SKI TRACKS
RACE TRAINING
CENTER NEWSLETTER
Volume 5, Number 3
Mar 2002
GREETINGS from the DIRECTOR
We are in the season of the Junior Olympics. The Sun Cup and
final Alpine Junior Olympic Qualifiers were held at
The Nordic Junior Olympic Nationals is being held at
The Western Region Junior Olympics III is being held at
The Western Region Junior Olympics I/II are being held at
Eric Holmer, Suki Horton and Gretchen Glaser have been in
Kevin Francis has been skiing in
The Buddy Werner Championships are being held at
The Western Region FIS Tech Championships is being held at
Sugar Bowl,
MBSEF will have 44 athletes skiing in championship competition and most of these athletes will be traveling to other ski areas. What a great opportunity to represent our organization away from home. All we expect of them is to have fun and do their best! Good luck to our skiers and coaches!
Russ Read,
Chairman of the Board
Postcard from the
2002
The ultimate highlight of the
trip was watching – live and unedited – the
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mar 9 Par Fore the Course
Mar 17-24
JI/JII Junior Olympics
Mar 29-30
Mini World Cup Finals
Apr
6 Cascade Crest Tour
Apr 18-21 PNSA
Masters Championships
Apr 22-23
ALPINE ATHLETE PROFILE
Highlighting: Suki Horton, J1
(By Inge Scheve)
Hundred miles per hour describes
not only the speed of Suki Horton racing downhill, but everything about
this 19-year-old lightning ball who so far has
traveled more in her ski racing career than most do in a lifetime. This season alone,
she has already traveled large portions of the North American continent, as
well as to
Travel is also one of the reasons Suki has put her violin on the shelf. “I love
to play, but it is too hard to tote around,” she says noting that she has
traveled so much this season, she has trained at
"It was just too much to travel to Alaska every time,” Suki says,
explaining why she moved down to the “Lower 48” to race in the first place.
Before arriving in
"I never really set goals in my life,” she says, explaining that when she
has thousands of people in the community who support her, it has become a
responsibility for her not only to set goals but also to strive to attain them.
"I have the ability to change people’s lives because people look up to
me.” But succeeding and setting goals are not easily done alone. One of the
qualities Suki was seeking in a race development program was a professional
coaching staff that helps racers set goals of their own and then assist them in
pursuing their ambitions. "MBSEF is definitely one of the most organized
programs I have been involved in,” Suki says.
"The MBSEF coaches can be professional and still make us feel like we
belong here,” she explains, adding that it is obvious that all the coaches love
being here. "They understand that you have committed a lot to ski racing,”
she says. “They give back to you as much as you give them.”
The MBSEF coaches also enforce the rules they set, she says, adding that she is
learning to trust everyone in the Foundation more. "I had a hard time trusting coaches the
first year,” she says, noting that the structure allows her to focus more,
which was helpful when coming off a shaky season and recovering from a knee
injury.
"This year, there has been a lot more gung-ho racing.” And more racing has
paid off for Suki. In her second season with MBSEF, Suki barely missed
qualifying for the Junior World Championships. "In the last race, I just
skied myself out of it. But I improved my points,” she explained. "I came
so close. It was a big letdown for me,” she says.” But at least I tried, and I
set the goal. Last year, I was psyched just to do well. I expect a lot more of
myself this year.”
And additionally, this season has thrown more than racing challenges at Suki.
She is also adjusting to life on her own: Suki has a small studio in
FREESTYLE
ATHLETE PROFILE
Highlighting: Rex Carrillo, JII
(By Steve Hanson, Head Freestyle Coach)
Nice jump,
go bigger has been the MBSEF Freestyle Team’s motto for the past two
years. Rex Carrillo,
age 16 and in his third year on the team, is skiing and jumping by this motto. Simply look at the picture of Rex throwing
his trade mark Tail grab 360, and you’ll see an athlete who is comfortable in
the air.
I describe
2002 as Rex’s “break-through” season.
This is the year that Rex has pulled all the elements of his mogul
skiing together, turns, speed, and big air.
Rex spent a week last summer skiing at Whistler. He worked with coaches from around the world
to smooth his turns in the moguls and go bigger in the air. He is accomplishing both this year.
At each of
the races we have traveled to this year, mogul skiers from around the region
have commented to me about how much Rex has improved this year. Specifically, everyone is noticing Rex’s
air. A mogul race has a maximum score of
30 points, 15 for turns, 7.5 for air, and 7.5 for speed. His Tail Grab 360’s are scoring amongst the
highest in the region. Also, Rex is
throwing huge Ironcross-Kosak doubles, a very
difficult maneuver to execute properly.
