VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1
Bear Essentials Pushing limits in Austria
KMS STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER NOVEMBER 2018
K I L L I N G TO N M O U N TA I N S C H O O L
By Caroline Roy
Opinion: Counting Calories Is it really beneficial for KMS students be counting calories? Lizzie DeGraw weighs in. Page 2
Upcoming events for KMS What’s happening? Find out what these busy student-athletes are looking forward to. Page 2
For as long as I can remember, my entire life has been in the mountains whether that be school, workouts, or ski training on the hill. For the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to do all three in Hintertux, Austria with the alpine team of Killington Mountain School. Not only does traveling to Europe allow incredible training opportunities, but it enables us to all experience many different cultures that we would not otherwise be exposed to. I’m sure any racer that has traveled to Europe can agree with me when I say that Europeans have still failed to understand how lines work. I can safely say this due to the many ruthless lines that we have all had the pleasure of encountering every day at 7:00 in the morning, whether that be with pushy little French children or 20-year-old Slovenian men. My name is Caroline Roy, and I am a U-16 alpine athlete. Recently, I have been so lucky to have been able to switch from Winter Term to full term at Killington Mountain School. Although it was a hard transition at first and something that took some time to get used to, I think I have finally figured out the meaning of the word “student-athlete.” Being a student at such Austria, page 4
Kip: alumni, coach, guru By Aliza Tobias
Who we are Meet the team that created Bear Essentials, Killington Mountain School’s first newspaper: Aliza Tobias, Lizzie DeGraw, Caroline Roy, Sarah Gibertoni and Tye McBroom. Page 3
Bear Essentials K I L L I N G TO N M O U N TA I N S C H O O L
is a school-based newspaper covering Killington Mountain School that aims to engage and inform as well as empower students to have a voice.
killingtonmountainschool.org
If you have ever stepped foot inside of the KMS gym, you are likely to have seen a tall, 30-year-old wearing the most comfy sweatpants and flannel. Everyone here knows him as simply Kip. Before the infamous Kip was a coach, he was actually walking the halls of KMS as a student. In the fall and spring, Kip would attend his home school of Summit Public High in New Jersey. He attended Killington Mountain School for the winters as the school did not have a full term program yet. At home, when Kip was not skiing at Hunter Mountain in New York, he was focusing on his love of baseball. He was a competitive player during his young years and even made his high school’s varsity team freshman year. When early spring practices started causing trouble with his late arrival back from KMS, he had to decide which of his two loves he wanted more. His decision in the end was based on relationships and the future. He felt that he had a stronger future on the mountain than on the field. Although he attended the school Kip, page 6
By Tao Smith Rebecca Clack, a second-year PG student, was a World Cup forerunner in 2016 and she’s been selected to forerun this year, too. She will attend Middlebury College in the fall to compete in Division 1 racing.
KMS debuts school expansion plans By Lizzie DeGraw
Killington Mountain School has unveiled plans to expand its current campus by 40,453 square feet – quadrupling it’s athletic space and doubling its residential and classroom space. The construction cost is expected to be at or under $10 million and the total project – fundraising, permiting and construction –is expected to take 3-5 years. At 120 students, Killington Mountain School athletes still occupy the same building that made up the original campus that we moved into in 2005 with 65 winter students. However, within the next four years, students who attend KMS will be in an advanced, 21st century campus. The facility will be upgraded to enhance academic and athletic programming for summer camps, alumni, post grad athletes, and future students that will reflect the quality of the people and the program who make up our school. Tao Smith, the headmaster of Killington Mountain School, explained, “This is not intended to grow KMS, but to bring a higher quality facility to our current students and school size.” The square footage of the school is currently 30,000 feet and will be expanded to over 70,000 square feet, which will increase communal areas for students and faculty. In addition to this, the school will have an outdoor turf field for training and recreational sports, as well as a 14,000 square foot gym with plenty of room for teams, workouts, and recreational space. The plans include keeping the original building that was well known as the Red Rob Inn, and we, as a school, plan on preserving the memories that many members of the Killington community fondly remember.
Expansion plans, page 8
Rendering by Brad Jenkins, Inc. Courtesy of KMS Looking East into the “quad,” pictured left-right: the proposed new girls’ dorm, the athletic center, the STEM wing, and the existing building with renovated academic space on the second floor.
