Derek DiCastro Wins Hole Shot SBX at Steamboat

In his second season on tour and his fifth race of the year Derek Dicastro(Rome,NY) made his mark with his first Nor-Am Snowboard Cross podium and it was a big one. Racing against many of the top riders in North America from both the junior and pro ranks Derek took the lead early in his final heat of The Hole Shot Tour in Steamboat Springs, CO and never gave it up.
In his previous four races he's managed to finish within the top 20 each time and had a 10th place just the day before his win. His time trials have consistently ranked among the top ten even while competing against top names such as Shaun Palmer(USA) and Robert Fagan(Can). Taking up the 2nd and 3rd places were brothers Bobby & Jarod Minghini(USA) fresh off their top five finishes the previous day.
Derek spent his time training and working last season at NYSEF/Whiteface, competing regionally in the USASA ADK Series, and travelling around the country on the USSA Revolution Tour, the top US junior snowboarding tour. After qualifying for the US Junior World SBX Team in his first year on tour, he placed tenth at the World Championships in New Zealand last August.
"It's been exciting watching Derek's rise through the ranks over the past couple of seasons. He's learning with every race and result and the other riders on tour are taking notice. This is still just the beginning for him." commented NYSEF Freeride Director Mike Kirchner.
His busy race schedule takes him next to Alpine Meadows, CA for two Hole Shot Nor-Am races next week, followed by a single Revolution Tour race at Boreal, CA the following Monday and then it's on to The Canyons, UT for the US Grand Prix National Snowboard Cross Championships.

USASA Cross Results from MLK Day

The first Ski and Boardercross races of the USASA ADK season took place on MLK Day at the North Creek Ski Bowl. Over 60 racers showed up to compete in both ski and snowboard categories with many NYSEF athletes turning in strong performances. In Skier Boys 9 & under, Camden Reilly placed 1st in his first SX race and brother Kaylen took 4th while Duncan Segger took 5th. Lindsey Rath took first in the girls 9 & under and older sister Melissa took first in the snowboard Breaker Girls(12-13yrs). In Skier Boys 10-12 Brian Gardiner took 1st just ahead of 2nd place finisher Gavin Fritz. In snowboard Breaker boys (12-13yrs) Michael Fahey took 1st followed by Alex Neron 2nd. In Skier Men (13-15yrs) Erik Sparkowski took 1st, Jake Wenn 2nd, Peter Palumbo 3rd, David Knapik 4th, Nate Foster 6th and Brad Jubitz 7th. Skier Men (16-18) NSA's Matt Brady took 1st, Josh Nixon 2nd, and Sam Johnston 3rd.
The next ADK comp is the January 30th Slopestyle at Whiteface followed by the 2nd SX/BX at the Ski Bowl. Come on out and give it a try.

Mt Hood Rev Tour Re-Cap

Well, the Freeride team arrived home safe & sound and a little weary early Sunday morning after a very succesful showing at the second stop of the Rev Tour in Mt Hood Meadows, OR. The weather was difficult with wind and rain assaulting the competitors in the latter stages of the week making Ski Slopestyle and Halfpipe tricky as well as both Ski and Snowboard Cross. Regardless of the conditions, the NYSEF Freeride team had its best results yet with everyone contributing in at least one event.
John Wilkins(NSA) followed up his 17th place in Slopestyle with a 35th in his first Jr National level Snowboard Cross(SBX). K.C. Brousseau was forced to pull out of both Halfpipe(HP) and Slopestyle(SS) due to a toe injury but managed to pull it together for an impressive 2nd in Friday's Ski Cross(SX) event. Steph Lawee(NSA) took 4th place in both SS and HP and made the podium in SX with a 2nd place finish. Matt Brady(NSA-SX) and Jessica Powers(SBX) both brought home 10th place finishes and Derek DiCastro took the fastest time trial in SBX but had a crash in his first heat placing him 13th.
All in all this was the most succesful Rev Tour showing yet for NYSEF athletes and much credit goes to Head Freeride Coach Justin Perry. Part coach, part tour guide and all heart, JP kept our athletes focused on their goals through trying conditions and we all look forward to their next showing at the tour stop in Boreal, CA in early February.
Way to go guys. Keep up the good work!