Come look us up on the mountain, and Rex will show you how it’s
done. Currently, Rex is ranked 6th in the junior division in PNSA. As the year progresses, Rex is finishing
higher at each race.
Occasionally,
Rex will have to miss a day on the mountain training for a concert. Besides going big in the air, Rex can
sing. He is a member of the Bend High
Elite Jazz Chorus, the Dynamics. He is a
tenor. Rex is also an exceptional
artist, and he hopes to pursue art as a career.
Off the slopes, Rex enjoys roller blading,
long boarding, hunting, and jumping on trampolines - he goes big here too, I’ve
seen him.
Rex’s goals are to make the PNSA
Junior National Team for the 2003 season.
He has some tough competition, but this year Rex is the most improved
mogul skier in PNSA. After high school,
Rex plans on studying art in college. He
isn’t sure where he wants to go to college yet, some place close to
skiing. Rex plans on pursuing a career
in graphic arts.
Wanted!
Freestyle Skiers
for the
2002-2003 Season
I read when Shannon Bahrke,
the silver medallist in women moguls, was growing up racing in the Tahoe area, she was looking for something else in skiing. Her coach told her to try moguls. She replied that she was scared of those
things. She tried; now she is one of the
best mogul skiers in the world. The
MBSEF Freestyle Team is looking for young athletes, men and women, who are
looking for something else in their skiing.
The MBSEF Freestyle Team is focused on mogul skiing; training for fun
and competition. Also, the team trains
on jumping, both for moguls and slopestyle
competitions.
The team welcomes advanced skiers above 10 years of
age who want to learn how to ski moguls and get air. If learning how to ski a zipper line of
moguls, pull a perfect spread eagle, launch a mute grab 360 and land and ski to
victory interests you, it’s time to join the MBSEF Freestyle Team. If interested, please call the MBSEF office
or contact Steve Hanson at (541) 990-1081.
Come
train a day with the Freestyle Team to see if you are interested. If you're interested in a trial run at
Freestyle, sign up for the Spring Break Camp, March 28 - 31, on-snow from
G.I.
Joe's
Mini World Cup
News
(By Brad Jacobson, MWC Head Coach)
The GI Joe’s Mini World Cup completed
its final Buddy Werner Championship qualifier and has announced the 2002 Buddy
Werner Ski Team. Congratulations to this
year's racers listed below:
Girls Boys
Christina Schueler Anton Hilts
Mary Ray
Tommy Ford
Courtney Schwartz Max
Gomber
Elise Miller
Alexander Westphal
Kaitlyn Elliott Andy
Hackbarth
Andrea Wallace Shyama Ellis
Johanna Zimbleman
Jenna Sneva Kevin Prodehl
Jetta Rackleff Jesper
Hilts
Kellie Schueler Kevin Gudgel
This year's Buddy Werner
Championships take place at Mission Ridge Ski Area in
This season is flying by, and we are already looking forward to the Spring Break Camp and the Mini World Cup Finals taking place March 27th – 30th. Racers will have the chance to race against their parents again this season, so parents you better tune-up your skis and start training.
(Jenna Sneva, during a MWC GS race Jan 13)
Events
Director News
(By Linda Snyder)
Banff Mountain
The
World Tour hits
Volunteers & Leg Captains Needed for the U.S. Bank Pole Pedal
Paddle May 18th, 2002
We
would love to have your support on May 18th! We also need volunteers the
week prior to the event during the day, to help with racer packets. There are many different positions ranging
from on the mountain to the finish line.
We can find the perfect spot for anyone 12 years and older. If you are
interested, just call the MBSEF Volunteer Hotline at (541) 385-1999, after
April 15, and leave your name, phone number
and desired position and Kristie Wild, our
PPP Volunteer Coordinator, will call
you back. We also have volunteer
positions to fill for the Kids' Mini Pole Pedal Paddle on Sunday, May 19. If you want to help on Sunday, please call
Linda Snyder at 388-0002.
Kids’ Mini U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle T-Shirt Logo Contest
The
2002 U.S. Bank Kids’ Mini Pole Pedal Paddle T-shirt Contest is here!
The
entries must be submitted on white paper with colored designs. Up to four
colors including black may be used. The design may represent the activities of
the race: rafting, running, obstacle course and biking. The only requirements
of the design are to include the following information:
1.
2.
3. 2002
4. The artist’s signature
Please include on the back of the design: name, age, grade level, teacher, school and home phone number.
Entries
must be mailed or delivered to:
All
entries MUST be received by
Enjoy Mexican cuisine and help support MBSEF!!!
Mention that you are affiliated with MBSEF, either through membership or participation of an event, and Mexicali Rose will donate ten percent of your purchase back to the Foundation. What a great way to help out…all you have to do is eat!
