SBA Alum Brooks in Top Five at Copper

Congratulations to SBA Alum Dylan Brooks for his top-five finish in the FIS Giant Slalom race at Copper Mountain yesterday. 

Brooks put together two runs of 1:00.45 and 1:01.44. The top combined time was 1:59.09. 

Click HERE for full results.

SBA/SBST Alpine Racers Dominate Snow King

Snow King Series

By Coach Devin Gill

Riley Plant, Ty Sprock, and Marc Talbott

Even though Mother Nature has not been the kindest old lady to the Tahoe region this year, SBA has still been able to provide good training for the Athletes even if it was in Colorado or California. 

But as the New Year approached and Sugar Bowl was being hit with a tough stretch of warm weather, at a very inconvenient time, the SBA FIS team departed for Jackson, Wyoming! The men's team departed on the first day of 2012 and the women's on the second. The race series started on the fifth, however; the teams departed early in order to acquire some full length GS training on the race hill at Snow King. 

It is not often that a team is presented with the opportunity to train on the race hill at a race on the road. Said Mens' head coach Guenther Birgmann, “We put a lot of effort into coming here early to prepare for these peak races, thanks to the parents and the school. I think we got rewarded for that today.” And by rewarded he meant witnessing a dominating performance by the SBA Men’s team.

With the women's race going first, the men started their race knowing SBA Women’s FIS team member Julia Bjorkman was sitting in third place after the first run. The men after the first run were occupying the top three positions in the race, along with holding the better half of the thirty athletes in the flip. Just moments after the men’s first run concluded, Julia laid down a great second run to finish in third place on the women’s side. As the second run began, the SBA men’s team was sitting in a great position to have a very successful race, and they were podium hungry after seeing Julia's success.

As the men started coming down and fans and coaches could watch the results on their phone or computers, SBA athletes were consistently putting themselves on the beginning of the results page. Top twenty results were popping in all over the place. SBA senior Dylan Murtha started us off with a seventeenth place finish, with sophomore Marc Talbott just ahead of him. Riley Plant and Devin Davis were just ahead of them at twelfth and thirteenth, respectively. The next five SBA places were taken by PG athletes, Kiwi Finley Neeson put in a seventh place finish and teammate Ty Sprock just ahead of him in sixth place. Sprock combined with Talbott and Plant to complete a sweep of the J2 Podium.

So before the top five athletes even had their second run, SBA already had completed one sweep. SBA newcomer Derek Strand was sitting in third with Dylan Brooks just ahead of him in second and another Kiwi, Adam Barwood, in first. Derek Strand put down a great second run to move just ahead of Brooks into second place while Barwood once again stayed consistent and won the run to finish off the victory.

"Everyone can take something from this race, the young guys can see how the older guys perform, and the older guys can see how close the younger men are getting to them at a series like this." - Guenther Birgmann 

Day Two of the GS at Snow King started off for the team knowing that Day One would be hard to follow up. But once again the men’s team showed up with some strong performances by the team members. In Day 2, Riley Plant continued his solid beginning to the year by putting in another second place on the J2 podium. A podium sweep always feels good, so why not go for another on the second day of GS? Dylan brooks had another good performance with a sixth-place finish, and just ahead of him was a newcomer to the podium and another gunner from down under, Finley Neeson in third place. While Adam Barwood was following Day One's win with a second-place finish, Derek Strand secured his first win as an SBA member. In a SBA TV “Podium Talk” interview later on that evening SBA Men’s FIS Coach Jeff Kai said, “Guys are skiing well… basic stuff helps athletes be successful, everybody is working on it, and right now we are seeing some success.”

“With excellent snow and surface conditions during the races it was a great race series for all the girls to gain more experience and confidence for the following FIS races." - Coach Katharina Golik

With the low-snow beginning to the year, SBA athletes have been able to secure good Slalom training in the Race Arena, so the team was feeling pretty solid about moving onto the new discipline. After having one solid GS result, sophomore Julia Bjorkman was the top SBA women’s finisher at seventh place. And once again the men’s team took home nine of the top twenty positions. SBA second year J2 athletes Chuck Klein, Brian Francis, and Marc Talbott took sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth, respectively. Former SBA athlete and current Middlebury Ski Team member, James Clifford put forth a solid fifteenth-place finish with the second fastest time on the second run to move himself into the position. Ty Sprock again took the top spot on the J2 podium with a ninth-place finish; just ahead of him was Finley Neeson in seventh place. SBA graduate Dylan Brooks (2010) was in fourth place. The two winners of the GS races were able to secure the top two spots in first slalom race. Derek Strand was positioned in second place and Adam Barwood took home his second victory of the trip.

