JHSC Club and Community Update
Happenings of the JHSC Nordic Program, Trail Creek Nordic Center, and Local Nordic Community
Welcome to the January 11th edition of “What’s Going On”. Read on for all the scoop…
Lollipopper Team
Lollipops are busy, busy, busy! We have 27 kiddos this year ranging in age from 5 to 8. Head Coach Kathy Neiley (a JHSC alumni) is joined by Assistant Coach Libby Hall, with extra help from Coach Jeanie Clark. We have been playing games in the stadium that encourage small group cooperation and that focus on classic technique, coordination and agility - starting, stopping, turning, and quick short distances both in the classic tracks and on the skate track. We follow up the games portion with a longer adventure ski or ski game like Fox and Geese. We also talk about wildlife we may encounter and remind them to be observant while skiing. While most of the kids have skied or snowboarded before, we do have some brand-new skiers who are learning their new sport very quickly!
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Coach Kathy Neily
Lollipopper Head Coach
Teewinot Team
Hanging out at "Sam the Truck"
The season is off to a great start for Teewinots! We have had a day on skate skis, and two days on classic skis, and the kiddos are demonstrating strong fundamental skills of each technique. We have had a few days out on Son of Gutflop, made it out to say hello to Sam the Truck, and had our first run down Faceplant!
We have taken advantage of all Trail Creek has to offer with some powder skiing, some great classic tracks, and have even been down the Nordic X course. We have a very strong group of skiers this year and are looking forward to seeing the Teewinots progress throughout the season. Next week we will move back to skate skiing and our focus will be balance as well as rhythm and timing with pole planting.
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Sevi Hagen
Teewinot Head Coach
Junior Team
Coach Calvin skiing fast at the Betty Woolsey
Since the New Year the Junior Nordic team has been putting in a lot of work on "skiing big" in the flats and gradual downhills to combine with our high tempo climbing for overall fast skiing. The East Fields and Gut Flop area has been our go-to training locality the past week-and-a-half as the terrain in the East Fields suits our technique focus on gliding a ski, and Gut Flop and the woods connector to the Fields serve as a great training ground for high tempo climbing. With all of the trails in mint condition some days it is difficult to decide where to train! This upcoming week the Junior Team heads south to the Soldier Hollow Super JNQ for a set of races at which our athletes are prepared to succeed.
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Calvin Wight
Junior Nordic Ski Team Head Coach
Devo Team
The Development Team continued its high energy progression with agility work and hills this past week. Wednesday’s workout was a fast-paced relay in the new Sky stadium. The athletes did a figure eight course with an obstacle in the middle, and the anticipated mayhem ensued. Next week we continue our focus on agility as we switch to skate skis and up the speed factor. Fun agility courses and off trail adventures will be the main menu with any extra time spent playing games. In the last month we have played games with both the Junior Team and the younger Teewinots, keeping the fun level maxed! The Nordic X course is set, so we will also try to get a few fun runs down that series of jumps and bumps.
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Rob Murphy
Development Team Head Coach
Prep/Comp Teams
Prep and comp team members at the Jackson Hole Nordic Alliance Free Ski Day at Turpin Meadows
With a month in between Junior National Qualifying races this year, the Prep and Comp Team had the time and truly an entire monthly training block to keep pushing the needle. Over the holidays the athletes stayed connected with the team, but also took time to recover from a very busy and quick early season. As they took time to reflect on their experience at the Bozeman qualifier, the team continued with easy training and a low pressure race opportunity at the Betty Woolsey Classic.
To keep things fresh and adventurous, training was held at various locations around the valley and the type of skiing spanned from backwoods single track classic skiing to buffed golf course V2 skate intervals. A highlight of last week’s volume/low intensity week was the team’s distance skate session at the JH Nordic Alliance event at Turpin Meadows. The team is lucky to have such opportunities and also understands how to take advantage of those opportunities as they become well rounded athletes.
With one week until the Super Qualifier at the Olympic venue in Soldier Hollow, Prep and Comp Team athletes are finishing up an intensity week with interval sessions that mirror each respective race. Tuesday's workout called for longer level 4 classic striding intervals up Homesite at Trail Creek. Soldier Hollow has some of the larger hills in the west; thus it was advantageous for athletes to find a classic striding rhythm. On Thursday the team focused on skate sprinting, with shorter intervals, and practiced in heats with fellow teammates/competitors. Athletes will be racing a skate sprint on Janurary 18th, and a classic mass start on the 19th. Stay tuned to the next Nordic update for results.