MBSEF Annual Awards Banquet
The
Awards banquet, Saturday, April 27, will be held at Aspen Hall from
Skiing Is Play!
Stevenson Cross Country Youth Development
Program Update
(By Patrick Harper, Cross Country
Assistant Coach)
Obstacle courses,
jumps, downhills, tunnels, ski limbo, soccer, sharks
and minnows, you name it and they can do it.
The Youth Development program has been great fun for everyone this
year. I love the energy that these kids
bring to the program; I go home everyday feeling as happy as a 10 year
old.
Unfortunately, due
to a neck injury that occurred while telemark skiing,
I missed a couple of days of training. Being the athletic, energetic, outdoor
person that I am, I really became tired of lying around the house and hospital
very quickly and had to get back on my skis right away.
When Johanna Ferris
came to training and couldn’t even herringbone, let alone crawl her way up a
small hill, I thought “no problem” I’ll just have her stomp up it like a
giant. You should see her now; uphills are no problem.
We will, however, be working on the downhills
a bit.
Kurt Svendsen,
has been a trooper. He has improved
greatly, not only in skiing, but as a person too. We worked on attitude and confidence and now
he loves to fall and knows that it’s ok.
One day he climbed up the big banked hill and in front of the Mountain
View High School Ski Team, went sailing down it and launched, face first into
the powder. The cheers of approval were
wonderful because he had never made it down that hill until then. He has not
fallen on it since.
There is a lot of
talent in this group and I could say something positive about each member. Some
of the older kids are taking it upon themselves to ski with the Winter-term
kids once a week, showing me that it may be time to move on to the Winter-term
Program. There is daily improvement seen
in all age groups.
The coaches and parents
have been great to work with. Molly
Grove, Megan Boyle, Kenny Wolford, Greg Stone, Pete Rodgers, Rebecca Rusch, and Erica Wescott have done an incredible job. Kenny Wolford, Greg Stone and I grew up in
This is a continuation from February's Ski Tracks
issue of Kevin's E-Mail excerpts sent home.
Kevin shares his personal experience with the
On the Road
with the US
(By Kevin Francis)
The SLC airport was jammed when we arrived to train and
forerun the Olympic DH, SG, and Combined DH. We spent our first day in SLC
getting credentials and a new SLC 2002 jacket and pants without logos. No one
can wear sponsor gear at the Olympics. We ran all races on the Grizzly DH at
We were inspecting the course on the first day of training and three of us were standing in a tough section right before the Flintlock jump. Racers were hiking up and down the course trying to figure out which line to take, and I told another forerunner that he was in the way of Lasse Kjus who was trying to see the line. He said, “Huh?” spun around and almost hit Stephan Eberharter in the shin. After that we decided to act just like the athletes and not worry about whose way we were in. On race day I was slipping down with Evan Weiss and Adam Cole and they had injected the ‘snow’ more the night before. We were all standing above the ice looking at a particularly tough fall away above the Flintlock jump again. Evan tried to slip down first and started sliding uncontrollably on the smooth rock hard ice that they refer to as ‘snow’. He was heading straight for one of the racers, so he just pointed his skis down the hill to miss the racer and found some softer snow right before he hit the fence. The rest of us had about the same problem. Surprisingly, it was easier to carve turns in the race and we all made it through that section without hitting the fence.
We did two training runs and inspected and trained on the same course as the
best skiers in the world. It didn’t seem like anything big. Then race day came
and there were at least 10 cameras at the top of the DH in the start shack and
all kinds of network people and a helicopter buzzing over head. Since there
weren’t many athletes at the top yet, they were filming us. I skied one of the
toughest, most technical courses in the world and nothing I have ever done
compares to skiing through the finish and standing up totally exhausted and
hearing 30 thousand people cheering. My Mom said when I was forerunning the DH
course the announcer was saying “Kevin Francis,
At first I thought this would be good training for the
upcoming World Juniors in
Olympic Spirit
(By Bev Francis)
Upon returning home from the
Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics, a friend asked if there was an Olympic Spirit
evident at the games. It was easy to answer.
There were unique stories to be told about each athlete, including
personal bests, world records and come-from-behind stories along with the hard
luck stories, but all the athletes were cheered. I was so proud of the
predominately US crowd as they paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of
each Olympian.
Watching Bode Miller come from way behind to win a silver medal in the combined, and cheering
At the men’s XC 10k
classic/10k free pursuit, an athlete from
The Olympic Spirit was truly evident at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games!
