SMC Alpine Ski Team Blog

Winter Break - Part 1

2012-01-07T14:45:00.001-05:00

Ashley, Kelsey, JD, Kerstin, Kevin, Ian, and Shannon

Old man winter has finally come through with enough cold weather and natural snow to get the season going for the SMC alpine team. The team is starting 2012 off with a great block of training. Everyone is working hard and having fun. It is shaping up to be a great season!

Ian and Beers go 1-2 at the VARA SL at Smuggs

We have had a solid week of training. Monday and Tuesday we could be found tearing up the slopes at Smuggler's Notch with two sessions of slalom each day. Wednesday we slept in and had a great afternoon of slalom at Cochran's. Thursday and Friday the team got some great GS training at Stowe. Everyone is making improvements each day and there is a positive attitude on the hill. We are prepared and excited to show some speed in competition. Today the team is racing a Vermont Cup slalom at Smuggs. Good luck to all the racers!

After today's race, the team will have a day off on Sunday. Monday we will train in the morning and travel to the eastern cup series (2 SL, 2 GS) in the afternoon. The men will be racing at Whiteface in Lake Placid, NY and the women at Stratton, VT. Keep up the good work!

Heidi Robbins - Captain
Graduate Student - Clinical Psychology

Learn more about the team here: Current Members
And don't forget to follow us on Twitter for immediate updates: @smcalpineski

A Work Day at Cochran's Ski Area

2011-10-02T16:15:00.000-04:00

Happy October, Everyone!

Ian '14, JD '12, and Matt '14

Ashley '12, Kelsey '13, and Shannon '14

Hauling wood

Dryland is in full-force now and Gus is doing a great job getting us all into shape. However, last Monday we took a break from the usual dry land to do a work day at Cochran's Ski Area. As you may know, we train at a few locations including Smuggler's Notch, Stowe, and Cochran's. We try to give back to those who are great to us and part of that was assisting in the clearing of brush (or whole trees) in order to create a new ski run!

Gus broke out his chain saw to cut up the wood and Jimmy Cochran, along with other members of the Cochran family, started up the fires to burn the brush. Just consider the afternoon a mix between weight lifting and hiking, with some agility training mixed in as the team maneuvered around the brush.

The team worked for over 2 hours clearing off the top of the run and made some serious progress. They didn't leave the mountain until the sun was down. Just another day in the life of a skier, right?

We were excited, not only to assist with creating a new run, but at the prospect of getting to shred turns on it as soon as possible. We are all wondering: when will the snow fly?

Temperatures are starting to drop here in Vermont, so our fingers our crossed! We hope that you are enjoying that fall and remember to pray for snow!

- Gabbi

Greg McClallen '64 To Be Inducted Into Vermont Ski Hall Of Fame

2011-06-30T14:55:00.000-04:00

From '64 Yearbook

Source: SMC Athletics - Skiing
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College graduate Greg McClallen '64, a four-year member of the Purple Knights' ski team and one of the state's top high school ski coaches for more than four decades, will be inducted into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum (VSSM) Hall of Fame, it was recently announced. McClallen, along with three other skiing legends, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, based in Stowe, in October.
McClallen was a four-year member of the Saint Michael's ski program, and captained the squad as a junior and senior. Following graduation, he became a teacher at Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, Vt. in 1966, where he organized the ski team for six seasons. In 1972, McClallen moved to Rutland, Vt., and became an English teacher and ski coach at Rutland High School. While at Rutland, his ski teams won 17 titles, as well as a New England championship in 1976.
McClellan, who retired as a teacher in 2008, also coached high school soccer, cross country, and track and field during his highly-successful career. In all, his teams won 30 state championships. His daughter, Lori, graduated from Saint Michael's in 1993.
To purchase tickets to the October Hall of Fame dinner and cocktail reception, or for additional information on the VSSM, visit www.vtssm.com.

Block M Varsity Dinner 2011

2011-05-10T22:10:00.000-04:00

Alpine and Nordic Team

I just wanted to share some photos from the Block M Varsity Dinner because everyone was all dressed up and it is our last official get together of the year. Congratulations to Christina Billotti, the Coach's Award Winner!

Julia and Kerstin

Kelly and Gabbi

The Men

Christina Billotti (Coach's Award Winner) and Kelsey Redden

NCAA Eastern Regional Championships - Sunday River, ME

2011-02-28T11:27:00.000-05:00

Julia and Kelly at the Banquet

It's hard to believe it, but the college season is over. This Saturday and Sunday was the Eastern Regionals hosted by Bates College at Sunday River. Amongst the competing colleges were, UVM, Dartmouth, Harvard, Boston College, and, of course, your Purple Knights.

Despite several inches of snowfall over the two days, snow conditions couldn't have been better! They allowed everyone to attack from the back and put it in some fantastic finishes.
On day one, it was SL down Monday Morning. Sunday River ran a great race and we even got to see sunshine for most the day. Here is an excerpt from the press release on day one:

Saint Michael's College sophomore Gabbi Hall (Incline Village, Nev./Forest Charter School) had a strong 16th-place finish in the women's slalom, leading the ski program to 10th place on Saturday at the EISA Championships, hosted by Bates College and held at Sunday River and Black Mountain.
In the men's slalom, junior Nathan Bryant (Lee, N.H./Oyster River) had Saint Michael's best finish, placing 33rd.

Women's SL Results:
- Hall 16th
- Middleton 39th
- Langlands 45th
- Billotti DNF
- Redden DNF
- Waddle DNF

Men's SL Results:
- Bryant 33rd
- Levine 34th
- O'Brien 39th
- Spangler DNF
- Keating DNF
- Bredengen DNF

Kerstin, Christina, Molly, and Gabbi

Day two brought wind and clouds to Sunday River, not to mention a lot of new snow that needed to be pushed off the course. Thanks to coaches and course workers, we got through to the rock hard surface on bottom! The team took advantage of the conditions and Kevin O'Brien and Christina Billotti had stand out performances!

Junior Kevin O'Brien (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) led the Purple Knights on Sunday with a 30th-place finish in the men's giant slalom. Sophomore Gabbi Hall (Incline Village, Nev./Forest Charter School) was tops for the Saint Michael's women with a 32nd-place giant slalom finish, while sophomore Christina Billotti (Massapequa, N.Y./Green Mountain Valley School) was right behind in 33rd.

Women's GS Results:
- Hall 32nd
- Billotti 33rd
- Redden 35th
- Middleton 48th
- Waddle 49th
- Langlands 51st

Men's GS Results:
- O'Brien 30th
- Levine 38th
- Bredengen 40th
- Keating 49th
- Spangler DNF
- Bryant DNF

The team

A special congratulations to Nathan Bryant and Gabrielle Hall for making the All-Academic Team along with several of the Nordic team members!
The racing will continue this week with Eastern Alpine Championships at Stowe.

Middlebury Carnival 2011 - Day Two (Giant Slalom)

2011-02-19T18:29:00.000-05:00

Hey Superfans!

Here is another video compilation with some insight into conditions on day two of the Middlebury Carnival. It was snowy, but the snow was hard and the course held up wonderfully. This may have been the team's best carnival this season with the boys putting down some of their top results. Many of the boys scored in Giant Slalom. Yay!
Our next and final college race of the season is: Eastern Championships in Sunday River, ME! I hope to see you there!

To see full results: Middlebury Carnival Results

Middlebury Carnival 2011 - Day One (Slalom)

2011-02-18T20:27:00.000-05:00

Well, it was a tough day at Middlebury for Saint Mike's. Upon our arrival, it was raining. Luckily, that stopped pretty quickly. Of course, the warm weather kept the snow from getting hard. Athletes were battling huge bumps and holes. On the bright side, the sun came out for the second run and everyone was happy to soak up a little taste of spring. :)
The video above is a compilation of clips from day one. Enjoy!
Results can be found on the EISA Skiing Website.
We hope to see you out there tomorrow!