To follow Junior National Qualifier ranking see http://intermountainxc.com. JHSC Nordic has six athletes who are currently in the running for making the Intermountain Junior National Ski Team. After Soldier Hollow there will be one last qualifier at Bogus Basin the weekend of February 9th before the team is named. Athletes are scored from their best skate, best classic, and next best skate or classic race out of six total races total.
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Ben Morley
Nordic Program Director & Head Coach
Kelly Milligan
This edition we are fortunate to be able to feature the women’s winner of the 2018 Betty Woolsey Classic Race, Kelly Milligan. She tells her own story below…
I was born February 16, 1961 in Livingston Montana to Tom and Sharlene Milligan. My dad was a park ranger and worked for Yellowstone and Grand Teton his whole career. My parents were avid Alpine skiers, and thus their three children were too. My older brother, Tim, older sister, Tami, and I learned to ski on Snow King under the expert tutelage of Bill Briggs. We all Alpine raced through junior high and Tim and Tami continued to race for Jackson High School. I came to hate Alpine racing. I was always cold and very nervous and those gates never made any sense—I still have spatial problems. The only other sport for high school girls in the winter of 1976 was Nordic skiing, so I figured what the heck! Peter Ashley was the high school coach and was thrilled to have someone else interested in skiing. I had brand new wooden skis and homemade wool knickers so figured I was ready. Luckily the high-school had a few pair of fiberglass skis and let me use those to race. We had to buy new boots and a lycra suit though! My first race was in Pinedale Wyoming and I got 11th. Edie Bennet from Jackson was a junior in high school that year and won the race that day. She was my hero. Next race was Cody, Wyoming and I got 4th; lots of tricky downhills so my Alpine background came in handy. Third race was at Trail Creek. I won and was totally hooked for life.
I continued racing for Jackson High School and the Intermountain Team through high school. In 1978, as an 11th grader I made the U.S. Nordic Junior team. I ended my junior career in 1980 skiing at the Nordic World Junior Championships in Ornskoldsvik Sweden as part of a 3 women US Nordic Team. In the meantime my mom, Sharlene, was home running the Jackson Hole Ski Club. She was president for several years but that is another story.
In the fall of 1980 I headed off to the University of New Hampshire in Durham, on a ski scholarship, sight unseen. They had a volleyball team and the coach invited me to walk on. Volleyball was much more fun than skiing but I wasn’t quite as good a player as a skier so finding a university where I could do both was very special. Those years of volleyball in the fall and skiing in the winter are still some of my favorite memories.
I skied at the Olympic Trials in Lake Placid, New York in January of 1984 and was one of the top 5 U.S. women selected to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Sarajevo Yugoslavia. That has always been the highlight of my skiing career, if not my life. I raced in the 20km classic (classic was all we did in 1984) and placed 37th. After that experience I decided I wanted to come back in 1988 and win a medal. That didn’t work out so well, as I had a couple of rough years of over training and racing that put my skiing on hold.
In 1986 I attended Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine. While studying to be a veterinarian I raced for the U.S. in the 1989 University World Games in Sophia Bulgaria. Some people were skating then but I still pretty much preferred classic skiing. I graduated from Colorado in 1990, married my husband, David Susong, and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. We have spent our entire working years in Salt Lake. I owned a small animal veterinary clinic and my husband was the center chief for the U.S. Geological Survey in Salt Lake. We have one daughter, Katie.
My parents retired to Victor, so we still came “home" every chance we got. Katie begged and pleaded to live with Grandma Sharlene her senior year in high-school and was a 2013 graduate from Teton High School in Driggs. There she met her best friend, Megan Sanabia, who has since become a cherished member of our family and an X-C skier!!
I have continued to race and ski through it all. Track skiing is still the most fun I can have, ever!! I look back on my years growing up in Jackson, racing with the JHSC, and always feel so lucky that I ended up in the right place, with the right parents, and the right sport. Any variation might mean I never would have found out how to have the most fun, ever. David and I are now retired, firmly settled in a nice spot with a Grand Teton view in Driggs, Idaho and I am very glad to be home!!
See you all on the trails!
Kelly
This edition our featured coach is Carina Østberg. The Nordic program is lucky to have Carina on board as she brings a really amazing perspective to our skiers, being a native of Sweden and a lifelong skier. Our interview is below.
At what age did you start skiing? I got my first pair of skis for Christmas when I was 1.5 years old. There is a picture of me "skiing" in my nightshirt down the hallway.
