Performance First

It’s your boy Jacob here, currently chilling out in the Mexican sun, but it’s not really sunny here. That’s alright, making the most of it. I had a good season. You win some you lose some. Didn’t quite stay healthy all year. Had a thumb surgery but it’s all good now. I kept skiing and that’s all I needed. I started the year out in Ushuaia. Then kinda went everywhere from there #whatsschool? Ended the year out in Sugarloaf, Maine with Nationals and that was alright, even though I didn’t ski my best. Fun fact: In the GS race at Sugarloaf I skied around a course worker because I wasn’t really feeling getting a rerun since the course was deteriorating super fast. I spent a lot of time in the icy east and went to Canada a couple times. I didn’t realize how lucky I am to live in Vail, Colorado with my lovely mother who takes care of me and supports me in my ski racing. Throughout my travels, I met a lot of cool inspirational people that have really taught me how important it is to stay focused and persevere through cold races, for example, Panorama. Now that was a cold race, -18F!

Some of my highlights this season are winning my first Giant Slalom FIS race at Winter Park and lowering my FIS points in GS and SL. I have had some great runs throughout the season. I am working on putting 2 solid runs together on the same day.

Thank you so much to Junior Team America and Sync for helping me through my ski racing career.

I hope this blog finds everyone happy and healthy, especially after a tough race season.  I’ve had some time to reflect on the last several months and my first year in the U16’s.  

To begin, it was a blast!  I had so much fun with my AVSC teammates as well as all of the other athletes throughout the country.  Based on past results, I was fortunate enough to be invited to several national projects where I trained with some of the best skiers in the US.  In addition to the level of competition, I made some great friends from each region.  It’s always good to see familiar people when you travel out of state.

Overall, I was happy with my racing.   I think like most others, I had ups and downs on the hill and just kept working on new things with my technique and conditioning.  I traveled out east to Burke Mountain and got a big dose of icy courses which was tough, to say the least.  We don’t see too much of them here in Colorado but I know those conditions will come again in my future.  So, I’ll add that to my list!  

I was proud to qualify for the U16 National Championships in Sugarloaf where I had a couple of mistakes that cost me a solid Super-G and Slalom finish.  I was disappointed but left Maine knowing what I need to focus on this offseason.  I did take second overall in the Skills Quest competition which was awesome.

I ended my spring racing with the Loveland Derby which is such a fun weekend.  It’s nice to ski without pressure and I wanted to finish strong.  I won the first day and took third on Sunday.  I said goodbye to all of my friends and hopefully, we’ll see each other during camps this summer and fall.  

So now I’m back on the soccer field at Glenwood Springs High School.  Once classes are finished, I’ll be heading to Mammoth for a couple of weeks to start the next race season.  Looking ahead, my goals are to train hard and be completely ready for next fall.  I want to thank SYNC for supporting all of us.  We receive so many compliments on our gear and I’m proud to represent this amazing group.

See you all soon!!! 

.)) Ally

My 2016/17 season sure was a fun one. I feel so lucky to have so much support from my family, coaches, friends and especially Junior Team America, T2 Foundation and SYNC Performance. I have had my ups and downs this season, but overall, I am very happy to have finished the Colorado SYNC Cup as the overall champion for the 2016/17 season.

My season started out strong. I won the first GS races in Aspen, Colorado, which gave me the confidence that helped me ski into second place in the National Performance Series (NPS) at Copper Mountain, Colorado, where I competed against the fastest girls from all over the country. That result turned out to be one of the biggest results for me this season because it landed me a spot on the 7 Nations Cup team and a chance to be the only girl to represent the United States in the 2017 Longines Future Ski Champions race.

The Longines event was an International race that was held in St. Moritz, Switzerland. It was a race between the fastest girls under 16 years of age from the top 13 ski racing Nations in the World. I got the honor to represent America because I was the fastest 15 year old at the NPS race in Copper. Longines was a very cool experience. It was held during the World Championships taking place in St. Moritz so not only did I get to ski at a very nice mountain, but I also got to watch the World Champs in person. The Longines race was on the World Cup women’s GS hill, which was a very challenging hill with lots of terrain variations. It was most exciting sliding into the World Cup finish where all of the stands were set up, even if they were empty. I didn’t end up getting the result I had hoped for, but finishing sixth against the best girls in the world is still something I am proud of.

