Although our numbers (52 combined racers) did not match our total attendance @ ther Catamount home race, the spirit and enthusiasm racers took to the Otis SL course was highly contagious. An almost equal number of boys (27) and girls (24) searched for the optimal tactics to gain an advantage as they negotiated back -to-back multiple combination courses.

Seventeen Catamount racers earned a trip to the podium (33% of total); nine girls and 8 boys. Close on the heels of our top 5 finishers were 6 additional Cat racers who earned top 10 honors (4 girls and 2 boys). Catamount racers secured 8 first place honors out of a possible 13. This accomplishment amounts to 62% out of 100%. Five boys and 3 girls set down sizzling times to achieve this feat. Bouncing back from a DNF at the butternut SL, Nico Capalo smoked the boy’s competition with the fasted combined time for the day.

Over the years the US Alpine Ski Team has brought to the world stage, in any given year, 2 to 3 racers of notoriety. In recent times 3 racers that garner our attention are Ligety, Miller and Vonn. But you know what, the US Team cannot boast a “Fab Five.” Yes, the U of Michigan and more recently UCONN women’s B ball teams have have attempted to enamor us. However, none of these teams can lay a finger on our own Fab Five U11 girls. Winifred Mann, Delphine Cohen, Clare Howard, Morgan Weinberg and the most recent addition,Laurentia Bentivolglio, have claimed the top five positions in their division week after week.

Most of us by now have read emails or listened in on discussions regarding the upcoming Piche Invitational. Qualifying for one of the 2 female delegates from our IC league is Winifred Mann. Throughout the course of the season Wini has demonstrated through her consistent effort and times that she deserves the # one female qualifier position. Equally deserving is Delphine Cohen who earned the second delegate recognition. Unfortunately, she is confronted with a conflict of schedule and will not be able to attend. Clare Howard has advanced to the girls alternate position. Way to Go Girls!

Lastly, congratulations to every Catamount team member for going the distance and giving your best effort this past weekend. With one remaining race, Bousquet, let’s set our sights on increasing our attendance and thoroughly enjoy the finale. We look forwrd to the returning presence of our U8s.

Regards,

John Greaser

For the second year in a row, Catamount IC racers eclipsed the century mark (101) for participants at the Catamount home race. Initially, it appeared we were in for a long day as the medical response for a fallen racer seemed to take an exceedingly long time to address. However, after this minor interruption, the race resumed without additional interruption as the two runs were completed in relatively short duration. A thank you is in order for the Catamount support team including, timing officials, course setting crew and statisticians for their part in optimizing the almost fault-free operation. Koodos to parent volunteers for your contributions to the event’s success.

The total number of Catamount participants included 47 girls and 54 boys. Our 9 year old girls registered 15 racers. This number accounted for the most catamount racers in any class. They represented over half of the participants in this class. They were followed by eleven year old boys with a total of 13 competitors. From a result perspective, Catamount racers earned top 5 honors in 13 out fourteen listed classes. In nine of these divisions, Catamount sent multiple recipients to the podium. Our boys achieved 15 top 5 awards, whereas IC girls secured 12 top five positions. Stretching finishes out to top 10 honors the numbers look like this; 25 girls (53% of total) and 27 boys (50% of total) qualified for this recognition. The Jets and Patriots can’t boast this type of balance. For that matter, the Austrian and Swiss teams can’t either.

Although our U8 girls and boys began the season with a tentative start at Blandford, they announced their arrival with an explanation mark at the Catamount race. They are a force to be reckoned with. Our girls in this division recorded two top 5s and five top 10 finishes. Virtually our entire contingent in this division deserve recognition for thier stellar performance and rise in skill development. The same observation holds true for our youngest boys. Two members raced to a top 5 finish and 4 additional compadres made the top 10 list (nearly 50% of total).

