January 2024 Newsletter
Happy Holidays from NYSEF! Happy New Year! As we make the most of the weather and the open terrain, I'm looking forward to the start of 2024 with anticipation. FIS World Cup Ski Jumping will return in February to the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex, nordic events and a host of alpine races and freeride competitions are set for the coming months, and we'll all gather together for another season of training and camaraderie. This month we hosted our annual Chairman's Holiday Party, which took place on December 28th at Mount Van Hoevenberg. This annual gathering is our biggest fundraiser for NYSEF’s Dare to Dream Scholarship Fund, which provides unrestricted support to dozens of athletes each year. Many NYSEF athletes began their competitive seasons this month, traveling to places like Steamboat Springs, Val Saint-Come, Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Killington, Waterville, Craftsbury, and our home venues to stare down the competition. Our Winter Term programming is in full swing at its new home - The Inn at Whiteface, nestled at the base of Whiteface in Wilmington - and our athletes are ready to give this season their all and have a lot of fun while doing it! I hope to see you out there! John Norton, Executive Director
January 2024 What's Next: Upcoming Races, Camps, & Events Learn To Fly with NYSEF! Saturday, January 6, 2024 9AM-11AM Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex Learn the fundamentals of ski jumping from world-class coaches on the iconic Lake Placid ski jumping hill! You'll get a gentle introduction to the sport on the 10 and 20 meter jumps before progressing from the landing hill to the jump; hitting milestones at each step to ensure safety and fun! Email learntofly@nysef.org for more info
Alpine & Freeride Competitions at Belleayre Saturday, January 20, 2024 - NYSSRA U14 Slalom, CMS Slopestyle Sunday, January 21, 2024 - CMS Giant Slalom & Slalom Saturday & Sunday, January 27-28, 2024 - USCSA Atlantic Highlands
Alpine & Freeride Competitions at Gore Tuesday & Wednesday, January 9-10, 2024 - FIS Women‘s Eastern Cup Giant Slalom Saturday, January 20, 2024 - USASA ADK Boardercross & Skiercross Sunday, January 21, 2024 - NYSSRA U16 Slalom, USASA ADK Slopestyle Sunday - Wednesday, January 28-31, 2024 - USSS Hole Shot Tour
Alpine & Freeride Competitions at Whiteface Tuesday & Wednesday, January 9-10, 2024 - FIS Men‘s Eastern Cup Giant Slalom Wednesday & Thursday, January 17-18, 2024 - FIS Men‘s & Women‘s Super G Friday & Saturday, January 19-20, 2024 - Clarkson FISU Giant Slalom Saturday, January 20, 2024 - USASA ADK Boardercross &Skiercross Sunday, January 21, 2024 - USASA ADK Slopestyle Sunday, January 28, 2024 - The William Hovey Memorial Ski Race (Giant Slalom)
XC Skiing and Biathlon Competitions at Home Every Tuesday - Tuesday Night XC Races @ Dewey Mountain Saturday, January 6, 2024 - Adirondack Tour de Ski @ Dewey Mountain Friday, January 12, 2024 - Try Biathlon with the Lake Placid Community Ski Program @ Mount Van Hoevenberg Saturday & Sunday, January 13-14, 2024 - Biathlon NorAm @ Mount Van Hoevenberg Saturday & Sunday, January 20-21, 2024 - USSS Supertour / NENSA Supertour / Eastern Cup / Mid-Atlantic Junior National Qualifier #2 @ Mount Van Hoevenberg
Nordic Combined & Ski Jumping Competitions at Home Saturday, January 6, 2024 @ 1PM - Junior National qualifier (K48)
The 61st Annual Willam Hovey Memorial Ski Race Sunday, January 28, 2024 Whiteface Mountain - Drapers Drop The Northeast‘s best U10, U12, and U14 alpine racers converge at Whiteface to compete in the Giant Slalom for the coveted spot on the historic Hovey Champion‘s plaque.