What is your history of Nordic skiing up to this point in your life? I started Nordic ski-racing when I was in 1st grade, so at 7. I was raised in a very active ski club in northern Sweden, and we had really amazing coaches, even though all of them were volunteers, and mostly the parents of the kids in the club. My first coach, when I was 7yrs old, had just finished a tenure as coach for the Nordic Combined National Team. I was not a very serious competitor until I was 14, when I was invited to go to a summer training camp for Biathlon, and that following winter I did my first Biathlon race which was Nationals. I ended up getting a third place finish, and got accepted to one of the Ski Academies for Biathlon for high school. I was on the Junior National Team ages 17 to 20, and then I raced on the National Team for one season.
What are your most memorable races? So many to choose from....! Of course my first international race sticks out - it was at Biathlon World Junior Championships in Andermatt, Switzerland. We were not allowed on the race course for the first day of training because of the avalanche danger, and the race course was running the length of the valley with loops up on the mountainsides. I think I finished 15th or there about in the first race, and our men's team took gold in the team event which, of course, was super fun! Another race that I will always remember was my first-ever race. My dad sent me and my friends to ski the course before the race, and I remember being super annoyed with them for being so slow. I then did the race, and when I crossed the finish line, my dad waited for me, and asked if I had raced as hard as I could? I responded that "No, I went as hard as I could the first lap with my friends. This time I was checking out the views!" Needless to say, my dad and I had a bit of a conversation about race tactics in the car on the way home...
Have you ever coached before working for JHSC? Yes, in many different capacities and sports... To begin with, my ski club had a practice which made all kids 12 and older help coach the younger kids. We took turns - 2 older kids per time - and did one day every other week. It was great, both for us who were older, because teaching someone else how to do something forces you to think about your skiing differently, and I think that in and of itself makes you a better skier, but it was also a great way to build relationships in the club. Everyone ended up knowing everyone else, and it was just a great atmosphere. I have also helped coach basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, soccer, and, of course, biathlon! I spent one winter in my hometown after I stopped racing in my early 20's and that winter was pretty full-on coaching Nordic and biathlon for the club.
What is your educational background? Biathlon High School, double major in science and social sciences; Associates Degree from Central Wyoming College, Bachelors in History from University of Wyoming (both my AS and BS was done via out-reach from Jackson) and a Juris Doctor from UW College of Law.
Does your family ski? Yes! We skied every weekend growing up, either Nordic or downhill. My parents' house is right on a forest, and my dad would set ski-tracks right from our back door. It was great for when I was older, and my training sessions were several hours long, because he would always make new loops for me, so it was never the same and boring.
How often do you ski now? I try to get out every day, even if it's only on my Nordic touring skis with my dog.
What age group are you coaching now? High School
What or who turned you onto skiing in your youth? My family - my parents and my sister; and my ski club who made it a life-style.
What is your favorite memory of skiing for JHSC or at Trail Creek? Once again, so many to choose from! I think one of the more vivid memories was from when Ben was still in high school, and we were skiing during this crazy thunder storm, and lighting struck in the Black Hole. It was pretty wild.
What is the biggest challenge of being a coach? Picking the right way of communicating with different athletes. I tend to be pretty cerebral in my approach to skiing, breaking technique down in to angle, degrees, force and weight distribution, and that doesn't work for everyone. It can also be challenging to get pointers and technique lessons to come across not as negative criticism, but as something to be used as a tool for improvement. Some people feed off constructive criticisms and eat it up and instantly use it to their advantage, whereas some are more sensitive and take everything personal. The latter are a challenge, especially for someone like me, who is very direct in my communications.
Any other thoughts you would like to share with the local Nordic community? I think one of the things about Nordic skiing that I have come to appreciate more and more the older I get, is that it is one of those things that you can maintain throughout life - there are so many different levels, and it's not all about the race. It's a life style. For example, my dad is 77 years old, and he just got new touring boots that he is all fired up about because now he can go skiing with my 6-year-old nephew without his feet hurting. It's a sport and an activity that transcends generations. You can practice yoga and meditation, or you can practice Nordic.
In the last two weeks the big events on the local Nordic scene have been the Betty Woolsey Classic Race at Trail Creek, the Wyoming High School race in Pinedale, and the Free Nordic and Fat Bike Day at Turpin Meadows.
The Betty Woolsey Classic Race was held at Trail Creek on December 29th with good weather and a great crowd. This Jackson Hole News and Guide article does a good job of covering some of the details. One note: Trail Creek Nordic Center is the official stomping grounds of the Jackson Hole Ski Club Nordic program. Race results are here.
The youngest and the oldest racers?
