The Naming of the 2008-2012 National Teams
[Article] - The article below is the unpublished version. An editor-revised version was published in the Fall 2008 issue of 32 Degrees magazine, a publication of www.thesnowpros.org, Lakewood, CO
"To a new team and new friends," toasted a group of candidates for the AASI National Snowboard Team, some of whom ended up making the new team--and some who did not.
It was just after 8 pm, Friday, May 2, 2008. Candidates for all four disciplines of the PSIA-AASI National Teams--including alpine, snowboard, nordic, and adaptive--had been gathering since 7:00 PM on the 3rd floor of Main Lodge at Mammoth Mountain, California in anticipation of the new teams' announcement.
Candidates, selectors, and event organizers retired to a private room for a tequila shot, it was rumored, before Teams Manager Katie Fry took the mic.
"I want to congratulate all of you for having the courage to step up and take this opportunity [and] for putting yourself in front of all of these selectors for the last five days," Fry said, choking up a little as she related her own experiences of the selection process from her tours on the Alpine Team and the buildup of nerves and excitement that goes with it.
This was the first year Mammoth hosted the National Teams tryouts, which are traditionally held at Snowbird, Utah. The new venue was a change--especially considering the wide variety of conditions this year. Still, most were enthusiastic about the challenge.
"It's been phenomenal," said snowboard team selector Tom Vickery. "We've had everything from frozen-crud bumps and coral conditions to soft spring bumps," he said, emphasizing the fact that candidates had nonetheless risen to the occasion.
That they did so comes as little surprise. National team candidates are an accomplished group in the snow sports industry. They are examiners, coaches, program directors, and LIII instructors from all nine divisions of PSIA-AASI. An even more expert group is called upon to score them--"selectors" consisting of current and past team members, national and international coaches, and select PSIA-AASI division examiners. It is the selectors' job to separate the very best from the best, and that's no easy task.
"There's a lot of good skiers here, that's for sure," said Western division examiner Bud Heishman, who came out to support PSIA-W team skiers as they ran through the Giant Slalom (GS) course on Wednesday. "It's a tough decision for the judges. Every little turn, every little bobble, is going to count because everybody is so close."
In total, 139 candidates tried out for the 2008-2012 teams, with 24 making it in the end. That's a 17% success rate after a $475 registration fee and a whole lot of hopes and dreams on the line.
The first assignment was for candidates to demonstrate their snow-sliding ability.
Skiing "the Nasty"
Tryouts for the PSIA Alpine Team were organized near seamlessly--with all 94 ski candidates being led by local guides to stations around the mountain.
At one station, skiers were asked to make short-radius turns in a long-radius track in a task lovingly nicknamed "Pain-in-the-Ass Turns."
"I think part of the scheme is to be able to tactically shape an uphill turn and a downhill turn without throwing the tails out," said candidate Steve O'Connor from Killington, Vermont, when asked to explain the purpose of the exercise. "It's good for versatility. If you're skiing off piste on something nasty you need to be able to do just about anything."
At another station they had to do just that--ski off piste on "something nasty," which in this case consisted of a windy, rock-solid yet bumpy northwest-facing pitch. The task was to make multiple sets of 6 to 7 turns connected by "lane changes."
For the first time, PSIA also included a freestyle elective, with one "park and pipe freestyle specialist" being named to the 2008-2012 team. Selector Finlay Torrance set the bar high for aspiring specialists, instructing them to hit the big tabletop jumps switch and to spin over every one of them.
In the end, 14 out of 94 alpine candidates were selected to serve on the 2008-2012 Alpine Team under the direction of Rob Sogard, who returns as coach again this term.
First Adaptive Team Tryouts
This was also the first time that a selection was held for a separate adaptive team. Previously, Tahoe Adaptive Ski School trainer and Western Division examiner Bill Bowness, who rides a mono-ski, served as an appointed member of the PSIA Alpine Team. Bowness came back to coach the newly formed PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team. With only 3 candidates for the new team--2 riding mono-skis and 1 riding a snowboard--it proved to be a difficult decision in the end.
The mono-skiers took part in the same tasks as the alpine team for the better part of the on-hill assessment, with Ray Watkins, Head Coach of the US Disabled Alpine Team, assisting as a selector. Tasks included round turns down steep off-piste pitches in addition to park and pipe.
Snowboarder Brent Kuemmerle, who wears a prosthetic leg below his back knee, tried out in the hopes of advancing snowboarding in the adaptive world. Kuemmerle runs the snowboard program for Discovery Blind Sports out of Kirkwood, California. He was asked to demonstrate his skills for selectors from both adaptive and snowboarding disciplines.
"[You use] a lot of the same techniques...to make a board turn--whether it's a ski or a snowboard," said candidate Geoff Krill, when asked how one might compare the two. Krill, who is the adaptive program director at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire, was thrilled to be a part of the first adaptive team selection process. "It's good to test those boundaries--to show what you can do and what this machinery is capable of," he said, pointing to the mono-ski. "The reception from the snowboard, nordic, and alpine [groups] has been incredible."
The formation of a PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team marks a major step forward in the evolution of disabled sports, laying the groundwork for increased participation in the national team selection process by adaptive snow sports instructors.
Snowboarders: Outside the Box from Day One
Snowboard candidates were fortunate to have selectors determined to calm anxieties, which they did by cracking lighthearted jokes while leading small groups of riders around the mountain. A total of 27 snowboarders tried out for 6 slots on the AASI National Team. Creativity was a common thread in all riding tasks.
In Monday's "off-piste" group, for example, the assignment was to use as much terrain as possible. Selectors watched for balance and versatility as some riders hit the bumps switch among other creative exhibitions. "We've seen 540's, 360's over rocks, and big giant ollies up onto rocks," commented selector and coach J. Randy Price, who hands the baton to Lane Clegg of Snowbird, Utah, this year after 8 years coaching the AASI National Team.