Photo provided by: Olympic Regional Development Authority
January 2024
U14-U18 Fundamentals
Alpine Athletes Enjoy Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin On Thanksgiving morning, a group of over twenty alpine athletes and staff from Belleayre, Gore, and Whiteface met at the Albany International Airport to begin the journey West to Summit County, Colorado for NYSEF’s 2023 U14-U18 Alpine Fundamentals Camp. Athletes would experience a smooth and easy travel day until arriving in Denver, where closed highways to the west created a detour and longer-than-expected drive into the Rocky Mountains. The groups arrived safely at their condos late on Thursday night to a few fresh inches of snow waiting on the slopes. U14 athletes and staff stayed near Copper Mountain, while our U16 and U18 groups stayed near Keystone Mountain. After resting up from the long travel day, athletes had a relaxed start on day 1, arriving at Arapahoe Basin around 10 am. Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin for short) is the highest ski area in Colorado, with a summit elevation of 13,050ft, and is known for having one of the longest ski seasons in North America, often remaining open until late June or July! Athletes spent day one on their slalom skis, getting used to being back in their boots and working on the basic fundamentals of pole plant timing and weight transfer between turns.
January 2024 The next eight days consisted of maximizing the time spent in boots and on snow between slalom and giant slalom skis. Groups spent time at both A-Basin and Copper Mountain in Summit County. Copper is one of the most sought-after fall training locations for alpine teams. With primarily northern and eastern-facing slopes, Copper’s base sits at 9,712 ft of elevation, with a summit at 12,313 ft, and offers over 2,490 acres, 2,600 ft. of vertical, and 150 trails. After significant early-season snowfall and expert snowmaking, it is typically one of the first resorts to open for the season. During their nine days on snow, athletes focused on “the fundamentals”, This included outside ski pressure during the turn, stance and balance, pole-plant timing, and forward pressure in the boots. Athletes alternated between freeski runs, videoed runs, and structured drills, and even had a chance to ski with Northwood School’s Director of Skiing and Olympian Tommy Biesemeyer! During their time away from the slopes, groups visited the Continental Divide at Loveland Pass and Hoosier Pass, took a road trip to Leadville, had popcorn and movie nights, and got to explore and shop around the Copper Mountain and Keystone Mountain Villages. Groups also spent each night cooking dinners together at their condos in between afternoon and evening study hall sessions. Big plans to attend the Men’s Downhill World Cup at Beaver Creek were thwarted by a significant snowstorm on the final day, but athletes took advantage of the situation with a bonus day of west coast powder skiing. By the conclusion of camp, our U14 athletes had logged over 200,000 feet of vert.! Athletes returned to the East Coast in early December stronger, with refined skills, altitude-fortified lungs, and ready to light up the race hills this season!
Ath lete of th e Mon th
Qualified! McKinnon Qualifies For 2024 Youth Olympic Games On the weekend of December 10th, a contingent of NYSEF ski jumping and nordic combined athletes competed in the RMD Winter Start & Youth Olympic Games Qualifier #2 and Junior Worlds Qualifier #1 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. NYSEF’s very own Kai McKinnon took the win in the ladies' nordic combined event, securing her spot on the 2024 Youth Olympic Team. The Youth Olympics will take place from January 18 to February 1, 2024, in Gangwon, South Korea. “A huge thanks goes to everyone who contributed, supported, and challenged me, and to all my competitors for putting in the hard work. We did this together!” said McKinnon. NYSEF athletes Jack Kroll and Duncan VanDorn placed 5th and 9th in the men's nordic combined field. On the ski jumping side, Henry Loher, Jack Kroll, and Schuyler Clapp placed 4th, 6th, and 9th respectively.
January 2024 NYSEF Nordic Kicks off Competitive Season with First Weekend of Racing The weekend of December 16th and 17th kicked off the season-opening races for NYSEF’s XC, Biathlon, and Devo groups. Athletes and staff lucked out with some beautiful weather and snow conditions before the rain hit late Sunday night. Biathletes traveled to Craftsbury, VT for their opening races. NYSEF’s River G., Duncan V., Sylvia S., and Abby V. all saw podium finishes over the weekend. “Highlights of the trip included positive energy from all, supportive teammates, and a Christmas movie night! Congrats to all on a great weekend of racing!” said Head Biathlon Coach Maddie Phaneuf. The Quarry Road Eastern Cup Opener in Waterville, Maine provided a good learning arena for NYSEF’s cross country junior race team, with competitive fields and great conditions despite no natural snow. Men’s team member Daven L. snagged a podium finish in the U18 classic sprint. On the devo side, NYSEF had a great turnout at the first race of the Adirondack Tour de Ski, hosted by Mount Van Hoevenberg. It was many of the athletes’ first races ever with NYSEF! Congratulations to Shane C., Henry H., and Lewis H., who took first in their age groups in the 1.5k skate. In the 3k skate, Liam S. Will P., and Leila F. won their age groups, with Tyler E. taking second place in his. NYSEF’s Connor M. was the top U14 male in the 6k skate event. Congrats to all who competed!
