That's a wrap!
Coaches Ben and Scott with the "Alaska Delegation"
Lollipopper Team
Nordic X Lollipoppers
Lollipoppers finished the season with everyone able to do some level of skating, and several who are strong enough and ready to move up to Teewinots next year! Most kids will spend at least two years in Lollipops, and we are looking forward to seeing many of the kids back next year!
The final two weeks of practice saw costume-days, Mardi-Gras beads, donut relays, biathlon practice, and being towed behind the snowmobile to do the Nordic X course! Lots of fun and free skiing and it was a true pleasure to see how much more confident all the kids are on their skis. The kids have gone from bracing for disaster on the downhills to 'dropping in and sending it' and I credit the confident group dynamics for enabling the more reluctant skiers to take chances and be daring—that’s the magic of skiing in a peer group! To finish off the last day of practice each of the kids got—of course—a giant lollipop!
Our season awards for Nordic Spirit went to Torin Johnson and Liv Bosch; our Tough Cookie awards went to Ivy Callari and Laik Daavattila; and our Most Improved went to Rhys Strigel and Charlotte Gorski.
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Coach Kathy Neily
Lollipopper Head Coach
Teewinot Team
It has been such a great season with the Teewinots! They are such a great group of kids and the coaches have really enjoyed watching them progress over the winter. Thank you for all of you do as parents! Getting them to practice, providing snack, and encouraging this next generation of athletes!
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Coach Sevi Hagen
Head Teewinot Coach
Devo Team
Well another amazing season has come and gone. This season really shows that with a great plan, great snow, great leadership, great coaches, and great families, success is almost assured. The whole development team deserved a most improved award for the season. Each and every athlete became a better teammate and skier as the season progressed. Even with the success of the team as a whole some members deserved additional attention. Several standout awards were given out at the end of season banquet this week. All of these decisions were very difficult because many Devos deserved recognition.
Best attendance: Ellie Wheeler, Tate Lemke
Most improved: Jack Mayer, Teya Pacuilli
Nordic Spirit: Sita Yeomans, Ben Bradford
Other important honors:
Groomer extraordinaire: Steve Swan
Facilitator of EVERYTHING: Julie Klomparens
The last few weeks of practice featured more fun than training, and the Development Team kids are quite good at having fun. Doughnut relay races, BB gun biathlon, Nordic X, and crust cruising adventures kept us busy through the end of the season. Many of the team members will be moving on to middle school and the Junior Team and we hope for their continued success! We also wish continued success to our Development Team coaches, Rainer Kenney and Taylor Huston, who are moving on to other challenges.
Warmer weather and sunshine will bring on spring sports and before you know it we will start summer training, move to dryland, and be back on snow.
Here’s hoping for a short summer,
Rob
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Rob Murphy
Development Team Head Coach
Junior Team
The Junior Team has had a busy last couple of weeks of Nordic, from Western Club Championships in Soldier Hollow, to Nordic X, Snowmobile tows, Biathlon, and relays with the Prep/Comp Team. In Soldier Hollow JHSC had an incredible weekend of results with podiums in all age group categories we entered. With a mixed team of Prep/Comp/Juniors racing it was a wonderful experience for all to participate in a Championship event including a team relay, and a non-continuous pursuit race. On Tuesday we had our banquet where we had awards and recognition for Nordic Spirit, Most Improved, and Best Attendance. Every athlete was recognized for their hard work and dedication throughout the season. A huge “Thank you” to Steve, who groomed every day of the season, Julie Klomparens, whom JHSC could not run without, and all of the parent volunteers from all of our races held at Trail Creek this year!
Soldier Hollow Champs
Have a great spring,
Calvin
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Calvin Wight
Junior Nordic Ski Team Head Coach
Prep/Comp Teams
Wow! The last two weeks have been jam packed for our Prep and Comp teams. On the home front, a group of our team went down to Soldier Hollow for the Western Club Championships on March 9th and 10th. Jackson made a strong showing with Sydney Wilmot, Aurora Stiles and Josh Roubin all making the podium. Aurora and Sydney skied fast together to win the team sprint, a "very fun race".