Before the respective groups of the SBA teams could head to Colorado and Idaho for the next series of races, the athletes had one more solid in them. The second day of SL featured once again some great skiing from SBA athletes. Julia Bjorkman put in her third top ten finish with an eighth-place result. On the men’s side, they were able to secure ten of the top twenty spots in series final race. SBA senior Dylan Murtha jumped on the board with a sixteenth-place result. Just ahead of him were Brian Francis, Riley Plant, Scott Cooper, and Ty Sprock in fourteenth, thirteenth, twelfth, and eleventh, respectively. Ty and Riley both hopped on their third J2 podium apiece, positioning themselves in second and third. In the top seven places, other teams were able to sneak in just two who weren’t rocking the SBA Blue jackets. Dylan Brooks was in seventh place and Finley Neeson continued his success with a sixth-place finish. Former UNR NCAA athlete and current SBA Men’s FIS coach, Aldo Ballabio came back from a tough first day of SL to be just off the podium in fourth place. Derek Strand continued his solid start as an SBA athlete with a third-place finish. Adam Barwood was SBA’s top athlete on the day throwing down a second-place finish.

With many athletes and groups having different travel and race schedules through the competition season, it is not often that the entire Men and Women’s FIS teams can be in one place. “Everyone can take something from this race, the young guys can see how the older guys perform, and the older guys can see how close the younger men are getting to them at a series like this," said Birgmann. The team atmosphere was on display from everyone who attended Snow King, which was fun and contagious to be around. “With excellent snow and surface conditions during the races it was a great race series for all the girls to gain more experience and confidence for the following FIS races," women’s FIS coach Katharina Golik added about the trip.

We can only hope and be confident that the successes and team atmosphere will continue through the rest of the year!

"We are smart and capable people"

Jace Bensch, Dylan Brooks, Ben Stone, Scott Cooper, 

Carrie Adams, Austin Meng, and Valedictorian Evan Dion, 
the SBA graduating class of 20ll (Photo by Andy Giordano)

In his valedictory address to the student body at graduation Saturday, Evan Dion put to rest the debate that rages on campus over the three skiing disciplines represented in the SBA student/athlete body. 


"Nordic skiing's the best," he said. 


Not to take him out of context - he did throw an olive branch out afterwards to the Alpine and Freeride skiers, but you'll have to read the text of the speech to find it. 

The SBA Class of 2011 has graduated, and, for some, at least, that means that the time has come to leave the comfortable confines of the Marmot burrow up on Donner Summit. 

Some of the Fighting Marmots you see above proudly displaying their diplomas after graduation ceremonies will go on to ski at the collegiate level.


Others have opted to stay within "the comfort zone" (read the speech!) for another year, foregoing college admission to continue to develop their skiing talents with the Sugar Bowl Ski Team. 

One of them will transition from competitive skiing to collegiate rowing.

Wherever they are headed, Dion says that - thanks to their friends, family, and SBA teachers and coaches - he and his classmates are prepared for whatever lies ahead. 

Below is the text of Dion's valedictory address to the student/athlete body at Judah Lodge Saturday. Please take a moment, too, to vote on the most memorable moment of 2011 graduation in the sidebar poll. 

Congratulations and all the well wishes in the world to the Class of 2011! We will miss you!  

***

Dion addresses his class

Welcome parents, friends and family. 

When I decided to attend SBA as a Junior, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. As I am kind of a shy person, I would have probably made it through public school without ever having to give a speech like this. But, with Senior Project and our classwork, it seems like I have been doing a lot of public speaking, lately. 


If I had known about this in 2009, I might have never come.

Honestly, the decision to go to SBA was one of the hardest I have ever had to make. I wasn’t sure if I would like a small school or if I would like the kids here, and, when we visited, we were there at a time when the school was being remodeled and, well, the school didn't have any walls.

But, by then, I already knew I was ready for something different. I knew I was ready to challenge myself to be a better skier and that working with Jeff Schloss would do that for me. So I took the plunge and found that SBA was about a lot more than athletics. It really is a place that embodies "Mind, Body and Spirit."

Once I arrived at SBA, met my classmates and learned about the school trips, I knew I had made the right choice. Where else can you do an orientation trip to Yosemite with your entire school? Or the Pole Peddle Paddle, or all of our ski trips, or the camping trip?

Also, the freedom to explore provided by the school is something I really valued. This spring we took advantage of the morning ski schedule, and were able to go backcountry skiing, and those trips are some of the coolest things I have ever done.

With the small class size here, we have all become very comfortable speaking up in class and having enthusiastic discussions. Some of the staff might say we are “too comfortable." I remember we talked about everything except senior project during one of our classes, and Mrs. Knox lets us log that hour as 10 minutes of reflection time.

One of our favorite past times at SBA was arguing whether Alpine, Nordic or Free ride was the best. but we have now realized that there is no use to debate. Nordic skiing is the best. Just kidding.