USSA Revolution Tour Update

Mt Hood Meadows - Tuesday, January 11 - The NYSEF Rev Tour Team posted it's first result of the latest tour stop with an impressive 17th place finish in slopestyle by John Wilkins. Coach Justin Perry passed on the news that John had landed his first "Double Cork Rodeo 900" on snow in his last practice run before the contest started. The trick is a double off-axis backflip with a 180 degree rotation. After witnessing another rider land the trick - one that John had practiced countless times this past summer at the Olympic Jumping Complex's water ramps - he knew that it could be done on the relatively small jumps on the Hood course.
John wasn't able to land the trick in his first competition run but pulled it out in the second run which put him in 6th place with 15 riders to go in his heat. The top 6 from each heat move on to finals. "Two riders bested John's score bumping him out of finals but his 17th overall was by far John's best finish at this level and his first major contest result in some time", said NYSEF Freeride Director Mike Kirchner. "The last few years he had been plagued by season-ending injuries but he has perservered and worked his way back into top form. This is a great result." Up next for John will be Friay's Snowboard Cross.
The competition for the rest of the team continues today with NSA's Steph Lawee and NYSEF's KC Brousseau competing in Ski Halfpipe.
The Revolution Tour is USSA's top-level Junior National Tour and features competition for up-and-coming skiers and snowboarders in the disciplines of Slopestyle, Halfpipe, and Ski & Snowboard Cross. Other local athletes attending and competing this week include Jessica Powers(SBX), NSA's Matt Brady(SX), and Derek Dicastro(SBX).

Weekend Training and Competition Results

Well, another weekend down and a some great results and training to report on. Abe Studler bested a field of over 40 & brought home double gold from the Sugarslide Moguls at Sugarbush with wins in both Moguls events Saturday and Sunday. Way to go Abe! He wins best result for the weekend for sure!
At another Vermont event, The Eastern Freeride Tour @ Okemo, NYSEF athlete Oliver Holmes took a 7th, Northwood's Nick Edwards took a 17th and NWS's Jason Castle took a 23rd out of 70 in Saturday's slopestyle. Way to represent!
On the snowboard side, the first USASA ADK in GS & SL took place Sunday at Mt Pisgah, and Ri Kirchner took home golds in both events, Alex Neron 1st in GS & 2nd in SL, Mike Fahey 2nd in GS & 1st in SL, and Anthony Russo two 2nds.
Weekend training consisted of many laps on the newly built Cross course on Wolf, Park training on Danny's/Brookside, and a new bump line at the bottom of the park as well as some great freeskiing.
This coming weekend we plan to have the start gate installed on the Cross course, a re-built Broadway Park, and a new top section of the Danny's/Brookside Park right through the jump line as snowmaking freshened things up - or buried them depending on your perspective.
Competitions this coming weekend - USSA "A" & "B" Moguls at Bristol Saturday thru Monday and USASA SkiCross and Boardercross at North Creek Ski Bowl on Monday, MLK Day. Check with your coach for details on these and more events coming up and check back for ongoing results from our USSA Revolution Tour athletes competing this week at Mt Hood Meadows!

Competition Season is Here!

Well, the holidays are over, the rust is off, and competition season is here! Though there is the odd contest here and there in December, January really kicks things into high gear. Athletes have gotten back to where they left off last year(hopefully!) and should now be setting their sights on achieving their comp goals. For some, that might mean hitting our first USASA slopestyle at the end of the month or heading off to one of the many USSA "B" events around the Northeast. Whichever way they choose to go it's important to leave enough time to practice and not to overload the schedule with comps every weekend. Mid-season burnout is no fun!
For the parents out there, take the time to talk to your kids and their coaches while you are at the hill and find out what their focus is and should be. Check out the USASA and USSA schedules online and as always, I am here to answer any and all of your questions.
Good luck in 2011!

USASA GS & SL @ Mt Pisgah Postponed

The snowboard races scheduled for Sunday January 2nd have been postponed due to a lack of snow and the closure of Mt Pisgah. Snowmaking will resume as temps allow and we are hoping that next weekend's event will go off as planned. More information regarding makeup dates and next week's event status can be found on the USASA ADK site here.
Regular program schedule will be in effect at Whiteface this Sunday.