FIS IN CHILE
MEET
PAVLA BERRY
Alumni Spotlight: Beckett Ledger
Flaming Leaves Festival
November 2024
What’s Inside:
3. From the Director’s Desk
4. What’s Next: Upcoming Races, Projects, Training Projects, & Events
6. NYSEF Athletes Named to US National Teams
8. Valle Nevado ‘24 Recap
11. Flaming Leaves Festival Recap
14. Meet Our Staff: U16 Coach Pavla Berry
16. NYSEF Nordic Scholarship Announcement
18. Alumni News: Van Ledger
19. Alumni News: Cecily Decker
20. News From Northwood School
22. Alumni Spotlight: Beckett Ledger
24. NYSEF Team Store
25. Merrill L. Thomas Featured Listing
28. Season’s Inn Partnership
29. Thank You to NYSEF’s Sponsors
Cover Image: NYSEF’s Jack Kroll soars over the crowd during the Men’s HS128 National Championship Competition at the Flaming Leaves Festival on October 13th.
Photo by Nancie Battaglia
From the Director’s Desk
Hello NYSEF Friends & Family,
We’ve made it to another November! Temperatures are dropping, operations at all of our venues are tested, ready to ramp up for the upcoming season NYSEF staff are hard at work getting ready for the busy winter ahead.
As with competitive sport, preparation is key to success. This is the time of bringing the small details together From a fresh coat of stain to preparing our spaces to welcome back athletes for the winter, inventorying and building gates and nets, testing timing wires and checking equipment, planning training sessions and travel to early-onsnow opportunities, and getting ready to hit the road These details are important pieces of the puzzle that will come together in the coming months.
We’re excited to welcome our families new and returning to kick off another season. We’ll be in the midst of the 2024-2025 season before we know it
See you all soon,
John Norton, Executive Director
What’s
Next: Upcoming Races, Training Projects, & Events
NYSEF/Northwood School Fall Project- Copper, CO
November 10 - November 25, 2024
Pre-season training at Copper Mountain, CO for full-time U18+ and FIS athletes focusing on SL and GS fundamentals and gate training.
Adirondack Backwoods Biathlon
November 10, 2024
Join NYSEF and Paul Smith's College biathletes in a fun preseason running biathlon race to warm you up before the snow flies! All proceeds from the event will be split between the NYSEF and Paul Smith's College biathlon teams to support the purchase of a new biathlon rifle. There will be master’s and open races, a kids fun run, and “try biathlon” for all ages https://www.skireg.com/adirondack-backwoods-biathlon
NYSEF/Northwood School U16 Prep Project - Saas-Fee
November 15 - November 29, 2024
Pre-season training with 11 days on snow, focusing on SG, GS, and SL fundamentals in Saas-Fee, Switzerland
NYSEF Sunday River, Maine U12-U18 Fundamentals
Project
November 22 - November 27, 2024
This camp is geared toward constructing as well as refining fundamental movement patterns through freeskiing. This camp introduces the athletes to the ski camp environment, from daily preparation to time management and is close to home. Focus: 4-½ days on snow. Goal, stance & movement proficiency, equipment function related to practical understanding of the sport, and video to enhance understanding. There will be a 2-hour study hall Saturday-Tuesday
2024 NYSEF Colorado U14/U16/U18 Fall Fundamentals
Project
November 28 - December 8, 2024
This camp is geared toward constructing as well as refining fundamental movement patterns through freeskiing, LOTS of mileage at ski areas in Summit County, Colorado. 8 days on snow. Goal, stance & movement proficiency, equipment function as it relates to practical understanding of the sport, video to enhance understanding. While in Colorado we will continue to maintain our athletic physical base by coupling the time on snow with dryland training
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NYSEF Athletes Named to US National Teams
Congratulations to the following NYSEF athletes:
Kai McKinnon
US Nordic Combined B Team
NYSEF Winter Term
US Ski Jumping D Team
NYSEF Winter Term
Schuyler Clapp
Henry Loher
US Ski Jumping D Team
NYSEF/Northwood School
Tate Frantz
US Ski Jumping A Team
NYSEF Alum
A HUGE Congratulations to Tate Frantz, who nabbed his first career World Cup Podium at the Ski Jumping Summer Grand Prix in Wisla, Poland on September 15th with a third place finish!!! Way to go Tate!