100th Dartmouth Carnival - February 2011

2011-02-13T21:58:00.002-05:00

Guest Blog: Assistant Coach, Molly Macleod

Day 1:

Grabbing some food (Courtesy of the Spanglers)

Bluebird sky day at Dartmouth Skiway for the ivy league's 100th Winter Carnival celebration! It was a great day to rip a little GS at the Skiway, the snow was great and the track left a perfect groove for the racers to ride in. Dartmouth has always been known to be a tricky hill, because of it's quick steeps into a looooong drawn out flat section. The Knights did their best to carry their speed onto the flats so that they could cruise into a better starting position for next run, and possibly a great result overall! Gliding on the flats is difficult skill to achieve, but the Knights worked on it from beginning to end. And when all was said and done, the sun was still shining and we had another fun day of racing under our belts.

Tim, JD, and Carl (Courtesy of The Spanglers)

Day 2:

If you have ever been to Dartmouth Skiway, you would know there is a road right in valley of the two mountains called Grafton Turnpike. For the slalom event, we were racing on the left side of the road, where the lodge is, and it was fabulous! During the first one, Chip Knight set a do-sie of a course for the women, but they tackled it and had some solid finishes. The men had a course that forced them to rip, and so they did. The track was not too soft, just a slight groove again that would help them to take the line more traveled by the racers prior to them. Second run was a turner for the men. They gave it a whirl and a good run of it. The women had a nice rhythmical course and they tackled it pretty well. All in all, the Skiway was a good trip and we'll definitely attack it next year!

To see the results, head to EISA Dartmouth Results.

The next race is at Middlebury on Feb. 18 and 19, 2011. We hope to see you there!

University of Vermont Carnival: Slalom - Stowe, VT

2011-02-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

Men getting ready at the start!

When it comes down to it, a ski racer can't ask for much more than good weather and snow. It was a beautiful blue-bird day without a cloud in the sky (until the women's second run).

The courses were challenging putting every racer to the test and no one breezed on through. Despite that, the Purple Knights rose to the occasion and posted some fast results!

Carl Oscar Green Bredengen was our top finisher posting a 17th place in the collegiate results! John David Levine was 25th and Kevin O'Brien was 27th. Matthew Beers was 44th. Timothy Spangler and Andrew Keating were DNFs.

Kevin O'Brien

On the women's side, Ashley Langlands came down in 29th after a solid run down a particularly challenging course and some flat light. Kerstin Middleton was 36th. Christina Billotti was 39th. Kelsey Locke, Kelsey Redden, and Kelly Waddle were all DNFs.

The team ended up 10th in the overall rankings. To view, all results head to the EISA website. The next carnival will be at Dartmouth Skiway next Friday and Saturday! We hope to see you all there!

University of Vermont Carnival: Giant Slalom - Stowe, VT

2011-02-04T21:50:00.001-05:00

Main Street, the race trail at Stowe, has become a familiar place for the Saint Mike's Ski Team. Unlike last season, the team has been able to train at Stowe at least once a week for most of the season. That meant that the team was confident coming into Friday's Giant Slalom and they certainly put the hammer down!

The team saw some of the best conditions on the circuit so far despite recent snowfall of up to 18 inches. Athletes were able to see the course, which is always hugely helpful and snow allowed athletes to attack from the back.

On the women's side, Christina Billotti led the pack in 31st place, moving up 40 spots. Kelly Waddle, Ashley Langlands, and Kerstin Middleton were close behind in 37th, 38th, and 39th. Kelsey Locke and Kelsey Redden were unfortunately DNFs.

Tim Spangler headed up the men in 24th making a 34-spot jump. Kevin O'Brien was hot on his heels in 26th making a 42-spot jump. Matt Beers had a solid 38th place finish at his carnival debut. Carl Bredengen was 41st, JD Levine was 43rd, and Andrew Keating was 55th.

To see all the results head to the EISA website. Also, be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Those will have pictures and race facts posted right off the hill!

See you out there tomorrow! The slalom starts at 9 am with the men!

Colby Carnival - Sugarloaf, ME

2011-01-23T08:46:00.000-05:00

Molly, assistant coach, juicing skis

For many, Sugarloaf is associated with challenging weather and it was nothing less for this weekend's carnival. On day one, the team raced Giant Slalom. They battled cold temperatures, wind, snow, and, of course, limited visibility.

Gabbi Hall was the top Saint Mike's finisher of the day with 18th. Kerstin Middleton was the next best female finisher with 33rd place. Christina Billotti came in 37th after hiking both runs! On the men's side, John David Levine led with a 21st place. Kevin O'Brien was close behind in 26th place. Carl Oscar Bredengen came in 28th, Nathan Bryant skied to 37th, and Tim Spangler came in 39th.

The boys cheering on the Ladies

On Day 2, the sun was shining while temperatures dropped. The slalom ran on the lower part of the GS course. It was about 40 seconds long, making it an all out sprint. Carl Oscar Bredengen finished 22nd moving up 25 spots. John David Levine moved up to 34th and Nathan Bryant was close behind in 35th. Kevin O'Brien was 37th. For the women, Gabbi Hall lead with 24th place. Kelly Waddle followed with 36th place on her home course. Kerstin Middleton moved up to 43rd. To view results head over to: www.eisaskiing.org

Tim and Carl after their runs

Beautiful weather on Sunday

Saint Lawrence Carnival - Whiteface, NY

2011-01-16T09:04:00.001-05:00

Hey Superfans!
The Purple Knights had a fabulous weekend at Whiteface with some great results and constantly changing weather.

On Friday, the team raced the Giant Slalom. If you have not been to Whiteface, the GS hill consists of 2 pitches with a nice flats section in the middle. Visibilty wasn't an issue which was refreshing! Last year at Whiteface, racers were battling rain! While the course got a little bumpy, it was nothing the team couldn't handle. Here are the collegiate results (this is from the SMC Athletics Press Release):

Sophomore Gabbi Hall (Incline Village, Nev./Forest Charter School) had the best finish of the day for the Purple Knights, as she placed 22nd in the women's giant slalom. Three other Purple Knight women placed in the top-40 in the giant slalom, as sophomore Kelsey Redden (Ramsey, N.J./Northwood School/Ramsey HS) was 33rd, freshman Kelly Waddle (Harpswell, Maine/Carrabassett Valley Academy) placed 34th, and junior Ashley Langlands (Shelburne, N.H./Gorham Middle) took 38th.


O'Brien, Harden (Alumni), Keating, Bredengen, and Spangler

In the men's giant slalom, four Purple Knights finished in the top-40, led by junior Kevin O'Brien (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) and his 34th-place finish. Placing 36th, 37th and 38th were classmate J.D. Levine (Toronto, Ontario/National Ski Acad./King's College at Univ. of W. Ontario), fellow junior Nathan Bryant (Lee, N.H./Oyster River), and sophomore Andrew Keating (Waterbury, Vt./Burke Mountain Academy).

The following day (Saturday) was Slalom on the lower part of the GS hill. It's starts off flat, but the majority of the SL has a nice pitch. On the men's side, conditions were tough. The snow was chunking out and spectators definitely watched a show. Our boys forged ahead posting some fabulous results! The women had less problems with snow as they had a rock hard surface underneath. All racers did battle some visibility problems when it started to snow before second run. Here are the collegiate results (from the SMC Athletics Press Release):

Freshman Tim Spangler (Summit, N.J./Summit/Univ. of Colorado) had the Purple Knights' best finish of the day, placing 17th in the men's slalom. Classmate Carl-Oscar Bredengen (Reistad, Norway/Donski VGS) finished 25th for Saint Michael's, while juniors Nathan Bryant (Lee, N.H./Oyster River) and J.D. Levine (Toronto, Ontario/National Ski Acad./King's College at Univ. of W. Ontario) recorded 27th and 29th-place finishes, respectively.

In the women's slalom, sophomore Gabbi Hall (Incline Village, Nev./Forest Charter School) led Saint Michael's with a 25th-place finish. Freshmen Kerstin Middleton (Greenland, N.H./Proctor Academy) and Kelly Waddle (Harpswell, Maine/Carrabassett Valley Academy) were 33rd and 36th, respectively, while junior Ashley langlands (Shelburne, N.H./Gorham Middle) took 37th.