The class of 2011 is known for being good students and good athletes. We are a fairly diverse group with different backgrounds, but what we have in common is that we all love to ski.

Jace has been at the academy since 9th grade. I got to know Jace pretty well this year through Drama. One of the drills we did was yell across the road to each other to practice using our diaphragms. And, it should be no surprise to those who know him, that Jace was the best at this.

In the fall of 2009, Carrie, Austin, Dylan, Scott and myself arrived at SBA. I have known Austin since we were 3 years old, but he still manages to surprise me. Last year, he not only came to school in a cross-dressing caveman outfit for spirit week, he then later wore that same outfit during our roller ski intervals after school.

Carrie, I take my hat off to her. She had to deal with us guys for two years. In class, Carrie likes to stand up a lot so she can stay focused. So, one time, we decided to mess with her. Whenever Carrie would sit down, we would all stand up, and whenever she stood up, the rest of us would sit down. Looking back, I can't think of why we did this, but we thought it was funny at the time.

At the Pole Peddle Paddle, I got to do a trip with Scott and Dylan, who accompanied us to Bend Oregon to try out some endurance racing. Apparently Alpine skiers are not used to that much activity, as there was a steady stream of complaints after the race on the drive back to the house, but I think they were inspired - at least Scott was. He said that he probably could do the race by himself next year - if he started training immediately. Dylan, not so much. He said something more like “I was tired after the downhill, I just want to ride chair lifts. Uphill is the worst.” 

Ben came for winter term of this year- and he is a great addition to our senior class. Just the other day, he ate a funnel cake made for three people before going on the biggest rides at Six Flags, and he did not puke.

One of the best things about Sugar Bowl, its not as cliquey as public high schools. I am friends with kids outside of my grade level and everyone dresses up for spirit week. At my old school, only a handful of kids dressed up during spirit week, and their costumes were generally pretty lame. It was considered uncool to dress up. Here, there are no real social barriers - everyone does as they please and are themselves, and this makes high school a lot more enjoyable.

Sugar Bowl is an awesome place to learn. You are unable to go unnoticed here. At public school, I was able to zone out for an hour and a half if I was bored or tired during class, and not worry about being called on if I didn’t know the answer. However, at SBA, I have been in classes with only 3 people, and this makes this almost impossible.

Plus the staff and coaches really care about us. Their sacrifices, as well as those of our parents, have made it possible for us to have so many great experiences.

It is a tough decision to attend a school like SBA, but I think we all would agree that it has been worthwhile. I have made some great friends, and our teachers and coaches are always "pushing us out of our comfort zone," both in the classroom and in our sport.

At this time, I would like to thank the staff of SBA. We are going to miss you all, and I am sure that we will keep in touch in the future.

I think Tracy will miss our class the most, or at least will notice the absence of discretionary warnings in her day. My personal favorite was when she asked Austin “if he could park like a human being.”

To the class of 2011, I have known most of you for only two years, but it's been real.

We are smart and capable people. Sugar Bowl helped us become who we are, and we have all the tools necessary to make a positive impact in our respective corners of the world.

If we take nothing else away with us from SBA, at least we will still have all that character we built from shoveling tons of snow.

Congratulations class of 2011. We’re done.

"Poise, Dedication and Professionalism"

A simple ski-racing analogy - that's what the SBA Senior Project boils down to for student/athlete and Alpine racer Scott Cooper. 


"Senior Project is what I imagine a Nordic race to be like: endless and painful while you are doing it, but rewarding in the end."

Last week, each SBA senior had the opportunity to share with students, staff and parents what knowledge and broader life lessons they had gleaned from the SBA Senior Project experience. 

A video is embedded below with clips from each of this year's Senior Project presentations.

Concluding Senior Project Presentations week on Friday, Advisor Joanne Knox addressed the audience with the following remarks: 

Thank you to audience members who asked thoughtful questions that asked seniors to synthesize their ideas on the spot and provide answers with authority. Thank you to teachers, coaches, staff, and parents for attending these presentations. The encouraging tone demonstrated by all of you for our seniors during the Senior Project experience was one that showed our community's support and validation for this endeavor and the accomplishments of our seniors. Seniors, your poise, dedication and professionalism in presenting your ideas truly created an atmosphere of celebration for your accomplishments rather than making this a threshold through which I was concerned some of you might not pass. You have been a joy to work with this year; I will miss you and I am proud of each and every one of you for rising to the challenge of Senior Project and coming through a wiser, more thoughtful individual. Congratulations!

