Black Bear Award - Tommy Shantler

Congratulations to Tommy Shantler, who was given the Black Bear Award at Wednesday's all-school meeting. Tommy is a 12th grade Alpine athlete who comes to KMS from Williamsville, NY. He was nominated for this award by coaches Tom Sell and Jack Bailey for taking on a leadership role during a recent training trip to Stubai, Austria. Tommy took charge of a somewhat rowdy lift line situation (as is often the norm in European countries) and turned it around for the positive, communicating with the mountain's Piston Chief and other officials, and coming up with a plan of attack for managing and negating and potential future lift line unruliness from that point forward. Tommy's teammates stepped up and upheld the plan throughout the trip, and ultimately, the Piston Chief told the others at the daily hill space meetings, "We should all be managing this like the American group. Watch what they are doing; it's excellent!" Excellent work representing the school, Tommy, and in turning around a not so great situation and making it into a positive one.