The Starting Gate 2020| Stratton Mountain School is U.S. Ski & Snowboard Overall Club of the Year

Stratton Mountain School is U.S. Ski & Snowboard Club of the Year

U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Club of the Year designation is granted to the club that has been a leader in overall performance, as well as committed to serving athletes and their families at all stages of learning and sport—from youth development to alumni achievement, all the way up through the elite level.

“We look for schools that straddle performance and service, and achieve both to serve all constituents, which pulls the whole community together,” explained SMS Olympian and U.S. Ski & Snowboard President Gale “Tiger” Shaw PG ‘77. “Most importantly, we look for athletes that stay involved, love the sport for life, and go on to do great things in whatever careers they pursue.”

Combining success in sport across five distinct athletic programs, outstanding college placements, and a robust campus community, Stratton Mountain School, in its very mission, has worked towards the goals laid out by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard awards committee for nearly fifty years. As the number of athletic disciplines has grown, collaboration across the various echelons of school life has become a unique contributor to Stratton Mountain School’s success.

“All of the program directors work closely with each other and the Dean of Academics and Residential Life, which creates a strong community,” explained Freeski Director Jesse Mallis. “We are in constant communication— from weekly directors meetings to interdisciplinary activities—and we work together really well.”

“SMS is doing an amazing job across all five disciplines, and very few programs out there can do that,” added Alpine Director Mike Morin. “Many institutions will focus on one area or another, but we’ve been able to focus on all five sports and bring them up to a high standard. All of the directors work hard and work together to benefit the athlete.”

Alpine

Alpine ski racing was the sport that Stratton Mountain School was founded upon, and the program has continued its record of excellence from its U14 team to the Olympic level, and everything in between. With top-down results from athletes including U.S. Ski Team member Alice Merryweather `15 on the World Cup Circuit, George Steffey `15 at the NorAm level, and Nina Reichhelm `18 at NCAA—as well as at the Junior, U16, and U14 levels—the program’s consistency is hard to deny.

“We have a lot of excitement in the Alpine pipeline right now, from the U14 level right on through to the World Cup,” said Morin, “Hopefully, one day our SMS alumni will be winning at the World Cup and Olympic levels.”

In the abbreviated 2019-2020 season, eleven student-athletes qualified for U14 Eastern Championships, seven qualified for U16 Eastern Championships, and five SMS skiers attended U.S. Junior National Championships. Standout results for the season included Diego Holscher `20, who ranked 5th globally in Super G for his year of birth (YOB), and Jay Poulter `21, who ended the season ranked 3rd in Slalom and 7th in Giant Slalom for his YOB. Four U14 athletes represented SMS and the U.S. at the Kandahar Junior Invitational, where Matteo Bonivento `24 claimed Bronze in Parallel Slalom and Bronson Culver `24 earned Bronze in Slalom.

However, those results didn’t come out of thin air, as the program has worked to build a promising development pipeline. In recent years, the Alpine program has hosted seven regular development camps annually alongside open fall conditioning sessions for local athletes. Developing local athletes also creates the opportunity to witness high-caliber competition at home, as SMS coaches and volunteers work to host regular events at Stratton Resort—including VARA and USSA scored events, U16 SG State Championships, and the planned FIS Women’s Spring Series in 2020.

Freeski

The SMS Freeski program is one of the top freeski programs in the country and has been a driving force in the sport’s growth in the East and across the nation. From local USASA competitions to the Crystal Globe, SMS Freeski athletes have garnered medals at all levels—locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Alongside the program’s contributions to Stratton Mountain School’s designation as Club of the Year, SMS Freeski was also named Freeski Club of the Year by U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

Two SMS athletes were named to the U.S. Freeski Team for 2019- 2020, and again for the coming season: Olympian Caroline Claire `18 and Crystal Globe winner Mac Forehand `20. In January 2020, Claire won Gold at the World Cup Slopestyle event in Seiser Alm, Italy.

Fifteen SMS Freeskiers qualified for USASA National Championships in 2020, and the team earned five top-three results at the 2020 Futures Tour events. Montana Osinski `22 represented the U.S. in Slopestyle (finishing 10th) and Big Air at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games. Teammate Charlie Gnoza `21 finished the season ranked 4th in the USASA National Open Class, finished 5th at the Calgary Slopestyle NorAm (and 7th in Big Air), and earned Bronze in Slopestyle at the Park City Futures Tour. Durham Jones `23 ended the season ranked 2nd in the U.S. for male athletes age 14-15 by USASA.

SMS Freeski hosts an annual Young Gun Project and Action Sports Camps for youth athletes, and training camps are hosted throughout the year in Waterville, Stubai, Mammoth Mountain, and more. The program has consistently had athletes invited to attend U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Project Gold camps and regularly finds success at local USASA Southern Vermont Series events.

“We have consistently been guiding our young athletes to success through our high-level competition programming,” Mallis said. “Add to that our world-class on-campus training facility—including the Air Awareness Center—and the secondary sports that we offer in the fall and spring. Our team is constantly engaged, and they’re always doing something fun.”

Freestyle

SMS Freestyle program continues to be a leader in the world of freestyle mogul training, achieving competitive success and offering amazing training opportunities all over the world alongside astounding college placements and continued alumni engagement. The program’s leaders, Director Deb Newson and Head Coach Sam Tarrant, concurrently lead both junior and FIS level athletes ranging in age from middle school to college. The veteran staff provides top-notch programming and instills a lifelong love of the sport for their athletes, in addition to running summer training camps for development level athletes. Newson and Tarrant also find time to remain deeply involved in the regional and national Freestyle infrastructure - Newson as the longtime chairperson of USSS Eastern Division Freestyle-Freeskiing and Tarrant as a member of several regional and national level committees. Many of the team alumni stay also stay engaged in the sport, working as part time coaches for the SMS program and the Stratton Winter Sports Club weekend competition program.