The Junior National Championships took place from March 11th to 16th in Anchorage, Alaska and Jackson had 7 athletes competing! All athletes were extremely impressed by national-level racing and enjoyed racing in the world class venue of Kincaid Park. Racing at sea level, traveling by plane to a race, lining up with athletes from thousands of miles away and racing for the Intermountain Division were great new experiences for all. Notable results include a 9th place finish from David King in the 5k classic, mass start. Elijah Weenig, David King and Sam Johnson all qualified to move onto the sprint heats in the Skate Sprint race. Elijah placed 12th (a mere 3 seconds out of top ten) in the 5k skate, interval start.
At Trail Creek we have enjoyed lots of sun and spring skiing and some Nordic X fun. We had our end of season banquet and awards on the 19th, where we called up a record 31 skiers to represent the Prep and Comp team. Watching the slide show we all realized just how much our team has accomplished in the past year: training camps in Park City, Moab, Canada, West Yellowstone . . . Racing in WY, MT, ID, UT, AK . . . going for three hour runs in the national park, skiing every bit of Trail Creek, roller skiing from town to Jenny Lake in one ski . . . And qualifying the most athletes for Junior Nationals since 1981. This year’s Prep and Comp team have set a high bar.
Congratulations to a great 2018-2019 team.
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Scott Lacy
Head Coach
Calvin Wight
Where did you grow up and where did you ski growing up?
I grew up in Concord, MA and Alpine skied at Nashoba Valley. We would go on "forced marches" xc skiing across the pond abutting our back yard a few times a year. In the non-winter months I was an avid skateboarder
At what age did you start skiing?
I started Alpine skiing when I was two years old, and I started Nordic skiing when I was 14.
What is your history of Nordic skiing up to this point in your life?
I got into Nordic as a freshman in high school and raced for Concord-Carlisle Regional High School and Cambridge Sports Union, and skied Division 1 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where we also helped coach the Central Maine Ski Club. Moving out to Jackson to work as a fly fishing guide after college in the summers, I began coaching the Teewinot, Devo, and this year the Junior Team here at JHSC.
Does your family ski?
My whole family Alpine skis and I was the first to Nordic ski. I have been slowly converting them to try out the skinny skis a few times a year.
What are your most memorable races (if you raced in younger days?)
My most memorable races were our Massachusetts High School State Meets, which were hosted in wave starts. (We only raced skate mass start 5ks throughout high school regular season.)
Where do you like to ski when you aren’t at Trail Creek?
I enjoy Nordic skiing at Turpin Meadows, and ski touring in GTNP and in the Gros Ventres.
Have you ever coached before working for JHSC?
I coached the Central Maine Ski Club's equivalent of Junior and Prep/Comp teams while I was racing in college.
What is your educational background?
I have a degree in Geology and Environmental Science, with a focus on glacial and snow hydrology.
What are your plans for the off season?
I plan to enjoy the spring touring around Jackson for a few weeks. Then I’ll head down to the desert for some sunshine, mountain biking, rafting, and camping, and then maybe head to the West Coast to ski some volcanoes.
How often do you ski now?
I Nordic ski just about 4-6 days a week, depending on schedule, and normally Alpine or tour 4-5 days in the mornings/days off.
What age group are you coaching now?
I coach the Junior Team, from 10-14 year-old athletes.
What or who turned you onto skiing in your youth?
My high school ski coach made skiing incredibly fun through team relays, jumps, and encouraging all aspects of the sport. This promoted having fun in all senses of the sport and encouraged my interest and commitment to trying to get better at skiing.
What is your favorite memory of skiing for JHSC or at Trail Creek?
My favorite memory so far of coaching JHSC at Trail Creek was this year's IMD Youth Champs where we had many junior athletes put together some of their best races ever in a strong field. A close second would be some of the adventure skis we have had the past few years through Armins and Homesite areas.
