Slopestyle #2

This past weekend USASA held the second ADK series slopestyle event of the season at Whiteface. The weather couldn't have been better, and the park crew had recently rebuilt the slopestyle course which boasted three rail features and a three jump line for a total of 6 features. Everything lined up for a great day of competition. Some of the highlights from the day consisted of a large rail transfer by Dale, a huge superman front flip by Jake, and a large cork 720 safety by Taylor.

Every NYSEF freestyle athlete (boy, and girl, ski, and snowboard) put their freestyle abilities on the line. Their results were as follows:

Men Jam's (18 - 22):
Dale Mortensen - 1st Place

Youth Men (14 - 15):
Anthony Russo - 1st Place
Josh Boise - 2nd Place
Greg Livingston - 3rd Place
Richmond Harvey - 4th Place

Skier Girls (12 - 12):
Julia Schneider - 1st Place

Skier Boys (10 - 12):
Bryant Ward - 1st Place
James Ward - 2nd Place
Matthew Byrne - 3rd Place

Skier Men (13 - 15):
Jacob Prichard - 1st Place
Avery Higgins-Lopez - 3rd Palce
Gavin Fritz - 4th Place

Skier Men (16 - 18):
Taylor Bond - 1st Place
Max Finn - 2nd Place
John Owen - 3rd Place

MLK Ski Cross @ North Creek Ski Bowl

In the not to distant past USASA ran a Ski Cross event at the North Creek Ski Bowl. The course was said by many athletes that, "it was the best that North Creek has ever had!" It was a perfect course for all ages, complete with rollers, berms, jumps, drops, and a hip. The weather was less than ideal for racing; there was flat light and about an inch of snow fell over the duration of the whole event. However, I was impressed with the resiliency of ever athlete. Everyone competed to their fullest potential and maintained a positive attitude until the end of the comp.

Julia racing around one of the berm 

Daniel coming through the top section of the course

Jake shows he has great balance even in the air

Julia catches some air on her way to a victory in her age group

Brook and Audrey racing each other in practice for bragging rights

Anthony riding a berm on his was to a victory of his own

The results from each age group of each NYSEF athlete was as follows:
Menehune Boys (10 -11):
Cobane Bossonette - 1st Place

Youth Men (14 - 15):
Anthony Russo - 1st Place

Men Jam's (18 - 22):
Dale Mortensen - 1st Place

Skier Girls (10 - 12):
Julia Schneider - 1st Place
Audrey Higgins-Lopez - 3rd Place
Brook DeWeese - 4th Place
Ruby LaDue - 6th Place

Skier Men (13 - 15):
Andrew Piper - 2nd Place
Jake Prichard - 3rd Place
Jacob Roney - 4th Place
Linus Sante - 5th Place
Avery Higgins-Lopez - 8th Place

Skier Men (16 - 18):
Eric Sparkowski - 1st Place

We had a great time, and are eagerly awaiting the next Ski Cross on Feb. 8th at Whiteface.

February is here!

Hard to believe that February is here already and comps are going off all over the place.  Last weekend the B skiers headed to Mt Snow & Okemo with top performances from Brian Gardiner (1st overall in Slope & Big Air) and Kaylen Reilly taking first in his age group and an incredible 3rd overall on Saturday.  Way to go!
In Moguls action on Sunday Brett DeWeese took 1st, Emma Oechsner took 13th(17th on Saturday), and Brooke DeWeese 21st.  On the boys side, Kaylen Reilley was top finisher with an 18th, Jacob Roney 20th, Brian Gardiner 23rd, Max Oechsner 25th(24th on Saturday), and Camden Reilley with a 25th.
This weekend is our B event with a double Slopestyle taking place Saturday at Whiteface and a double Aerial going down Sunday at the Olympic Jumping Complex.  We are expecting a pretty small field both days so we expect the comps will run pretty quickly.  Note: On Sunday, there will be a fee for spectators - $11 at the gate - to help ORDA offset the cost of rebuilding the site.  We are very appreciative to the OJC & ORDA for allowing us to hold this event and all the effort their staff is going to, especially with such a small field.
Lastly, in comp news, next weekend is the USASA sanctioned Empire State Games Skier/Boardercross & Slopestyle.  Registration is all online through the USASA site AND the ESG site.  If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me or track me down at NYSEF.  Hope to see you there.

Mike K

Okemo, and Mt Snow slopestyle competitions

This past weekend a total of 5 NYSEF freestyle athletes traveled to Vermont to compete in slopestyle. The team divided and conquered! Two athletes (Brian, and Gavin) went to Okemo for the first stop of the East Free Tour, and the other three athletes (Taylor, Max, and John) went to Mt Snow for a USASA Southern Vermont Series Slopestyle.