Many JHSC IMD and High School racers made the journey to Pinedale last weekend for some impressive results in the most recent Wyoming High School Nordic race. Last weekend’s results are below, thanks to wyopreps.com:
Friday Freestyle Race:
Boys: (Top 3 listed)
1. Elijah Weenig (Jackson) - 13 minute 38.21 seconds
2. Ben Radosevich (Natrona) - 13:46.80
3. Adam Pickett (Natrona) - 13:52.34
Girls: (Top 3 listed)
1. Kaylynn Sandall (Lander) - 16 minutes 13.74 seconds
2. Abigail Whitman (Laramie) - 16:33.37
3. Natalie O'Brien (Jackson) - 16:40.24
CLICK HERE TO SEE RACE RESULTS
Saturday Classic Race:
Boys: (Top 3 listed)
1. Elijah Weenig (Jackson) - 14 minutes 47.89 seconds
2. Ben Radosevich (Natrona) - 14:55.82
3. Adam Pickett (Natrona) - 15:11.59
Girls: (Top 3 listed)
1. Abigail Whitman (Laramie) - 17 minutes 56.66 seconds
2. Kaylynn Sandall (Lander) - 18:32.67
3. Molly Fehringer (Lander) - 18:35.43
CLICK HERE TO SEE RACE RESULTS
The next Nordic ski meet is scheduled for January 18-19, 2019 at Soldier Hollow, Utah.
The Jackson Hole Nordic Alliance held their third annual Free Ski and Fat Bike day on January 6th at Turpin Meadow Ranch. Hundreds of enthusiasts made the journey for some great skiing, fat biking, and camaraderie. Many area supporters banded together to make the event a big success, the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club provided transportation as well as bringing teams up for a fun practice. The image from the Prep/Comp report above was taken at Turpin Meadows.
JHSC Director Brian Krill driving the van.
Some years, the snow is just as needed; some years more would be nice; and some years there is plenty. The 2018-2019 season so far has been between as needed and plenty. We received permission for partial access to the East Fields just before the Betty Woolsey Classic race, which allowed us to lay out some lovely courses for all levels of racers.
Since then, two major snow events have dropped up to 4 feet of snow allowing all trails to come online and pretty much every obstacle to be covered up. All in all things are looking very nice now; if we continue to get snow the trails can be made wider and nicer.
Now that we are in January not only are all trails online, all teams are practicing, even the wee ones and the area school Winter Sports programs. On any given day there could be several hundred skiers out and about.
One thing new we are trying is to produce a video chronicling a day in the world of Trail Creek. A high school student has agreed to add his video skills, and hopefully we will have a link available in future editions of the Grooming Report or Nordic News.
The first big race of the year is the first Friday and Saturday in February when we host a Wyoming High School competition. Volunteers are always appreciated; it looks to be a busy February this year!
The next Sandbag Series race is the Teton Ridge Classic on January 12th with 2, 6, 14, and 24 km distances available; it looks to be a great day to head over the hill for a great community race.
Looking ahead to January 18th and 19th is the second Junior National Qualifier of the year in Soldier Hollow. High School and IMD teams will be heading south for a spectacular weekend of racing.
A hopefully somewhat accurate tabulation of all the multitude of events for IMD, High School, and the community are below. If you would like to add an event, email trailcreeknordic@gmail.com
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2018-2019 Total Nordic Calendar |
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Date |
Event |
Location |
Technique |
Group |
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November 20-24, 2018 |
Yellowstone Ski Fest |
West Yellowstone, MT |
IMD/Public |
|
|
Saturday, December 01, 2018 |
Super Tour Opener |
West Yellowstone, MT |
Fr |
Public |
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Sunday, December 02, 2018 |
Super Tour Opener |
West Yellowstone, MT |
Fr |
Public |
|
Friday, December 07, 2018 |
WY High School |
Casper |
WY High School |
|
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Saturday, December 08, 2018 |
WY High School |
Casper |
WY High School |
|
|
Saturday, December 08, 2018 |
Targhe Tune-up |
Grand Targhee |
Sprints Fr |
Sandbag |
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Friday, December 21, 2018 |
WY High School |
Cody |
Cl |
WY High School |
|
Saturday, December 22, 2018 |
WY High School |
Cody |
Fr |
WY High School |
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Saturday, December 22, 2018 |
Santa's Relays |
Teton Pines |
Fr |
Cancelled |
|
Saturday, December 22, 2018 |
IMD Qualifier |
Bozeman, MT |
Cl |
IMD |
|
Sunday, December 23, 2018 |
IMD Qualifier |
Bozeman, MT |
Fr |
IMD |
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Saturday, December 29, 2018 |
Betty Woolsey Classic |
Trail Creek |
10K Cl |
Sandbag |
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Friday, January 04, 2019 |
WY High School |
Pinedale |
Fr |
WY High School |
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Saturday, January 05, 2019 |
