Check out this great article on some NYSEF alums and LP's storied relationship with the Olympic Winter Games:
Bonus points if you can name 'em all.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Bonus Episode of Mythbusters.
Myth: Nordic combined athletes can neither wax for, nor attain any resemblance to proper classical ski technique.
Hypothesis: Nordic combined athletes rock. Therefore, they can also rock at classic skiing and waxing.
Test Subjects: Nate "Eat my kick zone" Capone, Tara "Stride-Queen" Geraghty-Moats, and David "I spread KR70 on my bagel for breakfast" McCahill. All tests performed during Sunday's Harry Eldridge Classical Race, MVH.
Results:
Nate Capone: 4th place overall in a cut-throat J2 Boys category.
Tara Geraghty-Moats: 2nd place women's overall
David McCahill: Survives Harry Eldridge Weekend without complete collapse, provides finely tuned chariots of fire to Nordic Combined phenoms Nate and Tara.
Irrefutable Evidence:
Nate hammering thru the lap zone
Tara leading out the women's field
David... Eating SwixVR65 and a Fischer Carbonlite?Myth: Freakin' busted. As if.
Complete Harry Eldridge results found here: http://nysef.org/vanhoevenberg.html
L2F Hangs Tough Despite Tropical Storm Lake Placid... We're on for Tomorrow!
That's right. Strong humanitarian relief efforts by the awesome ORDA Jump Complex Crew have salvaged the K18 meter and ski-play areas, and the hills look great! We're all systems go for our fourth LEARN TO FLY WEDNESDAY tomorrow from 3-5:30pm.
As always, we'll be meeting at the Base Lodge. Bring a helmet, alpine boots, and your need... for speed!
See you there--
Dave & Evan
Update from NYSEF World Junior Crew in Europa... Frenette Thwarts German Über Sweep!
It was NYSEF's own Pete Frenette and Andrew Bliss who headlined the US squad and prevented the Germans from barnstorming the two events on their home hills. On day one, Bliss and Frenette both improved on their first round efforts to land in 14th and 2nd, respectfully. Without Frenette demonstrating the from which landed him a spot on the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Team, the Germans would have locked up places 1-6. Mission accomplished.
On day two, colder temperatures and tailwind made finding the sweet spot more difficult, yet it was again Bliss and Frenette who held strong to qualify for the second round. Bliss squirmed on his first jump coming in 23rd, but kept it locked and cocked during round two to slide up to 18th overall. Pete again was sitting pretty in 2nd place after round one, but slipped to 4th in the final tally.
Make sure to root for our boys over in Europe, they'll be battling the best juniors in the world starting tomorrow and, based on these FIS cups, they're poised to haul some hardware back to LP.
Results for the World Junior Championships can be found here: http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=27204&cal_suchsector=JP
In the meantime, whip up a sandwich with some Black Forest ham, and rock out to the Official Song of the 2010 World Juniors. A masterpiece of German theater.
Ford Sayre
Another great day to be at the ski jumps to watch many young ones strap on their skis and take to the air in Hanover NH just 10 minutes down the road from Lebanon NH. We started the day off once again with Logan on the K10 putting down 9 meter jumps in both of the comp rounds and told by my first coach Chris Hastings that he set a new hill record for the 10 meter! Way to go Logan and I hope one of these days we will be moving up to a bigger hill.
Moving into the K20 J5 boys class we had Logan younger brother Landon stretching down the hill with two solid jumps to give him his first win on grueling eastern circuit. Way to go Landon and hope there are more first places to come!
The K32 was in prime condition and the older boys and girls gave everyone a free lesson on how to take rides to the bottom of the hill with some signs of teles which we will have to work on in the coming weeks. Annie,Luke, and Miles yes I'm talking about you guys. Annie showed some good jumps in training but had a little trouble in the comp jumps but still improving greatly since this summer. Luke and Miles slugged it out for top dog in the J2 class and in the end Luke had the upper hand with Miles close behind in 2nd.