SYNC put on a great series of races and I feel so fortunate I got to chase some of the best girls in the country all season long at those races. I have been very lucky growing up in Ski and Snowboard Club Vail and skiing with the best group of girls in the country on a daily basis. These girls in SSCV push me to work very hard every day and that has definitely helped me get to where I am today. It doesn’t hurt that they are all my closest friends. The SSCV girls took the first 10 places on 2 of the three days (9 out of 10 spots on the third day) at our 2017 Regional Championships in Vail and had a very large group of us represent Rocky/Central at the U16 Nationals in Sugarloaf, Maine. 5 out of the 7 girls representing the US in the 7 Nations Cup in Hinterreit, Austria were also from Vail, while the other two were from other regions in the US. I am very grateful to represent such a great ski club and have the strongest girls in the nation pushing me every day.This season, ski racing has taken me all over the World and even if I didn’t reach all my goals, I can be very proud of how I preformed in every event all season long. I am beyond excited to see where ski racing will take me next and what FIS ski racing will have in store for me. I would like to give a big thank you to Sync for being so supportive and providing us with the best clothing out there!

This season, ski racing has taken me all over the World and even if I didn’t reach all my goals, I can be very proud of how I preformed in every event all season long. I am beyond excited to see where ski racing will take me next and what FIS ski racing will have in store for me. I would like to give a big thank you to Sync for being so supportive and providing us with the best clothing out there!

.)) Cleo

What a season! I remember my first day on snow all the way back in October, and now as the racing season is wrapping down I have had some time to reflect on all the awesome times that I’ve had throughout the year. First I would like to thank Sync and Junior Team America for all of the great help and support throughout the season. I remember the super early days at the beginning of the year where I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing; I just knew that I was having a good time.

Things couldn’t always be that carefree and as the first NPS (National Performance Series) race in Copper was coming up I really buckled down and focused hard on getting better. It was definitely a nerve-racking race because it was the best kids in the country and I was the lucky guy who drew bib 1 for GS. So as I was feeling butterflies as I kicked out of the start and skied my way into first on the run and second in the combined. I proved to myself that day that I was capable of performing at a high level and that momentum has really carried with me since.

After Copper I took a nice break and then moved on to prepping for the next NPS in Burke, Vermont. I was really stressing this race because a good result would put me on the team that gets to travel to Europe and compete in some races across the pond. At Burke I did what I had to. In the slalom races I was second, and I was third behind fellow JTA athlete Zane Worrell, and Nico Richeda. In the Giant slalom I raced to third place. It was an unbelievably fun week out on the east coast improving all the time on the icy race venue, and better yet I had qualified to go to Europe.

The USA sent six boys and seven girls to represent at the Seven Nations cup in Hinterreit, Austria, and I was just lucky enough to be asked to go as one of the boys. We left on February 6 for Germany where we were having a week of training in Berchtesgaden before we hopped over to Austria for the main show. It was such an awesome week of training and it could not have been any better. We ended the training session by joining a local German race against some of their best kids, and I’m proud and gracious to say that I was able to beat them. A big congrats to Allie Resnick for getting second in that race for the ladies!!

After that, we drove to Hinterreit. In Hinterreit we trained for a couple days and then it was time for the big race, the Seven Nations Cup. Seven Nations is one of, if not the most prestigious youth races in the world; and, I could feel the competition and nerves of everyone around me (I had them big time too). I had been working with my coach Johnny all year on peaking at the right time and now it was the time to see where I was. The giant slalom was first. I was in the third seed so I ran after all of the top boys from Europe. I didn’t let it stop me. On the first run, I skied fast and clean and ended up second after the first run. It was such a different feeling when I learned that because I didn’t expect that from myself and I was overwhelmed with happiness, but I still knew that I had a second run to do and try and move up one spot on the podium.

I remember shaking I was so nervous but just listening to music trying to focus on just skiing the way I could, not results. I skied my race and my way and that was all I could ask for. I came down into the finish burning with passion, nervousness, and emotions that I cannot describe. I was just plain happy I guess. I had won! All of my teammates were there and I felt truly amazing that day. The next day was awesome too! I skied without any pressure or anything; I felt lifted up and ended up in second! Also, my friend Allie was Fourth Place! Not the podium, but she was so close to winning that I don’t think her place was relevant to how she skied that day! We were just a happy group in a beautiful place doing the most beautiful sport in the world.

I think that when something big happens to you, you have to take a step back and just think about it for a while. But things don’t last forever so there comes a time when you have to move on and try to improve. The next big race was Junior Champs in Vail, Co. I skied awesome there. Pulling off the win in the Alpine Combine, Giant slalom, and slalom. It was just a fairytale to me.

