The Fighting Marmot: Sam Zabell

Showing posts with label Sam Zabell. Show all posts

SBA's Zabell Triumphs in Rotary Speech and Music Comps

The Fighting Marmot today recognizes and congratulates SBA's Sam Zabell ('15), winner of not one but TWO Rotary Club competitions this week. Sam competed in Rotary's speech and music competitions, and his first-place finish at the local level means that he has earned the right to represent Truckee next week at the regional level of competition. Sam's speech was on the topic "Peace through Service." The violin selection he played for the competition came from Carmen Fantasy by Pable de Sarasate. Congratulations, Sam! On behalf of the entire SBA community, The Fighting Marmot wishes you the best of luck in round two!

SBA and Far West Nordic Shine in Alaska

Hannah Halvorsen ('16) on the podium
(photo by Mark Nadell)

Sleepy Nords abound on campus today.

Team Nordic returned last night from Junior Nationals in frigid Fairbanks, Alaska, having slept little the night before so that they could enjoy closing ceremonies and the northern lights that (finally!) made an appearance at roughly midnight on the team's very last night in town. They were up again at 4 am, making their move to the airport, having endured sub-zero temperatures and four days of high-pressure racing against the best competition in the country. Today, they were back in classes, having a hard time keeping their eyes open.

For some, Junior Nationals was undoubtedly a learning experience, a humbling opportunity to learn how far they have to go still before they can hope to fulfill their lofty goals.

For others, it was a chance to shine on the biggest stage available at their age.

I wrote several weeks ago (click HERE) about the addition of J2 Hannah Halvorsen to our teaching, learning, and training community. Hannah was consistently among the top finishers in Fairbanks, her strongest finish coming in the skate sprint heats, where she placed third in the country. Perennial SBA powerhouse Katrin Larusson also had a third-place overall finish, hers coming in the 5K Freestyle on day one of racing. SBA second-year J2 Sam Zabell - teamed up with Dylan Syben and Julien Bordes of the Far West - helped his team to a fifth-place finish in the 3x3 Classic Relay race.

Coaches Martin Benes and
Jeff Schloss with Halvorsen
(photo by Mark Nadell)

Mark Nadell and SBA Head
Nordic Coach Jeff Schloss

Congratulations to all the Fighting Marmot Nordic skiers and to the entire Far West team, which finished an impressive sixth overall at Junior Nationals this year and increased its final points total from 2012 by over 60 points. It was truly a team effort, with the coaches applying elbow grease all day at the waxing stands.

Katrin Larusson ('13) on the podium
(photo by Mark Nadell)

Said trip leader Mark Nadell: "There is a ridiculous amount of behind-the-scenes work that goes into an operation of this size, work that’s mostly unseen even by most of the athletes that are there, from hours and hours in the wax room, to the wax testers skiing kilometer after kilometer until their legs die, to late-night coaches meetings.

"I’m really proud of our coaching crew of Ben, Jeff Schloss, Kara Lapoint, August Teague, Martin Benes, Holly Whitney, and Joel Chew for making all of this happen, Kelly Mcelravey for administrative help, and thanks also to the parents who came along for support, Stacy Bordes, Stacey Herhusky, Michelle Syben, and Janet Hardy.

"I think we’ll remember this trip for a long time."

Team Nordic Flexes Muscles Before Nationals

SBA Team Nordic has ambitions beyond Saturday's state championships, to be sure. Fulfilling the pre-season team goal of qualifying every SBA racer for Junior Nationals, the entire team will be departing Friday for Fairbanks, Alaska, to race against the very best in the country.

Saturday, though, was a chance to make a team statement versus its peers in the state, and - after a season of some health adversity for a number of SBA Nordic racers - it still turned out to be a blue-and-white day yesterday at Auburn Ski Club. Please enjoy the photo below, then scroll down for the full story of marmot muscle flexing.

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Statement: delivered!
Katrin Larusson took top-of-the-podium honors with impressive first-place finishes in both the classic and skate races, and the girls' team again garnered enough season points to repeat as Nordic League Varsity Women champions. The results sheet appeared to be printed in Sugar Bowl blue and white, with SBA's Danielle Nivinski third, Camille Hartley fifth, Bria Riggs sixth, Elise Hardy eleventh and Savannah Blide twelfth.

Sam Zabell had the strongest showing for the boys' team, racing to a third-place overall finish with a particularly strong skate race. Peter Carroll placed sixth, Casey Jobe eleventh, and Skyler Mullings thirteenth. The boys finished second on the season among Nordic League Varsity Men.