The team starts classes this week and will be heading off to Sugarloaf, ME, hosted by Colby College, on Thursday!
A big thanks to all the parents who brought food to Whiteface! You are all truly fabulous!

Press Release for Saint Lawrence Carnival

2011-01-13T14:12:00.000-05:00

January 13, 2011
Saint Michael's Ski Teams To Begin 2011 Season At Saint Lawrence Carnival This Weekend

COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's and women's alpine and Nordic ski teams begin the 2011 season this Friday and Saturday, as the Purple Knights take part in the Saint Lawrence University Carnival.

This weekend's alpine races will be held at Drapers Drop at Whiteface Mountain, while the Nordic competition will take place at Mount Van Hovenberg, both in Lake Placid, N.Y. See below for a complete schedule of events for the Saint Lawrence Carnival.

The Carnival kicks off the six-week Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association (EISA) season for the Purple Knights, as Saint Michael's will compete against the finest ski programs in the East. The EISA season concludes with EISA Championship in Maine on February 26-27.

The Saint Michael's alpine ski team, led by first-year head coach Gus MacLeod '02, returns seven skiers from last year's squad. On the men's side, those expected to race at Saint Lawrence this weekend include: junior captain Nathan Bryant (Lee, N.H./Oyster River), classmates J.D. Levine (Toronto, Ontario/National Ski Acad./King's College at Univ. of W. Ontario) and Kevin O'Brien (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield), sophomore Andrew Keating (Waterbury, Vt./Burke Mountain Academy), and freshmen Carl-Oscar Bredengen (Reistad, Norway/Donski VGS) and Tim Spangler (Summit, N.J./Summit/Univ. of Colorado).

For the Saint Michael's women's alpine squad, expected to compete in Lake Placid are: junior Ashley Langlands (Shelburne, N.H./Gorham Middle), sophomore captain Gabbi Hall (Incline Village, Nev./Forest Charter School), classmate Kelsey Redden (Ramsey, N.J./Northwood School/Ramsey HS), and freshmen Kelsey Locke (Lake Placid, N.Y./Burke Mountain Acad./Northwood School), Kerstin Middleton (Greenland, N.H./Proctor Academy), and Kelly Waddle (Harpswell, Maine/Carrabassett Valley Academy).

The Saint Michael's Nordic ski team, meanwhile, is led by 10th-year head coach Joe Connelly '87, and features four returning skiers. The women's side returns junior Samantha Martell (Georgia, Vt./BFA-Saint Albans/Saint Lawrence) and sophomore Katlyn Keane (Bethel, Maine/Telstar Regional), and welcomes sophomore Larissa Spaulding (Jackson, N.H./Kennett) and freshmen Silke Hynes (Burlington, Ontario/Milton District HS) and Gabrielle Naranja (Fort Kent, Maine/Fort Kent Community). Hynes is one of four women that will represent the United States at the 2011 International Biathlon Union Youth/Junior World Championships, and is expected to leave for Turkey following the Saint Lawrence Carnival, while Naranja was the top runner for the Saint Michael's women's cross country team this past fall.

The Saint Michael's men's Nordic team has just two members, but both are accomplished returnees. They are: junior captain Robert Sitzer (Lenox, Mass./Lenox Memorial), and sophomore Colin Delaney (Lake Placid, N.Y./National Sports Academy). Delaney's ninth-place finish at the Williams College Carnival last season was the best Saint Michael's Nordic result in EISA competition since 1999.

Saint Lawrence Carnival - Lake Placid, N.Y.
Schedule of Events

Friday, January 14th
9:30 a.m. - Men’s 10K Classic (5x2 km loop)
9:30 a.m. - Women’s Giant Slalom 1st run
10:30 a.m. - Men’s Giant Slalom 1st run
11:30 a.m. - Women’s 6K Classic (3x2 km loop)
1:00 p.m. - Women’s Giant Slalom 2nd run
1:45 p.m. - Men’s Giant Slalom 2nd run

Saturday, January 15th
9:30 a.m. - Men’s Slalom 1st run
10:00 a.m. - Women’s 10K Freestyle
10:30 a.m. - Women’s Slalom 1st run
11:30 a.m. - Men’s 15K Freestyle
12:30 p.m. - Men’s Slalom 2nd run
1:15 p.m. - Women’s Slalom 2nd run

Winter Break Camp

2011-01-05T18:46:00.001-05:00

Billotti waiting for early load at Smuggs

The team has been on campus for just over a week now. There has been a combination of free-skiing, gate training, and racing to the get the team going before our first carnival. (Jan 14 - 15, 2011 at Whiteface, NY hosted by St. Lawrence)

Training started out well at Smuggs with a lot of slalom gates. We generally catch the "milk run" lift at 7:45 am so we could set before the lift opens. That way we don't waste anytime once we were able to start training. The snow wasn't hard, but with the occasional slip run and Gus and Molly fixing gates, things ran pretty smoothly!

The team has also been able to train at Stowe a bit. Today, they were able to run full-length GS on the race hill there. This will be particularly beneficial to the athletes who will race in the Stowe Carnival hosted by UVM as well as any athletes that qualify for NCAA Nationals, which will be hosted by UVM.

Keating, Spangler, and Beers wait for the lift


Spinervals after skiing

After skiing, the team has had access to the gym for spinervals, which is the term for "spinning intervals." The team is able to spin, run, and even life a little if they'd like. It's nice to have access to those facilities even when the gym isn't open.

On New Year's Eve, the team went out for bowling and dinner. We had training on the 1st (Now, that's commitment!) Bowling was pretty fun. We had 3 lanes with two boys teams and the girls team. Nate and JD really got into the bowling spirit by rocking Nascar bowling shirts.We all found out that we shouldn't give up our ski careers for bowling anytime soon...

New Year's Eve bowling

Locke and Langlands on New Years Eve

After bowling, the team headed to Uno's pizza for a family dinner. It was an early night. Many team members said they were in bed by 10 pm.

As far as races, Gabbi H. is currently racing the Nor-Ams at Sunday River, ME. In a few days, the womens team will headed to Okemo, VT for two GS Eastern Cup races. The men will be going to Sugarloaf, ME for two SL and two GS Eastern Cups. To see results for these races (Starting Jan. 9), check out www.live-timing.com. You can see results as they are happening!

Please send good vibes to the team and we hope you are all having a fabulous New Year!

Men's Results - Attitash, NH

2010-12-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

The race season has officially begun with some on the Men's team racing down in Attitash, NH!
There was a great showing there! Nice job, boys! Check out the results below!

12-17-2010 - Slalom

Andrew Keating - 6th
Nathan Bryant - 40th
John David Levine - DSQ 1
Tim Spangler - DNF 2
Matt Beers - DNF 1

12-18-2010 - Giant Slalom

Andrew Keating - 7th
Nathan Bryant - 9th
Kevin O'Brien - 10th
Matt Beers - 15th
John David Levine - 29th
Tim Spangler - 50th
Carl Oscar Bredengen - DNS 2
Ian Hanbury - DNF 2

12-19-10 - Giant Slalom

Tim Spangler - 2nd
Kevin O'Brien - 8th
Nate Bryant - 12th
John David Levine - 15th
Carl Oscar Bredengen - 24th
Matt Beers - 27th
Ian Hanbury - DNF1

Thanksgiving Camp - Sunday River, ME

2010-11-30T22:46:00.001-05:00

From Guest Blogger: Ashley Langlands '12

The Ladies

The alpine ski team has finally kicked off the season over Thanksgiving break with five days of skiing in Sunday River, Maine. Eight guys and six gals (along with our two coaches!) packed up three SMC vans, and caravanned four hours in search of snow! No doubt about it, we found some!

It was the first time on-snow for the majority of the team members this season. We began with a fun-filled day of drills and free skiing, which soon built up to some gate training over the next few days. Each day the mountain kept the snow guns at full blast to increase coverage, and open some new terrain. As the days went by, the weather got even better and the sun was even shining the last two days!