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KMS Bear Essentials • November 2018
Opinion: Counting Calories By Lizzie Degraw
Growing up as an athlete makes one aware of food choices; in addition to one’s physical appearance. At Killington Mountain School, students fill out a daily meal tracking form keeping track of every food including snacks, meals, and water intake. Many of us can testify that going through high school has made us overly aware of weight and physical flaws that are amplified by peers, which can continue into adult life. Constantly, as athletes, we are reminded that our bodies are temples, to take care of them, and to treat them as our own individual instrument. An active lifestyle is to an athlete like an adult working out at the gym after getting home from their 9-5 job – it’s a routine that sticks with you from a child at a young age through college. The routine of eating well, getting enough sleep, and making sure that our bodies are in peak shape doesn’t disappear overnight. According to Kip Spangler, the athletic workout coordinator for KMS, “Correct nutritional intake directly affects your athletic performance in the gym and on the snow, if order to perform as a high level athlete nutrition is key.” Let’s dive deeper into the life of the average Killington Mountain School athlete: in the winter, students arrive at school as early as 7 a.m. to have morning sport, a roughly 30-minute period of activation in the gym that may • Depending on the sport, include stationary bikes, hurdles, and athletes can eat anywhere jump ropes. Then, athletes go to the from 1,500-4,000 calories. dining hall to eat a breakfast assort• People in rehab burn 500 ment of proteins, fruits, and carbs to calories per workout, tied us over until after we return from while other groups such the hill. as cyclists, snowboarders, After this, athletes flock to Killington and skiers burn 800-2,000 Mountain at 8 a.m., where we prepare calories. ourselves and equipment for a long • The difference between a training day. The majority of the day competitive high school is spent focusing on technique, form, athlete and the average and speed. After training, we then go student is the volume of on to take off our gear, eat a big lunch, training, they must have and go off to class. adequate protein intake So, in addition to this, making us for recovery AND fuel at student athletes track our intake every every meal. meal in a form that is due at the end of • Paying closer attention to every day is, in my opinion, overdone. hydration and timing of Jill Blondek, a nutritionist from Kilmeals makes sure blood lington Mountain School, states that sugar remains level to pre“You need to pay attention to the color vent bonking. on your plate and portion sizes rather than calories.’’ Although it is perfectly fine to be aware of one’s eating habits, it is unhealthy to develop a habit of monitoring food intake and portions. Not only is this type of behavior the development of an obsessive circle, but actions like these are common in individuals with eating disorders. In spite of many health professionals stating that It is unhealthy to develop its good for athletes to a habit of monitoring food track their food intake, this overlooks the fact intake and portions. that athletes who may have struggled with eating disorders in the past are brought back into the unhealthy cycle of food tracking. Killington Mountain School athletes are constantly on the move, whether its lifting in the gym or taking laps on the triple. Amber Wood, a Woodstock resident who attends KMS full time, states “Since we burn so many calories in the winter, if I don’t eat enough I wont be able to reach my goal at the end of the day.” In the winter, athletes are so busy focusing on their sports, homework, and catching up on much needed rest, that adding food tracking to the plate could have unintended consequences. The act of tracking calories and portions is a harmful routine for children, especially those in the prime of high school. Instead, the goal should be for us to be aware of what we’re eating, how it makes us feel, and understand how much we need to fuel our bodies. Instead of tracking portion sizes, we should understand the basics of nutrition, when to refuel our bodies, and what nutrition choices make us perform to the best of our ability.
According to nutritionalist Jill Blondek:
You know you’re in Vermont when... Your headmaster wears a flannel shirt and Pit Viper shades to graduation.