What is the biggest challenge of being a coach?
The biggest challenge of being a coach at the junior level is managing ways to accommodate all abilities each day when you have developing athletes who have been skiing with the club for 8 years, and athletes whose first time putting on Nordic skis was this past December. But this challenge provides a great opportunity for athletes on the team to rise up as leaders and help their fellow teammates pick up the sport and become engaged in this community.
Any other thoughts you would like to share with the local Nordic community?
Being a part of the Nordic community in the Jackson area and the greater Intermountain region has been a wonderful opportunity to become more engaged and involved in this community. To be able to do so while working with incredible athletes, coaches, volunteers, and parents is a rewarding experience, and I would highly suggest anyone in the community to volunteer at a race, to see what effort the volunteers and officials put in, the effort and sportsmanship the athletes bring to each race, and the camaraderie shared within this community.
Thank you so much for your dedication to the program, Calvin! You are a tremendous asset to our local Nordic youth. Have an awesome summer!
While Coach Scott pretty much covered the results from Nationals, things have not been sitting still for the rest of the local Nordic community. Since the last Nordic News a large group of our skiers traveled to Soldier Hollow to compete in the Western Club Championships. Many of our skiers posted some fantastic times, and all of the results can be seen at Summit Timing.
Here at Trail Creek we finished the Sandbag season with a small but dedicated group doing two 5K laps in the woods starting from Mug’s Meadow. Thanks to all the skiers who participated throughout the year and a special thanks to Dave Adams who is the master organizer and data dude.
The most amazing local racing event in the past two weeks was the USCSA Championships that were hosted at Trail Creek. An amazing outpouring of community support from many people—from race director, Rainer Kenny, and Technical Delegates, Les Gibson and Roger Smith, to the rest of the JHSC staff and especially from all the volunteers who put in hundreds of hours of work—came together to produce an event that we can all be proud of. Collegiate racers from across the continent congregated and had a great week of racing at Trail Creek. Word is that the Nordic X course was a huge hit as it was actually incorporated as part of the race venue on the final day.
Racing results are available here and you can watch videos of races at this link. Many thanks to all who helped make this happen!
Another awesome Nordic season has come and gone. Thank you to all who make it happen! Accomplishments include 10 days of racing and a record number of JHSC program participants. Membership numbers were up from last year, and daily pass sales were also good.
As of report time the tentative last grooming will be Saturday morning, March 30th. The private property sections of Trail Creek are open to skiing through March 31st. The forest should be skiable for quite a while this spring, so feel free to come out on those warm afternoons and get a little exercise.
One final request—as of report time there are a lot of trail markers and signs still buried under the massive amount of snow that has fallen over the winter. If you are out and about after the final grooming and see any of our paraphernalia, please drop it off at the cabin. Thank you in advance.
From Coach Scott: “Some notable things in the near future are mainly an on snow spring camp in early May in Galena, hosted by SV, which is an event we may take kids to. Other than that, Nordic events are pretty quiet for a while until summer. Summer training usually starts right after Memorial Day and we usually kick it off with a crust ski up at Togwotee. Summer camp dates are not set yet but will likely include a trip to Truckee in June and an at home Camp for U14's in July.”
Looking way ahead, the annual Trail Creek fall cleanup day will most likely be on a Saturday in October.
One last time we will post the calendar for the past season—what an amazing schedule!
Trail Creek Ranch (Muggs, Alex, Rick) Deserve a special thank you for their continued support of the Nordic program and working with JHSC to create a world class training center for our athletes!
Thanks so much to the members and sponsors who make this all possible!
Adams Family; Keith Austin; Eric Balog; Matthew Brazell; Brigham Family; Kristi Brown; Derek Collins; 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; Klomparens 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 Segal; Sheafor Family; Roger Smith; Springer Family; Stanley Family; Stiles Family; Thal Family; Jocelyn Wasson; Chris Wimberg; Wiswell Family
A special thanks to Jackson Hole Nordic for being a strong supporter of our programs.