The Fighting Marmot congratulates both the boys and girls Nordic ski racers and wishes them - along with the entire Far West team - the very best against the very best in Alaska.

SBA Nordic Shines in Soldier Hollow

Halvorsen at the top of the podium

Sugar Bowl Academy and Far West Nordic ski racers had an exceptionally strong showing racing against the best of the West in Soldier Hollow, Utah, last weekend. In the sprint race, top finishes included SBA's J2 Hannah Halvorsen finishing first and J1 Katrin Larusson finishing third among all J1/OG combined. For the boys, J2 Peter Carroll placed a strong sixth in the sprint.

Day two saw Halvorsen taking fifth in the Classic 5K among J2s and Larusson eighth among all J1s. Sam Zabell finished fourteenth for J2 boys.

Larusson (right) on the podium again

Congratulations to all of Far West Nordic and to the strong skiing of the entire Sugar Bowl Academy ski team at Soldier Hollow! Given her particularly strong showing at Soldier Hollow, Hannah Halvorsen is spotlighted in this post. Below, Hannah offers her thoughts on becoming part of the Fighting Marmot sprawl, on her win at Soldier Hollow, and on her goals for the future.

"I made the decision to come to SBA based on what I believed would be a unique school environment that would best support my academic and athletic dreams year around. I am super excited about the flexible schedule that will allow me to train longer each day in the mornings and attend school in the afternoon. SBA also works around our competition schedule so I won't miss classes. I am excited to train and be a part of a team and school that is super passionate about the sport I love so much, Nordic skiing. I have been skiing since I was one and still love doing it everyday. SBA offers me the opportunity to train at a high level with great coaches and teammates each day and get a good education while I pursue my Nordic dreams. That said, I will miss my teachers, coaches, and teammates at Truckee High School, whom I respect very much. I never envisioned winning the Soldier Hollow sprint before it took place. Not only standing on the podium, but the entire experience of competing at this level was absolutely incredible. I learned so much, had so much fun, and now have the exciting hope and determination to carry out my dreams even farther. My goals for this season are really to take in every awesome experience and learn as much as I can about high level racing. This is really the beginning of my Nordic career and I intend to start off on a good foot. I don't have much past experience to really set any goals for a certain place or number, so I hope to do my best, learn, and enjoy every moment and see where it takes me." - Hannah Halvorsen ('16)

Scene on Campus Pic of the Day

Sam Zabell ('15) packs up poles and skis en route to the next race

Nordic Marmots Strong on "Home Snow"

For a full photo essay of our home race, please click HERE

Sugar Bowl played host to a high school Nordic ski race Friday, with some impressive results for SBA racers both at our well-attended and spirited "home snow" race as well as on Sunday at Tahoe City Cross Country's Junior Nationals Qualifier.

Head Nordic Coach Jeff Schloss was kind enough to offer the following summary of season highlights thus far. Thank you, Jeff, and congratulations to team Nordic on a very strong start to the season!

"The 2012/2013 Nordic race season is still in the early stages, with races running all the way until the middle of April, but things are off to a great start for the Fighting Marmots' Nordic squad. In the CNISSF school league, SBA captured first place for women and second place for men in the opening race, the Kirkwood relay. The SBA team of Danielle Nivinski, Elise Hardy, and Katrin Larusson dominated the race with a win by over a minute, and the young J2 boys with Peter Carroll, Skyler Mullings, and Sam Zabell skied to a strong second place. In the SBA home CNISSF race on January 11th, all SBA athletes who raced placed in the varsity top ten, including Katrin Larusson in first, Camille Hartley in ninth, Savannah Blide in tenth, Sam Zabell in fourth, Peter Carroll in sixth, Skyler Mullings in ninth, and Casey Jobe in tenth. In Far West racing, SBA athletes have been very strong in the Junior National qualifying races, with age-group wins from Katrin, Sam, and Danielle, as well as strong qualifying races from almost the entire team. On the National front, the older girls of Katrin, Danielle, Elise, and Bria have been racing at the U.S. Super Tour races in West Yellowstone, Montana, the Bozeman Super Tour (Katrin) and U.S. Nationals in Soldier Hollow, Utah (Katrin, Danielle, and Elise). The biggest highlights of these races have come with Katrin winning the J1 girls classic race in Bozeman and coming in fourth for J1 girls in the skate sprint at U.S. Nationals. Some goals for the team this year include trying to qualify the entire team for the Junior National Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska, putting an SBA athlete on the podium at Junior Nationals, winning the CNISSF league for women, and coming in top two for men. Finally, we would like to see every SBA athlete feel that they have improved significantly from last year. The season is young, but we feel we are on the way to achieving our ambitious goals!"