Calendar of Events By Aliza Tobias
Oct 29 Oct 31 Nov 3-4 Nov 9 Nov 10-11 Nov 11 Nov 16-20 Nov 16 -23 Nov 17-18 Nov 20 -Dec 4 Nov 24 Nov 24-25 Nov 26 Nov 26-Dec 21 Nov 26-Dec 11 Nov 26-Dec 21 Nov 27 Nov 29-Dec 12 Nov 29-Dec 11 Dec 1 Dec 1-2 Dec 2-15 Dec 5-11 Dec 5 Dec 9 Dec 11-17 Dec 12-18 Dec 14 Dec 15 Dec 15-16 Dec 15 -16 Dec 16-22 Dec 17-21 Dec 22-Jan 2
Winter-term orientation, Second Quarter begins Plymouth State University Admissions Visit Cyclocross Pan-American Championships Bag Roll-up and Killington Mountain Northampton CX KSC Coaches Orientation Thanksgiving Camp Thanksgiving Break Supercross PG Colorado Trip KMS Alumni Party Highline Lodge Women’s Alpine World Cup Races at Killington 3 Month Program Begins BOOST Alpine Elite Program U19 Men European Trip Alpine Elite Academy Program Women’s Nutrition Meeting Women’s Alpine at Panorama U16/U14 Colorado Project First Day of KSC NBX Cross Freestyle Appex Training Project NorAM PGS&PSL GMVS USSA Early SL Okemo USSA Cyclocross Nationals- Louisville, KY NorAm PSL KMS Trustee Meeting Annual Winter Auction at Killington Grand Okemo B Moguls-Freestyle Killington USSA VC SL US Selections, Winter Park, CO-Freestyle BOOST Holiday Camp Holiday Break
All School Events • BOOST • Alpine • Freestyle • Cycling • Snowboard
KMS Bear Essentials • November 2018
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The Bear Essentials: Who we are Meet the student-athletes and advisors who have produced Killington Mountain School’s first student newspaper
Aliza Tobias Hello! My name is Aliza Tobias and I am a senior at Killington Mountain School. I am from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, but I made the transition to Killington my sophomore year. In the fall I train for cyclocross and in the spring and summer, I race on the road and velodrome. Even though I attend KMS, which is a ski academy, I just started skiing three years ago! During the day at KMS when I am not in classes or working out, you can find me working on my bike, talking with classmates in the senior corner, or getting my daily fix of The Office or Gilmore Girls. My plans for the future include graduating from KMS in the spring and attending a college which offers a psychology program and cycling team.
Amy Allen
Academic Dean, Communications Director and Assistant Director of College Counseling
Lizzie DeGraw
Hi, my name is Lizzie DeGraw! I am from Mendon, Vermont and grew up in a small town in Connecticut, but moved up to Vermont full time for KMS. In my free time. I like to snuggle with my dog, watch “American Horror Story,” and play soccer. I am a first year U-19 alpine skier who enjoys tree skiing, ripping it up on Highline, and going off jumps in the park. I’ve been at Killington Mountain School for four years, and am in the earliest phase of my Junior year.
Caroline Roy My name is Caroline Roy. I live in Wellesley, Massachusetts and I am a U-16 alpine athlete at Killington Mountain School. I have two younger brothers named Connor and Cameron and a dog named Daria, who is very energetic and I love to play with. Something that I love doing is traveling and growing up racing has given me many opportunities to go around the world where I meet so many new people and experience many different cultures that I would not otherwise experience.
Jason Mikula
Editor/CoPublisher at the Mountain Times, guest instructor at KMS
Sarah Gibertoni Polly Tye McBroom Hi my name is Tye McBroom I’m 17 years old. I am Sarah Gibertoni and I lived in Cheshire, Lynn I am a senior at Killington Mountain School. I Connecticut until starting school at KMS. My compete in snowboard cross, which has a mix of at KMS is cycling and I started racing Mikula technical features, big jumps, and fast berms. I discipline in the sixth grade. This is my first year at KMS
Editor/CoPublisher at the Mountain Times, guest instructor at KMS
also enjoy taking photos. I am originally from Roanoke, Virginia. Last year I became a dorm student at Killington Mountain School. This year I hope to become a stronger and faster snowboarder.
and I am currently in tenth grade. I started to find an interest in writing when I was 11 years old and I looked forward to working on a school paper in middle and high school. This will be my first year being at Killington for the World Cup and I am super excited to be there.