Congratulations to the following NYSEF Biathletes, who were named to the US Biathlon 24-25 National Development Team!
Lina Farra
Jackie Garso
Dulcie Tanguay
Valle Nevado ‘24
NYSEF and Northwood School’s men ’ s and women ’ s U18+/FIS teams have spend a few weeks each fall kicking off the alpine racing season training in Valle Nevado, Chile. This season, a contingent of twenty seven athletes and five staff members flew south on Friday, September 13th.
Athletes spent twelve days on snow training GS and SL alongside the US, Norwegian, and Austrian World Cup Teams. The team skied over 2,500 gates, had daily freeski sessions with directed drill work. First year athletes rose to the challenge of new course sets, increased training loads and longer skis. Off the hill, athletes had daily academic sessions to stay on top of their school work. Additionally, individual video sessions happened in the evenings to review technical and tactical training focuses, recoverybased dryland sessions, nightly meetings, and team building exercises Great weather conditions lead to firm and grippy snow surfaces and sunlight for the majority of their time.
“We had some really productive time on snow, which meant that we could do a lot of runs in a short amount of time allowing us to make a good use of our time on the hill,” said Northwood School Senior Charles Leduc.
“We had another exceptional project in Valle Nevado Chile.” said Head Men’s Coach Seppi Stiegler “Conditions were fantastic leading to high volumes and great progressions for our skiers. Our first year athletes demonstrated a strong work ethic and bought right into our team programming and our returning skiers are showing strong improvements year over year Team camaraderie is in a great place and our competitiveness is growing.”
The annual Chile trip falls during a difficult time for our student athletes, as the school year typically begins about a week before the team’s departure. Northwood School’s Director of Ski Operations Raychel West, did an amazing job to help athletes handle this challenge Athletes were able to stay on task, and even get ahead on their school work.
““Departing for Chile a week after school starts comes with many challenges However, I am proud of the effort that our studentathletes have put in over the past two weeks. Each day, we run threehour study halls, as well as four-hours on our days off the hill.” said West “The students have completed projects, video chatted with teachers back home, attended virtual college visits with Middlebury, Bates and Williams, have participated in SAT prep as well have taken multiple quizzes and tests. Managing an intense training schedule while maintaining focus and energy for academics is no small task but our group worked hard to pull it off.”
"While the team was in Chile, we received really intensive and rewarding training. Our coaches helped us improve on our technique and skills on the hill.” said first-year women ’ s team member Leanne Aubut-Laurin. “The high altitude created challenges but the incredible views motivated the team to work hard. Even while we were busy, we made the most of our limited free time by looking at amazing sunsets and bonding as a team. Balancing academics while traveling was a challenge, but we stayed in contact with our Northwood teachers to keep up with our studies Some of us even did long distance exams... All in all, it was an amazing experience."
“Chile 2024 was an absolutely fantastic trip ” said women ’ s Head Coach Jeremy Transue. “The weather was fantastic which provided us with hard snow, good visibility, and great energy. The athletes worked hard at improving their technical and tactical focuses and have great momentum as we approach the competition season Both men ' s and women ' s groups continue to impress as they work extremely well together and function as a cohesive unit. A huge thank you to Valle Nevado for providing training environments for our continued skill development Thank you to the parents and coaches for working hard to foster our athletes' passion for success!”
The team returned home on Saturday, September 28 and will continue with dryland training and preparation before their annual Copper Mountain trip later this month.
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Flaming Leaves Festival
NYSEF’s Ski Jumping & Nordic Combined athletes compete in National Championships & NYSEF’s Small Hills Competition during annual weekend festival in Lake Placid
Flaming Leaves Festival
The Annual Flaming Leaves Festival took place once again on the weekend of October 12th at the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex. This year ’ s event featured a small hill competition on Saturday, as well as National Championships for Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping over the course of Saturday and Sunday The weekend also featured vendors, food trucks, drinks, live music, face painting, lawn games, and more!