Never before in the recorded annals of Western Mass IC racing has a sweep of the podium occured by any one team. Hold on there bronco Billy. We can now confidently claim that an exception has occured. Our 11 year old girls have changed the course of history. This Catamount contingent finished 1-5. Our first and fifth finishers were separated by a mere 2 seconds. Here is an example of how persistence and a dedicated work ethic can lead to rewarding outcomes. This solid group of racers has demonstrated continual upward momentum in aspects of tactics intelligence and skill development over the course of the past 5 years.

Lastly in the rewards department, Catamount racers earned five first place divisional finishes (36%) out of a total of 14 divisions. Recognition for fastest boy on the mountain was achieved by Catamount’s U14 Adam Hess. Congratulations to all Catamount racers for giving your best effort in a highly competitive race.

Regards,
John Greaser

Greetings,

After completing a productive month of training in every imaginable form of climatic episode, Catamount IC racers traveled to Blandford for the perennial kick off to the race season. 78 (38 girls & 40 boys) racers brought family and friends to enjoy the first GS of the season. Although natural cover was sparse, Blandford operations personnel managed to provide adequate cover; in spite of repairing broken water lines through the night and grooming the freshly made snow only a few hours before the start of the first run.

Ten of our newest and youngest racers (U8s) tested their skills and knowledge at this inaugural race event. An equal number of girls and boys charged out of the start gate. The five U8 girls skied to a top ten finish with one racer, Lillian Dase, achieving a podium spot. Two U8 boys raced to a solid top 10 finish.

Looking at our total girl contingent, we can identify 21 top 10 finishers (55% of total) while 11 advanced to a top 5 (29% of total) finish. In both of these result categories boys were a few shy of matching the girls results. At the end of the day, 16 boys (40% ) raced to a top 10 finish, whereas 8 (20% of total) climbed onto the podium.

Top honors for the most consistent results of the day belongs to the 5 girls comprising our U12/11 contingent. The entire group secured a top “6” finish. Given that 14 total divisions exist, 7 girl and 7 boy, 14 first place awards are possible (excluding ties). Catamount racers achieved 3 of these notable awards. As noted in an earlier posting, Pia Whyte (first year racer) earned recognition for the fastest girl on the hill.

Congratulations to all competitors for your commitment to become better skiers and racers. Next race is on our home turf. Parents please note that it’s not to early to inform Peter Chudy of your preference for race day duties.

Regards,

John Greaser

One of the key positions that needs to be filled for Catamount’s home race on February 1 is that of gate judge. If you are interested in taking on this responsibility please email me this week. An informational meeting will be held in the small room located in the Taconic Bubble this coming Saturday @ 11:30. If anyone has volunteered as a gate judge in the past and would like to serve as a “chief gate judge”, please let me know via email or this weekend.

Thanks.

John Greaser

Monday is not an official/organized day of training. Inter Club training is scheduled for the normal Saturday-Sunday time frame during this Holiday weekend..

Thanks.

John Greaser

During the course of the past month, we have been fortunate to have Shiau-Sing as a member of the IC Coaching Staff. She has enriched our program with her racing experience and knowledge applied to technical and tactical aspects of ski racing. In particular, she has been a dedicated role model for our aspiring higher-level female racers. Her inspiring work ethic and tenacious attitude has affected her students in a positive manner. From observations, it is evident that her prodigies respectfully respond to her teaching style. Although results do not paint the total picture of one’s contribution to any endeavor, the recent Blandford score card validates Shiau-Sing’s complete contribution to our program. By my count a total 13 of girls benefited from Shiau-Sing’s coaching this past month. The entire contingent earned a top 10 finish. Eight of these racers achieved a top 5 finish. In the girls U11/12 division, Catamount racers were one shy of coming away with a sweep of the 5 podium spots. The over all female finisher was Pia Whyte, Catamount U13/14.

We would like to extend our gratitude and well-wishes as Shiau-sing resumes her academic pursuits and embarks on her racing schedule for the 2015 collegiate season.

Shiau-Sing, we welcome your return when your schedule permits you to do so. “May the Force Be With You” as you address challenges both in the class room and race course.