The next, and final, big race of the year was U16 Nationals in Sugarloaf, Maine. I was so excited to be apart of this race. Nationals are always a really fun race series. The best kids in the US come together and race. All of the Team coaches and race reps are there and it makes you feel special just to be able to attend. A lot of things went right at Nationals. I got second in the Super G race, which is my best finish in the discipline, and I was second in the GS, and first in the Slalom. Also, I won the overall for the whole series. It’s truly amazing to be able to have the results that I have and I’m very grateful for them. While I am excited and happy I know that I will have to keep working hard in the years to come, especially as I am moving up to FIS next year and I can pit myself against the best of the best.

.)) Kellen

Duals Big Finals End

So far, my ski season has been great! I’ve competed in many races, from U16 to age class U14. The U16 races are where U14’s were allowed to “ski up” were great experiences for me! They brought down my USSA points, and I feel confident of where I’ll move into next season. The most recent races for me have been the Prater Cup U14 Qualifiers, and the U14 Rocky / Central Championships.

Overall Title Prater Cup. Dasha Romanov and Cooper Puckett

At Prater Cup in Crested Butte, I had an amazing week of racing! I was very consistent and surprised myself by winning all 5 qualification runs! This definitely gave me a big confidence boost going into the U14 Rocky/Central Championships in Steamboat, as I knew if I put down a run, things would probably end up good. I ended up falling on the Super-G day, right through the first split, and then falling one run on the GS and almost hiking! The run of GS I did finish I won by about  two seconds! These results really scared me because I already did not meet criteria for qualifying for the U16 Nationals, so I decided to stop worrying about where I would or wouldn’t qualify.

Falling on the Second GS run.

Championship Super-G

For the Duals and SL days, I really wanted to show my skiing off and show that I can still put down a run as I did at Qualifiers. I ended up going through 10 runs of duals and winning them, which was a great experience because I was super consistent throughout my runs, and I beat all the girls and boys for time on the first run! I also tripped the wand for two seconds, and when it happened, I knew I couldn’t go early because then I would be disqualified. I waited and knew that I had to have the best most aggressive run of that race if I was going to qualify for the Finals. I was up against Emma Resnick, and in the two-run duals, she fell first run, granting me a 1.5-second lead going into the second run. With the two seconds lost, I realized I had to make up at least 0.5 seconds to tie, or more to win. I ended up doing so, and Emma went into the small finals for third place, which she won — placing third!  I went into the big finals, again with a two-run round. I ended up winning both runs, and ended up with a 1st place overall!

Intense Dual Runs.

The next day was slalom, and my coach was setting the 2nd run for women. I had a solid first run, winning by two-tenths, and then 2nd run. It was crazy! My coach set 43 turns, with 9 combos! There were four hairpins-one of them being an into, three delays, and two flushes! For such a short course, it was combo after combo after combo. I had a great run on this course, and I won by almost 3 seconds!

  Slalom

As a result of championships, I qualified first into Can-Ams, not meeting the criteria for U16 Nationals, but I got discretion the next day for the U16 National Championships after writing a document and my coach Gunnar Sorensen fighting for me. I wanted to say thank you to Chip Knight and Darlene Nolting for the discretion, and for looking at my results, hard work, and dedication! Really looking forward to Sugarloaf!! 🙂

Overall top 3 Girls and Guys

Support team!

On an ending note, I wanted to say thank you for supporting me throughout the ski season to SYNC Performance and the SYNC Junior Team, Rossignol, Loveland Ski Club, Forward Ski System, and my coaches and parents. I could not have accomplished any of my success without them!

🙂 – Dasha

Hi, everyone! I am excited to update you on my season thus far! First off, I switched from my previous team Buck Hill to Rowmark Ski Academy in Park City, UT, and I absolutely love it! I’ve met a ton of amazing people and surrounded myself with a new community in ski racing. With a rigorous gym program and intense downhill training blocks, I would consider strength training and progression in speed to be two themes of my season that have been quite successful. Some of my highlights include: dropping my FIS slalom points down to thirty-two, scoring seven Slalom NorAm points, winning my first Giant Slalom FIS race, and requalifying for U.S Nationals in Sugarloaf, ME.

With all the highlights there also comes the “lows”. Giant Slalom and I seem to be having a love-hate relationship. Some races I am able to throw down a super fast run and the next I will be three seconds out. Even though it can be disheartening, I think back to the mindset I have in training. I treat each run separate from the last. This helps to bring my mind back to something positive and take it away from my previous run.

