NYSEF Alum, Abe Studler named to US Freestyle Ski Team

Abe Studler, 19, will join the team in Park City, Utah this fall.

The news keeps getting better for Brant Lake’s Abe Studler.  At the young age of 9, Abe joined the NYSEF Freestyle program at Whiteface Mountain, under the direction of Mike Lynn, Head Coach. Studler quoted “Being a good coach goes beyond just technical knowledge; coaches must strike a balance between knowing when to support and when to push their athletes”.   Abe Skied under Mike as a (B) skier through the age of 13 when he won the EQS Eastern US Championship.   Abe rocketed onto the national scene by winning both single and dual events at Junior Nationals at Sun Valley Idaho to be crowned overall USSA Freestyle Junior Nationals Champion.   This past season Studler competed at the Nor-Am level which consists of the top US, Canadian and Australian skiers; finishing the tour at the Nor-Am finals held at Killington, VT with a second place finish qualified him for the US ski team.  Abe will be moving his career to Park City Utah to train at the  US Ski Team’s training center and the Utah Olympic Park. For the 2016/17 season Studler will be competing with the US Ski Team.

Moguls Results for January 23-24 weekend

The NYSEF A Moguls team taking in the sunshine at Stratton

Coach Nick Arnold took the NYSEF A Mogul team to Stratton Mt, VT this past weekend (1/23-1/24) for the Rod Baird Memorial event.  Brett DeWeese put together the best finish with a 4th place on Saturday and a 9th place tie on Sunday.  Emma Lauria also had a strong showing with a 10th on Saturday and a tie for 9th on Sunday.

Max Oechsner - Mogul B's

Ruby LaDue - Mogul B's

Coach Mike Lynn and the Mogul B's traveled to Killington Mountain Resort for their latest contest over the same weekend. This time Brooke DeWeese took the high honors with a 5th on Saturday and a 4th on Sunday, Ruby LaDue earned a 9th and 18th, Rowan Dulka - 17th and 6th, Max Oechsner - 20th and 7th, and Morgan Broderick - improved from 39th Saturday to 22nd on Sunday. Great job B's!

Carinthia Cup at Mt Snow

Coach Keith Shipman headed to Mt Snow, VT for the Carinthia Cup - B Slopestyle and Aerials(Big Air).  Kaylen Reiley came in 1st in slopestyle and aerials each day for his age group and first overall for the weekend.  Camden was 2nd in his age group for slopestyle and 3rd overall in Aerials on the first day and 3rd for his age group in both events on Sunday.  Another great showing for the Reiley Brothers!

EastFree Tour Slopestyle at Okemo

Coach Justin Perry headed to Okemo, VT for the 2nd stop on the USSA EastFree Tour.  The A slopestyle skiers had a strong showing to say the least with all 5 athletes in the top 20.  On the Men's side, Brian Gardiner took the 1st place spot followed by Jake Prichard - 3rd, Avery Higgins-Lopez - 7th,  and Gavin Fritz - 20th.  For the girls side, Julia Schneider reached the podium with a 2nd place to round out a great contest for the NYSEF crew.  Way to go crew!

EastFree Tour at Waterville Valley

Coach Keith Shipman traveled to Waterville Valley, NH the weekend of January 16-17 for the EastFree Tour Slopestyle and Big Air event which served as a USSA Revolution Tour Qualifier.  Julia Schneider, Gavin Fritz, and Brian Gardiner represented NYSEF well with Julia taking home a 1st & 2nd in Big Air, 3rd in Slopestyle and a 3rd overall.  Brian Gardiner also placed well and took home a 3rd place overall.  Brian took a 6th in Slopestyle and a 4th & 9th place in Big Air for a 3rd overall as well.

Bristol Moguls Results

The weekend of January 16-17 saw the NYSEF mogul crew hit the road for the Toyota Freestyle Fest at Bristol Mountain, NY. Both the A and B teams were in action with Coaches Mike Lynn and Nick Arnold dividing up the on-hill duties.  Both groups of skiers got in mogul comps each day, Sat & Sun.  The A team had their best showing from Emma Lauria with a 4th and a 3rd in single mogul action and 3rd in duals.  Brett DeWeese took 2 10th place finishes and a 7th in duals.
The B team had a best finish from Brett's sister Brooke with a 7th and a 4th place finish and strong finishes from all including a top ten finish from Camden Reiley.

2015-2016 Freeride Season is Underway

2016 Freeride staff - (l to r) - Kevin Ladue(Snb), Mike Lynn(Ski), Cari Verner(Ski), Bob Witt(Snb), Mike Kirchner, Dale Mortensen(Snb), Kevin Brousseau(Ski), Keith Shipman(Ski), Nick Arnold(Ski), Bailey Campbell,(Ski) Andrew Wilson(Ski), Justin Perry(Ski)

Morning stretch at Mid-station

Well, the 2015-2016 season got underway, Sunday, December 6th, despite Mother Nature's lack of cooperation.  The Whiteface snowmakers have done a great job so far, making top to bottom skiing and riding a reality without consistent low temps.  All that stopping and starting makes it difficult on the crews but hopefully we'll see those guns pounding full-time soon. 

In Freeride news this week, Head Freeride Coach, Justin Perry, heads back to Summit County, Colorado with a handful of skiers to get a head start on park training and take in some of the action at  The Dew Tour stop at Breckenridge.  Season is in full-swing in the Rockies and we're hoping that they bring some of the white stuff back with them.

Parents, watch your inboxes for the weekly program e-mail from me with a copy of this year's goal sheet.  Please print it out and then take some time with your athlete to guide them through the process of filling them out. I'd like for them to hand them back in to their coaches this coming Saturday, Dec 12th.  If your athlete didn't make opening weekend then I ask that they turn theirs in next weekend after they get some turns under their feet and have a chance to talk with their coach.  Individual training and competition plans will be based on this important feedback.  Remember, all goals whether modest or lofty are equally important to communicate so we can keep everyone progressing.

In addition to their short, medium, and long-term goals, we're looking for equipment details as well.  Fill in as much as possible and if you're unsure about anything, the coaches will help out with the rest this weekend.

Lastly, if you haven't heard the news yet, the NYSEF Chairman's Holiday Gathering is taking place on Wednesday, December 30th at Greg and Lorie Harden's house on Old John Brown Rd in Lake Placid.  The cost is $50 per person and includes heavy appetizers, beer & wine, and, of course, great company.  Traditionally, this evening is one with unique opportunities to show your support of NYSEF through giving.  All proceeds go towards NYSEF scholarship funds.  Contact Beatty Schluetter (beatty@nysef.org) in the Development Office for more information.