NYSEF/Northwood’s FIS Teams Begin Competition Season With over thirty days on snow under their belts this fall, NYSEF/Northwood’s FIS athletes kicked off their competitive season on December 9th and 10th with two slaloms at Sunday River in Maine. All of the athletes had solid runs, with some exceptional performances and podiums included.
Slalom #1 (12/9)
Slalom #2 (12/10)
Ladies 2. Olivia L. (2nd U18) 7. Elleanor P.
Ladies 2. Lea L (2nd U18) 3. Julianne B. (3rd U18) 4. Cara D.
Men 3. Charlie H. (2nd U18) 4. Edouard B. 6. Gavin E. (3rd U18)
Men 2. Edouard B. 6. Gavin E. (2nd U18) 7. Charlie H. (3rd U18)
January 2024 While the men and half of the women’s team were rained out of their second event, some of the women got a second race weekend in at Val Saint-Come on the 15th and 16th of December.
Ladies U18 SL (12/16) 3. Julianne B. 4. Lea L. 7. Eleanor P.
Ladies U18 SL (12/17) 4. Olivia L. 9.Julianne B.
NYSEF Holiday Open at Gore Mountain NYSEF’s race crew kicked off their season of hosting competitive events on Friday, December 23rd at Gore Mountain with the NYSEF Holiday Open Slalom. Originally scheduled to take place at Whiteface, the slalom double-header was moved to Gore Mountain after rain caused massive road and mountain closures all across the Northeast in the days leading up to the event. With over 100 athletes competing, the event was pared down to just one slalom race. Congratulations to all of the NYSEF athletes who competed!
Mens Slalom 1. Patrick G. 2. Denny S. 3. Ben W. 5. Lucas S. 7. Marcos A. (hard charger) 9. Hudson M. 10. Jackson M.
Ladies Slalom 1. Cara D. 5. Samantha L. 7. Vivian B. 9. Caroline P.
January 2024 Get Your New NYSEF Member Gear! We have lots of new NYSEF Member Gear for sale this Holiday Season including TONS of new items from Maloja! Maloja is the official outfitter of the U.S. Biathlon team and produces high-quality clothing and gear for outdoor athletes and adventurers. NYSEF’s Maloja line ranges from products like hats and headbands to nordic ski pants, jackets, vests, and more! We also have gear from Helly Hansen, Skida, Lands End, and others, as well as ski straps, buffs, socks, totes, mugs, and more! Stop into the NYSEF Offices at Whiteface, Gore, or Belleayre to shop for gear today!
This season, NYSEF has hoodies available for purchase from Low Sport, a local Lake Placid company dedicated to creating products and memorabilia that commemorate the 1980 Winter Olympics, The Miracle on Ice, and our local winter snowsport culture. You can purchase your hoodie online here for delivery to your local NYSEF Office next month: https://lowsportgear.com/collections/NYSEF
Skimeisters
Take Flight
January 2024 NYSEF’s Inaugural Skimeister Season Begins This season, thanks to grants from the Killington World Cup Foundation and the Cloudsplitter Foundation, NYSEF was able to offer enrollment into a new Skimeister Program for athletes ages 7-9. The program will provide three training sessions a week in the sports of ski jumping, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, and freestyle skiing, as well as an introduction to biathlon. Skimeister Programming for the 23/24 winter season kicked off on Friday, December 16th at the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex with the first day of ski jumping practice. Athletes hurried from school to meet jump coaches Jay Rand and Larry Stone for a tour of the training venue before taking a trip to the top of the HS128 tower to see what their future in the sport might look like one day! After a dynamic warmup, athletes learned about the proper body position for takeoff and landing, practiced their takeoffs, and then suited up to hit the jumps with their friends and teammates from NYSEF’s Devo Jump Team. The group learned from their peers about how to properly load their jumping skis into the gondola before loading in themselves to descend to the base of the ten-meter hill... where the real fun would begin!