Competition kicked off on Saturday morning on the K48 jump, with youth jumpers from across the Eastern Region vying for the win Ford Sayre’s Caroline Chor reigned victorious on the girls side, scoring 178.6 points, with Galen McCusker of Lebanon Outing Club standing atop the podium for the boys (158 2)
Competition then moved on to the 20 meter hill, where seven of NYSEF’s youth jumpers competed amidst a field of their peers from the eastern region. On the girls side, NYSEF’s Adalina Weibrecht and Isabelle Szczech placed second and third respectively in the U12 category behind Caroline Chor of Ford Sayre.
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In the boys HS20 U12 competition, NYSEF’s top finisher was Lukas Montag in 4th place, followed by teammates Will Scanio, Henri Gaboriau, and Frank Politi, rounding out the top seven.
The final small hill competition of the morning took place on the HS10, where NYSEF’s girls swept the podium, with first going to Adalina Weibrecht, second to June “Bee” Politi, and third to Isabelle Szczech. The NYSEF boys took second and third, respectively, Lukas Montag, Frank Politi in their group.
Saturday afternoon was highlighted by National Championship competitions on the HS100 for both ski jumping and nordic combined, with athletes in the latter completing their competition with a rollerski race at Mount Van Hoevenberg after jumping Competitions were shortened to one round of jumping due to swirling winds which delayed the first round. NYSEF/US National Team athlete Tate Frantz took home the victory on the men ’ s side for ski jumping, laying down a 95 5 meter jump to edge out Erik Belshaw and Decker Dean, also of the US Ski Jumping Team. NYSEF athletes Henry Loher, in 13th, and Mitchel Penning, in 20th, recorded top 20 results.
On Sunday, competitions took place on the HS128 for the National Championship in Ski Jumping. Tate Frantz once again took home the victory on the men ’ s side, with NYSEF’s Mitchell Penning placing 10th in the field of 25.
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Coach Spotlight
Meet Our Staff: Pavla Raclavska-Berry
Pavla Raclavska-Berry will rejoin the NYSEF Coaching staff at Whiteface Mountain this season as our Assistant U16 Alpine Skiing Coach. Pavla previously coached at Gore and West Mountains, and was a member of the Czech National Ski Team. We asked Pavla a few questions about the upcoming season.
How do you prepare for the upcoming ski season?
Ski coaching requires a lot off physical strength and endurance I typically prepare for the ski season by staying physically active during the summer and fall. I enjoy mountain biking and hiking to stay fit. Once the fall starts, I lift some weights, also. It may be surprising but carrying a bundle of ski gates up and down the hill is pretty heavy. The other part of preparing for ski season for me is getting all the equipment ready. I have two daughters who ski race so gathering equipment that was put away for the summer and making sure all boots fit and skis are sharp and waxed can be time consuming
What is it like for you as a coach when a racer has a breakthrough moment in their development, whether during a race or in training?
That is a very exciting moment for me as a coach Every athlete develops differently and at their own pace. It is nice to see when things just “click” for the athlete. I also like to see the joy on their face as most athletes know that they figured out part of their ski racing they have been working on
How has coaching and training changed since you were racing?
I grew up ski racing in Europe. When I started racing, we raced on straight skis. I saw this change during my career and how the world of ski racing switched to shaped skis. Ski racing in Europe provided me with an exposure to different countries and their ski teams from a very young age. We all trained on the same glaciers in Europe. Racing FIS in Europe is also an international experience from race one The biggest difference to me from the time I was racing is in technology and the quality of equipment. Boots are fitted better and skis are sharper. There are better timing systems now and video analysis systems.
What does the future of training and coaching elite athletes look like?
I think the future is in well rounded athletes who have passion for the sport and determination to improve their skills. I have seen a shift towards overall fitness, injury prevention and focus on mental health With improved equipment, athletes can push their limits to where it was not possible for previous generations.