Carl Oscar and John David

Spending as much time together as we do, we become our own sort of family. The close-ties of this year's team became apparent on Thanksgiving when 16 of us sat around a family table and enjoyed an amazing turkey dinner with all the fixings (and of course some yummy dessert!) at the Bethel Inn. We squeezed in, passed the gravy, and spilled some things, too. :-P

With every family comes sibling rivalry. On Saturday night, the team played Laser Tag and things got pretty intense. Everyone was preparing their game faces for the ski season.

All in all, the camp was a total success! Great on snow training and fun-filled adventures with teammates!

The Coaches

Some team members will be racing this Saturday at Killington in a Vermont Cup race, so keep your fingers crossed and your eyes peeled for results!

An Article in the Defender

2010-11-17T14:33:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, the Saint Michael's College on-campus paper is called The Defender.
The whole paper can be viewed HERE. This article on the alpine ski team ran in this week's issue. It was written by staff writer, Colin Ellis.

There have been some major changes to the St. Michael’s alpine ski team since last season ended.

The first big change made was declaring a new head coach. Gus Macleod, ‘02, was the assistant coach during last year’s season, but assumed the position of head coach when Warren Palmer stepped down after six years.

Macleod comes from a long history of skiing, including three years coaching the Mt. Mansfield Ski Team and four years coaching the U.S. Ski Team. Macleod also spent two years skiing and training with World Cup Men’s Speed Team. Macleod’s cousin, Molly Macleod, was also named the new assistant coach for the team.

“I am looking forward to the challenge of leading the St. Michael’s alpine ski program to the next level,” Macleod said. “It’s a program that I highly value, and that I believe can do great things in the Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association (EISA).”

Macleod said the team will be a better team than previous years.

“This year we have a stronger team overall,” Macleod said. “It’s tough to compete against the bigger schools, but we can get in there and mix it up for a few of them.”

One goal is to improve the team’s standings to be in the top four for competitors at the races, known as carnivals, Macleod said.

New captain for the women
This year, sophomore Gabbi Hall was named captain of the women’s team. Hall says her personal goal as captain is to bring everyone together early on in the season.

“It’s an individual sport,” Hall said. “But in college it needs to be like a team sport.”

Having been on the snow since she was three years old and racing since she was eight, Hall is excited about the potential of this season, she said.

“[Last season] was an up and down season,” Hall said. “The team had solid finishes, but there was room for improvement.”

Hall said there were only five girls racing for the team last season, even though each team is allowed six. The downside is that according to the Federation of International Skiing rules, in order for the race to count, the team needs at least three racers to finish.

“There were a few carnivals last year where our third person didn’t finish,” Macleod said.

Junior Ashley Langlands also has high hopes for the new season and new coach.

“The girls’ team struggled last year,” Langlands said. “We’re a smaller school and we struggled to finish. But this year looks good.”

Severed ties with Smuggler's Notch

In the past the team used Smuggler’s Notch as its only facility. This year the team is no longer directly tied with Smuggler’s Notch, and will travel to Stowe more often.
Seth Cole, sports information director at St. Michael’s, said that Macleod comes from a long history of prior experience that qualifies him to coach the team.
“Our team has pretty consistently finished in the top 10 of the East, usually 8th, 9th or 10th place,” Cole said.

Cole says it will be hard to predict how this season will turn out so early on, but the overall feel on Macleod’s promotion is positive.

“Continuity helps,” Cole said. “They’ll at least perform at the same level as last year.”

“I’m excited about Gus,” Hall said. “He’s a great guy. He’s not afraid to tell you if you had a bad run.”

Macleod’s youth and experience will be beneficial to the team, Langlands said.
“He has experience and it’s easier for us to talk to him and for him to connect with us,” she said.

Macleod said that his attitude can help the athletes this season.
“I’m more communicative with the athletes, a little more aggressive and in your face,” Macleod said.

Last season the team only had eight men and seven women skiing for the team, Macleod said.

This year’s team currently stands at ten men and ten women. Each will have to cut one racer so the roster will be nine a piece. The team will be traveling to Sunday River over Thanksgiving break, and will have the roster finalized shortly after that.
The season officially begins in January.

Winter is Coming

2010-11-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

Hey!
Sorry I haven't updated this in a while! It's been a busy semester!

Rest assured, the team has been training hard. Monday/Wednesdays the team does agility and cardio workouts and Tuesday/Thursdays are weight lifting and Friday is Game Day, where the team plays Speedball, Soccer, or Wally-ball (which is always hilarious). You can see some photos here: http://on.fb.me/dadw09 I will be posting more photos that a friend in the journalism department took for me in the near future.

Along with workouts, the team has done team dinners including one at Gus' house. We ate really delicious Mexican food. The home-cooked meal was very welcome. The team is getting along really well and it's obvious that hopes are high for the upcoming season.

The team has plans to ski at Stowe next weekend when it opens and then it's off to Sunday River for the Thanksgiving camp. The plan is to name the official team after the Thanksgiving camp, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for that list!

I'll make another update after we get on snow!

Some of the girls before dryland

Boys playing basketball

Julia, Ashley, and Kerstin

Ashley, Kerstin, Nicole, and Kelsey L.

Kevin, Julia, Kelly, Tim, Kelsey R, Christina

Watching Hockey

Sam Martell(Nordic), Nicole, and Ashley at a Halloween Social

Prepping skis!

Want to Support Your Purple Knights?

2010-10-08T20:13:00.000-04:00

The Alpine Ski Team is participating in the SMC Athletic Department's 2010-2011 Super Raffle.
Tickets are $5 each. You can buy them individually or they come in packets of 10.
Not only will you be helping us raise money for the new equipment that we need and lessening travel expenses for a November camp, you will be put in the raffle for many exciting prizes including:

Two United Airlines $400 ticket vouchers and

a $1,500 cash prize to use to complete your dream vacation!!

To buy tickets, talk to your ski team athlete or feel free to send me an email: ghall@smcvt.edu. Every ticket helps towards having the best season possible!

Stay healthy and pray for snow!

Meet the Athletes

2010-09-20T18:45:00.002-04:00

Time to meet the athletes! Please note that this is NOT the official roster. That will not be decided until after our Thanksgiving camp. This list is of everyone who is participating in dryland this fall!

Men

Name: Matt Beers
Hometown: Wrentham, MA
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: Exploratory
Favorite Event: GS
This season I am looking forward to: skiing.
My personal goal for this season is: to race Carnivals.
My goal for the team is: to ski well and have fun!

Name: Carl Oscar Green Bredengen
Hometown: Lier, Norway
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: Business/Marketing
Favorite Event: Slalom
This season I am looking forward to: skiing with the team, improve my FIS points, and as well as racing well at Carnivals.
My personal goal for this season is: to improve my FIS points and level of skiing.
My goal for the team is: to be part of making the Purple Knights faster.

Name: Nathan Bryant - Captain
Hometown: Lee, NH
Class: 2012
Major/Minor: Business
Favorite Event: Slalom
This season, I am most looking forward to: getting back on skis and skiing fast.
My personal goal is: to ski to my potential.
My goal for the team is: to see us be competitive.

Name: Ian Hanbury
Hometown: Newington, CT
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: History
Favorite Event: Slalom
This season I am looking forward to: getting better and having fun.
My personal goal for this season is: to get my FIS points to equal my USSA points.
My goal for the team is: do well at Carnivals.

Name: Andrew Keating
Hometown: Waitsfield, VT
Class of: 2013
Major/Minor: Education
Favorite Event: GS
This season I am looking forward to: scoring mad NCAA points.
My personal goal for this season is: to score mad NCAA points.
My goal for the team is: to have some top 5 finishes.

Name: John David Levine
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Class of: 2012
Major/Minor: Business/Philosophy
Favorite Event: Slalom
This season I am looking forward to: doing some damage on the circuit.
My personal goal for this season is: to ski faster than last season.
My goal for the team is: to have some top 5 finishes!

Name: Matthew Nault
Hometown: Ridgefield, CT
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: Exploratory
Favorite Event: Slalom
This season I am most looking forward to: being able to compete against the best skiers in the Northeast and seeing how well I do against them.
My personal goal for the season is: to be happy with the outcome of my season at the end of the season.
My goal for the team is: to contribute, to the best of my ability, to all aspects of the team.