NorAm Circuit

I’ve been racing the NorAm circuit throughout the U.S. This January I traveled to Burke, Vermont for what I consider the hardest race I’ve ever competed in. Not only was it a stacked field with the Canadian, and U.S national teams, but the conditions were insane. The hill was covered with seventeen thousand gallons of water. For perspective, only about forty percent of the field finished on the sheet of ice. Then before the Slalom race, it rained and froze the night before. I completed the first run, but unfortunately only made the first five gates of my second run.

Overall it was one of the most fun trips I’ve had. Even though the skiing was extremely difficult I made memories that I’ll forget with my teammates. We had the opportunity to train at Stowe, Vermont with the Green Mountain Valley School, check out Church Street and the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Burlington, and spend a night in Boston.

In February I competed in the Vail (Slalom) and Copper (Giant Slalom) NorAm races. Battling a nasty sinus infection I took 24th in one of the Slalom races and 37th in the GS. I was happy with my results, especially my second run of GS taking 28th.

I am currently wrapping up my season with just two more race series.  This weekend I am racing the Western Region Open FIS races in Sun Valley, ID, and the following in Aspen and Vail. I would like to thank SYNC for being such an amazing company to be a part of, and for developing super high-quality products for athletes and mountain athletes that are passionate about ski racing and the outdoors like me. I look forward to keeping you guys updated with my future results and schedule of events!

.)) Katie

2017 FAT SKI-A-THON from HighFivesFoundation on Vimeo.

The Challenges of FIS

This year I moved up an age class and began my ski career. I became a FIS ski racer. FIS is the beginning of actual ski racing, it’s where you begin to race against the world. It has been a very tough season.  In fact, I think this has been the toughest racing season of my life.  I knew being a first-year FIS racer would come with challenges, but I had no idea how challenging it would be.

Last year I performed very well. It was my best season to date, I ended up winning a lot of races and skiing very fast.  I got to go to Europe a few times, the highlight of last season was representing the U.S. in the Topolino Games in Folgaria, Italy.  I also finished second overall at Junior Championships and won the slalom by over two seconds. I finished third overall at Nationals. In the end, I won the inaugural SYNC Cup and was awarded U16 male athlete of the year by Ski Club Vail.  I got to travel, I got to race, and do very well all season.  This year is a completely different story.

I’m not necessarily upset that I’m not winning because I did not come into the season expecting to win. This year has just been very humbling. I have been knocked down over and over throughout the season. I had to look inside of myself to keep going on multiple occasions. I just feel like I haven’t been competing very well. It’s hard to ski fast in training and be skiing well and show up to races over and over and get blown out of the water. Also, it would be a different story if I was getting crushed because I wasn’t a strong skier, but I know I can do better. I love skiing and I love racing and it is not a great feeling to feel like you aren’t good anymore. I really was struggling. I took a few days off, I took a step back to think and find some clarity. I realized that the first year is always hard, and really I am not doing that bad. FIS is about chipping away, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Ultimately, I realized I am putting myself in a good place to excel next year. I also realized all the support I had. I started training again with a new attitude.

I had an epiphany about all the support surrounding me. I started training again with a new attitude. I started skiing a lot better and that showed. I started racing a lot faster and cleaner. I had not finished too many slaloms all season. And at my most recent race, I had two solid slalom runs. Everything started to turn around. School started getting easier. My entire life turned around, and all it took was a step back, and a new perspective.

I recently started my high school lacrosse season. I’m very excited for a great season. I currently have a 4.18 GPA. Two days ago I got back from a four-day race at Lutsen, MN. It was my best race all weekend. I scored in three of the four races. I had my two best scores all season. I skied the best GS all season, and it showed. I finished 8th overall and 3rd for U19’s. I ended up scoring a 46 point result. I am very excited about that and ready to build on it for the rest of the season. We still have around 16 starts, and I am going to take advantage of each and every one.

This season has really changed who I am not only as a skier but as a person. I am glad about that. I have seen immense adversity and rose to the occasion. It has made me realize how hard I am going to have to work to achieve my hopes and dreams. I am excited and ready to put that work in. I know things will not always be great and perfect and I am ready for the challenges and adversities that will come my way.