Just like at NYSEF’s “Learn to Fly” sessions, athletes were given a gentle introduction to the sport of ski jumping on their alpine ski equipment; beginning on the landing hill of the HS10 (10-meter jump) before progressing to going off of the jump itself. By the end of the session, some athletes had progressed all the way up to taking off from the HS2o! Athletes will practice jumping weekly with NYSEF’s Devo Jump Team and will begin the transition to using ski jump-specific equipment once they are comfortable jumping on their alpine gear. “Our first night of practice was really great! Our athletes are so lucky to have the guidance of Larry and Jay, as well as the opportunity to learn by example through watching their peers on the Devo Jump Team,” said Skimeister Program Head Kaileigh Moore. Day two of practice began on Saturday morning at Mount Van Hoevenberg, where the Skimeisters met up with Coach Kim Douglas and NYSEF’s Devo XC Team. The group was treated to a bluebird day on the skinny skis, with an opportunity to watch and cheer on some of NYSEF’s devo racers and coach Chris Rose as they competed in the Adirondack Tour de Ski. The Skimiesters spent their time on snow learning balance and body position on their nordic skis, and how it differs from their alpine setups, before making their way over to the main stadium area. In the stadium, athletes practiced double pole technique and snowplow stops with a game of red light/green light, then practiced getting in and out of the classic tracks while moving, stopping on a downhill, and climbing hills. By the end of Saturday’s practice, athletes had skied 3 miles!
January 2024 On Sunday, the Skimeisters joined in with NYSEF’s Intro to Competitive Skiing group to practice their alpine turns at Whiteface Mountain. With warm weather, lots of beginner terrain, and spring-like ski conditions, athletes were able to enjoy a full day of skiing and learning. Groups worked on their stance and balance, edge control, pole plants, using poles for balance, skating to the lifts, and wedge turns while working with NYSEF’s U10 alpine coaching staff. Athletes will continue to ski at Whiteface each Sunday throughout the season, with nordic ski sessions continuing on Saturday mornings. “I had an absolute blast getting to know this group of athletes over the past few days I'm so excited to spend the season together with such a fun group of enthusiastic skiers. We learned SO MUCH, and skied a whole lot too! These kids have shown amazing camaraderie and support for one another, always cheering each other on and being incredible teammates; I’m proud to be working with them and excited to see what they will accomplish this season.” said Moore. If you are interested in signing your athlete up for the Skimeisters or looking for more general information, email Kaileigh at kaileighm@nysef.org.
U16 Alpine Athletes Attend National Performance Speed Project Members of NYSEF and Northwood School’s full-time U16 alpine programs traveled to Summit County, Colorado this past month with Head Coach Patrick Purcell to attend the U16 National Performance Speed Project at Copper Mountain. The NPS Project began running over ten years ago after the creation of the speed venue at Copper Mountain for training and use by the US Ski Team and other International race teams, The 4 milliondollar venue features world-class terrain and athlete safety measures with the usual West Coast exceptional snow surfaces. Each fall, the regions of US Ski and Snowboard host various levels of ages and projects at the Copper venue, helping to develop many of our current US National Team athletes, and providing awareness and pace for all the athletes to grow. This year’s U16 project boasted 120 athletes from all over the US, six of whom came from NYSEF/Northwood’s alpine team.
January 2024 The team spent their first two days in Colorado training giant slalom with the Loveland Valley U16 team before the start of the NPS project. “We met new kids and coaches, and the training was absolutely perfect,” said Purcell. “The goal of these projects is to expand upon each athlete's growth, provide opportunities to be on a world-class speed track and learn about themselves in the process. I find the utilization of speed to be the backbone of balance in all phases of every turn, the "long turn training" allows the athletes to break down their athleticism on skis, leg/joint movements, stance constituency, and aerodynamics. The downhill stance position is rudimentary and compulsory to proper ski racing; it allows enough time in and between each turn to reconfigure effective alignments which speaks volumes as feedback, the skis are either clean in running or dirty! We love clean!! It was a great intro for all the athletes as well it lit the fire for speed!” The days were long, with athletes and coaches loading on the lift by 9 am, and not off the hill until 4 pm. Each day began with an inspection, starting at the top of the downhill course. The terrain, snow texture, and shadowing, as well as the course itself, were all studied! Post inspection was warm-up then multiple runs either in sections or full length. Athletes returned to Whiteface ready to dive into the training and race season with a fresh perspective, and altituderefined lungs!