Both locations had scheduled slopestyle competitions on both Saturday and Sunday. However, with the forecast for Saturday calling for lots of rain, fog, and wind Mt Snow decided to cancel their Saturday slopestyle and only run the one slopestyle on Sunday; Okemo made the decision to run both slopestyle competitions on Sunday. Although the weather was not cooperating with us, many of the athletes were resilient and skied their best despite the poor conditions.

Ross Perot (the Northwood coach, not the politician) was at Mt Snow. Below are a few photos as well as what he had to say about the competition:

"Despite having our Saturday competition cancelled and facing unfavorable conditions on Sunday, the NYSEF/Northwood freestylers had a strong showing at the USASA Slopestyle at Carinthia Parks, Mt. Snow, VT.  Taylor Bond (class of 15') placed 1st in the men's 16-18 group.  Max Finn (14') had strong runs but skidded out on his landings. John Owen (14') suffered a minor injury to his shoulder in training, but will be back in competition next weekend."

-RP

Here is Taylor spinning and making sure to lock in his tail grab

Taylor is skiing backwards over a log jib and making it look easy

I (JP) was at Okemo with Gavin and Brian. Both athletes really impressed me with their endurance during both competitions as well as with the execution of all their tricks. Gavin and Brian were two of the youngest athletes in the competition; they are freshmen in high school competing against mostly seniors. However, Gavin and Brian were not intimidated by their competition. "I just want to have fun and land some clean runs today," said Gavin. As it turned out, they both landed clean runs in both the 1st and 2nd competition. The results from both slopestyle competitions were as follows:
1st competition > Brian - 20th, and Gavin - 24th
2nd competition > Brian - 3rd, and Gavin - 22nd

In the second slopestyle competition Brian landed his first switch 1080 ever!

And he got third!

Brian (left) and Gavin (right) had, "one of their best weekends ever!"

Lastly, I want to say a quick but HUGE thank you to Debbie, Jane, and Vinnie for all of their support this past weekend!

Until next time, keep it classy.

- JP

Weekend #6

The sun is out and the temps are forecast to rise this weekend so be prepared for softer conditions.  The park is getting a refresh with some man-made powder but I'm not counting on it getting a rebuild in time for Saturday.  Most of the park staff is helping build the World Cup Moguls course so we may have to wait on that one.

As you read this, you should be able to see a green button to the right with a link to the Volunteer Spot website.  I've added some volunteer positions we need filled and will continue to do so throughout the season.  Just follow the link, sign in, and choose a job.  The descriptions are self-explanatory and it's easy to earn back your work deposit with two assignments or keep going and earn transferable lift-ticket vouchers for each day worked.

A couple of event notes - our first SX/BX of the season is scheduled for MLK Day January 20th at the North Creek Ski Bowl.  As of now the event is a go with course construction under way.  Hopefully the warm temps and weather don't change that but I'll keep everyone updated here and through the USASA page.  Also, the USSA "B" Slopestyle/Aerial schedule for Feb 1st & 2nd is going to change a little.  Instead of holding a morning SS followed by an afternoon Aerial both days we will be holding a double slopestyle in the park on Saturday and then head to the Olympic Jumping Complex Sunday for a double Aerial.  With Sunday being a "Super Sunday" and the need for a bunch of snow to build a separate Slope/Aerial venue it seemed wise to make the change.

Let's all hope our precip this weekend is all white and I'll see you on the hill!

Weekend #5 - Happy New Year

The new year is here and so are the cold temps!  Right now it's around -5 degrees at the base of Whiteface, 4 degrees at the castle and according to those who've been up there, Skyward is in excellent condition.  Layer up, cover up, & get out there!

The temps are expected to climb back up this weekend just in time for the Adirondack Slopestyle Opener in the Brookside Park.  Remember, you can sign up online by visiting www.usasa.org , click on regional event schedules, and then the green button to the right of the event listing.  You can also see who has already signed up by clicking on the name of the event.  I'm hoping to see alot of ADK'ers on that list once everyone gets used to registering online.

Welcome Gavin Fritz & Julia Schneider!

The new NYSEF winter term program started today with a couple freeriders joining in with a handful of alpine athletes to take advantage of training and boarding opportunities in Lake Placid @ The Olympic Training Complex.  The OTC facilities will be home base while they train full-time for either one month or the whole three month block being offered.  Student-athletes follow lesson plans from their home school district with help from private tutors and Academic Coordinator Dave McCahill.  It provides immersion in the sport, a lot of time on snow and focused training while still remaining a part of their traditional school program.  Where was that when I was a kid?

Happy New Year everyone!  See you on the hill!