Thanks to all the volunteers, coaches and racers for putting on an outstanding Interclub race. As Interclub has swelled to over 300 racers there has been a lot of discussion on how to get through the day before the sun sets. We always seem to pull it off. A lot of support from the MT management, course crew, ski patrol and Steve allows us to get out there early and keep it on track. Coaches from all the mountains were pleased and I got to see a lot of happy faces at the finish.

We only have 3 days until the race and we still need to fill out the volunteer spots. I am trying to ensure that we can have reasonable shifts and no one gets overloaded.

To this end we really need some more people on the scoreboard so that no one is there for a long period. We also need a bit more help with gatekeeping, which is a great way to participate in the race.

Please volunteer and make our race a success.

Contact Peter Chudy peterchudy@mac.com

Berkshire East U19 Slalom scheduled for 2-6-16 will now be moved to 2-7-16 and open to U16 athletes

Jiminy Peak U19 GS on 2-7-16 CANCELLED

Laura Sullivan
TSASRA Administrator

Our home race is less than a week away and we still need more people to sign up for support. Historically, we have been able to get our race, which is one of the largest turnouts, off smoothly with the help of the mountain and race crew. This only will happen if we can get enough parents to participate.

We still need gatekeepers, which does not take experience and provides a great perspective of the race. We also need score board help and a few more at registration.

Contact Peter Chudy at peterchudy@mac.com and help our race be a success.

Greetings IC parents,

Perseverance triumphed over ideal training conditions leading up to our initial race for the 2016 season. Results can be categorized as incredible, no phenomenal. Catamount parents accompanied a total of 76 racers to Blandford. In attendance were an even number of boys and girls; 38 each. Results from this race surpass any opening race day in the past 15 years; or any previous race during this period.

A total of 27 racers, 36%, powered their way to podium recognition (i. e., top 5 places). On this day, boys led the charge with 16 top five finishes, or 42% of their total, and girls captured 11 top five spots, or 29% of their respective total. Working our way down the depth chart, we can observe that numbers are even more impressive. Catamount racers commandeered 43 top 10 finishes, or 57% of our racers achieved this result. Slicing the pie into smaller pieces, we see that 20 girls or 53%, competed ski-to-ski tip with our boys. Boys added 7 additional racers to round out their total of 23 top tens. Viewed in another light, 61% of our boys raced to a top 10 finish.

From a group perspective, top honors are bestowed upon our boys 7 & U class. The podium was a canvas of Catamount racers for this class. Several additional racers within this group “edged” their way into a top 10 finish. Girls class 11 and boys age 10 are close behind. But for now, boys 7 & U rule!

Yes results occupy our attention, and rightfully so. But the racer who shows up for training with a smile and returns for a 2nd run in spite of falling short of his/her expectation for the 1st run deserves equal attention and recognition. Skill improvement and acknowledgement of a racer’s effort to refine their skills remain a priority of our program. This aspect of the learning process can be molded and influence race results. We continue to emphasize this aspect of ski racing over achieving a particular result. Attitude counts.

Regards,

John Greaser

There is little time left before the Catamount Race on Feb 7th and we need volunteers. It is may be the biggest race of the season as Catamount attendance is so high.

Being able to have a home race really helps our kids as they will have the opportunity to train on the race hill and there is a large comfort factor. It is something our Tristate racers unfortunately have to live with out. Holding this race, as with all the races, is dependent on volunteers.

Right now I am drawing up the volunteer lists: We will need people to act as gatekeepers, run scoreboard, registration, take bibs and set up the awards. You do not have to have any experience. We will also provide written instructions to score keepers.

please contact me at peterchudy@mac.com

Peter Chudy
Head of Parents Association

We were sadden to hear about Bill Gilbert’s passing last week. He was a driving force in Catamount’s and the ski industries development. Bill came from that WWII generation of veteran’s that left an impact on the ski industry all over this country. Their legacy can be seen on every young racers smile at the finish line.

The Parents Association has made a donation to the STRIDE Adaptive Sports Foundation in Bill’s name.

Obituary for Mr William Gilbert

William “Bill” Gilbert, 89, formerly of South Egremont, died Monday evening at Berkshire Medical Center.

For many years he was president and general manager of Catamount Ski Area in South Egremont MA/Hillsdale NY, Bill started his career in the skiing industry in the early 1950s as a snowmaker and operator of Fahnstock Ski Area in Harriman, NY and Silvermine Ski Area at Bear Mountain, both New York State Park ski areas. In 1960 Bill and business partners Don Edwards and brother Sandy Gilbert designed and built Sterling Forest Ski Area in Tuxedo, NY. In 1967 he co-invented the first airless snow machine and started his company Snow Machines International (SMI) In addition to being a pioneer in the snowmaking industry, he was the east coast and European distributor of Tucker Snow Cats. He was recognized for his commitment and contribution to the skiing industry in when 2006 he received the Ski Areas of New York Hall of Fame Award, and in 2009 he was presented with the National Ski Area Association’s Sherman Adams Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was born in Brooklyn, NY on Dec. 30, 1926, the son of Morris and Florence Kirschman Goldberg. He served in the US Navy during WWII and earned a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Syracuse University in 1952.

He and his wife, Grace Cohan Gilbert, were married Sept. 9, 1951. Grace died Feb. 17, 2004.
Bill is survived by a daughter, Patti Serden and her husband Scott of Beverly Hills, CA; a son, Tom Gilbert and his wife Beverly of Lenox; and grandchildren Kelli and Heather Serden, both of Los Angeles, CA and Matthew Gilbert of Lenox. He is also survived by his longtime ski business partner and good friend Don Edwards.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be at Catamount Ski Area on Saturday April 16, 2016. In lieu of flowers, a donation in his memory may be made to STRIDE Adaptive Sports or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, both in care of the ROCHE FUNERAL HOME, 120 Main Street, Lenox, MA 01240.

Butternut will have a two run GS race AND SkillsQuest (SQ) next weekend. They want all the kids to inspect in the morning and set times for SkillQuest, where older kids will do SQ events while younger kids are racing.

Parents please be ready for kids 10+ to participate in the SQ events after inspection, with younger kids going after their race run.

SkillQuest events will be 3 stations, Pole Jumping, Inside Skiing, and straight run to sideslip. Please see USSA website for more details.

They will not go over the skillsquest results or give out awards for the skillsquest portion until later in the season, probably at the Bousquet race.

Blandfold results are posted on the race team page

Mohawk is holding its U16 SL race on Saturday Feb 6th. As the program is smaller and other race groups are away they are asking for some help form parents that are attending. A key need is gate keepers. Please contact Peter Chudy at peterchudy@mac.com if you are willing to help.