Speedy's Corner: A fun interaction at the OTC

WT athlete Blake Piper hanging with some Sochi medalists. Can you name them all?

NYSEF Women's Head Coach Mark 'Speedy' Archer is living in the OTC this winter as a live-in dorm parent when he's not on the road with the U18 women. He had an awesome interaction with some world class athletes recently and wanted to share his experience:

"Last evening I was in the OTC dining room and Erin Hamlin [bronze medalist in Sochi and silver medalist at last weekend's World Cup in Lake Placid] and Tucker West [youngest male to win a luge World Cup-- last weekend in Lake Placid!), their teammates and trainer asked me to turn the TV to NBC so they could watch the Placid World Cup which was being broadcast. They hadn't seen themselves slide on primetime very often, where they could see themselves banking through the turn and whatnot, and I was really moved by that whole scene with them-- just the humbleness of all those great athletes, surrounded by and living with our own kids in the NYSEF program.

They filled me in on technique specifics, and towards the end of the program we sat and chatted about similarities between luge and ski racing. In all my years of coaching [Speedy's been coaching for the better part of the past 30 years!] I never would have thought to compare skiing to luge, but when you think about it, we all put in a million hours/year for 6-10 total performances of under a minute and a half! Really cool, the similarity of the sports, the years, hanging on to dreams, goals, the aspirations to be the best in the world. To be sitting with a couple of these athletes was really incredible, especially their humility, when you compare them to many of the sports stars we see in the media. It's an amazing experience-- to think that our athletes are surrounded by these role models everyday, people who've been in their shoes and are now 15 years down the road, accomplishing those goals they wrote down in training logs decades ago. 

Summer Britcher [Luge athlete-- 6th World Cup] was there while we were lifting with the kids, she's coming through the ranks now. It's hard to describe-- just some really great unity on the luge team, everyone's rooting each other on.

It's all so beneficial for our kids. Priceless. Our athletes are putting in the same dedication to pursue the kind of goals that these people have reached. And they're right there! It shows them, you CAN do this. These athletes started at age 10, 11, you know. Erin is now 27. She's 15, 18 years in, now one of the top 3 in the world. And look at Tucker--he never imagined he'd make it this far, and last weekend-- look, he had his breakthrough and everything has changed."

Speedy in action, Arapahoe Basin, Colorado

Speedy is busy planning "dinner chats" where top-level resident athletes sit down with Winter Term students to talk shop and share stories from the road. Maybe, just maybe, it'll help some of those distant goals to seem all that more attainable. 

We're looking forward to it, Speedy! 

New Strength & Condition Program at LP Training Center!

Winter Term athletes got their first taste of a world class strength and conditioning program yesterday at the Lake Placid Training Center.

LP Training Center Strength & Conditioning coach Ambrose explaining the mechanics of a proper dead lift

USOC Strength and Conditioning Coach Ambrose Serrano led WT athletes through a thorough introduction to platform and Olympic lifting techniques to help athletes maximize total-body functional strength.

Athletes downloading

The OTC weight room is pretty awesome. Note the distinct lack of machines and contraptions, just plenty of squat racks and platforms. Free weights + good technique = total body strength.

Winter Term athletes Hugh Dempsey and Hanna Petro stepping up to the plate

But despite the lack of gadgetry, the system works! Numerous Olympic champions have been forged in this weight room...

Inez Burkard and Quin Taylor working on clean technique. No pun intended!

Inez showing us how it's done

Maybe in a couple months... years... a few Winter Term athletes will be up on the wall of fame!

Full, Gold and Silver Term athletes will be able to take advantage of a specialized strength program laid out by Ambrose and his staff throughout the season.

Thanks Ambrose and Kurt for all the awesome information, we're really looking forward to working with you guys this winter!

Fundamentals Camp: Side Excursion Report

A wise man and a skiing aficionado once said, "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." 

And it's true. So true! Our 2-week Winter Term Prep Camp here in Colorado has been truly fantastic. Spectacular weather, a terrific group of motivated athletes, and a collective 1,245 years of coaching expertise between our staff have paved the way for some impressive gains by all of our athletes.

But in ski racing, as in life, sometimes it's just as important to forget about the goals and the angles and the splits and just think about the journey. So in between the gate bashing and the no-pole drills and one-ski turns, we took a few side trips.

Off to the big show!

Excursion number one? Off to the races. The whole gang hopped in the van to soak it all in at the Birds of Prey World Cup Super-G in Beaver Creek. It's one thing to visualize good turns and feel outside ski pressure, but it's another thing to hear the crowd roar in the bleachers as Kjetl Jansrud goes airborne or watch Hannes Reichelt clinch his first win after undergoing major back surgery.

Plus, we were there to support two of our own! Lake Placid native Andrew 'Warhorse' was out doing battle to prove that his second Olympic medal was no fluke, and Keene Valley's Tommy Biesemeyer was back on the circuit after suffering a major knee blowout in Lake Louise last season.  Here's a visual feast from our day at the racetrack, cheering on our homegrown heroes to some awesome finishes:

First, we took over a shuttle bus.