Moving into the K20 J5 boys class we had Logan younger brother Landon stretching down the hill with two solid jumps to give him his first win on grueling eastern circuit. Way to go Landon and hope there are more first places to come!
The K32 was in prime condition and the older boys and girls gave everyone a free lesson on how to take rides to the bottom of the hill with some signs of teles which we will have to work on in the coming weeks. Annie,Luke, and Miles yes I'm talking about you guys. Annie showed some good jumps in training but had a little trouble in the comp jumps but still improving greatly since this summer. Luke and Miles slugged it out for top dog in the J2 class and in the end Luke had the upper hand with Miles close behind in 2nd.
For the cross race we used the results from the K50 in Lebanon so Zach and Danielle could click in and test their cross form on Oak Hills coarse. Danielle started in front of Annie for the race and that's how it stayed the whole way with Danielle finishing first and Annie skiing a great race finishing in second. The boys started out with Luke in first, Zach going out second, and Miles in third and this is also how the results ended up in the end. Each one of them skied great and guessed right on the wax skiing the 4km all under 19 min.
Next trip will be to Chicago to see how the boys and girls will do with some more competitors on the K70.
Next trip will be to Chicago to see how the boys and girls will do with some more competitors on the K70.
See ya later,Evan
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Lebanon Winter Carnival
Another great day for jumping down in Lebanon as NYSEF had 9 athletes competing on all the hills Leb has to offer. We started the day off with Logan Livreri tackling the K10 with his new jumping equipment that he has only been on twice before this trip and he killed it!! Logan had two jumps of 9.5 meters almost setting new hill records and coming away with a gold medal for his first ski jumping meet.
We than moved up to the k25 Where there was a whole slew of young and eager jumpers ready to test the bottom of the hill. Landon and Avery both had solid jumps and bringing home the silver and bronze in the J5 class. Young Rory Riggins who jumped in the J4 class on the k25 had two respectful jumps and also ended up on the podium in 2nd.
With a short break between the small hills for lunch we than moved up to the main event in the afternoon on the K50. On the K50 we had about half the field representing NYSEF and they did not disappoint. In the J2 class we had Luke and Miles taking first and second with Nate showing huge signs of improvement coming in fourth. As for the ladies there were only two brave enough to take the plunge and it was Danielle and Annie showing some of the boys how it was done both having solid jumps and a smile on their faces every time they came back up. Zach cleaned up in the J1 class winning by over 80 points and also coming close to breaking the hill record held by Jonathan "The Featha" Kling.
I hope we can keep rolling tomorrow as we will be in Hanover to test our metal on the K10,K20,K30 and the cross course! Should be a good one.
We than moved up to the k25 Where there was a whole slew of young and eager jumpers ready to test the bottom of the hill. Landon and Avery both had solid jumps and bringing home the silver and bronze in the J5 class. Young Rory Riggins who jumped in the J4 class on the k25 had two respectful jumps and also ended up on the podium in 2nd.
With a short break between the small hills for lunch we than moved up to the main event in the afternoon on the K50. On the K50 we had about half the field representing NYSEF and they did not disappoint. In the J2 class we had Luke and Miles taking first and second with Nate showing huge signs of improvement coming in fourth. As for the ladies there were only two brave enough to take the plunge and it was Danielle and Annie showing some of the boys how it was done both having solid jumps and a smile on their faces every time they came back up. Zach cleaned up in the J1 class winning by over 80 points and also coming close to breaking the hill record held by Jonathan "The Featha" Kling.
I hope we can keep rolling tomorrow as we will be in Hanover to test our metal on the K10,K20,K30 and the cross course! Should be a good one.
Evan
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Vancouver jumping team named... NYSEF alumni take 2 of 3 spots!
A hearty congratulations to Saranac Lake's Pete Frenette and Lebanon, NH native Nick Alexander, both alums of the NYSEF Grasshopper and Elite programs. Come February they'll be Vancouver-bound representing the Yanks in the 2010 games.
Read the official US Ski Team Press Release: http://www.usskiteam.com/jumping/news?storyId=2345
Make us proud, boys!