STAFF GHT I L T O SP
Paul Smith NYSEF’s Head Cross Country Coach Paul Smith is in the midst of his second season coaching with NYSEF. We asked him about his coaching philosophy, what makes a good coach, and what the future holds.
January 2024 How do you prepare for the upcoming ski season? As a cross country ski coach, things really start up at the beginning of the dryland season in May. So from then up until the start of the race season, there is this slow consistent build of training with the athletes, altering plans as they happen. For the athletes, developing all the physical systems takes lots of time and patience and it does not work to try and cram it all into a few weeks. The preparation process for me happens in that time before the dryland season. I take in the national and regional calendar of races for the coming season, reflect on the previous season, and plan the training around those events. The athletes that start up with us after fall sports build in slowly to the plan. It is tricky when working with junior athletes. You want to make sure they are finding improvement all the time, and also taking advantage of more time on snow. Sometimes, putting too much emphasis on performance at specific races takes away from this constant development. Nevertheless, in the planning of the year, we designed some workouts to tackle skiing-specific terrain well on the 5km and 1.25km loops at our race course at Mt Van Hoevenberg. These will be the courses for Junior Nationals 2024. Some of our testing in the field to measure fitness markers; uphill run tests, and double pole tests, though not done on the course itself mimicked the design and flow of these courses. The new homologated loops at Van Hoevenberg are part of a modern trend in harder course design for higher level racing; even though they are relatively tough for younger skiers, they do reward good skiing, and I think are exactly what our juniors should be practicing for. What is it like for you as a coach when a racer has a breakthrough moment in their skiing, whether during a race or in training? Motivating. Both for the athlete and coach. Ski racing is full of lots of teachable moments but I consider breakthrough moments as something to use to keep the morale high. It is also contagious for the rest of the team. There was always this reoccurring breakthrough moment every summer coaching with the team in Sun Valley where we would take juniors for an on-snow training camp up on a glacier in British Columbia. Oftentimes we would have athletes who when home would train only 2-3 times per week. So we take them to this training camp where you are living on the lower shelf of this massive spectacular glacier in the middle of the Canadian Rockies in huts with no cell service or internet. Without the distractions, the athletes who would normally struggle to show up to practice a couple of times per week and had low energy or were stressed were easily putting in a 25-hour training week at this camp, and making it seem easy. So there was this ah-ha moment they would often take home with them after this camp. “I do actually have more energy to put into this thing” When there is proper focus.
How has coaching and training changed since you were racing? In general, there is certainly a larger number of active clubs with more professionallevel coaching in this country since I was racing. This of course is a good thing and it shows with the level that our best juniors and seniors are competing internationally now. Other developments such as more rollerski tracks, rollerski treadmills, and integrated teams of athletic specialists have affected this as well. To me, It is vitally important that this higher level is professionally not so serious all the time. For example by simply having perspective; laughing at the sport a little, keeping team environments light and fun, and obviously less focus on performance for younger skiers. Even with more coaching and resources available it still remains true in our sport that individual athletes when they are juniors must learn to develop a sense of responsibility in their own training. The cruel nature of such an individual effort in a ski race demands some independence and the ability to keep an open mind and change plans. This is called “training talent” which in my opinion is the most important of all inherent qualities in a ski racer. Of course, it takes a good coach and a strong team to instill this in young racers who are still learning about the sport and their own body. But the result of teaching this skill and having the athlete learn the process is that you end up with a group of people whether they continue racing or not who understand this and become supportive parents, industry employees, coaches, officials, and volunteers in the community. This attitude is still taught in the most successful programs now and since I was racing, and you can see it with all the young people who now stay connected for life albeit in different ways to the sport. What is your favorite thing about being a coach for NYSEF? For me, it is the outdoor culture around cross country ski racing that matches the culture of the place. In the Adirondack High Peaks region you have a large population of people who all have similar values around being outside, spending time in the natural environment, and breathing hard. Teaching this culture to young people is easy when it is right there in front of them or it was something introduced from a young age. Also, having grown up racing in New York there is some pride in working toward advancing the sport as a whole in the state.