A Coaches Journal of a Successful Weekend (Part Two)
(By Ben Husaby)
If I remember correctly, the last issue of the MBSEF
Newsletter found the Nordic team all loaded up and chomping at the bit to get the
road show started. As the van slides
back from the loading bay, I make a mental note of all the things I might, and
probably have forgotten. My attention is
quickly distracted by the fresh baked goodies that Kira
Folden has nicely stacked on the floor within my
reach. I contemplate getting into the
fresh sweets chasing it back with a dark roast.
This always poses a serious question - should I spill the hot coffee now
or wait at least until
Although we have already clicked a tenth off the odometer, I make a quick glance in the rear view to see if Mr. Harr has come down off the top yet. I have been known to leave Kirk at the scene a time or two. A quick comment as to Kirk’s presence brings good-natured giggle from the gallery. It is pretty easy to tell who had the hot date the night before; their heads have already fallen down behind the seats, trying to fall asleep. Just for kicks, I start asking around as to what the team did last night. This is when Stuart Smith-Blockley’s ears perk up, his mind wandering, dreaming about cars, girls and curfews. Katey Kelley’s blush tells a whole story in itself. Innocence is so refreshing. Who said skiing wasn’t educational.
A good first act usually leads to a great third. A good road trip follows that same formula. Like Nordic ski races, road trips tend to be long, so energy conservation is key. As the conductor of this foray, I like to set out on a good note. First, no one gets to put stuff in the coach’s area. That space encompasses the dash, driver’s seat, and the cockpit: the space behind the engine, between the driver and passenger seat. Rule number two: no junk on the dash. This is imperative on winding mountainous roads. Third rule, and this is an important one: knees in the back of the driver’s seat means certain reseating back in economy class. As every ski coach knows, the driver’s seat is their throne. It is also a given that ski coaches across the country agree, the Econoline is the tour de force in traveling machines. Set up with heavy springs, 460 cubic inches, and electronically controlled seating, the road becomes our oyster. GM never figured out that the Ford’s armrest configuration does make driving enjoyable.
The next important setting off point is music
selection. The key is getting to
Where are we? While
I was writing,
Finally, Biggs comes into view. Welcome to
By now things are running smoothly. The sugar has worn off and we are dropping out to some loungy trance music. Blake Fowles starts to give me a shoulder rub and instantly complains of finger pain. She is getting pretty good at this none-the-less. I am a lucky coach. We are finally getting close to our destination. The team’s energy begins to change. Here come the questions. Do you think the condo will have a hot tub? Who is going to sleep with Kirk? “He snores too much,” Alex exalts. “I hope the stereo pumps like the last place,” Lily shouts. Can we have a dance party and listen to Mary J all night? Kurtz just rolls his eyes. He’s dreaming of the possibility of 57 channels.
We arrive at the condo. I peer inside, silently praying it is big enough. As always, the rooming chart is quickly hashed out. I find a quiet corner for my sleeping bag. I pull out a book knowing full well that the chance of reading anything this weekend is slim to none. Now is when the work begins. Lucky for me, the team does an excellent job unloading the van, stowing stuff and gets started on dinner. As I said before, I am a lucky coach. Every trip seems to get more enjoyable.
(Stay tuned for Part Three)
2002 Cascade Crest Tour –
A celebration of
spring skiing!
Thanks to the
snowmobile club, the race course ventures onto
Come join the
party! Registration is available at MBSEF through Friday, April 5, and day of
race registration is open from
All
proceeds benefit the MBSEF Nordic program.
Nordic Program
Uniforms For
*New MBSEF Nordic Hats: Blue Swix
hats with Nordic logo- $20.
*MBSEF 2 piece lycra
racing suits -$110. Sizes: M, L, X-L.
*Blue/white training jackets-$85. Sizes: M, L, X-L.
There are just a few left.
All are quality products with a
great color scheme/design.
For any of these items, call Ben at 388-0002.
SKI
TRACKS
is the official newsletter publication of the Mt. Bachelor Ski Education
Foundation, a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
membership association.
SKI
TRACKS
is published four times per season (December, February, March, and April). Publications are available to current members
enrolled in an MBSEF program. Membership
year runs September through August.
Publisher: Russ Read
Editor:
Cindy Ferris
Asst.
Editor: Linda Snyder; Inge Scheve
Contributions
are always welcome! We appreciate
in-kind and financial contributions supporting our Foundation.
Please
have articles in by the last week of the month, for publication the following
month. We prefer articles on diskette in
a Microsoft Word program (please include a hard copy) or sent via E-Mail. Diskettes and photos will be returned after
newsletter is printed. Contact us at the
numbers/addresses provided below.
Office
#: (541) 388-0002
Fax
#: (541) 388-7848
E-Mail:
mbsef@mbsef.org
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Page: www.mbsef.org