Pete Frenette
Nick Alexander
Pete Frenette (right in green) imparting jumping wisdom onto future members of the 2014 Olympic team during the second LEARN TO FLY WEDNESDAY
It's Wednesday...
... and Zach Zientko has been training for months for this.
See you at 3pm!
Dave and Evan
Busy Upcoming Weekend for NYSEF SJ/NC
That's right... busy weekend for Team NYSEF this weekend with the Hanover Oak Hill/ Lebanon Storrs Hill and Harry Eldridge Memorial Series crammed into one weekend. Here's the down low sched:
Saturday 1/23:
- Lebanon NH/ Storrs Hill Extravaganza K-25, K-50 competitions with Nordic Combined race to follow on the Storrs Hill XC tracks.
- NYSEF Harry Eldridge Memorial Skate Race, Lake Placid NY: 12 noon individual start all entrants. Complete details on the NYSEF XC website: http://nysef.org/vanhoevenberg.html
Sunday 1/24:
- Hanover NH/Oak Hill K-15, K-32 competitions with Nordic Combined race to follow on the illustrious Oak Hill XC trails.
- NYSEF Harry Eldridge Memorial Classic Race, Lake Placid NY: 10am mass start by age group with Bill Koch races to follow. Complete details on the NYSEF XC website: http://nysef.org/vanhoevenberg.html
All meets are super-spectator friendly with age categories for all athletes. So cram all the free-heeled boards you can find into your car, pick a competition, and give 'er!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
This just in... Bill Demong is awesome at Nordic Combined
In case you haven't been closely following the US Nordic Combined squad's recent rise to dominance in the World Cup, tune in. Todd Lodwick, Johnny Spillane (both of Steamboat Springs) and Vermontville/NYSEF's own Bill Demong have been rather busy turning in stellar finishes in the recent pre-Olympic World Cup events. Due to poor weather at the recent Val di Fiemme World Cup, provisional jumps were used, which helped bump Bill into the top spot after a rippin' 10k frenzy.
A great highlight video from Universal Sports can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XZdjNCXJ0s
Here's another clip of Bill's textbook jumping form in Chaux Neuve, France. Tricks of the trade he picked up on LP's 18 meter hill, no doubt. Make sure to root for Bill come February!
Tuesday is the new Friday
Thank god it's Tuesday! For the jumping schedule, that is. Just a reminder that Friday's 3-5 Grasshopper practice (1/22) has been moved to this afternoon from 3-5pm due to the World Cup Freestyle/Aerials Competition taking place later this week. So come out for some rides while the weather's fine.
Also, if you've never seen aerials in action, make sure to come out and watch this week! While it's only about 1/13th the fun and excitement of ski jumping, it's still a thrill to watch. Watch out for former Boathouse Restaurant host/cashier Matt DePeters in the mix, he's gearing up for the Olympics and will surely throw down at his home hill!
Wednesday is... tomorrow!
That's right! Tomorrow from 3-5:30 marks the third exciting installment of LEARN TO FLY
WEDNESDAYS! It's a long time slot, so feel free to come and go as you please, as long as you take some rides, sip some cocoa and watch some jumps on our 2008 Season Highlight Video.
Not sure what LEARN TO FLY WEDNESDAYS are all about? No problem, check out our article for the local newspaper: http://nysefskijumping.blogspot.com/2010/01/learn-to-fly-wednesday-clinics-soar-to.html
Still have questions? Shoot Coaches Dave or Evan an email at blisster101@yahoo.com or david.mccahill@gmail.com
See you tomorrow!
Oh, and check out this sweet pic of NYSEF athetes Joey Izzo, Will Fieroh and Vermontville Nordic Combined ace Nate Capone shredding the J2 Boys Mass Start Mania at this past weekend's Rumford Eastern Cup Festival. Way to rip, boys!
New Blog! Yee-haw!