January 2024 What does the future of training and coaching elite athletes look like? In a sport that progresses quickly with the latest scientific literature and technology, it is important to be both a keen observer and a critical thinker. To give a few examples... there is all this new technology around GPS tracking that not only gives up-to-date speed and distance but models cross-country skiing movements and analyzes and classifies them. There is more and more literature on the topic of female performance in endurance sports than in the past. All of these things are cool and awesome and can be helpful but I think the best coaches really try to be practical in their approach and think about what tools or research is useful and who exactly they are coaching. It is easy to apply the exact training plan or even scaled workouts of the world's best senior athletes to junior athletes. One has to recognize that these two groups are different ‘human beings’ and planning for the latter demands more creativity and a bottom-up approach. Junior skiers no matter what level are essentially still learning to go fast and are not finished products that need to be fine-tuned in any way. That is one of the fun parts of coaching for me; thinking about development in a way that is critical, and thoughtful but also includes anecdotes from other sports! In the end, one of the big things I always say to athletes is to not get lost in the details… Maybe instead of worrying about the color of your skis or what social media or your fancy watch told you to do for training. Think about learning to ride those skis flat over the snow and faster, or listen to your body if it is tired. The great part about this sport is the simplicity, you still have to ski from point A to B faster than everyone else. In the future, it will be important not to get bogged down but to keep the focus right there. What makes a good coach? Ok, I am going to attempt to boil this down to one sentence… A good coach is a somewhat passable: travel agent, driver, comedian, sports physio, psych, weightlifter, event planner, chef, outdoor guide, teacher, or motivational speaker, who can still ski well for a couple of seconds and might get lucky waxing skis but communicates to young people really well. Someday I will get there.
Opening Weekend for U10/U12 Programming at Belleayre, Gore, and Whiteface! NYSEF’s U10 and U12 alpine and freeride programming kicked off on the weekend of December 9th at Belleayre, Gore, and Whiteface Mountains. Despite rain falling in some locations, athletes toughed it out and had a great first weekend on snow at all three mountains. Groups took to the slopes and worked on the basic fundamentals of balance and position, and getting reacquainted with their boots. “We had an awesome first weekend of programming, with record attendance numbers at Whiteface. We’re ready for the best season in 50 years!” said Beatty Schlueter, Head U10/U12 Coach at Whiteface.
January 2024
News from Northwood School "The Northwood ski team has successfully transitioned from the prep period to the competition season, marking an exciting time for our student-athletes and coaches. The competition season is rewarding and challenging, resulting in our team being tested and demonstrating their character. Participating in individual sports is a testament to an athlete's resilience, and our team is poised to face these challenges head-on. Reflecting on my career, each of my twelve professional seasons presented peaks and valleys, and maintaining self-belief in my goals always kept my spirits high. It is also important that we embrace the ability to laugh at our mistakes, forgotten boots, oversleeping alarms, or straddling the first gate (to name a few), to help soften the impact of inevitable frustration. Most importantly, our team culture must embody excellence, where we demand a high standard of punctuality, respect, precision in our training, a willingness to ask for help, and, above all, gratitude for the incredible opportunity our student-athletes have. Our FIS, XC, and Ski Jumping Teams have launched into the season with full force, achieving multiple U18 podiums, and an entire season lies ahead. The U16 alpine and Freestyle teams are prepared and eagerly anticipate their chance to compete against their peers. The Northwood ski team stands ready, thanks to our exceptional NYSEF coaching staff for guiding our athletes to get to this point. Game time!" Tommy Biesemeyer, Olympian, Director of Skiing Northwood School Northwood School is a coeducational, independent boarding school in Lake Placid, New York offering a trimester-based college preparatory curriculum for students in grades 9 through 12, plus a post-graduate year. Through Northwood School and NYSEF’s long-standing partnership, we share experienced coaching staff and work together on dryland programs and on-snow training camps. NYSEF also provides the Northwood Ski Team with lodge facilities and training opportunities at the venues in partnership with the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). Learn more at northwoodschool.org and on Instagram @northwoodnysef
January 2024
Northwood School’s Nordic athletes compete during the second weekend in December
Chairman’s Holiday Party
January 2024 Chairman’s Holiday Party A Success The Annual NYSEF Chairman’s Holiday Party took place on the evening of December 28th at the Lodge at Mount Van Hoevenberg. The yearly gathering is NYSEF’s largest fundraiser for the Dare to Dream Scholarship Fund; an unrestricted fund designed to support athletes who have demonstrated high levels of commitment and dedication to their respective sports and to help them defray costs standing in the way of their dreams. The party featured music from NYSEF ski jumping coach Larry Stone and his band, The Harbingers, with food and desserts provided by West Shore Barbeque and Enuf Pastry. Members of NYSEF’s U14, U16, and FIS alpine teams from Winter Term and Northwood School were on hand as volunteers and serving staff, with Northwood’s Liam M. providing holiday cheer on his keyboard during the welcoming hour. The holiday gathering had over 120 guests and raised approximately $25,000 for Dare to Dream! Thank you to all who attended and donated, we’re already dreaming up what the next 50 tears with NYSEF will have in store!