Name: Kevin O'Brien
Hometown: Ridgefield, CT
Class of: 2011
Major/Minor: Mechanical Engineering/Math
Favorite Event: Downhill
This season I am looking forward to: getting some good training in at Stowe.
My personal goal for this season is: score NCAA points in both events.
My goal for the team is: consistently finish in the top 6 for alpine.

Name: Ethan Romagnoli
Hometown: Boxford, MA
Class of: 2012
Major/Minor: Engineering/Math
Favorite Event: GS
This season, I am most looking forward to: game day.
My personal goal is: to make the team.
My goal for the team is: beat Harvard every race.

Women

Name: Nicole Beilak
Hometown: Peru, VT
Class of: 2011
Major/Minor: American Studies
Favorite Event: Slalom
This season I am most looking forward to: having a good year.
My personal goal is: to move up my start number.
My goal for the team is: to get along and have a good season.

Name: Christina Billotti
Hometown: Massapequa, NY
Class of: 2013
Major/Minor: Undecided
Favorite Event: Lunch
This season I am most looking forward to: actually skiing.
My personal goal is: have fun and lose 10 lbs.
My goal for the team is: to have everyone ski to their potential.

Name: Jasmine Bruce
Hometown: Essex, VT
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: Engineering
Favorite Event: Giant Slalom
This season I am most looking forward to: skiing as a team.
My personal goal is: to ski well in carnivals.
My goal for the team is: to have the best team spirit out there!

Name: Julia Canelas
Hometown: Franconia, NH
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: Business
Favorite Event: Slalom and GS
This season I am most looking forward to: getting to know the team.
My personal goal for the season is: to race in carnivals and to train as hard as I can to get to the next level.
My goal for the team is: to have solid results for the team at carnivals.

Name: Gabbi Hall - Captain
Hometown: Incline Village, NV
Class of: 2013
Major/Minor: Journalism/Music
Favorite Event: Ask me after a race.
This season I am most looking forward to: knifing turns and knocking down gates.
My personal goal is: to lower my points and make NCAA Nationals.
My goal for the team is: to have people out the hill supporting each other whether we win or lose.

Name: Ashley Langlands
Hometown: Shelburne, NH
Class of: 2012
Major/Minor: Business/Marketing and Finance
Favorite Event: Slalom
This season, I am most looking forward to: having fun with the team.
My personal goal is: To be decided.
My goal for the team is: to have a fun and successful season.

Name: Kelsey Locke
Hometown: Lake Placid, NY
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: Environmental Studies
Favorite Event: Downhill
This season, I am most looking forward to: skiing the carnival circuit and getting to know a new group of athletes.
My personal goal is: to ski faster and continue to manage my time well between training and my studies.
My goal for the team is: to maintain positive attitudes throughout the entire season, support and learn from one another, and ski fast.

Name: Kerstin Middleton
Hometown: Greenland, NH
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: Exploratory
Favorite Event: Slalom
This season, I am most looking forward to: skiing.
My personal goal is: lowering my points.
My goal for the team is: to have fun

Name: Kelsey Redden
Hometown: Ramsey, NJ
Class of: 2013
Major/Minor: Psychology/Journalism
Favorite Event: GS
This season I am looking forward to: getting better and having fun.
My personal goal for this season is: to lower my SL points.
My goal for the team is: to have fun.

Name: Kelly Waddle
Hometown: Harpswell, ME
Class of: 2014
Major/Minor: Environmental Studies
Favorite Event: None
This season I am looking forward to: skiing!
My personal goal for this season is: keeping up with school work.
My goal for the team is: skiing well in Carnivals.

Meet the Coaches

2010-09-08T20:55:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the last days of summer! Dryland is starting up and that means it is time for everyone to meet the coaches and athletes. This season, we have two coaches, Gus Macleod (head coach) and Molly Macleod (assistant coach).

Angus "Gus" Macleod
Hometown: Jeffersonville, VT

Years with SMC Ski Team: 2 years

Previous Coaching/Racing Experience: Gus has coached 3 years with Mount Mansfield Ski Club in Stowe, VT and then 4 years with the US Ski Team. Before that, Gus raced for Carrabassett Valley Academy, followed by two years racing for Plymouth College and finally graduating from Saint Michael's College.

This Season, I am most looking forward to: Surprising some teams on the circuit with the strong finishes SMC is going to have.

My goal is: to have a bunch of top six team finishes on the Alpine side. (Note: In final team rankings, Nordic results are combined with Alpine results.)

Molly Macleod

Hometown: Franconia, NH

Years with the SMC Ski Team: This will be my first year and I'm very excited!

Previous Coaching/Racing Experience: I've only coached a ski conditioning camp, but I have been racing for 13 years, 9 years at Franconia, NH and 4 years with the Colby-Sawyer Ski Team, where I was captain for two seasons.

This season I am most excited to: get to know everyone's race styles, tactics, and personalities.

My goal is: for every athlete to realize and perform to their full potential.

Fire It Up!

2010-08-30T20:34:00.000-04:00

School has started and that means it is time for the Alpine Ski Team meeting! Interested? Go to Ross Sports Center on Sept 1st at 5 pm. It will take place either in the classroom off to the right as you enter or in the Hall of Fame Room near the main desk on the first floor. Just ask anyone around and they can probably point you in the right direction!
Can't wait to see everyone there!

Block "M" Varsity Dinner

2010-05-01T18:55:00.001-04:00

Hello Purple Knight Superfans!
This will be the final post for the 2009-2010 season.
I just wanted to post a group photo from the 63rd Annual Block "M" Dinner and recognize our outstanding seniors.
Conratulations to Brad Harden, Andrew Nault, Kris Ochs, and Peter Benedetto on making it through four grueling years at St. Mike's. They have certainly left their mark on the team and we hope they will come back to visit us! Good luck after graduation!

NCAA Nationals - Steamboat Springs, CO

2010-03-15T22:36:00.003-04:00

Brad Harden, a senior, competed at NCAA Nationals in Colorado last week as the only representative of Saint Michael's College at the event. NCAA Nationals brings together the best of the best in college racing from around the country. Some of these racers are previous National team members, and all the competitors are extremely talented.

Brad made us all proud with a 34th in the Giant Slalom and a 27th in the Slalom. (He was 14th after the first run.)

We hope to see Saint Michael's College represented in many National Championships to come!

Aren't We Good Lookin'?

2010-03-07T14:10:00.003-05:00

This is the group at Eastern Championships at Middlebury! We clean up pretty good, I think!

In other news, anyone "tweet"? Well, to get the latest info (hopefully) head to the SMC Alpine Twitter page.

Eastern Championships

2010-03-03T19:44:00.007-05:00

Well, it's bittersweet. It was a wonderful collegiate season (It's not over for everyone though...) and the team really came together, but I'm sure the team was ready for a well-deserved break from their skis and probably each other. There's alot of together-ness when your on the team and I think everyone could use some time away.
To cap off the season, the Purple Knights charged their way to some fabulous finishes at Middlebury battling some very tough snow conditions in the slalom as well as ever changing weather. Here are the slalom results:

Slalom - Women
Gabrielle Hall - 24th place
Ashley Langlands - 43rd place
Kelsey Redden - 45th place
Nicole Beilak - 46th place
April Hawman - 49th place
Sarah Brown - 50th place

Slalom - Men
Brad Harden - 9th place
Andrew Nault - 31st place
Nate Bryant - 33rd place
JD Levine - 34th place
Peter Benedetto - 38th place
Max Harden - DSQ

On Sunday, things brightened up quite a bit. The visibility was good. The team wasn't struggling with wind like at Williams. And even though the snow was not the best, it was ski-able. The team has a great day and the three seniors, Brad Harden, Andrew Nault, and Peter Benedetto, present at the race did a wonderful job at their final EISA race. Results are as follows:

Giant Slalom - Women
Gabrielle Hall - 32nd place
Kelsey Redden - 37th place
Ashley Langlands - 47th place
April Hawman - 50th place
Nicole Beilak - 53rd place
Sarah Brown - DNF

Giant Slalom - Men
Brad Harden - 8th place
Max Harden - 37th place
Andrew Nault - 39th place
JD Levine - 45th place
Nathan Bryant - 47th place
Peter Benedetto - 48th place

Lastly, Brad Harden has qualified for the NCAA Championships to be held at Steamboat Springs, Colorado beginning March 10th! Yay, Brad! Kill it out there!

