Big Sky Ski Team

A New BSSEF Parent's Guide to YSL

The first official day of the Youth Ski League (YSL) program is tomorrow.  If you are new to the program, welcome!  We hope and expect that you and your child will find that being a member of the Big Sky Ski Team is a great way to learn to become a great, lifelong skier.

The YSL program is a little bit different than, say, a ski school.  Athletes will get more out of YSL than they would from a ski school.  However, more is expected of the kids—even the youngest—in YSL.

The purpose of the following is to provide some suggestions for new BSSEF parents.  The suggestions are based on the experiences of two parents who have had two kids progress through YSL to Buddy Werner and the Junior Development Team.  Please use the comment feature of this weblog to make additional suggestions or ask questions.

Christmas Camp

This year's Christmas Camp includes Big Sky Ski Team members from the YSL, Buddy Werner, Junior Development, and Masters programs—plus a half dozen skiers representing other programs from around the country.  Today, the campers ran some GS gates on Hangman's before hitting the powder in the afternoon.

Clarification Regarding Mouthguards

This is the latest from the Northern Division:

Contrary to what was previously posted, there is NO mouthguard requirement starting this year for athletes, except at Western Region Projects (camps).  However, the region would like to strongly recommend that athletes use them in both training and competition, not just to save their teeth and protect orthodontia, but to reduce brain injury.

Alumni News: Chase Ryan

BSSEF alumnus Chase Ryan placed 60th and 42nd, respectively, at the two men's FIS J2 slalom races at Mammoth Mountain this past weekend.  This is the first season Chase has skied for Rowmark Ski Academy.

Nothing but Train, Train, Train

Buddy Werner team member Derek Hetherington was overcome by fatigue from the grueling GS training today.  So, Sean Bayless buried Derek in the snow.

Great Result for Bridget French at Mammoth

In today's women's FIS slalom at Mammoth Mountain, Bridget French had a really nice result.  She started with bib number 62 and finished 18th.

Nordic Training Update

The BSSEF calendar reflects the latest Nordic team training updates from coach Kelli Rohrig:

• Tuesday, December 25th—NO PRACTICE
• Thursday, December 27th—NO PRACTICE
• Friday, December 28th—Telemark ski day at Big Sky Resort
• Saturday, December 29th—Skate ski training in the park in the Meadow, Big Sky.

See the calendar or contact Kelli for details.

Second Run Blues

Connor Lunt did not finish the second run of yesterday's men's FIS slalom at Mammoth Mountain.  His bad luck continued in today's slalom, when Connor joined the ranks of 39 other starters who failed to finish or were disqualified.

Ladies Slalom Results from Mammoth Mountain

After canceling races the last two days, Mammoth Mountain was able to run the FIS J2 Classification Ladies Slalom today.  BSSEF's Bridget French started with bib number 68 and finished 36th.  Another Northern Division racer—Tara Hines from Great Divide—placed 52nd.

Kids' Telemark Ski Outing Next Friday

Nordic coach Kelli Rohrig has offered to Telemark ski next Friday, December 28th, with BSSEF kids who would like to learn.

• Talk to Andrew at Grizzly Outfitters about renting gear.
• Meet Kelli at 1:00PM next Friday at the base of the Explorer lift at Big Sky Resort.
• E-mail Kelli with questions.