.)) Burke

Season Update

Zane Worrell checking in. I just came in from a great trip toEurope, specifically Germany and Austria, where I learned a lot about my skiing and how to travel internationally. This was an extremely productive trip and I had a lot of fun linking some good turns together, leading to some good results.

Leading up to my Europe trip, I competed in the U16 National Performance Series. This is a qualification series hosting the best U16s in the nation. This event was a great experience because I got to see how I stacked up against the best U16’s in the country. The series consisted of four races 2 slaloms and 2 giant slaloms at Burke Mountain, Vermont, and Copper Mountain, Colorado. This was a very great series for me, I ended up being the series champion placing first place in both of the slalom races. From my results at this race, I qualified to compete at the 7 nations event in Hinterreit, Austria.

Europe Experience

On to Europe, the main highlights of the trip for me were competing in a German national GS race which ended up in 3rd, then we traveled to Austria to compete in the 7 Nations Cup in Hinterreit, Austria. For me, the main highlight of the 7 Nations Cup was a top ten in the first run of SL, where I was 6th. Although I did not put together two great runs, I feel very confident in my ability to compete on an international level against world-class athletes from all over the world.

Training in Germany.

The Europe trip was a big motivator for me. Now that I am back stateside, I am going to keep working hard and carry my confidence into the Rocky/Central Junior Championships at Vail and U16 Nationals in Sugarloaf, Maine at the end of March.  Thanks for reading and I will keep everyone updated as I progress throughout the season. I want to thank SYNC for supporting Junior Team America this season, they have been a huge supporter of my season.

.)) Zane

Aspen Speed Series

It all starts the moment you step into your skis. Hike up the hay bails and into the start gate. looking through your tips at the top flats. Seeing where a run can be made. Pushing out of the start with everything you have. Skating over the first little roll, and grabbing low tuck. As you come over the next roll, pumping with everything you have to keep the little speed you have created for yourself. The left-footer coming after the roll can be run late and low. As the next section is not difficult. Left, right, left, right. At the next left is where you need to start setting up, for there is a jump in the near future. After the left it is an early right, coming off the jump with about 11 o clock direction. Once you land you keep on track and roll your skis on edge for the next left footer. Running very low and deep into the delay. On, way off. Trying to find speed where speed is possible. Skiing the hill rather than the course. Nearly half way through now, coming up on the rollers. Absorbing and pumping three small rollers on the flat. Out of the rolls, it is dead straight for two gates. Then a left footer coming into the most difficult section of the course. Preparing for the hardest turn coming out, bam just hammering the right edge and holding on around airplane turn, on the first gate of the delay and top third of the second. Then a hard left footer keeping elevation and bam, hammering the left edge. Then a few super g turns. It straitens out off the final jump. Come off, grab bullet. Into the finish. YES! You see the green light, you are in the lead!

This was the aspen downhill course we were fortunate to ski from the January 15-18. It was such a fun and amazing race. Thank you to everyone who made it possible! The course was very fast and fun. You can really feel it when just imagining and running through the course in your mind at the start. I skied very well and ended up winning both training runs of the downhill. Come race day I executed and faced victory by a large margin of 2.62 seconds. Unfortunately second race day I fell and missed a gate, fortunately, it was not a bad crash and I was fine. For some of my peers, I cannot say the same. There were a few bad crashes! One being season ending. I hope they heal up quickly and strongly to get back on snow soon!

Super-G

The Super-G race was on January 19th and 20th. That race also went very well for me. I ended up winning both races. I had a very good week and skied well. Once it was all said and over I returned to vail for school and forerunning. Me and Max Timm foreran the NJR Mens FIS race at Vail. It was such a fun day, as fore running typically is. I was feeling very well about my skiing. Then today January 27th the new USSA points list came out. It made me feel even better about my skiing, because I currently have the best Super G and Downhill points in the nation for my age group.

.)) Burke

Proper Preparation

With the recent snowfall and race season rapidly approaching, it is critical that everyone has their equipment dialed in. From skis to boots to files to wax, all these items are necessary to achieve their goals and have a successful season. In addition, it is important not to forget about your clothing and gear, meaning everyone needs to have a consistent organizational system. No one likes the feeling when they arrive at the hill only to realize they are missing a glove, jacket or their lens kit.

Experience

A few years ago, traveling to a summer camp I had a traditional ski bag. Right before entering security, I zipped up the bag with all my gear in it and the zipper blew out on the spot. I had to travel through the airport and spend a 3-week summer camp with duct tape wrapped around my bag. I was constantly disorganized and stressed about where everything was, constantly worrying I lost something. Turns out I lost multiple lenses and a glove. I still had a great camp, but it was an additional hassle to borrow and find these important pieces of equipment when my focus should have been on the training.