Here are the other three seniors: Kris Ochs, Peter Benedetto, and Andrew Nault. We wish them all luck in the "real world." Where ever it takes them, we will always be here for them!

Eastern Championships at Middlebury - Day One

2010-02-27T19:54:00.004-05:00

The team left on Friday afternoon for Middlebury. Packing up was quite the process...

We finally got organized, and made our way to Middlebury. It was important to be timely because we had a banquet that evening. We arrived in plenty of time for the boys to straighten their hair and do their make-up. They can be so high maintenance! Everyone looked fabulous for the dinner. Some of the athletes left as members of the 2010 All Academic Intercollegiate Ski Team. You qualify for the team by having over a 3.5 in the fall semester and racing at Eastern Championships. Congratulations to Nathan Bryant, Sarah Brown, and Gabrielle Hall for being so awesome! (Congrats the 4 Nordic skiers as well!)
Results for these racing will be posted this week!

A Whole New World

2010-02-27T19:45:00.003-05:00

From the Start Haus at Cochran's Ski Hill. That's Nate popping out of the side and UVM making a short appearance.

Aren't they precious? Brad, Ashley, and JD wait for the salt to set.

From the T-Bar. (The training hill was on the right. )
Well, a whole new trail at least. As you know, the Middlebury Carnival was pushed back a day leaving the Purple Knights with an extra day to train after all the snow, rain, and everything in between. The coaches felt we could be more productive on the T-bar over at Cochran's Ski Area than at Smugg's, solely because the T-bar at Cochran's would allow us to get tons of runs. A small group headed over to the hill Friday morning. (The missing members went to this strange thing called "class.") The weather was almost unbearably warm and the snow conditions weren't ideal, but it was wet enough for salting, which significantly improved the course. The tough conditions were a great way to prepare for the inconceivably rough conditions of the upcoming carnival.

Eastern Championship Update

2010-02-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

The races have been postponed a day. The Purple Knights will be racing this Saturday and Sunday , as opposed to the original Friday/Saturday schedule. Slalom will be Saturday and Giant Slalom will be Sunday.
For the new schedule, head to the announcement on the EISA site.

Williams Carnival

2010-02-22T19:55:00.004-05:00

For the second to last carnival, the Purple Knights headed to Jiminy Peak. There was two days of interesting races, thanks to the host, Williams College. Friday was Giant Slalom on a great rolling hill with rock hard snow. While the hill itself was in great shape, the weather was less than desirable. With wind gusts coming into the start area, literally pushing the athletes away from the start. The smaller girls had to be held in place until the countdown. The GS race results are as follows:

Womens
Ashley Langlands - 35th place
April Hawman - 39th place
Nicole Beilak - DNF
Kelsey Redden - DNF
Gabrielle Hall - DNF

Mens
Brad Harden - 36th place
Nate Bryant - 39th place
Andrew Keating - 42nd place
Max Harden - 43rd place
Andrew Nault - DNF
Peter Benedetto - DNF

Slalom was challenging as always, but that comes with the event. Held on the same hill as the GS, the snow was icy and allowed the athletes to make big moves. The results are as follows:

Womens
Gabrielle Hall - 22nd place
Ashley Langlands - 41st place
Nicole Bielak - 44th place
Kelsey Redden - 45th place
April Hawman - DNF

Mens
Brad Harden - 10th place
Andrew Keating - 33rd place
Andrew Nault - 35th place
Peter Benedetto - 36th place
Nate Bryant - 38th place
Max Harden - 41st place

To view complete results, head to Williams Carnival Results.
To view summaries of all the carnivals, check out the EISA website.
Next weekend, Feb. 26th-27th, the team is headed to Middlebury, VT for Eastern Championships! Keep your fingers crossed!

Eastern Cup Results

2010-02-14T20:34:00.002-05:00

In the past week, both the men and women have raced several eastern cups at Stowe, Middlebury, and Dartmouth. They have had a TON of success and it looks like the season is really heating up.

Women's Middlebury Slalom
Gabrielle Hall - 16th place
Ashley Langlands - 49th place
Kelsey Redden - DNF

Women's Middlebury Giant Slalom
Kelsey Redden - 19th place
Ashley Langlands - 29th place
Gabrielle Hall - DNF

Men's Stowe Slalom
Nate Bryant - 4th place
Peter Benedetto - 10th place
John David Levine - 14th place
Andrew Nault - 19th place
Brad Harden - DNF

Men's Stowe Giant Slalom
Andrew Nault - 62nd place
Andrew Keating - 72nd place

Men's Stowe Giant Slalom (2)
John David Levine - 48th place
Andrew Keating - 54th place
Nate Bryant - DNF
Peter Benedetto - DNF

Women's Dartmouth Giant Slalom
Gabrielle Hall - 10th place

Congratulations to all the St. Michael's skiers!

UVM and Darmouth Carnivals

2010-02-14T19:39:00.002-05:00

Sorry, this is a little late!
Last weekend, the Purple Knights competed at Stowe Resort in Vermont with University of Vermont hosting. Under beautiful skies, St. Michael's once again brought their A-game. The hill gave the team a lot of terrain to work with and great conditions gave everyone the opportunity to move up. Friday was a Giant Slalom with results as follows:

Women:
Gabrielle Hall - 25th place
Kelsey Redden - 34th place
April Hawman - 39th place
Nicole Beilak - 40th place
Ashley Langlands - DNF

Men:
Brad Harden - 19th place
Andrew Nault - 40th place
John David Levine - 41st place
Max Harden - 42nd place
Nate Bryant- 43rd place
Andrew Keating - 44th place

For complete results: UVM Carnival Results

The Slalom results from Saturday are as follows:

Women:
April Hawman - 29th place
Nicole Beilak - 32nd place
Ashley Langlands - 38th place
Gabrielle Hall - DNF
Kelsey Redden - DNF

Men:
Brad Harden - 15th place
Andrew Keating - 26th place
Andrew Nault - 30th place
Max Harden - DNF
Nate Bryant - DNF
John David Levine - DNF

This weekend, the team headed to Dartmouth for the 100th Dartmouth Carnival. To switch things up, the team ran slalom on Friday and giant slalom on Saturday. There was tons of sunshine on Friday, while Saturday saw flatter light and colder temperatures. Despite the dramatic change in weather, SMC persevered and had the following results:

Womens' Slalom:
Gabrielle Hall - 29th place
April Hawman - 36th place
Nicole Beilak - 40th place
Kelsey Redden - DNF
Ashley Langlands - DNF

Mens' Slalom:
Brad Harden - 7th place
Nathan Bryant - 27th place
Andrew Nault - 29th place
John David Levine - 32nd place
Max Harden - 42nd place
Peter Benedetto - 46th place

To View All Results: Dartmouth Carnival

Womens' Giant Slalom:
Gabrielle Hall - 25th place
Kelsey Redden - 41st place
Ashley Langlands - 49th place
April Hawman - 50th place
Nicole Bielak - 52nd place

Mens' Giant Slalom:
Brad Harden - 18th place
Max Harden - 27th place
Peter Benedetto - 36th place
John David Levine - 48th place
Nate Bryant - 50th place
Andrew Nault - DNF

Our next carnival is hosted by William College! Find all the info HERE.
Be sure to keep checking back for updates on results and hopefully, some clips of the team skiing at the Carnivals and in training will be coming!
Keep your fingers crossed for your Purple Knights!