Then, we indulged in Vail/Beaver Creek swag!

Warhorse, comin' at ya!

Blockbuster. Cliffhanger?

The Beezy comeback... powered by Cheez-Its and hard work! 

Did we make it on TV? You bettcha!

Ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. Or the quads start burning. Whichever comes first.

Jansrud's reaction to losing his first race of the year. (He finished 2nd.)

Champs!

See! It's about the journey.

Dig our new hats?

Being a major ski celebrity is tough work.

Towards the end of camp, it was decided that the whole crew needed a bit of fresh air. Not that training on Copperoplois each morning and freeskiing around the mountain all afternoon doesn't count as "fresh air"... but regardless. Something new and different. Northwood coach and academic guru Marcy Fagan rallied the team and we made tracks for Mayflower Gulch, a spectacular mountain massif just minutes from Copper Village. Good for the body, good for the soul. 

Creep tension. Did you know snow has both solid and liquid properties? 

Upward!

A neat look at the five gendarmes of Mayflower Gulch 

Remnants from an old mining camp made for a good jungle gym

Winter Termer Quin Taylor, soaking it up!

Guten Abend!

The team. Looking good!

Mad ups.

Tschüß!

The last excursion wasn't so much a major undertaking as it was ducking the rope before training to watch a few runs of the Men's Nor-Am slalom races taking place at Copper Mountain. Some of the European big-dogs were there to hone their soft-snow skills before the World Championships in Beaver Creek this February. It's rare for so many top-tier racers to hop into a Nor-Am event, but they're clearly on top of their game as many of the Europeans pulled out top performances in last weekend's slalom World Cup in Åre, Sweden.

There's nothing like watching the planet's finest slalom racers getting after it to help you prepare for your own training session. Positive mental imagery-- so awesome!

Markus Larsson, Sweden, 12th after first run in Åre WC

Mattias Hargin, Sweden, 4th in Åre WC

Coolest suit award goes to Redneck Racing's Tim Kelley

Jens Byggmark, Sweden. 8th in Åre WC. Eyes on the road, pal!

Axel Baeck, Sweden, 5th in Åre WC

Anton Lahderperae, Sweden

Winter Term athletes. Processing. Downloading. Improving!

So that's it! Looking back, it was a pretty darn awesome journey. Now on to east coast adventures...

Winter Term is underway! Update from Colorado

--Copper Mountain, Colorado

NYSEF athletes are at it again! The Winter Term program which debuted last season is again underway, allowing aspiring student-athletes the opportunity to maximize their on snow time while balancing a challenging academic schedule.

This year's Winter Term has begun in beautiful Summit County, Colorado, where NYSEF and Northwood Ski Team athletes have teamed up for a 2 week "Fundamentals Prep Camp" with the goal of gaining valuable early season on-snow "mileage" and experience through directed free-skiing and the development of technical skills through specific drills. Now into our second week, athletes have begun easing into GS and SL gate training while remaining focused on the fundamentals.

Ideal training surface. Day after day.

The weather and conditions couldn't be more optimal for early season training. There's been more terrain open here at our home base at Copper Mountain than most coaches can remember, and between the US Ski Team Speed Center training hill and the perfect pitches of the infamous Copperopolis, we've got plenty of terrain to keep all 41 NYSEF/Northwood School athletes busy. Take a look! 

From day one on, our expectations have been more than met.

U16 athlete Carson Foxcroft tearing it up during today's GS training on the Speed Track

Winter Term veteran Quin Taylor laying it over in today's GS training

U16 Coach David Smith has been keeping a steady foot on the gas pedal, making sure our athletes are getting in just the right amount of training and intensity they need... without overdoing it. Don't forget-- it's a long season!

Did we mention the scenery is really, really good?

U18 athlete Katherine Quinn is a newcomer to Winter Term, but she's already made some huge strides forward.

Last season was a big one for U16 Lily Silverstein and she's planning even bigger things for this season. Just take a look at her goal sheet.

U14 Hugh Dempsey has been firing on all cylinders this camp. It's going to be a great season for this guy!

Under the watchful eye of U14 Head Coach Jimbo Johnston, our youngest Winter Term athletes have received a thorough introduction to the next level of training. U14's seen here shredding some freshies at A-Basin

U14 Inez Burkard is fully committed to making some huge gains this season.

First-year U16 Hanna Petro charging during today's GS training session.

U14 Sarah Coombs enjoys Colorado, Earth Science, and skiing really... really fast.

U18 Womens Coach Mark 'Speedy' Archer has seen it all, at every level of the ski racing world. Here he is with the crew at A-Basin sharing some of his wisdom. 

We're a pretty laid back bunch, don't you think? The whole NYSEF/Northwood Skiing crew taking a brief rest from skiing some powder at A-Basin on December 1st.

We're looking forward to maximizing our final three training days here at Copper Mountain, and we've got our eyes fixed on a busy season ahead. One thing's for sure-- we'll be ready!

Stay tuned for updates, and see you on the hill.

--The NYSEF Winter Term team