WY High School |
Pinedale |
Cl |
WY High School |
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Saturday, January 05, 2019 |
Alta Vista |
Teton Valley Alta Trail |
10K Fr |
Sandbag |
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Sunday, January 06, 2019 |
Free Ski Day |
Turpin Meadows |
JH Nordic |
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Tuesday, January 08, 2019 |
Wilson Winter Sports |
Trail Creek |
Wilson Elementary |
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Thursday, January 10, 2019 |
Wilson Winter Sports |
Trail Creek |
Wilson Elementary |
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Saturday, January 12, 2019 |
Teton Ridge Classic |
Teton Ridge Ranch |
28K Cl |
Sandbag |
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Tuesday, January 15, 2019 |
Wilson Winter Sports |
Trail Creek |
Wilson Elementary |
|
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Thursday, January 17, 2019 |
Wilson Winter Sports |
Trail Creek |
Wilson Elementary |
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Friday, January 18, 2019 |
IMD Qualifier |
Soldier Hollow, UT |
Fr |
IMD/WY High School |
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Saturday, January 19, 2019 |
IMD Qualifier |
Soldier Hollow, UT |
Cl |
IMD/WY High School |
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Saturday, January 19, 2019 |
Buffalo Stampede |
Teton Pines |
10K Fr |
Sandbag |
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Saturday, January 26, 2019 |
Spud Chase |
Teton Springs |
16K Fr |
Sandbag |
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Friday, February 01, 2019 |
WY High School |
Trail Creek |
Fr |
WY High School |
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Saturday, February 02, 2019 |
WY High School |
Trail Creek |
Cl |
WY High School |
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Saturday, February 02, 2019 |
Boulder Mtn Tour |
Sun Valley |
32K Fr |
Sandbag |
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Friday, February 08, 2019 |
WY High School |
Casper |
Fr |
WY High School |
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Saturday, February 09, 2019 |
WY High School |
Casper |
Cl |
WY High School |
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Saturday, February 09, 2019 |
Alta Skate Race |
Alta, WY |
20K Fr |
Sandbag |
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Saturday, February 09, 2019 |
IMD Qualifier |
Boise, ID |
Cl |
IMD |
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Sunday, February 10, 2019 |
IMD Qualifier |
Boise, ID |
Fr |
IMD |
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Saturday, February 16, 2019 |
Moose Chase |
Trail Creek |
30K Fr Cl |
Sandbag |
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Friday, February 22, 2019 |
WY State Champ. |
Lander |
Cl |
WY High School |
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Saturday, February 23, 2019 |
WY State Champ. |
Lander |
Fr |
WY High School |
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Saturday, February 23, 2019 |
American Birkebeiner |
Hayward, WI |
50K Fr Cl |
Sandbag |
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Saturday, February 23, 2019 |
IMD Youth Champ. |
Trail Creek |
IMD |
|
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Sunday, February 24, 2019 |
IMD Youth Champ. |
Trail Creek |
IMD |
|
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Saturday, March 02, 2019 |
Yellowstone Rendezvous |
West Yellowstone |
50K Fr Cl |
Sandbag |
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March 08-17, 2019 |
Junior Nationals |
Anchorage, AK |
Fr Cl |
IMD |
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Saturday, March 09, 2019 |
Sandbag Finals |
Trail Creek |
10K Cl |
Sandbag |
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Saturday, March 09, 2019 |
Western Club Champ |
Soldier Hollow, UT |
IMD |
|
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Sunday, March 10, 2019 |
Western Club Champ |
Soldier Hollow, UT |
IMD |
|
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Saturday, March 23, 2019 |
PPP |
Shooting Star |
Sandbag |
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More Community events at https://jhnordic.com/events/ |
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Thanks so much to the members and sponsors who make this all possible!
Adams Family; Keith Austin; Eric Balog; Matthew Brazell; Brigham Family; Broughton Coburn; Janet Conway Heslin; Culver Family; Curtis-Adams Family; DesLauriers Family; The Everett Family; Goelet Family; Gordon-Mick Family; Eliot Goss; Ann Harvey; Hall Family; Scott Horn; Jen Kandolin; King Family; Kohlhardt Family; Nancy Lee; Mark Lovett; Rob Mahoney; Ann Makley; Kelly McCloskey; McGee Family; Lars Moller; Neal Family; O'Brien Family; William Oliphant; Wayne Petsch; Michael Price; Pruzan Family; Monroe Rosenthal; Susan Seagal; Sheafor Family; Springer Family; Stanley Family; Stiles Family; Jocelyn Wasson; Chris Wimberg; Wiswell Family
A special thanks to Jackson Hole Nordic for being a strong supporter of our programs.
