Dryland camp

I hope everyone has been enjoying their first few weeks out of school.  And I hope everyone has working hard with the dryland program.  The first dryland camp is right around the corner, make sure you let us know that your coming and if you need housing.  Also make sure to get your release form in to Barn as soon as possible.  Enjoy the fourth of July and be ready to work hard when you get to school on the 10th.

Racing this past weekend in VT

Another weekend of racing in Vermont is in the books.
On Saturday the girls raced SL at Pico. The girls did a good job skiing through the snow storm and skiing into the flip. Kristie had some trouble on the bottom but held on for 6th on the run. Michelle moved up to 10th, Jessie skied into 20th, Jocelyn was 25th, Kara 27th, and Alyce was 29th. Kelly had some trouble in the middle and finished 38th. Heather skied up into 53rd. Jerica was skiing well but hooked a tip at the top and didn't finish.
Second run Kristie was better in sections and held on for 6th over all. Michelle had some trouble and slipped back to 15th over all. Kara ended the day in 20th, a nice move up from bib 27. Kelly had a better second run and moved back up a few spots into 33rd. Alyce skied well but had some trouble and moved back a few spots into 32nd. Heather had another solid run and moved up a few more spots into 47th from bib 61. Unfortunately Jessie and Jocelyn weren't able to keep both skis on through the finish and DNF'ed.

On Sunday we had an open FIS SL here at Killington on Needles Eye. Despite the snow that fell over night and was blown around the hill the athletes were able to get the race hill ready in time for a great race. The surface was good for the ladies and the hill had plenty of good terrain to challenge them on the way down.
Unfortunately Kristie tried to straighten out the line too much in the middle and had to hike get a second run. Michelle and Kara skied a bit conservatively first run but moved up from bib 38 and 43 to 28th and 29th on the run. Alyce and Jocelyn also moved up but missed the flip in 37th and 38th, about .6 out of the flip. Jessie finished 45th on the run followed by Kelly in 49th, and Jerica in 53rd. Heather was skiing really well on the top and was charging with a lot of confidence but lost a ski in the middle section.
Second Run the girls continued to charge and Michelle skied fast into 26th on the run and 25th over all. She matched her best SL finish of the year with a 103 point race. Kara finished right behind Michelle, 28th on the run and 26th overall scoring a 106. Jocelyn skied well in sections and moved into 32nd from bib 44. Jessie was faster in the second run and finished 38th overall from bib 46. Jerica also found some success in the second run, moving up into 41st overall from bib 61. Alyce had problems in the middle and had to hike, moving her back into 48th.
Overall It was a good weekend. The girls are starting to figure out how to charge on the first run and are starting to have more success overall. We have about 5-6 weeks left in the season and plenty of opportunities looking forward.
Check out our KMS Women's team facebook page for pictures

Stratton ECups and Sugarbush Vermont Cup

As many of you are aware, the girls are into the heart of their season. We have been training hard since the beginning of November, and now it's go time! The team split up last week after departing from Smuggler's Notch. Most of the girls shifted gears, from training tech to speed. They have been working hard on the hill and prepping their skis for this week's FIS Super G series at Okemo. During that time period, Kristie Ryan and Kara Van Herwarde competed in 4 Eastern Cup Tech races at Stratton. This race series was stacked with NCAA Division I collegiate athletes, provincial team skiers, as well as other racers from ski academies. Ryan had a great showing during the first, 2 day GS series. She started bib 81 the first day and moved respectively up to 50th position. She geared up and did it again on the 2nd day! Kara was skiing well in the first section called "the beach". Unfortunately, she took a spill right over the roll over, where I started filming.
We endured some less than optimal weather during the slalom series. The lift wouldn't start on the 2nd day due to the ice that had accumulated, so the athletes practiced their skating and slipping skills until we were able to hold first run at 11am. Ryan skied well until straddling an exiting gate, coming out of the flush. During the 2nd day, Kara skied sections very well during 2nd run. We drove home in a whiteout, which made the 2 hour drive back home an adventure!
Yesterday, the whole team competed in a GS Vermont Cup at Sugarbush. After a 59 minute delay, due to timing issues, the race kicked off. We came down to a rough start for the first run, but saw vast improvements by certain athletes on the 2nd run. Kelly Rowland moved from 25th position after 1st, to 15th overall (coming in 8th on the 2nd run). Jessie McNeil moved from 37th to 26th position, after skiing the first pitch very well. Jocelyn Werle was 24th, Michelle Martin 39th, and Kara Van Herwarde 41st.
We have one day of training before heading to Okemo for Super G. Afterwards, the team will split up once again. The J2s will be staying on the speed track, going to NH for a 4 race super g series at Attitash. The J1s will be heading up to Collingwood, Ontario for a 4 day tech series. Stay tuned for results!