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KMS Bear Essentials • November 2018
Austria: Pushing past obstacles and exhaustion; frustration and anger, to gain confidence and skills on the hill and off continued from page 1
a high-level-performing I remember waking school, this is a word up and just simply not that I hear quite often being in the mood but not something that I to do anything. All I think much of. Through wanted to do was shut these trips all across the my alarm off, close the world that I have been curtains and go back to so fortunate to go on, I bed. Only three more think that I now have days until the off day! a much deeper underArriving at breakfast, standing of what this I realized I was apword really means. My parently not the only knowledge has since one feeling this way. I grown from my trip looked over and saw the to Hintertux. From an entire team half asleep outside perspective, it at the breakfast tables, is hard to think that I most, just chugging cofcould be having a hard fee to feel the slightest time in such an incredbit of energy. I couldn’t By Caroline Roy ible place with amazing relate more at that Morning ski day at Hintertux, Austria. A view from the chairlift on a free ski day. The students trained there for three weeks. people surrounding me, moment. Fast forward a but to be honest, it was few hours. We were all exhausting. on our fourth run of the day and eventually, all just began laughing at how My daily morning schedule was as follows. I woke up as early as 6 in the poorly the day was going. After a couple of minutes of laughter and sitting morning, got ready and proceed to do my exercises to keep my back nice on our phones in silence, music starts blasting from the speaker next to us, and healthy for the upcoming day. I then went downstairs for breakfast. I being the Americans we are, begin screaming the lyrics of the rap music as liked to eat eggs and yogurt with granola and loud as we could. fruit to keep my energy levels high for as long as Something very important that I learned on I think that I now have a much I could during training. I then got my skis and this camp is that in moments I feel frustrated, I deeper understanding of what am always reminded to close my eyes, breath in, stood in line for what felt like hours, only to get this word really means. up to the hill and take my first turns on muscles breath out and open. I feel that this allows me to I feel can barely hold me up from the days prior. be present in a situation and let everything else Tired, I try to remind myself that we were all here for one reason and one that is not relevant, float away. At this moment, I opened my eyes to see the reason only, to push ourselves past the limits we have set for ourselves. One beautiful mountains surrounding me and thought, “This. This is why I do thing that kept me going through the camp was the bond that my team and this.” Although this camp put me through sweat and tears, in the end, it was I had created over these past couple months and continued to create as soon an eye-opener. Simply allowing myself to push past the countless days of as we stepped onto the plane. frustration and anger, I can now say that I have more confidence in myself as I have always been told that peoples energy and vibes spread like wildfire a person and as a ski racer than I have had in a very long time. In addition, and can affect your attitude on any given day, but never truly experienced I couldn’t be more grateful for my coaches and teachers for the support and this feeling until this one specific day during the second block of our camp. energy that my teammates and I are given on a day to day basis.
By Izzy Jenne Stunning mountain views peaked through a shaded valley during a sunset walk in Hintertux, Austria.
By Izzy Jenne Oscar Preisler jumped into a waterfall canyon at the bottom of the gondola at Hintertux, Austria. It was freezing, students who witness the event reported.
By Amy Allen Caroline Roy (left) and Amber Wood (right) smile on the slopes during a training day at Hintertux. The three-week trip was exhausting, but provided unprecedented training.
KMS Bear Essentials • November 2018
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Featured artwork on display at KMS Killington Mountain School displays current and alumni student artwork throughout the halls and select classrooms and offices. The Bear Essentials editorial team selected these two to display in this inaugural edition of the newspaper. Look for more in upcoming editions.
Profile: Meghan Girardi Profile: Ryan Bianchi By Sarah Gibertoni
By Bella Phelan
By Kian Hauschildt
At Killington Mountain School we have many dorm students that have the opportunity to live right in the center of the Killington Community. In charge of these students is Meghan Girardi, director of student life, who has been with the school since February of 2016. She is also a KMS alumnus. The winter that Girardi had come to Killington Mountain School with her husband Peter Girardi, she had only planned to stay for the winter then head out west to complete her masters in mining engineering. But, when a position opened up she decided to stay for the full term program. She explained that she has started to feel less of a connection from a student to student point of view. Even when she begins to feel distant Girardi still understands the ups and downs of living in a dorm. Dorm life may not have many perks but Girardi has said she enjoys spending quality time with students and getting to know the kids in and out of the dorm. She likes to think of herself as more of a “cool aunt” than a dorm parent but still has to enforce the rules whether she wants to or not. The school has had a bit of a reputation in the Killington community for being rowdy and stuck up in the past, but Girardi is working hard to change that. One way she is trying to change that is by taking dorm students out to dinners in the Killington area regularly to encourage business. Students are expected to be respectful and can lose this privilege if those expectations are not met. Appreciating and bringing members of our community together is an important goal for Girardi as a dorm parent. Portraying respect and creating good bonds is important to her to change the communities opinion of KMS.
U16 Men’s Alpine Team receive Black Bear Award By Amy Allen
Congratulations to the U16 Men’s Alpine team, who was given the Black Bear Award at Wednesday’s allschool meeting, Nov. 14. The Black Bear Award is an award given to someone in the KMS community who steps up and acts with integrity, compassion, generosity, and kindness in a way that is reflective of the school’s ethos. Actions that are taken
performed in search of recognition, but instead simply to help others, are often recognized via this award. Freestyle Program Director Kris Pepe nominated the team for this year’s first Black Bear Award. Pepe and his team were faced with the daunting and arduous task of breaking down and storing the KMS four season airbag Award, page 6
Submitted Pictured front row (l-r): Gaven Schain, Ryan Rupprecht, Tucker Schultz, Chase Muller. Back row: Tyler Gras, Bobby Turner, Musashi Eto, Bode Tracy.