As the season progressed and started to ramp up in October, I added the SYNC Locker Pack to my repertoire of ski gear. I could finally organize everything I needed in one bag. Gone were the days of shoving it all in a bag hoping I did not lose anything. Only now when I lost my shorts at a race I could blame it on the person carrying them down instead of losing them due to my disorganized pack.

Testimonial

Junior Team America Athlete Colby Lange said, “the bag has changed the sport for me, allowing me to put 100% focus into my skiing, and I can always rely on my gear staying protected and organized.” When the weather is variable and I’m not sure which lens to bring to the hill, I can pack a couple different ones in my designated lens pocket without worrying about having enough space. During double sessions when there was GS in the morning and SL right after I had enough room for two helmets and more than enough room for arm guards and shin guards.

Now with the SYNC Locker Pack, I could organize all my gear, not stress about losing anything, and even have enough spare room for all the old sandwiches my mom made me…which I never ate. The Locker Pack allows athletes to stay in close touch with the status of their gear, and eliminate any unnecessary stress about the location of their entire kit.

.)) Michael

FIS Male GS Ski Rule Change for 2017/2018 season.

The Rule Change

The FIS have made many rule changes for the 2017/2018 competitive season including the new suit requirements, and changing the minimum radius and length of GS skis for Male competitors in the 2017/2018 season. The new FIS rule means the radius will be changed to ≥30 meters and the length will be changed to ≥193 centimeters.

What the change means for the 2017/2018 GS Skis: The FIS rule change for the 2017/2018 competitive season means Male GS skis will be shorter and have more shape than the previously regulated ≥195cm ≥35m radius skis. This will allow the new skis to turn quicker than their predecessors. The GS course regulations have remained unchanged, so it is unlikely courses will become tighter as a result of the new rule change.

How the rule change will affect male athletes moving into FIS for the 2017/2018 season:

The rule change will be in effect for all male competitors racing at all FIS levels for the 2017/2018 season and onward with a 5cm tolerance for FIS-level competitions. As always talk with your coach, but it is recommended all FIS level male athletes buy new GS skis for the 2017/2018 season. Also, talk to your local rep to make sure the new skis will be available and will conform to the FIS rule change of minimum length 193 centimeters and a minimum radius of 30 meters. One more thing for ski racers to worry about!

The program is a collaboration between two nonprofits — the High Fives Foundation and the Adaptive Training Foundation

(Truckee, California, Friday, November 11, 2016) — Experiencing a life-altering injury in the name of duty for the United State Military comes with two forms of pain — physical and emotional.

“The physical pain, yeah its bad, but it’s tolerable. I can forget the pain and go on,” says Veteran Marine Ryan Zimmerer. “It’s the emotional and mental pain that’s the hard part for me.”

Zimmerer is the driving voice and story behind a short film collaboration between action sports nonprofit the High Fives Foundation and disabled athlete organization the Adaptive Training Foundation.

In 2014, the two organizations began a program called Military to the Mountains. Injured US Military Veterans are trained for nine weeks at the Adaptive Training Foundation in Dallas, Texas, preparing for a week of skiing at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows in California. The Veterans are instructed by Achieve Tahoe adaptive ski program.

“The goal of the program is to offer wounded warfighters an opportunity to tap back into their physicality by pushing through mental and physical barriers,” said David Vobora, founder, and CEO of the Adaptive Training Foundation. “Experiencing the mountains for the first time post-injury redefines their limits and ignites new passion to take ridge lines they no longer thought were possible.”

The entire effort is completely organized and funded by the High Fives Foundation whose mission is to provide resources and inspiration to mountain action sports athletes with life-altering injuries.

In 2015, the program inspired Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows ski resort located in the Lake Tahoe area of California. The resort now provides a Silver Tahoe Super Pass to military personnel, along with a note of appreciation and a challenge coin for a donation of $25, of which all proceeds support the Military to the Mountains program and 22Kill, an organization working to raise awareness to the suicide epidemic that is plaguing US military Veterans, including education on mental health issues such as PTS.

“We’re dedicated to improving the physical and emotional health of US veterans,” said Roy Tuscany, executive director of the High Fives Foundation. “It’s been an extremely rewarding opportunity to bring all of these organizations together to honor these men and women who have been injured serving our country.”