January 2024
Congratulations! Kate & JJ 9/16/2023
January 2024 NYSEF 50th Anniversary Commemorative Poster In honor of its 50th anniversary, the New York Ski Educational Foundation commissioned a special commemorative painting by former NYSEF/Gore coach Ingrid Van Slyke to create a one-of-a-kind NYSEF Ski Poster that is now available for pre-order. Van Slyke is a longtime NYSEF community member, having attended Mountain House school, and then going on to coach for NYSEF’s Gore Program. She holds an MFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Layering the ridgelines of Whiteface, Gore, and Belleayre, as well as the Nordic venues against the backdrop of a bluebird sky, we see four athletes representing alpine, freeride, ski jumping, and our Nordic disciplines. Across their bibs, a small easter egg is found: 1973, the year the New York Ski Educational Foundation began. “It was a pleasure to create this painting and bring NYSEF’s vision of combining its history with a bright future to fruition,” Van Slyke said. Northwood School’s Michael Aldridge crafted the graphic framework to layer on Ingrid’s stunning painting, creating a one-of-a-kind commemorative poster. Poster prints are $100 each and proceeds will go directly toward ensuring NYSEF can continue to provide an outstanding experience for young athletes pursuing their snowsports dreams. Each poster is 18×24” and printed on high-quality paper ready for framing. The first printing will have a limited run of 90 prints. We will be printing a second run based on demand. If you would like your poster mailed to you, please select the $12 mailing fee option in the purchase form. You will receive a notification when your print is ready for pick-up. Prints will be mailed ASAP, but we cannot guarantee a Christmas delivery.
Order Here: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/NewYorkSkiEducatinFoundati/nyse f-1.html
Merril L. Thomas Featured Rental Listing: This special listing from Merrill L. Thomas is part of their sponsorship agreement with NYSEF, which allows the organization to further its mission and support young athletes pursuing their snowsports dreams.
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January 2024 Belleayre Mountain Lodging Partnership for NYSEF Families NYSEF and the Catskill Seasons Inn are partnering to bring to families fun and reasonably priced accommodations within 10 minutes of Belleayre Mountain. NYSEF families will receive 10% off our published rates with extra amenities, and flexible check-in and check-out times. The Catskill Seasons Inn features a pub with a family-friendly menu, a game room for skiers and their families to relax after a successful day on the slopes, and space for tuning skis. Rooms have been recently updated and many of them have kitchenettes, NYSEF families can check in as early as noon and check out as late as 7 p.m. Rooms are on a first-come, first-served basis so if you want to secure yours for the season now, visit: www.catskillseasonsinn.com/NYSEF/ Use the code “NYSEF2024” at checkout to receive your discount.
Thank You! Thank you to our sponsors: Merrill L. Thomas, Long Run Wealth, Lake Placid Family Dental, Black Rock Foundation, Sports Insurance and the Donald C. McGraw Foundation.
Do you have news or photos to share with us? Contact us at media@nysef.org @nysefsnowsports @nysefnordic @nysefbelleayre @nysefwhiteface @nysefgore @nysef_fis