By Aliza Tobia
Ryan Bianchi is a household name at Killington Mountain School. This 16- year- old junior from Massachusetts has been involved with the KMS and the KSC programs since he was 5 years old. A long time right? To many, his story may be untold due to his kind and humble nature. Five years after being born just south of Boston, Bianchi was skiing. He somewhat recalls his first memory on the mountain as the first time he actually skiied. At age 5, Bianchi was shredding the Killington trails with his parents and older brother, KMS alumni John, close by his side. Through the years, he has grown through the Killington programs and is now attending KMS as a full term alpine student. Skiing everyday reminds him of the failures and triumphs learning how to ski with his parents.His dayto-day schedule at school in the winter is now full of skiing, gym workouts, eating, and homework, but he does find the time to be a teenager. Even though he does have many more responsibilities than a normal teenager, he does find time to watch Netflix and play videogames with other student athletes. Bianchi says “KMS allows me to expand my horizons, but I do still feel like a teeanger.” Having his favorite skiing venue right outside his window is his favorite part about attending KMS. Also the fact that he has seen tremendous growth with his mental and physical strength. Becoming an all around better athlete does not solely mean you are the fastest, but also that you have a community that supports your endeavors. Bianchi feels like KMS gives him that environment and that is how his mental game as improved so much in the last few years. Although Ryan has had many fantastic days skiing, he does recall a few times when things were not going the way he planned. One race in particular he deems as the worst day he has had on skis. During U14 Vermont States, he fell out of the course twice and had to hike back each time in the slalom. He ended the day in last place. In order to move past that day, he keeps his spirits high by dreaming of being able to compete at the Olympics one day in his future career. His motivation stems from knowing focusing and working hard everyday will set him apart from other athletes that may not be taking it as seriously. When Bianchi is not skiing or training, you are likely to see him watching one of his favorite TV shows; Tom and Jerry, Game of Thrones, and Drake and Josh. That is only if the Patriots are not playing that weekend. It is easy to tell what NFL football team he is the biggest fan of based on his Patriot attire he wears during the season and the fact that if he could have dinner with one person dead or alive, he would pick Tom Brady. While watching games you are not likely to see him eating anything made by his siblings. The brotherly love is not the strongest when it comes to food as he says the worst things he Bianchi, page 6
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KMS Bear Essentials • November 2018
To Canada and Beyond
Award: First Black Bear Award recognizes U16 Men’s Alpine Team
By Aliza Tobias
Nov. 3-4, the KMS cycling team was in Midland, Ontario, for the Pan American cyclocross championships. The team got to the course early Friday morning to inspect, look at the best line through corners, and plan out possible tactics. Little Lake Park in Ontario has many fun features to offer for cyclocross racers: wooden flyover, beach sand sections, and plenty of rolling terrain. Saturday was the first day of races for Aliza Tobias and Sarah Gibertoni. It was a cold day of snow, rain, and even
Submitted KMS student Aliza Tobias races through inclement weather.
some slight hail. Some of the corners were a muddy mess while others took skill and
patience to maneuver. Tobias raced in the sportive women’s category as an opener for Cycling, page 7
Pan Am results: Aliza Tobias finished second in Sportive Women and 20th in U23 Women Championships. Sarah Gibertoni finished fourth in U17 Women and fifth in U17 Women. Verge Northhampton International Cyclocross results: Aliza Tobias finished third in U23 UCI Elite Women, 32nd overall; and second in U23 UCI Elite Women, 33rd overall. Sarah Gibertoni finished 27th in Cat 3 Women and 23rd in Cat 3 Women.
continued from page 5 located at the base of Killington’s Superstar trail, in preparation for the World Cup event that will be held at the Resort on Nov. 24-25. “I would like to nominate the U16 Men’s Alpine Team for the Black Bear Award. The entire group came out on Friday to help us roll up the air bag. We had 40 people in total helping with the We had 40 people in total roll up. We made quick helping with the roll up. work of the job as a result, and their help was greatly appreciated,” Pepe shared. Freeski Program Director Pete DuBois seconded the nomination, adding, “I fully back Pepe’s nomination of the U16’s. Those guys were quick to help, and did it with smiles on their faces. We couldn’t have done it without them!” Congratulations to the team for reflecting the tenets of RILER (Respect, Integrity, Leadership, Excellence and Responsibility), which are the core values outlined in the school’s mission statement. Many hands certainly make light work. Job well done to the entire group!