Taming the Cat

Few people know that SBA parent Dave Riggs (father of Bria Riggs, '14) wrestles cantankerous snowcats in his spare time.

When the groomer malfunctioned today prior to Team Nordic's classic sprint, Riggs sprang into action. Here he is taming the cat.

Congratulations to senior Katrin Larusson, who took second overall on the girl's side, and sophomore Sam Zabell, who placed eighth overall on the boy's side. Team Nordic is back at it tomorrow, weather willing, with a 5K stride.

Scene OFF Campus Pic of the Day

Three SBA student-athlete-musicians, violinists Sam Zabell, Camille Hartley, and Casey Jobe, performed last night at the Glenshire Community Center. All three are students of Truckee's Liz Glattly. Pictured below are Hartley and Zabell, who were the final two acts.

Scene on Campus Pic of the Day

SBA's violinists rehearsed yesterday after school for their performance at next week's formal dinner.

SBA Musicians Perform at Pioneer Center

Finding time to practice a musical instrument when faced with a rigorous conditioning regimen and equally rigorous college-prep academics can be a challenge, to say the least.

That doesn't stop four SBA student-athletes, who travel to Reno weekly to practice with their respective orchestras.

Two SBA student-athletes - ninth-graders Skyler Mullings and Casey Jobe - recently performed with the Reno Youth Concert Orchestra and two more - Camille Hartley and Sam Zabell - with the Reno Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Mullings plays the trombone and Jobe is a first violin for the Reno Youth Concert Orchestra, which is considered the intermediate-level orchestra. Zabell (Principal) and Hartley play violin for the more advanced Youth Symphony Orchestra. The Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts plays host every year to the Reno Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Fall Concert.

Hartley, Jobe, Zabell, and Mullings

FasterSkier.com Covers SBA

FasterSkier.com, the definitive on-line source for all things Nordic, cast a spotlight on Sugar Bowl Academy and Royal Gorge today. Click HERE to read the good news for Sugar Bowl Academy's Nordic ski racers.

Scene on Campus Pic of the Day

Fall Festival Piñata Bashing

Learning Hands-On in Blackwood Canyon

A focal point of SBA teaching and learning is, increasingly, engaging all the senses through hands-on experience.

With the addition this year of our trips program (click HERE if you missed my previous post on the subject) and field experiences such as the recent Tahoe Basin Watershed Education Summit, experiential learning is emerging as a hallmark of the SBA academic experience.

Seven SBA student-athletes camped three nights at Blackwood Canyon from Oct. 3rd-6th, conducting an extensive watershed assessment in support of the US Forest Service's efforts to restore this sensitive and important ecosystem.

Thank you to SBA tenth-grader Sam Zabell for the following report of his experience in Blackwood Canyon!

Sam Zabell in his TBWES tee-shirt

"The Tahoe Basin Watershed Education Summit was a great experience. It provided us with the opportunity to talk with experts in the fields of hydrology, geology, ornithology, as well as scientists from the Tahoe-Baikal Institute. We were able to use high-tech, professional instruments to take measurements of real data through streambed cross sections and do engaging fieldwork. By participating in this summit, I was exposed to a wide array of sciences and jobs in the field... It has left me with a greater understanding of water sciences and how watersheds function."

Biology teacher Andy Giordano offered the following retrospective of the experience: "Our students had an awesome time, learned a bunch and impressed the other adults that were there. I think we made some very positive connections to the Basin educational and environmental communities and showed some folks just how incredible our students can be."

Click HERE to learn more about the TBWES and HERE to view Andy Giordano's slide show from the field.

Marmots Go Retro at South Lake

The following report of Fighting Marmots running wild comes from Head Nordic/XC Coach Jeff Schloss:

We had a super fun day at the South Tahoe Retro Relays. Our Varsity girls' team of Savannah, Lauren, Elise, and Danielle medaled in fifth place out of a strong field, and our young boys' team of Sam, Sklyer, Casey, and Peter were fifth in the JV boys' race. Overall there were about 80 teams, and many were decked out in costumes. SBA looked sharp and even fielded a coaches' team with Ambrose, Martin, Jeff, and Cassidy’s Dad, Doug, joining us. We weren't the fastest coaches' team but we looked the best!

Stirring in a Dash of Old School

A dash of old school and some high-tech, too... Student in Spanish classes are taking mostly free-hand notes on the iPad (while they can elect to type, most seem to be finding free-hand style more engaging). The Notability app employed by the Spanish department allows students to include both writing and speech samples, which are stored on the cloud. Here, Sam Zabell puts stylus to tablet in Spanish 3.