As if your life didn't need one more phenomenal distraction. You're welcome. We're psyched to launch the spiciest new official blog of the New York Ski Educational Foundation Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined squad. Check up often for updates on training and competition, exclusive interviews with coaches and athletes, and killer pics and vid proving that those rides past K really did happen.
So take the New York Times off of your bookmark list, because you'll get the freshest jumping news here.
Dave & Evan
Monday, January 18, 2010
Vermont Academy
So it was an early morning drive on Jan. 16th down to Saxtons River Vt. with Annie Frenette and two new comers to the sport of ski jumping Rory Riggens and Gabby Armstrong. The Meet started a little late but no one really seemed to mind getting in some more practice rides before the comp seeing it was a beautiful sunny day with the temps up in the 40s. We met up with Alex, Avery,Payton,Grant,Luke,and Matt down there and everyone jumped pretty well for how warm and sloppy the snow was. Payton and Grant cleaned house on the k-5 once again while Rory and Gabby impressed me with how quickly they had taken to their new jumping equipment on the k-10! Avery and Alex showed improvement on the K18 both putting down solid jumps to put them up towards the top of the field.
With all of the smaller hills out of the way we moved up to the k-30 where Luke, Matt and Annie had to ski in some sloppy conditions but showed with there solid skiing skills it would not hold them back from going to the bottom of the hill. The cross country race looked like it took a lot of work to finish with snow conditions looking like mash potato's but everyone skied strong and no one gave up and dropped out which was great to see that they all had no quit in them. Really pumped on all the kids that have been in the sport for years now and the improvenmets that they have made over the time I have been watching them and also happy to see tons of new kids coming into the program and picking up ski jumping like its no big deal!
Looking forward to next weekend in Hanover/Lebanon!
Evan
Wonder who's behind the wheel of NYSEF Ski Jumping and NC? Meet our handsome coaching staff!
Head Coach Casey Colby
An avid tele skier, cut-throat bowler, golf guru and savvy traveler, Casey works primarily with our elite athletes, but isn't afraid to shape young talent on the 48 and 18 meter hills.
Small Hills Director Evan Bliss
Peruse some recent results of ski jumping competitions around the country and you'll be hard pressed not to dig up the Palmares of NYSEF Small Hills Head Coach Evan Bliss. Countless wins at the Empire State Games. Lead dog for the US at World Junior Championships, 2003, Sollaftea Sweden. Toed at the line by US Ski teamer Andrew Weibrecht in the ultra-prestigious Lake Placid Lead Dog Ski Meister Extravaganza. You name it, he's been there. Coach Bliss now brings his wealth of knowledge and experience in top-level ski jumping to the NYSEF youth development program. Former National Sports Foundation Small Hills coach in Park City, Utah, Evan has the know-how and experience to help our area juniors become top-level athletes.
When not shaping young minds on the jump hill, you'll find Coach Bliss carving the slopes of Whiteface, tearing apart the fairways of the Lake Placid Resort links, and reeling in lunkers out of the Ausable West branch. Just don't ask him where-- secrets of the trade.
Co-director of the LEARN TO FLY WEDNESDAYS program, Evan is a top resource for any and all info for young and aspiring flyers. Contact him at evanb@nysef.org
Nordic Combined and Small Hills Coach David McCahill
The catch phrase, "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined" well encompasses the personality which is Small Hills and Nordic Combined coach David McCahill. A former scholar of Environmental Science and Public Policy and Captain of the Harvard Nordic Ski Team, David now shoulders the duty of young jumper development with Evan Bliss. A graduate of the NYSEF elite Nordic Combined program, David's ski career took him across the country, culminating with the overall title of LP Lead Dog Ski Meister, 2003. A competitor in numerous National and World Cup B competitions, David is now imparting his experience onto young athletes taking their first leaps off the Intervale K-18 ski flying hill.
A fan of aerobic-oriented pursuits in addition to adrenaline activities, David enjoys shredding local backcountry on tele boards, skating smooth tracks at Mt. van Ho, and partaking in local bike and triathlon events. For the record, he has been known to knock a few drives past Evan and Casey on the links, but his short game most often leaves him beached in sand or hacking out of the rough.