Bianchi: Student profile on 16-year-old alpine racer
continued from page 5 has eaten out of politeness all came from his sister, Megan. Living in Killington for the past two and half winters has allowed Bianchi to grow in his surroundings. The breathtaking mountain views, blistering snowstorms, and countless miles of skiing are more than enough to get Bianchi out of bed in the morning, as it would be to anyone. Although KMS has seen many Bianchi’s through the years, he sees no reason in breaking tradition. No other ski academy ever seemed intriguing to him as he feels “Like I was born into this.” And the KMS community is more than happy to have him apart of the family.
Kip: Coach that provides inspiration, motivation and a smile to busy student athletes at Killington Mountain School continued from page 1
when there was not yet a full term program, he finds the school very relatable to when he attended. “The school was much more informal, you seemed to have closer relationships with the coaches than with the teachers at that time,” stated Kip reflecting on his time as a student at KMS. The weirdest part for him, working at the same place he once attended school, is seeing young student athletes pull the same little pranks he did. Although Kip never thought his interest in sports conditioning would take him back to his high school, he is more than happy to be back with those who supported him only a few years ago. Being a coach at KMS is no easy feet. Most days, Kip is rolling into the KMS parking lot at 6:30 a.m. Morning sport, a time for spinning, activation exercises, and stretching starts at 7 a.m. 4-5 days per week. After a quick breakfast in the dining hall, the coaches prep for on hill training. All batteries in the walkie talkies must be checked, courses finalized, and all necessary gear must be packed. All KMS skiers are at the lifts by 8:45 a.m. to make sure they get the most possible time training. While the student athletes are warming up on the hill, the coaches must set up netting, put in gates, and make sure the course is in the perfect condition. For 2-3 hours, athletes are taking their runs while Kip and other coaches keep a close eye on the course and make sure the videotaping is working properly. A long morning of skiing is
By Tye McBroom Christopher Kincaid Spangler (a.k.a. “Kip”)
followed by a warm lunch at school. is now a growing instagram page The coach’s job is not over yet! with over 350 followers and 70 posts Circuits of light strength and cardio and counting. Each posts features 1-5 are set up for core exercises an hour long with a video Kip always provides a training session example as well smiling face around KMS. in the gym. as a target rep Following this, and set numKip uploads all of the training videos ber. Kip said he does not believe his to be reviewed with the athletes to go instagram excerises has fully taken over mistakes and technical details. off yet, but he hopes to share creative At the end of the day, Kip is still busy workouts that keep young athletes inhelping all athletes with their conditrigued even during the winter lulls. tioning workouts. Although Kip is a very busy man, Starting this school year, Kip has there is never a time you will see him taken on the role of the strength and walking around looking unhappy conditioning coach. Along with his or with a frown. His kind, amiable coaching duties, he specializes in personality makes him a hard person creating workouts for every disciple to dislike. Saying his name is enough at KMS and helping athletes with to put you in a good mood as well as their questions. One great way that hearing the story behind it. Kip shares his workouts is through Kip’s full name is Christopher Kincore du jour. What started as a joke, caid Spangler, but his older brother
had a difficult time pronouncing the whole name of Christopher. At the age of 2, the Kip nickname started – and stuck. There are many other interesting stories behind Kip that many do not know. For example, even though Kip is always seen in the gym, there is a good chance you will not hear any music. Although he is a fan of 1990s-2000s grunge music. His favorite movie is How to Train Your Dragon. All those hours in the gym planning workouts and supervising training have increased Kip’s hand eye coordination as his hidden talents include juggling and balance board skills. If only he had these sharpened balance skills while at Can Ams at Attitash. He describes his worst moment on skies when he was coaching at Can Ams and an athlete took out one the gates. When he went to fix the gate, he took two steps, lost his footing, and next thing he knew, he was at the end of the course with coaches and parents all staring at him. To counter his worst moment on skis, Kip tells of his proudest time: While competing senior year at Stratton for easterns, Kip took a risk on course and ended up getting third, beating many members on the US Ski Team. Despite the bad moments, freezing mornings on the hill, and sweaty workouts in the gym, Kip is always the smiling face around KMS. From student to athlete, it is clear that he resembles all the good that KMS stands for.