SBA Alpine, Nordic Skiers Unite to Sweep U-17 Podiums at Pole, Peddle, Paddle

Pole Paddle Paddlers strike the standard Team Nordic dinosaur pose

From the office of Head Nordic Coach Jeff "el Jefe" Schloss comes the following Marmot news flash of SBA Alpine and Nordic skiers joining forces to sweep podiums: 

Springtime in the mountains of California and Oregon offers a wide range of outdoor sports, from skiing to biking to kayaking and a host of other options. 

The small city of Bend, Oregon has created a novel race to celebrate this diversity of outdoor activities called the "Pole Pedal Paddle."

The race consists of six different legs: first a downhill Super G race on Mt Bachelor, then an 8k Nordic race, followed by a 22-mile road bike ride, then a 5-mile trail run, then to the Deschutes River for a 1.5-mile kayak, and finally a half-mile running sprint to the finish in River Bend Park in downtown Bend. 

The race can be contested by individuals doing all six legs, by teams of six people each doing one leg, or by the way SBA athletes choose to compete, as two person “pairs teams” where two teammates split the six events.

The SBA Nordic team paired themselves up and recruited two SBA alpine racers, Dylan Brooks and Scott Cooper to round out the teams. Nordic Coaches Ambrose Tuscano and Jeff Schloss somehow rounded up enough kayaks and bikes for the six different pairs teams and it was off to Bend for a fun weekend of racing and lots of equipment logistics.

With over 3000 people racing the whole town of Bend seemed PPP crazy. Everywhere you looked there were cars with bikes and kayaks on the roofs and fit looking people running around trying to figure out what to do with all of their outdoor toys.  Eventually everything was in place and the starting gun went off on a cool cloudy day at Mt Bachelor. As expected the SBA alpine racers aggressively opened up some impressive leads on the alpine leg and then it became a race of endurance with teams changing places throughout the several hour race.

By the finish, SBA teams were dominating the pairs division with Austin Meng and Evan Dion winning their age division in Male Pairs, Cassidy Cichowicz and Scott Cooper winning their age division in Coed Pairs, followed closely by Danielle Nivinski and Dylan Brooks in second, and Bria Riggs and Alec Wiltz in third. Also representing SBA was the coaches team of Ambrose and Jeff, second in their category, and SBA alumni Corey Talbott second in his age group in  the individual category.  Even SBA parents were represented in the race, as moms Julie Riggs and Leisa Runyan paired up for the event.

All in all, it was a super successful race and was a great low-key way to finish the 2010/2011 race season. It’s a long way off, but its not too early to start thinking about the logistics for next year's event - what legs do you want to do?

Jeff failed to mention that Coach Tuscano was able to keep his whiskers after making a friendly wager with Team Meng/Dion. The Beard remains! 

Thank you, Jefe, for this detailed report.

Way to represent, Marmot student/athletes, faculty, coaches AND parents! 

Mark Your Calendars!

Spring is the time when things start to ramp up on campuses everywhere. 

SBA is no exception, and now is the time to mark your calendars so you don't miss out on some annual spring campus happenings. 

Joanne Knox provided the following updates on two of the spring's more important events: presentation of senior projects (June 1st through 3rd) and the SBA drama class's play (June 10th and 11th)....

***

Seniors at SBA are deeply entrenched in the final stages of their Senior Projects, the culminating academic experience at Sugar Bowl Academy. Through the Senior Project endeavor, seniors are asked to individually develop a research topic focus and an original essential question through which to view their research. All students demonstrate their learning through a substantial research paper, a portfolio, and a half-hour long presentation to the school community in June. Additionally, some students will present a product they have created.  

At this point, students are working on the final touches of their research papers and will shortly begin the presentation and portfolio endeavors. Below is a list of topics in which students are currently engaged:

• Carrie Adams: The Effect of Violent Environments on Women
• Jace Bensch: Politics and the Theatre
• Dylan Brooks: Nutrition and Alpine Athletes
• Scott Cooper: Drug Trafficking and Policy in Columbia
• Evan Dion: Sustainable Energy and the Small Business
• Austin Meng: Effects of Proper Nutrition on Nordic Skiers
• Ben Stone: Globalization and Aid in the Masai Mara

If you are able, please plan on attending some or all of these presentations on June1st – 3^rd!

VOICES FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL

This spring, SBA’s drama class is excited to bring you a production of "Voices From the High School," written by Peter Dee. This collection of dialogues offers a unique perspective into the lives and minds of high school students that may not always be visible. The cast includes both veteran and debut performances by: Augie DeRyk, Carrie Adams, Jace Bensch, Cassidy Cichowicz, Evan Dion, Kelly Habibi, Grace Hutton, Katrin Larusson, Dylan Murtha, Bria Riggs, Perry Schaffner, Steven Tetrault, and Pieter Weemaes. Our production will be the weekend of June 10^th and 11^th (the weekend before graduation), and we hope you can attend!

Thank you, Joanne!