A slopestyle competition was on the agenda for the freestyle group, with all team candidates required to run through decent-sized tabletop jumps, big park rails, boxes, and other features. "Be creative," Clegg told candidates. "Don't [always] look at things the same way."
Riders had another chance to showcase their freestyle skills on Tuesday. "We've got to spin; it's the only thing that'll separate us," said candidate Robin Tencick from Copper Mountain, Colorado--one of three women to try out--before attempting a 360 over the first jump. Afterwards it was on to the halfpipe, where at least one candidate flew as high as 7 ft past the lip despite wind gusts as strong as 50 mph.
On Wednesday, each rider was asked to choose a specialty from four options--backcountry, all mountain, big park, and jib park. In the backcountry group, riders were asked to demonstrate avalanche expertise.
"There's been a huge jump in the levels of riding," said candidate Gregg Davis from Breckenridge, Colorado, who served on the 2000-2004 team. "Younger and younger kids are coming out to try out," he said, indicating 21-year-old Cameron Hunter, also from Breck. "It's been like riding with a bunch of my buddies...; it's been so much fun."
Nords Get Award for Inclusiveness
"Yeah, Leadfoot!" nordic team candidates cheered for a comrade as he demonstrated dynamic short-radius turns. The exercise came after another task called "the shuffle," the goal of which was to make as many sliding steps throughout the course of a turn without pausing.
With nicknames like Leadfoot, Dashboard Darryl, Sandbagger Dave, Straight Line, Short Stuff, Angel, and Giggles, the 15 nordic team candidates built team spirit from the start. Four candidates were selected in the end. "Inclusivity is a big thing for Nords," said 8-year team veteran Scotty McGee, who takes over for Craig Panarisi as coach of the nordic team this year. "It's kind of a shame we...have to cut folks."
Team candidates spent Monday doing telemark drills before moving to a track at Red Lake Tuesday and Wednesday. The 2008 tryouts saw an increased focus on freestyle skating and classic in-track, commonly referred to as "cross-country." Assisting with the selection process was Bryan Fish, a cross-country coach with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association.
"I loved the cross country area that they had set up; the format...was just absolutely perfect," said candidate Warren Souther.
"Mammoth Mountain has been an incredibly good host, agreed McGee, commending Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center director and former US Ski Team Coach Ueli Luthi for preparing the spring track. "Red's Lake's made a great venue."
Top Teachers, Professionals Make the Grade
After a series of cuts Tuesday and Wednesday, the 51 remaining candidates spent the final days of the selection process on teaching and learning activities, in-depth interviews, and group project assessments while selectors tried to determine who would make the best fits for the 2008-2012 PSIA-AASI National Teams. Interview topics included behavior-based questions relating to teaching scenarios, customer service ethics, and job perception. On-hill tasks involved movement analysis and teaching clinics geared towards an audience of instructors and trainers.
Among the tasks was a 6 p.m. round-robin-style station activity, with each station representing a different challenge aligned with what National Team members will be expected to do during their 4-year term. At one station, for example, candidates discussed topics culled from PSIA-AASI's online discussion forums; at another they drafted correspondence to new suppliers touting why the team member would be a valuable affiliation for the supplier.
"It's more than a job interview and it's not an exam," commented PSIA-AASI Executive Director Mark Dorsey. "It's not the fastest time wins or the biggest air wins; it's really [about] consistent performance over five days--five days of Survivor meets American Idol," he said, chuckling. "It's pretty rough."
Team members are responsible for charting the course of snow sports instruction in the United States for the next four years by working with sports schools nationwide, conducting clinics, and serving as the public face of the organization.
Without Further Ado...
"I would just like all of us--regardless of the outcome of tonight--to be proud of ourselves and to continue to grow and mentor each other," Katie Fry said as she prepared to announce the 2008-2012 National Teams. "I think that's what really keeps this industry, this association, this vocation that we all love and do so strong. ...We're all in this together."
New Alpine Team members include Rob Sogard (coach), Robin Barnes, Matt Boyd, Jeb Boyd, Mike Hafer, Nick Herrin, Eric Lipton, Dave Lundberg, Dave Lyon, Bobby Murphy, David A. Oliver, Doug Pierini, Jim Schanzenbaker, Jennifer Simpson, and Michael Rogan. Rogan, who was named team captain, is the first non-coach team member to serve four consecutive terms. Jeb and Matt Boyd are the first brothers to serve on the team. David A. Oliver is the first freestyle specialist.
The new AASI Snowboard Team members are Lane Clegg (coach), Scott Anfang, Gregg Davis, Dave Lynch, Tom Morsch, Eric Rolls, and Josh Spoelstra.
The 2008-2012 PSIA Nordic Team is J. Scott McGee (coach), David Lawrence, Tom Marshall, Ross Matlock, and Charlie MacArthur. MacArthur is the first person to have made the PSIA-AASI national teams in two different disciplines, having served from 2000 to 2004 as a member of the PSIA Alpine Team.
Although no candidates were selected for the PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team this year, Geoff Krill was named as alternate.
Including coaches, the new teams hail from the following divisions: Rocky Mountain (9), Western (6), Eastern (5), Intermountain (4), Northwest (2), Northern Rocky Mountain (1), and Central (1). In November, team members will reunite at Copper Mountain, Colorado to train, develop educational materials, and plan activities and new directions for the next four years.
After the team announcement Friday night, the collective sigh of relief was as tangible as the anxiousness in the air that preceded it. Without a doubt, all 139 contenders for the 2008-2012 national teams share the sentiment of adaptive team candidate John Swartwood from Windham Mountain, New York, when he said simply: "This has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
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