In 2019-2020, 75 percent of SMS Freestyle athletes qualified for U.S. Junior National Championships, and 80 percent qualified for U.S. National Championships. The program’s five NorAm Tour team members—Peter Tiktinsky `16, Lulu Shaffer `17, Harrison Schunk `17, Henry Kosinski `19, and Skylar Slettene `22—comprised one of the largest NorAm teams representing a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Club. Shaffer won Gold in Dual Moguls at the Val St Come FIS NorAm and

finished 6th in the U.S, 7th overall, in the 2020 NorAm Tour. Slettene earned her first starts on the NorAm tour in 2020 with a top finish in 22nd place at Killington.

Even with such strong representation at the regional, national and international level this season, it is the college acceptances that set the SMS Freestyle program apart. Admissions officers at the top colleges in the country value the balance and discipline necessary to attain excellence simultaneously in academics and athletics. “Our athletes have been accepted to the top colleges in the country,” Newson explained. “We are just so proud of our college acceptance record, as it is the best of any academy program and rivals that of most of the top high schools in the country.”

Nordic

For twenty-five years, the SMS Nordic program has earned at least one Gold medal at Junior National Championships, with over eighty All-American finishes over the past five years and more than thirtyfive World Junior Team members. That legacy of excellence reached new heights in 2020 with achievements at every level—from the Bill Koch League to the Youth Olympic Games through the World Cup Circuit.

“The Nordic program had great results from Eastern Cups to the World Cup and everything in between,” said Director Matt Boobar. “It comes back to the fact that we have every level, all the way up through college and the elite skiers on the T2 Team. That puts us over the top.”

At Junior National Championships, Nina Seemann (ranked 3rd nationally for her YOB) continued SMS’ streak by claiming two Gold medals, and Will Koch `20 (ranked 1st nationally for his YOB) also claimed Gold. At the same time, Fin Bailey `23 (ranked 1st nationally for his YOB) earned Silver. Seemann and Koch represented the U.S. at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games, where Koch made history with

his Bronze-medal finish in the men’s 10-kilometer classic. Bailey and his peers, Wyatt Teaford `23, and Janne Koch `22, were among the top-ten U16 skiers in New England in 2019-2020.

SMS T2 Team athletes saw another successful, though shorter than usual, season on the World Cup and SuperTour circuits, culminating in Coach Patrick O’Brien’s selection as the 2020 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Domestic Cross-Country Coach of the Year.

“For me, it’s kind of recognition of the hard work that I feel like I’ve been putting in, but the athletes drive it,” O’Brien explained. “It’s cool for me to see all of those athletes recognize all of their aspirations and work towards them—that’s the most rewarding part about it.”

Snowboard

The SMS Snowboard program consists of riders from middle school to the professional level and has found success at the local, national, and international levels. Since its founding in 1993, the program has funneled more than seventy athletes to elite-level competition, including Program Director and two-time Olympic medalist Ross Powers `97. In 2020, the program was also named Snowboard Club of the Year by U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

“We help our student-athletes learn to focus on progression rather than results, which goes along with the idea of all-around athlete development,” Powers said. “The facilities [at SMS] are incredible, and we have kids of all ages throughout five disciplines who are pushing themselves and each other to succeed, each in their own way. It’s a strong program.”

SMS riders claimed eighteen top-ten results at 2020 Futures Tour events, with five athletes earning Revolution Tour starts. At 2020 USASA Southern Vermont Series events, the program racked up an astounding fifty-seven podium finishes. Alumnus Zeb Powell `19 made history and won Gold during the Knuckle Huck competition at his first X Games event this winter. Acy Craig represented the U.S. in

Snowboard Cross at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games, claimed Silver in the Ski Copper Revolution Tour event, finished 4th at the Mont Original NorAm, and qualified for Junior World Championships. Connor Cavanagh `23, finished 7th at the Burton U.S. Open Junior Jam and 1st at the Vans High-Standard event hosted by Killington.

“I attended SMS all four years of high school, and it made my successes possible with the training and the support provided,” Powers added. “I get the same feeling that I used to get when I learned a new trick or landed on the podium when they do. It’s just as rewarding to help them accomplish and achieve their goals.”

A Community Achievement

At Stratton Mountain School, strong emphasis is placed on creating an environment that allows all student-athletes to understand and take ownership of the processes that set them up for success as they pursue their goals. Opportunities for college preparation, remote learning tools, and a diverse curriculum contribute to SMS’ mission to achieve academic excellence. Support for injured athletes, a focus on progression-based training, and secondary sports fulfill that mission’s athletic side. Most importantly, a strong campus community made up of five athletic disciplines, residential and day students, and student and staff from across the globe, fosters a culture of excellence.

“In earning the 2020 Club of the Year status, I would love to make sure we can be like the New England Patriots and have many repeats in winning what I view as the Superbowl of awards in our industry,” said Head of School Carson Thurber ‘02. “It’s an incredible honor to be handed the keys to Stratton Mountain School as we are recognized as the most prestigious club in our industry. All I can hope for is to try to continue that success.”

This article is an excerpt from The Starting Gate, published by Stratton Mountain School. Copyright 2020.