Slalom at Smuggs!

The girls wait for the awards ceremony after day 2.

This past weekend, we took the majority of the team up to Smuggler's Notch to race a slalom series. The girls competed against other Vermont schools such as SMS, GMVS and even St. Michael's College. On Saturday, we raced in abnormally warm weather for Smuggler's Notch. The track was soft, but the girls made the best of it. Even when it started to rain for second run!
Our better conditions and results came on Sunday. The surface firmed up, so the track held up much better than the day before. Kristie Ryan raced down first run to finish in 3rd place. Ryan was having an awesome 2nd run, but came into the flush (that Stags set!) too straight. She straddled the combo, then hiked. Our top KMS athlete was Jessie McNeill. McNeill finished 9th overall (6th for j2s). Our rookie, Alyce Ritchey was right behind her after first run, finishing 11th, then straddled a gate towards the bottom of 2nd run, (once again, on Stags course).
Rounding out the top 20 were Jocelyn Werle (14th), Kelly Rowland (15th), Michelle Martin (19th) and Heather Desino (20th). The girls agreed that they had an alright race series, but are hoping to podium and round out the top ten later in the season.
This week, Kristie Ryan will be competing in a 4 day Tech Eastern Cup series in Stratton. The rest of the team will be training and shifting gears to focus on speed events. The team is in to compete at the Eastern Cup Super G series at Okemo on Jan. 15th and 16th. There will be a lot of super g skis to prep and wax in the near future!

Holiday Week Update

We hope everyone is enjoying the Holidays. Most of the women's team has come back to school to train and race already. We were fortunate to compete in our first Vermont Cup of the season (finally!) on the The team raced GS on Okemo's steep and intimidating competition trail, Wardance. Our top two finishers were Kristie Ryan, coming in strong in 5th place, and Jocelyn Werle, rounding out the top 10 in 9th place. Another strong finisher moving from 41st spot to 20th was first year J2 Heather Desino.
For the past 2 days, the team has been loading the lift before sunrise to get in early morning training from 7-9am. It's a short session, but the girls were able to lap around frequently on Bunny. This way, we can have training to ourselves to avoid the holiday crowds.
Tomorrow, we compete at Cochran's ski area for a night slalom. We'll depart KMS at 10am for a 2:30pm start time. Stay tuned for results!

Back in the east

Another successful trip is coming to a close.  We just landed in Boston, soon we will be getting our bags and climbing into the vans for the last three hour leg of this trip.  We had a very good camp in mammoth and some great results in Alaska, now its time to get some rest and get ready for Christmas and the rest of the season.  Even with the lackluster weather and lack of snow I am ready to be home in Killington.

A little taste of the east

The reasons may be differant but we just got a taste of the east.  Due to heavy snow, high Winds, and high avalanche risk the mountain is not opening today and the second gs has been cancelled. 
Now we are going to finish our packing and start a very slow drive to anchorage.  Our next concern is going to be getting to town before the seward highway gets closed for avalanche control by the dot.
It's been a great trip so far but I am really bummed that we are not getting the opportunity to get this last gs is.  But on the flip side I am really psyched to be heading home, I think everyone is ready to sleep in their own beds for a few days before we head back on the road.
I will check back in from anchorage this afternoon. 
See you all at home tomorrow night.
Stags