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KMS student-athletes opened the 2011-12 winter competition season with a FIS slalom at Neustift, Austria, followed shortly by the Copper Mountain, Colo., Grand Prix halfpipe event. The Austrian race starts—Tuesday's slalom and an upcoming pair of giant slaloms—provide athletes targeting top-level junior competitions throughout the season a chance to experience both an elevated level of competition as well as the overall experience of a European race trip. In the U.S., Dan Rosenblum's Grand Prix start will mark the first World Cup-level start for a KMS Freeskiing Team athlete and another indication that the program continues to grow.
The KMS racers in Austria—Kyle Burcin, Mike Ferri, and Cameron Price—got in two training days on the Stubai glacier before the first scheduled race on Monday, December 5. Eight inches of snow hampered that plan; despite the race organizers' best efforts—including bringing five snowcats onto the racing hill for a last groom at 8:30 a.m.—the race was cancelled.
Tuesday's slalom at Neustift benefitted from better weather, but the recent snow made for a tough surface. The athletes' first runs were "far from what they are doing in training," a condition Coach Jack Bailey ascribed to racing in Europe with surnames such as Matt and Schild on the start list. Jack helped the athletes regroup before the second run, where the athletes' skiing was "much better," although Mike straddled a gate and Kyle hooked a tip, leaving Cameron the sole KMS finisher. All three racers will take today off to rest and recharge in preparation for a couple days of training and a pair of GS races. On Wednesday morning, Dan Rosenblum put in two strong runs in the qualification round of the Copper Mountain, Colo., Grand Prix superpipe competition. This is the opening event of the 2011-12 FIS Freeskiing World Cup schedule and is one of several upper-level competitions on Dan's schedule as a result of his success in the 2010-11 season. With the guidance of Coach DJ Montigny, Dan has continued to work hard over the summer, at on-snow camps, on the water ramps, and in building fitness; he should be even more exciting to watch this season as he continues to move up the ladder in halfpipe competition. Dan's runs scored a 49.0 and a 51.6, good enough for 11th place in his heat, but not quite strong enough to make a finals field including top skiers such as Mike Riddle and Simon Dumont. Dan will continue top-level competition next week in Breckenridge, Colo., where he will compete in the Nike 6.0 Dew Tour Qualifier. Watch the KSC/KMS Freestyle and Freeskiing Team blog at http://kmsfreestylecoach.blogspot.com for more updates on Dan and the rest of the freeskiing team.
The 37th winter at KMS opened on Sunday, Nov. 6. After dorm residents were given a chance to move in and student-athletes and parents met with teachers in the morning—with a few getting a chance at the snowboard team’s new slack line—the KMS food service crew put on a delicious lunch in the Revelon Dining Room. KMS head chef Rhonda Benoit’s spread of sandwiches, salad, and delicious chili fueled an afternoon that began with the now-traditional community meeting in the gym. Head of School Tao Smith greeted the community, highlighted some of the personnel changes since April, and reviewed two important parts of the KMS experience—recognition of those who allow our student-athletes to pursue their dreams and accepting the possibility of failure, along with the opportunity to learn from it, when taking risks. If you weren’t able to make it to the community meeting, see below for highlights. From the community meeting, student-athletes and parents went to sport-specific meetings with coaches and program directors to review the athletic programs for each group of athletes. Finally, day students and all parents left before dorm students and staff held the first dorm meeting of the year, featuring both active learning exercises presented by Skye Whitehurst and the usual beginning-of-the-year overview of logistics, provided in conjunction with flying candy by Phil Anderson, who has been named head of dorm.
The inaugural quarter of the KMS Nine-Month Program comes to a close this Friday, November 4, with 12 student-athletes representing four sports disciplines—alpine ski racing, freestyle skiing, freeskiing, and cycling—having spent the previous three months engaged in small-group classes on the KMS campus. On Sunday, November 6, they will join the student-athletes in the five-month program to celebrate the start of the 37th winter at KMS.
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