The project received funding from Chive Charities, the philanthropic arm of the entertainment website theCHIVE, allowing for another year of sustainability. It also attracted support from 16 other national sponsors.

“As warriors, we don’t need a handout, we need a hand up,” said Jake Schick, a US veteran Marine who helped pilot the program in 2014. “So you give us an example of greatness to follow, we’re going to follow it.”

On this Veterans Day 2016, please enjoy and share the film about Ryan Zimmerer and the others involved in the Military to the Mountains project.

To learn more, visit – highfivesfoundation.org/military-to-the-mountains/

Watch the video HERE

ABOUT THE HIGH FIVES FOUNDATION: The High Fives Foundation is a Tahoe-based, national 501.c.3 non-profit organization. The High Fives Foundation supports the dreams of mountain action sports athletes by raising injury prevention awareness while providing resources and inspiration to those who suffer life-altering injuries. Formed as a way to “pay-it-forward” by the founder from his own recovery to help injured athletes, the Foundation has helped 125 athletes from 26 to date since its inception in 2009. For more information visit www.highfivesfoundation.org

ABOUT THE ADAPTIVE TRAINING FOUNDATION:  Adaptive Training Foundation’s mission is to empower the human athlete, restore hope through movement, and redefine the limits of individuals with disabilities. For more information visit www.adaptivetrainingfoundation.org

TA Foundation has announced the 2016/17 initiatives. Leading the initiatives will be the reestablishment of Team America by SYNC. For the current season, the team’s sole athlete will be Hig Roberts, world cup skier from Steamboat Springs, CO.

Hig Roberts

“I am honored and blessed to be supported by the Team America foundation again. It is important to have the necessary support and infrastructure to be successful in the sport of ski racing and Team America has proven time and time again to provide that. I spent a very successful year under Team America two years ago, and I think the resources, environment, and mindset of its supporters are very aligned with mine. I cannot thank those involved with Team America and its efforts enough and I look to have a very successful year competing at the highest level in Europa Cup, World Cup, and hopefully the World Championships,” said Hig.

Hig was a Team America athlete before moving to the US Ski Team last season. Supporting Hig and managing Team America will be Eric Dasko, formerly with USST women’s speed team.

Junior Team America

In addition to the senior team, TA Foundation will continue to fund Junior Team America by SYNC, an initiative in cooperation with Ski and Snowboard Club Vail to provide and fund additional training opportunities for recognized athletes. The Junior Team America roster for 2016/17 includes Allie Resnick, Cleo Braun, Jacob Dilling, Bridger Gile, Kaitlyn Harsch, Axel Bailey, Colby Lange, Kellen Kinsella, Zane Worrell, Nicola Roundtree-Williams, and Tegan Wold.

“We are pleased to support these outstanding athletes. We believe in Hig and strongly feel that top 100 World Ranked athletes need a program that supports them. Through Junior Team America, we look further down the pipeline to provide the same high-quality training opportunities for these National Class junior athletes as they advance to World Class performance. We extensively studied success in ski racing globally (see study here)(see study at www.tafski.org). One of the takeaways was the critical importance of local initiatives. We believe local micro-cultures can propel ski racing in the USA to the next level. These initiatives are intended to do just that, ” said Dan Leever, TA Foundation Founder and Chairman.

Eric Resnick, TA Foundation board member and supporter said, “We all know ski racing is an expensive sport, especially as athletes are striving to compete at the national and international level. TA Foundation is excited to help provide unique, highly subsidized training opportunities for the Team America and Junior Team America athletes.”

Kirk Dwyer, Executive Director of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail said, “Hig is a talented and highly motivated athlete deserving of this support. The Junior Team America programming and support identifies SSCV athletes on track toward international success and provides the incremental differentiated training critical to progress. Furthermore, there is support for involvement by the next group of athletes with accessibility that is critical to development. This is only possible through the generous support of programs like TA.”

SYNC

SYNC Performance is a Vail, Colorado-based mountain apparel brand with a focus on developing ski-racing products specifically to meet the needs of alpine ski racers.

Phil Shettig President of SYNC said, “We could not be more thrilled with our ongoing partnership with the TA Foundation and their athletes. They are vital to our product development and are instrumental in design and testing of new products for SYNC. It is through these relationships that we put into practice our commitment to focus on the athlete bringing to market innovative performance products based on their needs.”