Check Out the Article and Some Photos

2010-01-28T18:28:00.003-05:00

The Article:
Nordic and Alpine Ski Team finishes 10th

A Slideshow:

SMC Carnival

2010-01-25T22:10:00.003-05:00

Last Friday and Saturday, St. Michael's hosted the 2nd carnival of the season at Smuggler's Notch. For both of the days, we had uncharacteristically sunny and warm weather. To add to all the wonderful things, the snow was great. Hard snow gave everyone a great opportunity to ski well!
We had to great GS sets going down the pitch on Snake Bite and onto the flats down to the Smuggler's Notch Ski Team building. The course was complete with a speaker system most the way up the hill announcing times and playing music. There was a great attitude from spectators, athletes, and coaches which always makes for a great race. The SMC Ski Team results were as follows:

Ladies
Gabrielle Hall - 29th
Ashley Langlands - 39th
April Hawman - 45th
Kelsey Redden - DNF
Nicole Beilak - DNF

Men
Brad Harden - 27th
Max Harden - 36th
Andrew Keating - 37th
JD Levine - DNF
Nathan Bryant - DNF
Andrew Nault - DNF

On the next beautiful (crowded) day, the athletes ran a 50 second slalom down Snake Bite. St. Michael's had many supporters including parents and peers at the venue to cheer on their Purple Knights. Even people who knew nothing about ski racing wanted to cheer on their friends! There was a really great crowd out there and it helped the ski team to get amped for a great slalom race. The results of the day were as follows:

Ladies
Gabrielle Hall - 23rd
Ashley Langlands - 40th
Nicole Beilak - 42nd
Kelsey Redden - DNF
April Hawman - DNF

Men
Brad Harden - 16th
JD Levine - 26th
Nate Bryant - 29th
Andrew Keating - 31st
Andrew Nault - DNF
Max Harden - DNF

Overall, the race was a great success and with every race the SMC Ski Team is improving their skiing and building up points. Click here to see official FIS results. To see all results, points information, and rankings for the college circuit, head to the EISA website. Our next challenge is the University of Vermont Carnival at Stowe, VT on February 5th and 6th. Make sure to watch the race on Live-Timing if you can't make it to the race!

Our Training Schedule

2010-01-19T17:06:00.002-05:00

I feel like I've posted a lot of photos lately. Don't worry there will be more in this blog from training yesterday, but I thought I'd give some insight into the ski teams training schedule.

Mondays and Wednesdays are afternoon training which means sleeping in, compared Tuesdays and Thursdays. We leave the ski room at 12:15 pm to get to the mountain around 1 pm. The team and coaches try to get up the lift to set as soon as possible. We then train as late as possible. (Aka 'til the lifts close.)

Tuesdays and Thursdays are early mornings. The vans leave the ski room around 6:15 am. We get breakfast at the mountain courtesy of Sodexo (the school's dining service). We get an early load on Sterling Lift at 7:45 am to go set before the lift opens at 8:30 am. We train until 11 am and try to be in the vans at 11:30 am in order to get back to school for afternoon classes.

We've been lucky enough to train the race hill from top to bottom this week in preparation for the Carnival (NCAA race) we are hosting this weekend. (It's on Friday January 22 and Saturday January 23. Make sure to head up the mountain to support your Purple Knights! We love the support!) It's been great preparation for the race and hopefully the experience will allow us all to be extra prepared for the competition.

Now as promised, a few photos from GS training.

St. Lawrence Carnival at Whiteface, NY

2010-01-16T20:35:00.004-05:00

The college racing season has officially started with a race on Friday and Saturday at Whiteface! The first race was a Giant Slalom. The weather was cloudy and drizzly, while the snow was soft. Because of the snow conditions, course conditions were tough. The Purple Knights rose to the occasion despite things working against them. The results for the Giant Slalom were as follows:

Womens:
Gabrielle Hall - 26th
Ashley Langlands - 48th
April Hawman - DNF
Kelsey Redden - DNF

Mens:
Brad Harden - 33rd
Max Harden - 43rd
Nathan Bryant - 46th
Andrew Nault - 47th
Andrew Keating - 50th
Peter Benedetto - 52nd

After the Giant Slalom race, the team headed to the Harden's home at Lake Placid for a team dinner including coaches, athletes, and parents. It was a great chance for the team to refuel for the Slalom and the parents to meet each other.
For the Slalom race, conditions didn't change much. There were clouds and wind at Whiteface, but at least it wasn't raining!

Womens:
Gabrielle Hall - 35th
April Hawman - 38th
Ashley Langlands - 39th
Kelsey Redden - 44th

Mens:
Brad Harden - 18th
Nathan Bryant - 31st
Andrew Nault - 35th
Andrew Keating - 49th
Peter Benedetto - DNF
Max Harden - DNF

To check out results and news on the college carnivals head to EISA

We are hosting the next carnival at Smuggler's Notch on January 22nd to January 23rd! Everyone come out to support your Purple Knights!

Photos From the Nor-Ams

2010-01-07T16:38:00.004-05:00

Here are a few photos from the Men's Nor-Am in Sunday River, Maine!
Thanks, Max!

Photo 1: Top section of GS Wednesday afternoon. Flat dark light. Pretty good fallaways on the left footers. Photo 2: Nate stands beside the course. Photo 3: A funny sign found in the boys wax room. :-P

New photos from Smuggler's

2010-01-05T11:12:00.004-05:00

Courtesy of Ashley Langlands

Above:Ashley Langlands, Christina Billotti, and Nicole Bielak enjoy some fresh snow.
Below: Sarah Brown

Taken Dec. 30, 2009

Colin Fishman and Warren Palmer in the Sterling lift line.

Max Harden and Andrew Nault

Team Red does drills on Sterling lift.

Winter Break Training/Racing

2010-01-03T18:04:00.003-05:00

The team is just starting off the season, but the racing has already started!

From Quebec, Canada
Kelsey Redden and Gabbi Hall are up in Quebec racing in North American Cups. They have had two slalom races at Val-St-Come. Neither of the races went as expected for the girls. :-( Their spirits are still high and they are preparing for two giant slalom races on January 5th and 6th. To watch the races on like head to: Canada Live-Timing. To view results from Val-St-Come, click HERE. To see results from Mount-Saint-Anne, click HERE.

From Sunday River, Maine
Brad Harden, Max Harden, and Nate Bryant are headed up to Sunday River for the Men's Nor-Ams. To watch their races head to: Live-Timing. To view final results, head to FIS-SKI.

From Smuggler's Notch, Vermont
The rest of the team has stayed behind at Smuggler's Notch continuing to train in preparation for the first Carnival hosted by St. Lawrence College at Whiteface in New York.

First Day of Training

2009-12-29T21:24:00.002-05:00

The St. Mike's ski team just ended their first day of training. Coming back early from winter break, the team reunited early Tuesday morning at the ski room for some free skiing and drills. Smuggler's Notch received several inches of new snow and was experiencing high winds, negative temperatures, and low visibility. Despite the rough conditions, the committed athletes put on as many layers as possible and headed out onto the hill.
The first few hours were spent tearing up the fresh snow and getting back the feeling of skis. After the warm-up, the team split into Team Red and Team Blue for some drills. Gus's group did a lot of one skiing including one skiing with no poles. You think balancing on one ski is hard? Try one-ski, no poles, and chopped up powder. Team Red took the challenge and surpassed expectations with minimal wipe outs. Team Blue skied with Warren. They focused on rolling the knees and ankles in the turn as well as a strong athletic position. Even after enduring the cold and being told the ski day could come to an end, Nate Bryant, Kris Ochs, and Andrew Nault went out for a few more free ski runs. When they were finally through, we headed back to campus for dryland, ski tuning, and dinner.
Tomorrow we are looking at some slalom training. We here conditions are supposed to worsen, but I'm sure the SMC Ski Team can endure anything mother-nature can throw at them!

PS We have two new members in the training group: Shannon Bloom - a freshman transfer from University of Massachusetts and Collin Fishman - a freshman

Opening Day at Smugg's

2009-12-08T21:45:00.002-05:00

It was opening day at Smugg's today! There wasn't much terrain open, but it was nice to get on the mountain! We are looking forward to more snow and a great season!