What about coaching for NYSEF are you most excited for?
I am excited to be working with great coaches and staff with lot of experience in the sport of ski racing. I am also excited to be living in the Adirondacks. I love the mountains and enjoy training and skiing Whiteface.
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Jonathan K. Fieroh NYSEF Nordic Scholarship Announced
NYSEF Nordic Alumni Will Fieroh (2008-2012) and his mother Sherry Fieroh have generously created a scholarship fund in honor of Will’s father Jonathan K Fieroh who unexpectedly passed this summer The scholarship is exclusively for nordic athletes from Saranac Lake. Jon, a native of Palos Heights, Illinois, moved to the Adirondacks in 1985 to work for the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, where he studied the impact of acid rain on regional lakes He learned how to nordic ski that winter and remained an enthusiastic skier for the rest of his life, sharing many hours in the woods with family and friends.
After his time at the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, Jon became the Fisheries Manager at Brandon Park in Paul Smiths. He continued to nurture his passion for skiing and Will, who began skiing at age 3 Growing up on Keeses Mill Road with access to miles of terrain on the Park and at the Paul Smith’s VIC, Will quickly outpaced his parents. He began racing with the Dewey Mountain program and moved to NYSEF around the age of 12 The Fieroh’s enjoyed the welcoming and tight knit nature of the nordic and biathlon communities as Will journeyed through the ranks of the NYSEF program practicing at Mount Van Hoevenberg and racing throughout New York and New England. As a full time athlete he balanced his education in Saranac Lake and his athletic pursuits with the NYSEF nordic team, supported by coaches Marge Maher and Matt Cook. Mom, Dad, and Grandma drove countless miles, volunteering at races and making many new friends over the years William participated in Junior Nationals in Maine and Utah as an athlete and these races were highlights of his time with NYSEF.
Sherry and William hope that this scholarship will provide assistance to athletes from Saranac Lake that are pursuing their athletic goals as competitive nordic athletes They further hope that the sport and the club will be as rewarding for those athletes as it was for their family. For more information about the scholarship please reach out to Jamie Welsh at jamiew@nysef org
Photo: Jon and William volunteering at Mount Van Hoevenberg during the FISU Games in 2023
Ledger Named 23/24 Junior Athlete of the Year
Congratulations to NYSEF alum Van Ledger on being named US Biathlon’s 2023/2024 Men’s Junior Athlete of the Year! Van grew up in Lake Placid and competed with NYSEF Nordic before moving to Bozeman, MT to attend Montana State University, where he is studying chemical engineering with a focus in pre-med.
Last season, Van tallied up first, second and fourth place finishes at Junior International Team Trials in December 2023, which landed him on U.S. Biathlon’s Junior IBU Cup, Junior Open European Championships and Junior World Championships teams this past season
The 24/25 season will be Van’s first as a Senior - we cant wait to see how it goes! Good luck, and Congratulations Van!
Decker 6th Overall in Lifetime Grand Prix
Congratulations to NYSEF Alpine alum Cecily Decker, who just wrapped up an incredible season of professional cycling with the Pinarello Team! Cecily competed in many international races this season including the Lifetime Grand Prix - an exclusive race series where the best off-road cyclists from around the world compete across 6 iconic races on varying terrain for a $380,000 prize purse, split evenly between men and women
After some early season crashes and mechanicals, Decker fought back with an unbelievable performance at the Big Sugar Classic (a 100+ mile gravel race), where she placed third, and shot up the overall rankings from 13th to 6th place, securing some of the event’s impressive prize pot! Congratulations Cecily, and good luck in the coming skimo season!
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News from Northwood School
The Northwood Snowsports program has a record number of kids to start the 24/25 school year. With 47 student-athletes (we have 33 Alpine, 7 Nordic, and 7 Freestyle), the team shares the same goal of pushing their boundaries to reach their full potential.