Co-Director of the LEARN TO FLY WEDNESDAYS program, David can be reached at davem@nysef.org
To meet these Nordic gurus in person, come out for LEARN TO FLY WEDNESDAYS, swing by the NYSEF Office at the ski jumps, or during the warmer months, track 'em down on the LPR Links Course!
NYSEF Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Grips and Rips at Andover Jump Fest!
Some chilly temps and gusty winds didn't seem to phase the NYSEF SJ and NC crew this past weekend. January 10th marked the annual Andover, NH Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Festival at the world-renowned Blackwater Hill facility. Comps were held on the K5, 18, 34 and 38. And, yep, you guessed it, NYSEF athletes threw down.
The K5 meet was ruled by up and coming NYSEF stars Payton and Grant Thurston. Stick with it, boys- identical twins seem to have a pretty good track record in the sport of Nordic Combined!
Young flyers Alex Hohman, Avery Thurston and newcomer Landon Livreri threw deep in the 18 meter class, with Alex winning the J-4 class and Avery and Landon taking 5th and 2nd, respectively. Nicely done, boys.
The 38 meter class saw some deep rides, with seasoned vets Nate Capone, Miles "Milos" Lussi, Annie Frenette, Matt Doyle, Sam Shapiro and Luke Daniels all showing the swarming spectator crowd how it's done.
The crew then ditched their long boards for the skinnies, hammering the juicy Blackwater XC trail network. Special shout-out to Alex Hohman, Nate Capone, Sam Shapiro and Annie Frenette for taking top honors in their categories! Yee-haw! Check out this killer pic of Miles pipping AOC's Matt Doyle at the line. Epic.
All in all a fantastic weekend with some long jumps and sharp skiing. Check back soon for results from next weekend's jaunt to the Vermont Academy Hills in Saxton's River!
"Learn to Fly Wednesday" Clinics Soar to Early Success!
Come February, the international spotlight will be focused on NYSEF alum Bill Demong and his teammates on the US Nordic Combined squad in Vancouver. But on Wednesday evenings in January, the spotlights are pointed squarely at the youngsters scrambling up the snowy steps of the McKenzie-Intervale K-18 meter hill. As part of the new “Learn to Fly Wednesdays” series run through the New York Ski Educational Foundation, young athletes six years of age and older have the opportunity to enjoy a safe, fun introduction to the exciting sport of ski jumping.
With the allure of free snacks and hot cocoa in the base lodge, skiers are first taught the fundamentals of inrun and body position in a small “ski-play” area. From there, youngsters progress to a small K-5 bump before evenutally moving up to the K-18 meter, allowing athletes to soar up to 60 feet. With over thirty participants in each of the first two clinics, NYSEF ski jumping coaches Evan Bliss and David McCahill couldn't be more enthusiastic. “It's all about fun here at Learn to Fly Wednesdays”, said Bliss. “This season we noticed a drop in participation for our introductory Grasshopper program, so we schemed up these fun-oriented “Learn to Fly Wednesday” clinics as a fun, inexpensive way for kids to experience jumping”.
Reaching athletes for comment proved difficult as after carving a sharp hockey-stop on the outrun, most youngsters frantically shouldered their new oversize boards and bolted back to the top for another leap. But after triumphantly executing his first jump on the K-18 meter, Keene Valley native Aiden Daniels exclaimed, “It's terrific! Flying through the air-- it's the most exciting thing I've ever done!” Bill Demong beware, fueled by cocoa and snack mix, the next batch of local flyers will soon be hot on your heels!
The “Learn to Fly Wednesday” clinics will continue on Wednesday January 20th and 27th. The sessions take place at the base lodge of the McKenzie-Intervale complex from 3-5:30pm at a cost of $5 each. Athletes 6 years of age and older are welcome to attend and should bring a helmet, downhill ski boots and skis. As athletes progress, jumping equipment is provided free of charge. Contact Evan Bliss at blisster101@yahoo.com for more information.
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