Follow these athletes all season long on the SYNC and Team America Instagram and Facebook pages. For more information and to support TA Foundation: http://www.tafski.org/

Bennett Snyder

Winter is fast approaching. Leaves are turning, the high alpine is receiving its first snow, and the temperatures are finally dropping. These things only make me more excited to go ski. I spend hours watching videos of chest deep powder in the backcountry or analyzing how Henrik Kristoffersen turns a slalom ski.

Gym Time

A Lot of my time this fall has been spent in the gym. SVSEF’s dry land program consist of 2 mornings lifting sessions, 2 afternoons of agility, 2 afternoons of CrossFit, and 1 morning of mental conditioning. My schedule revolves around the dryland. Most days: I will workout, go to school, workout again, do homework, then sleep. It may seem like a handful, especially with school, but it is the only way to keep me busy before I start skiing.

Along with dryland, I try and get out into the mountains, rivers, wilderness when I do have free time. In fact, I just got back from a 5-day backpacking trip on the coast in Olympic national park. I was also able to send my first waterfall this fall. It was pretty memorable experience and got to say, I’m hooked!

Time to Ski … in Europe

In two weeks, I will be heading to Europe for two and half weeks with SVSEF. I am traveling to Tirol, Austria ahead of my team to get skis from Nordica, after I head to Hamburg, Germany. In Hamburg, we will be spending one-week skiing on an indoor injected SL slope. Last year we nicknamed the facility “the meat fridge.” It is quite possibly one of the strangest places I have ever skied. After Hamburg, we will head to Solden. There, we will train GS and SL for another week then return to the states after. I am extremely excited to kick the Winter off in Europe!

Thanks,

Bennett

Summer Training – Dasha Romanov

(Lots of Pictures)

handstand challenges are super sketchy, luckily I didn’t fall, it was a super sharp spike. Training outside CU Boulder, CO

For the past few months, I have been really busy with my training. This includes working out, hiking, biking, and doing parkour. In June and July, I was mainly focused on workouts, and towards the end of July and start of August, I competed in a major parkour competition called the Apex International. If you do not know what parkour is, let me explain.

broad jump : training at CU Boulder, CO

Parkour to me is a mental and physical challenge which uses every part of your body. I really like relating it to skiing in the sense of both being from the ankles up, and the motions all have to be very fluid. I think that parkour has definitely helped me to prepare for the upcoming ski season because I feel a lot more controlled, and more capable to handle tough situations such as crashes or conditions.

A tack(way of turning around) training outside of CU Boulder, CO

The Apex International was an International Parkour competition, with amazing pro athletes from everywhere. There were speed and style courses, as well as a skills comp which was how I qualified into the competition. It was a great experience, and I got to meet a bunch of new people and train with them! If you were wondering, I placed 5th in the speed courses; just 1 point off of 4th place! At the start of September, I am headed to Vancouver to try and qualify to the NAPC (North American Parkour Championships) and I am really excited to see a new gym and explore Seattle and Vancouver!

A small part of the crowd watching the competition.

training outside at CU Boulder, CO. Finally got that one armed handstand!!

From August 10th to the 13th, I traveled with Loveland; my ski team, around some places in Utah and Wyoming. We stopped by the Center Of Excellence to train for two days, and I had a lot of fun using and exploring the facility, as well as doing the VO2Max testing, on a stationary bike. We had a nutrition talk from one of the US Ski Team come and talk to us, and it was really interesting to see the food and how everything was handled a lot more personally so you knew exactly what you were eating and how it was made. We also stopped by the Green River in Wyoming, and we had a lot of fun biking and cliff jumping!

cliff jumping at a random little waterfall

VO2 Max Testing

I have been improving a lot with squats, and both of my coaches said that it looked like my leg muscles were growing! The other day we did 3 rounds(2 mins in between) of up to 25 reps squats with 90 lbs, and I felt like I crushed it because I did 25 reps, 25 reps, and 25 reps, for a total of 75 squats with almost body weight. When I was at the COE I did some deadlifts after the VO2Max testing(I was super tired) and I got up to 130 lbs with a hex bar until feeling dead. I also got to try out the force plate and the jumping line; turns out I need to jump 1 more meter to be landed on the girls records there for the triple jump!

Team Picture, made it to COE!

the utah sign is more colorful than the colorful colorado sign. Van travels are fun!

I hope that everyone has been having a great summer and is starting the school year off on a good note, because ski season is coming up!! I am super excited to have seen snow up at Arapahoe Basin and Loveland the other day with hopefully more to come!

biking at Green River, Wyoming

🙂 – Dasha