Summer training projects offer opportunities for young athletes

Sep 8, 2016

3 min read

While summer offers some down time for Killington Mountain School students and staff, the push forward never really stops. Athletes of all disciplines participated in a variety of training projects and competitions over the summer, both nationally and internationally, in an effort to continually evolve and improve.

KMS SNOWBOARD AND CROSS:

The summer commenced with Mazie Hayden and Matt Miller traveling to Mt Hood for USSA Project Gold Cross. Coach Jeff Juneau shared, “The trip went very well, with great training and lots of progress. It was very exciting to have multiple KMS athletes asked to participate in USSA Project Gold for Ski and SnowboardCross. We were able to race with the top US Junior athletes, and train with US national team. ”

Just about the time everyone arrived back at KMS, EK Robinson-Leith and Mazie hopped on a plane and headed down to Australia for training and their first FIS Cross starts. Coach Juneau gave a recap: “We were gone from August 22 through September 7th. The girls trained and raced with me as well as with Former Canadian SkiCross head coach Eric Archer and multiple World Cup athletes. We trained and prepared with members of the Australian National Ski and SnowboardCross teams including two time World Cup overall SnowboardCross champion Alex “Chumpy” Pullin, multiple Women’s SnowboardCross World Cup winner Belle Brockhoff, and SkiCross World Cup athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim.

Race day started very rough weather-wise, but we were able to make it through inspection and practice under cloudy skies. As soon as we were ready for heats, the clouds let a hazy sun through to light up our doubleheader of Cross races.

Mazie and EK worked hard, remained focus, and crushed their races. Mazie earned a fourth in her first race, and her first podium with a third place in her second run! In her first race, Emilie-Kate matched her fifth place qualifier with a fifth place finish. In her second race, EK took advantage of a better bracket position to earn her first FIS podium with a second place!

International travel, a new level of competition, and very challenging weather conditions can be overwhelming. Mazie and EK were able to follow their preparation process all week in training, and follow up with executing in competition by continually maximizing their opportunities. Podium results at their first FIS events with international competition was more than we had expected.”

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KMS FREESTYLE:

Kris Pepe shared, “The KMS Freestyle Team has hosted nearly 40 days of summer programing. Time has been split between water ramp training at Lake Placid NY and on snow training in Whistler British Columbia. Over 30 athletes form the KMS and the KSC have participated in summer training this year.

Alex Lewis, Cam Robinson and Boost athlete Adam Steifel were invited to the US Team’s “Young Guns” camp in Park City Utah. The camp is an invitation only talent ID program meant to show up and coming athletes what it is like to train with he US Freestyle Ski Team.

KMS athlete and KMS alum and also new members of the US Freestyle Ski Team, Hannah Soar and Abe Studler, have spent their summer living and training in Park City, Utah. As school begins they are skiing in Australia and are scheduled to compete in the Australian National Championship later this month.”

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KMS ALPINE:

Alpine athletes traveled to Mt. Hood for several weeks of training over the summer with the alpine staff, where U10-U14 athletes focused on basic fundamental free skiing, with a progression into slalom and giant slalom gate training.

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After a successful camp in Hintertux, Austria early in the in summer, the alpine group traveled to Saas Fee, Switzerland where they continued working on fundamental progression with a concentration on SL, GS, and Super G in outstanding conditions. Alpine Program Director, Tom Sell spoke about the camp, "The variety and quality of the training venues in Saas Fee provided an amazing opportunity for our athletes to continue their development."

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KMS SUMMER SESSIONS:

Athletes who were in the Killington area this August benefitted from Director of Athlete Development Gar Trayner’s Summer Sessions, week-long camps for 10-18 year olds focused on athletic development, where participants were coached in multi-sport environments to help develop athletic literacy and capacity, all while having fun. Participants met on campus each morning where they completed drills both indoors and out, guided by Gar and his expert staff of coaches, and followed by lunch. After lunch the group embarked on a fun outing each day, including activities like stand up paddle boarding, rock climbing, hiking, soccer, and swimming. Be sure to get in on these awesome camps next summer. A group of returning participants have already signed on for 2017′s Summer Sessions!