Our U18 alpine team had a productive 12-day training camp in Valle Nevado, Chile, focusing on Giant Slalom and Slalom, completing 2,500 gates trained As they prepare for the next camp in Copper, Colorado, the focus will shift to strength and conditioning to reinforce our technical goals.
The U16 alpine team remained on campus to focus on dryland training, learning weightlifting techniques, and finding their academic rhythm before their Saas-Fee, Switzerland training camp in mid-November.
The Freestyle team has worked hard at the Olympic Jumping Complex, where they have utilized the water ramps and trampolines to gain comfort with aerial awareness
The Nordic teams, cross country and ski jumping, have been splitting their time between the Olympic venues at Mt. Van Hoevenberg and the Ski Jumps to build their aerobic foundations and jump technique on the newly updated HS100 and HS128 ski jumps. Together, the team balances the academic rigor and athletic demand Northwood School provides our student-athletes through our faculty and coaching staff's dedication to excellence.
Tommy Biesemeyer, Olympian, Director of Skiing Northwood School
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Alumni Spotlight:
L d r C
H m
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Last fall we caught up with NYSEF Nordic alum Beckett Ledger, who at the time was just beginning his foray into professional cycling with the Fort Lewis College Cycling Team. Since our update, Ledger went on to win a collegiate national championship in mountain biking, as well as compete in some major races across the country, notably, the inaugural UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Marathon this September at Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid We asked Beckett about his experience swapping skis for wheels on his home trails, as well as his accomplishments in the past year.
It's been about a year since we caught up with you. You’re now a Senior at Fort Lewis College, are you still riding with FLCC?
Yes, I'm still racing with Fort Lewis College Cycling. I'll graduate in the spring, so the 2025 spring road season will be my last with the team We've had some great races in my time here so far. I've been lucky enough to play a role in the team winning a mountain bike team relay national championship, 2 road race
national titles and a 2nd place in the road team time trial I'm not totally sure what next year will look like with FLCC, but I would love to be a part of a winning team time trial team at road nationals this spring. We were something like 8 seconds off the win last year, so I think we can pull it off. I'm also racing for Slowtwitch Goodlife Racing, which is a team of gravel racers and triathletes supported by Goodlife Brands. This year I had some support from Mountain Flow Wax as well, a Colorado company that makes plant based chain lube, bike cleaning products and ski waxes.
Was the UCI Marathon World Cup in LP your first World Cup start for Mountain Biking? How did you secure an entry into the race?
Yes, Lake Placid was my first World Cup Since the announcement of the Lake Placid World Cup it was part of my planned schedule for the year The selection process for this race was a petition system, where USA Cycling gave racers the go-ahead after they petitioned for a start.
What was it like to race a mtb race on your home trails that you spent so many years skiing on? Do you feel like it gave you an advantage?
It was incredible to race on the trails I grew up skiing on. The biggest highlight for me was having my family there cheering, my girlfriend in the feed zone and seeing/hearing some friends on course cheering too. I'm not sure if I had much advantage since we actually rode most of the trails backwards, and the speed and general experience on a bike was very different compared to skiing
Is the UCI Marathon format different to the type of races you're used to? Do you hope to continue doing some races on the UCI circuit?
The length of the race was similar to most of the racing I do, but the all-out style was certainly a bit different. It didn't seem like many people (myself included) were too concerned with pacing, it was just ride as hard as you can start to finish. It might have been different at the front of the race, but I think mostly that "all out, see who blows up last" style is how the UCI races are I'm not sure what the 2025 season will look like for me, but the biggest draw for this race was that it was in Lake Placid. So maybe I'll race if there is another marathon World Cup in Lake Placid next year, be we'll see I thought the whole World Cup event was great! It was cool to see all the racing at the newly renovated Mt Van Hoevenberg; the short track and XCO races were really exciting and I think the addition of downhill will be great next year too. I hope to make it back whether I race or not!
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Click to View: Merrill L Thomas Vista Views
$595/night plus taxes/fees, 4 beds, 3 5 baths, sleeps 8, no pets
For more information, Contact Merrill L. Thomas, Inc.
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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.
