BOSTON GETS DEVELOPMENT GRANT PAGE A8
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A Springville native received national attention earlier this month at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships, held in Kreischberg, Austria. Alex Bowen took home the silver medal in the aerials competition, which is held every other year, and is the biggest skiing event next to the Olympics. Aerial freestyle skiing consists of a skier starting on a high slope, gaining speed downhill and launching off of a large snowmade ramp. While in the air, the skier performs a series of flips and twists before landing. At the Freestyle Ski World Championships, five judges rate each jump on a scale of one to 10. Bowen, 22, began his competition on Jan. 14, when he posted a top-12 jump that qualified him for the Jan. 15 finals. In the three-round finals, only nine of 12 skiers advance, and Bowen was able to secure the ninth spot on his first jump. Edging into the fourth spot on jump number two, where the top six get through, advanced Bowen to the third round, the only American to qualify for the medal round.
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Alex Bowen celebrates his first trip to the podium after completing an aerial jump he never attempted on snow. “It’s scary to watch sometimes. For the Super Final he was out of tricks, you can’t repeat jumps,” said Bowen’s father Greg, who was watching the finals on an online stream. “He only has an easy trick left that he had practiced.” Before the last jump, Bowen’s teammate talked him into trying a brand new trick, one that he had never had practiced on snow. “When I saw what trick
he was going to do, my heart stopped,” the elder Bowen said. “Then, when he landed, I almost had a heart attack. When the pressure was on he nailed a never-attempted jump and won the silver medal.” It was Bowen’s best career finish and the first World Championship medal for the USA since Ryan St. Onge won gold in 2009. “My Double, full, full, full was the first one I’ve
ever done on snow. It was the best jump of the day,” said Bowen. “This is totally unexpected.” Landing the higher-degree of difficulty jump was enough to boost Bowen to second-best, being outscored only by Guangpu Qi, of China. It was the first time
See “Winner” on page A6
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West Valley board votes Ellicottville SPRINGVILLE JOURNAL EDITOR
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2015
By Colleen Mahoney
By Peter Soscia
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W.V. FIRE CELEBRATES 2014
Bowen makes home proud, lands new trick in Austria
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ROD, GUN & GAME ATTRACKS ALL AGES
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Community Papers
of Western New York, LLC
The newspaper of Boston, Colden, Concord, Springville and West Valley
VOL 149 NO. 5
A-1
The West Valley Board of Education voted to merge the district’s athletic program with Ellicottville Central Schools, at their Jan. 26 meeting. The unanimous approval came after the board spent a portion of their meeting discussing their personal feelings on each district. Ellicottville was chosen over both Franklinville Central School and SpringvilleGriffith Institute. Representatives from the West Valley board, and Superintendent Eric Lawton, attended a board meeting for each district, before the vote. “From my perspective, we had a genuine conversation with Ellicottville,” said board president Mike Frascella. “There’s a familiarity with the Ellicottville folks … we don’t get that with Springville folks … we’re just in different areas.” Geographically, S-GI is the closest district, with just under 10 miles sepreating the two. However, the larger district presents the feeling of students “getting lost,” Athletic Director April Preston said at a Jan. 20 public forum. Merging with the Griffins would have introduced West Valley to a host of new competitor schools, moving the Wildcats into
the Erie County Interscholastic Conference. A merge with Ellicottville will keep West Valley in their current Cattaraugus County Athletic Association. Board vice president George Kazmierczak said he originally favored merging the athletic program with S-GI, but the $1.3 million budget deficit the district is facing “scared [him] away.” He added that Franklinville asked a lot of in-depth questions, and showed a high level of interest. Merging with Ellicott v i l l e , h o w e v e r, m i g h t also mean merging with Franklinville. The two districts have been discussing combining their athletic department, if the West Valley — Ellicottville merger is approved, any movement in the Ellicottville athletic department would involve West Valley. Potentially forming West Valley - Ellicottville - Franklinville fielded teams, as early as the 2015-16 school year. Board member Mary Fleischman said she felt whichever district West Valley chose to partner with, academics need to be a higher
See “Merger” on page A8
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
OBITUARIES ...................................SECT. SECT. A PAGE 7
WINTER FAIRE PHOTOS ..............SECT. SECT. B PAGE 12
SECT. B PAGE 12 AROUND TOWN............................SECT.
SECT. B PAGE 4 OLD FILES .......................................SECT.
SECT. A PAGE 12 JOURNAL SCENE ..........................SECT.
SECT. B PAGE 6 FIRE REPORT ..................................SECT.
SECT. B PAGE 1 SPORTS............................................SECT.
GARDENING COLUMN ................. SECT A PAGE 2
SECT. B PAGE 8 CLASSIFIEDS ...................................SECT.
EDITORIAL .................................... SECT A. PAGE 4