KMS Bear Essentials • November 2018
Ursa Major Horoscopes By Aliza Tobias
Aries
Get out there! The late fall and early winter is a perfect time to go out and enjoy the beautiful landscapes around Killington before the snow hits! Don’t forget to invite those close to you on your adventures before the cabin fever season hits. With all your new adventures, don’t forget to stay organized! You don’t want to start the ski season on the wrong foot.
Taurus
Your relationships are beginning to grow. The school year is in full swing and you are getting into your rhythm. Your new friends are great, but also remember to be the generous and patient person you are to keep them close. Your independent life skills are a positive highlight to your character, but remember to not be too self-indulgent.
Gemini
Stay dedicated! You have worked so hard and you are almost there, so make sure to stay consistent. With every burpee, remember the snow is coming! Remain the enthusiastic person you are and everything will fall into place.
Cancer
You’re creative, spontaneous, faithful. That project you have been working on may be giving you some trouble now, but with your positive attitude, it will soon be finished and out of your hair. Continue working hard, and it will soon be time to relax. Remember to remain calm when faced with an issue; getting overly emotional will not help in the long run.
Leo
Lots has been happening for you lately! The fun doesn’t stop now either. Towards the end of the month a special someone will enter your life. This new person could turn into a potential love interest so keep your eyes open!
Virgo
Your analytical skills will be put to the test this month. A major problem may be in your future, but with your practical and reasonable thinking, you will get through it with just enough time to enjoy the last bit of fall.
Libra
Things may not have been going so great recently, but don’t let it get you down. Put on your best outfit, get out there, and show everyone your massive charm. Make sure to keep an eye out for jealous or mysteriously acting friends before they ruin all your fun.
Scorpio
You are an angel while at rest, but a stinging scorpion when attacked. Use this in a positive way this month and start doing things for you. Relax, schedule some me time, but also straighten up and fight for what you want. Don’t let anyone boss you around or push you aside. Your goals are going to be reached.
Sagittarius
A big decision is coming soon so make sure you are thinking with both your head and heart. Your intellectual abilities will be helpful in this decision, but you must remember to what your heart is telling you. Be patient and everything will work out for the better.
Capricorn
Look out! The one you have been waiting for his approaching. There is no better time to act than now. Reach out of your comfort zone and go get the one you have been waiting around for. Opportunities like this don’t come around often so dismiss all your cautious and disciplined feelings and get out there!
Aquarius
Your acts of kindness are not to be forgotten. All of the work and time you have put into others will be paying of as you will be reward in some way. Karma is working in a good way for you this month!
Pisces
Have you been feeling lonely lately? Some distractions in your life, such as TV, relationships, and social media are not the best for you right now. What you need is some rest. Enjoy nature, take a nap, cook your favorite food, but whatever you do, remember to surround yourself with things that make you happy.
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Chef Rhonda Benoit prepares meals, menus By Tye McBroom
Athletes take food pretty seriously because if you do not put good food in then you will not get good results out of your body. Rhonda Benoit is the head chef at Killington Mountain School and will have worked here for nine years as of January 2019. She is the one who designs the menu for the school, which is a rotating menu in the winter. The menu is based on what nutrients student-athletes need. She puts a lot of work into not only the prepared meals but also the large amount of work that goes into the pantry. (The pantry is where students can go to get a snack between classes.) There is a large selection of snacks – everything from peanut butter crackers to apples. One snack Rhonda Benoit recommends after a workout is peanut butter and an apple. It has a good amount of healthy fats and protein with natural sugars from the apple.
By Tye McBroom Preparing meals for student-athletes takes a lot of thought and time. Rhonda Benoit has been performing the art for almost nine years with a healthy balance.