Sunday River Camp

2009-11-24T13:20:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately, our Thanksgiving camp in Sunday River, Maine was canceled yesterday. There was a serious lack of snow and the forecast didn't look as if it was going to work in our favor. :-( The team is headed back to there homes for Thanksgiving and hopefully temperatures will go down and we'll get some snow in the near future.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Dinner at Warren's

2009-11-06T19:42:00.012-05:00

Every once in a while it's nice to have a home cooked meal and not eat Alliot food. Warren Palmer, our other coach, had all of us over for dinner. Warren's wife cooked zucchini boats, baked mac 'n cheese, ham, and a million other dishes. ( It was so delicious!) We also enjoyed Ben and Jerry's ice cream, homemade ice cream cake, and cheesecake. After dinner, Warren built up a bonfire and we enjoyed the rest of the evening there. Thanks for having us all over! All photos are courtesy of: Shane Bufano Photography

Game Day

2009-11-06T19:36:00.006-05:00

Just another game of Speedball. All photos taken by: Shane Bufano Photography

An Agility Day...

2009-11-06T18:54:00.010-05:00

Just another day on the 300's field getting ready for the season...
All photos are courtesy of : Shane Bufano Photography

Our fearless leader, Gus Macleod.

Above: CT doing Ab Rollouts
Below: Kelsey does Box Jumps.

The boys coming out of the Nature Trail Warm-Up.

Above: A group does agility ladder circuits. Left: Andrew getting air. Below: Nicole and Kevin take a breath.

Brad, Peter, and Nate getting ready for Round 2

Dryland Is Well Underway...

2009-10-02T19:21:00.002-04:00

... and it looks like winter isn't to far in the future. It snowed at Stowe the other day! I think I can safely say that team in impatiently waiting for ski season. But before we can ski, we have to get into prime physical condition. Think Rocky meets World's Strongest Man meets Usain Bolt. That is what the ski team will be by the time training starts. That's the idea at least...

To have a well balanced program, Gus mixes up the different exercises. Our weekly schedule looks something like this:

Monday - Running and Agility
Hardest Day Yet: Hill Work - Sprinting up a hill, carrying team mates up a hill, lunging up a hill. You get the idea.

Tuesday - Weight Room
We have a spread sheet. It lists all of our exercises. We pair up and go through the list. Gus supervises and we all get super strong. :-)

Wednesday - Agility
We usually go to the 300's field and do circuits. Gus sets up various jumping and balancing exercises. We get really sweaty and skinny.

Thursday - Weight Roon
A repeat of Tuesday. Hopefully, everyone is upping their weights.

Friday - GAME DAY!
We play speed ball, soccer, or ultimate frisbee. Gus picks to people. Those people pick teams. Boys always get picked first. Then the girls. Always the same, except when girls are captains then it's a little mixed up. Sort of...

We have the weekends "off." I think everyone tries to go to the gym for a light workout to keep up.

Next week, is "jam packed" so to speak. We have our NCAA Eligibility meeting and physical testing. Testing is at 6 am. As you can guess, we threw a party knowing that we would wake up before the sun. Oh well. We'll live.

PS. 104 days until the first Carnival!

Meet the Team!

2009-09-27T19:18:00.007-04:00

Coaches:
Name: Warren Palmer

Name: Angus Macleod
Hometown: Jericho, VT
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: US Ski Team Men's WC Speed
Favorite Event: Downhill
Favorite Race Day Song: Back In Black - ACDC
Main Goal For The Season: Try and have a full team for NCAA Champs

Athletes:

Women:

Name: Nicole Bielak
Hometown: Niskayuna, NY
Home Mountain: Stratton Mountain, VT
Favorite Event: SL
Favorite Race Day Song: the "Brum, Brum, Brum" song
Goal for the Season: To Finish a race and finish well.

Name: Christina Billotti
Hometown: Massapequa, NY
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Green Mountain Valley School/Sugar Bush, VT
Favorite Event: GS
Favorite Race Day Song: Any Good Song
Goal for the Season: To Survive.

Name: Sarah Brown
Hometown: Stow, MA
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Nashoba Regional High School
Favorite Event: Don't really have one :)
Favorite Race Day Song: Don't really have one :)
Goal for the Season: To have fun!

Name: Gabrielle Hall
Hometown: Truckee, CA
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Squaw Valley, CA/Ski Racing International
Favorite Event:SL
Favorite Race Day Song: Let's Go (Crazy Train Remix) - Lil' Jon and Trick Daddy
Goal for the Season: Get my tech points into the 30's

Name: April Hawman
Hometown: Clifton Springs, NY

Name: Ashley Langlands
Hometown: Gorham, NH
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Attitash/Wildcat Mt. Washington Valley Ski Team
Favorite Event: SL
Favorite Race Day Song: Everytime We Touch - Cascada
Goal For The Season: Have fun and work on making flip 30!

Name: Kelsey Redden
Hometown: Ramsey, NJ
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Whiteface, NY
Favorite Event: GS
Favorite Race Day Song: Rollin' - Limp Bizkit
Goal for the Season: To fully recover from my injury last February and lower my points.

Name: Robyn Wysk
Hometown: Boalsburg, PA
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Blackwater/Sunapee-Proctor Academy
Favorite Event: GS
Favorite Race Day Song: Remember the Name - Fort Minor
Goal for the Season: Carve some wicked gnar turns!

Men:

Name: CT Bartholomae
Hometown: Weston, CT
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Weston Ski Team
Favorite Event: GS
Favorite Race Day Song: G-Code - Geto Boys
Goal for the Season: Improve overall.

Name: Peter Benedetto
Hometown: Croton on Hudson, NY
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Gore/Whiteface, Northwood Ski Team
Favorite Event: Slalom
Favorite Race Day Song: Anything
Main Goal for the Season: Score NCAA points and be consistent

Name: Nathan Bryant
Hometown: Lee, NH
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Waterville Valley, NH
Favorite Event: SL
Favorite Race Day Song: Nothing.
Goal for the Season: Ski real fast.

Name: Brad Harden
Hometown: Lake Placid, NY
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Whiteface, NY/NYSEF
Favorite Event: SL
Favorite Race Day Song: Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen
Goal for the Season: To be named NCAA All American by placing top ten in one event at NCAA championships.

Name: Max Harden
Hometown: McConnellsville, NY

Name: Andrew Keating
Hometown: Waitsfield, VT
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Burke Mountain/MMSC
Favorite Event: GS
Favorite Race Day Song: To Be Decided.
Goal for the Season: To be more consistent.

Name: Hunter Kelley
Hometown: Weston, CT

Name: Ryan Kinner
Hometown: Greenwich, CT
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Sugarbush/ GMVS
Favorite Event: SL
Favorite Race Day Song: Whatever I decide is a good pump up song for the day.
Goal for the Season: Keep chipping away at the points!

Name: John David Levine
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: National Ski Academy
Favorite Event: SL
Favorite Race Day Song: Highway to Hell
Goal for the Season: Cut points in half.

Name: Travis Moore
Hometown: Guilerland, NY

Name: Andrew Nault
Hometown: Stratton, VT
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Stratton Mountain/Stratton Mountain School
Favorite Event: GS
Favorite Race Day Song: All Modest Mouse
Goal for the Season: Score consistently and lower my points significantly in NCAA.

Name: Kevin O'Brien
Hometown: Ridgefield, CT
Home Mountain/Last Ski Team: Catamount Ski Team
Favorite Event: Downhill
Favorite Race Day Song: Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
Goal for the Season: Score NCAA points in both disciplines.

Name: Kris Ochs
Hometown: Dover, MA

Name: Ethan Ragmoli
Hometown: Boxford, MA

Welcome to the SMC Alpine Ski Team blog!

2009-09-23T16:49:00.002-04:00

The team created this blog, so that the SMC community can stay up to date on all things ski team and give people an idea of what goes on with in the ski team. Unfortunately, it is raining right now and there is no snow. :-( In case it wasn't obvious, that means there is currently no skiing happening. However, the ski team dryland program is well underway. Gus Macleod and Warren Palmer are whipping us all into tip-top shape and preparing us to dominate NCAA this season!

This is just a short explanation of the blog, the first real entry will be coming shortly. It will be a short introduction to the coaches and athletes of the team.

:-)