Coach John and Staff

Greetings All,

This past summer under the direction of USSA and the US State Dept., one of our Catamount IC coaches traveled to a small Tibetan village in the Himalayan Mountains. Coach Ky Tek accepted the assignment with open arms to meet with the Dalai Lama for the purpose of discussing technical aspects of boot fitting for junior racers. You say why a meeting with the Dalai Lama. Well, prior to accepting his official promotion to the 14th Dalai Lama and taking on the charge of promoting peace and social justice around the world, he apprenticed in a prestigious boot manufacturing shop; MT Everest Boot Fitters Guild. In an attempt to stay a step ahead of the Austrian, Italion and French world cup teams, Ky Tek jumped at the opportunity. The following report is a summary of the information shared by the Dalai Lama. We can not divulge the exact location where the meeting took place in order to keep this information from falling into the hands of the above world cup teams. I can vouch for the accuracy of Coach Ky Tek’s report, but not for the validity of the story setting the tone of this report. Coach Ky Tek has a wealth of technical knowledge, please feel free to approach him with your questions on the slope.

Regards,
John Greaser
I would like to add a bit about the equipment (boots and undergarments in particular). I hope you could post it (but I will relay completely on your judgment with that —

The most important part of your child’s gear is the boot.
the comfort of the boots and the way they are fitted will make or brake your child’s day.
below are several pointers that I would like to share with you when it comes to a comfortable boot fitting.

— I am assuming that your child’s boots are of the correct size. with younger children it is not a huge deal if a boot is up to one size bigger (they feet grow so it will not be a disaster if the boot is a bit bigger). those of you who rent the equipment for the season may not need to worry about larger boots, because many rental places will accommodate your child’s growing feet. keep in mind, however, that the boot selection in the beginning of the season is very much different from what is available in the middle of it. if your child likes the boots and feels comfortable in them, it may be a more prudent approach to rent a bit larger boot and keep it for the season, rather than relay on exchanging the boots in the middle of it, and getting the last dusted pair from the forgotten corner of the store.

— please make sure that, when you are gearing up your child for the day of skiing, the front part of the sock (the part that covers your child’s shin) is smooth and not wrinkled, and that a possible undergarment is also not wrinkled on the front of the leg. if the warm undergarment is used and does not fit tightly on the leg, it can be folded in the back of the leg, with the front remaining smooth and wrinkle free. there is a profound logic behind why this is very important: the only way a skier can control her/his skis is by pressing with the shin onto the inside part of the tongue, i.e. the front of the boot. the more pressure exerted there, the better control of the skis. if the socks and/or undergarments are wrinkled in that area of the leg, after a while of pressing, the leg will start aching. with the aching leg there will be less pressure that the child is willing to put onto the front of the boot, and, consequently, with less pressure, there will be less control of the skis. all other lower body clothes should be worn outside of the boot. that applies to overall long pants, ski pants with attached to them snow shields, and/or ski racing suit leggings.

— the boots should be buckled tightly. not to the point of discomfort, but tightly. the best way of determining that is by snapping the buckle back. if there is no resistance in the buckle, and the buckle is “limp,” so to speak, the boot is not buckled tightly enough.

— later, when your child will start skiing more competitively and graduates to the tri-state level, it may be a good idea to look for a qualified boot fitter to fit your child’s race boots to the racing standard. ask other parents and coaches who, in their opinion, is a good boot fitter. there are many boot fitters out there, but there are very few good ones.

— every child tolerates the outside temperatures differently. you know the best what is the proper choice of clothes for your child. keep in mind, however, that your children will be moving while on the hill. they may be feeling much warmer from you, if you choose to stand and watch them ski. try to make sure that they are not overdressed. by the same token, encourage your child to talk to his/her coach if she/he feels cold. there is the provision in our training regiments on particularly cold days that allows, if not encourages, recess for those children who feel cold.

thank you and enjoy the season.