Cycling: Two student athletes compete in cyclocross races through obstacles, crashes and weather and finish well, considering! continued from page 6
her championship race the next day. Even after suffering from a flat first lap, she still managed to get second overall. Unfortunately, Gibertoni also flatted in her U17 race, but finished in fourth place. She had some back luck the second day also as she was caught up in a crash in the holeshot, sprint off the start to the few corners of the course. She got back up and fin-
ished 5th for the day. December. The course, as per usual, Later in the day, Tobias Northhampton, Massais mostly a power course raced the U23 women Pan chusetts, was home to the with long straights, but also American Chamhas some steep pionship race. Almuddy runups Although the race started on a though the race and descents. Satstarted on a good good note, a small crash in the urday started off note, a small sand messed up her shifting... with Sarah in the crash in the sand Cat 3 women’s messed up her field. There was shifting and she was stuck 28th annual Verge Northa very large field of womin her two easiest gears. hampton International Cy- en, so being her first Cat Overall, it served as a tool clocross races the weekend 3 race, Sarah did a great to get ready for nationals in of Nov. 10-11. job finishing in 27th. She
improved the next day to finishing in 23rd place. Tobias raced in the UCI elite women’s field both days and finished 32rd and 33rd overall. At only 17, she finished third and second in the U23 category of the race. It was a fast weekend, with a little too much wind and chill. The team is headed to Suffern, New York, next for a weekend at Supercross!
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KMS Bear Essentials • November 2018
Rendering by Brad Jenkins, Inc. Courtesy of KMS Looking East into the “quad,” pictured left-right: the proposed new girls’ dorm, the athletic center, the STEM wing, and the existing building with renovated academic space on the second floor.
Expansion plans: Killington Mountain School plans to more than double its Killington Road campus with a near $10 million expansion continued from page 1
Q&A with Tao Smith
What audience is the expansion going to benefit and what types of athletic groups do we hope to attract more of? The expansion project is going to directly benefit the kids who attend the Killington Mountain School, and future students. It will also be an improved facility for summer camp attendees and alumni and post-graduates who continue to compete at the NCAA or US Ski and Snowboard team level. KMS believes that we are at the optimal size currently for a ski academy program. At 120 students, we have dynamic team groups, but are small enough to still allow for the personal approach that makes our program so effective. We do not anticipate growing in overall size. This expansion will serve to make an already great experience even better. Our students and faculty will have upgraded, modernized facilities, with enough room to enhance our academic and athletic programming. Why should we expand the KMS program and how will this benefit the Killington community as a whole? KMS is already a national and global leader in sport and education. We continue to bend the model of what it means to be a student-athlete, and our approach to 21st Century learning is both groundbreaking and hard-baked into the essence of a KMS education. We are project-based learning, we are character development, we are highly individualized and at the same time stress the importance of team and the team dynamic to individual success. KMS is already on the world map, with our results, events (World Cup), and influence. We want a campus facility that accurately reflects the quality of the people and program who make up KMS. What benefits will a bigger campus have on student life? We still occupy the same building that we moved into in 2005 with 65 winter-term students. Our current school size includes 65 full-term, and over 50 winter-term students; twice the size we were when the 2005 campus was acquired. We simply don’t have enough space, so doubling our square footage, from 30,000 to over 60,000 square feet will have a direct impact on student’s daily activities and satisfaction. We have designed a campus that has increased large, communal space, and also increased small study nooks and quiet spaces for students to congregate. A separate girls’ dormitory, and three distinct residential life zones for boys of different ages. The new
Rendering by Brad Jenkins, Inc. Courtesy of KMS Looking from West Park Road, pictured left-right: the existing building with renovated academic space on the second floor, the core academic wing, the STEM wing, and the athletic center. The new storage level is off the parking lot.
Rendering by Brad Jenkins, Inc. Courtesy of KMS Looking into the “quad,” the athletic center is to the left and the back entrance of the proposed new girls’ dorm to the right.
campus will have an outdoor turf field for training but also recreation, and a large 14,000 square foot gym with space for teams, workouts and recreational space for games. Dorm students will have plenty of space to play, regenerate and spend time when not in class or training. The cafeteria will also be expanded to include more casual dining space in a cafe-type setting. How is this expansion going to benefit the students already enrolled in the school? Other than just simply having more space, enough room to work, probably the greatest impact of this expanded campus will be on the academic experience of our students, and improvements in the our ability to execute our academic program. At KMS we make content relevant by building athletic content into the academic curriculum. By closely connecting what the kids do on the hill with the classroom, we
create motivated students, who help solve real world problems. The new academic space at KMS will be modern, collaborative, encourage creativity and critical thinking skills. Our teachers and students will have the best academic facility in the country for a small, sport-specialty school. Is there anything else that you think that people should know about the expansion? Form follows function and function follows form. Our design is uniquely suited to the qualities and strengths that make KMS so special. Our close-knit, family-like community of serious-minded student-athletes all have high goals and aspirations; but it’s the connections that bind us together that is different than most other places. We are agile and intense, but we also are familiar and like to have fun. KMS students are uniquely prepared for life!