Freestyle

Kenzie Radway Named All-Star Athlete of the Year

SSWSC moguls skier Kenzie Radway was recognized on Friday by Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) as the Spencer Nelson All-Star Athlete of the Year at its annual Double Diamond Award Ceremony to celebrate excellence in the Colorado ski industry. Honorees included on-mountain professionals and ski industry veterans. Kenzie was a CSCUSA All-Star athlete last season, earning her an All-Star pass which allowed her free lift tickets at CSCUSA resorts. Approximately 60 athletes in the Rocky Mountain Division in freestyle, alpine and ski jumping/nordic combined are part of the all-star team, over 20 from the SSWSC. Kenzie was chosen as All-Star Athlete of the Year from this pool of athletes based on her performances and her interviews with CSCUSA. Last season, Kenzie won the NorAm moguls title, which earned her World Cup start rights and a spot on the U.S. Ski Team for next year. She’s currently rehabbing from a knee injury sustained at the end of the year and is making good progress.

Kenzie was the sixth skier from the SSWSC in a row to earn this award. Previous winners include Jack Reich (alpine, 2018), Jett Seymour (alpine, 2017), Cole Puckett (alpine, 2016), Logan Sankey (ski jumping, 2015) and Ben Berend (nordic combined, 2014).

Cycling

Youth Mountain Biking started on Wednesday, and the new athletes couldn’t be more excited! It’s going to be a great summer!

Alpine

Camp Mammoth

We’re enjoying a superb camp so far.  The athletes have been flat out awesome, the staff simply demonstrate exemplary professionalism and skill in all that they undertake, and the weather is pure California.

It’s nearly impossible to describe the “seasons” as experienced by the year-round alpine ski racer or full-time coach.  It is a unique universe.  The difference in climate, simply of attitude and urgency in June (as opposed to say late-November), blend for a greatly relaxed yet meaningful and fulfilling experience when at a training camp this time of year.  This camp anchors the entire season, and as such is vitally important to everyone here, and yet somehow, consistently, it is also the most wonderfully relaxed atmosphere of the year in our world. It is at once both urgent as the foundation of our entire preparation period, and yet mostly peaceful in nature.  The pressures of the competition period have mostly faded, and we are all able to dig deeply into the athletes’ skiing and lives in many meaningful ways.

Through environment creation, on-snow feedback, video sessions, group and break-out group presentations, dry-land training and physiology education, nutrition guidance, college guidance, etc., etc. our coaches and staff help our athletes learn in nearly all domains of their lives and careers in sport.  Thanks to the season, wonderful conditions, engaged and hungry athletes, and a talented staff, we can affect lasting change in a relatively short period of time.

Yesterday was our third day on snow, and our first mentor day.  After a morning of training in groups all over this “mammoth” resort, everyone merged into groups of one older athlete with 2-3 younger athletes.  By the end of the session it was hard to tell if the U12-U14 athletes (10-13) got more from the experience or the older U16/FIS athlete mentors.  They were all smiling, and they were all tired by the time they finally rolled back to our lunch area between 12:15 and 12:30.

This is a special camp.  For me personally it marks an occasion in my indoctrination into the Steamboat community months after arriving at the club.  Somehow this is already my fourth June camp with Steamboat.  This is also the fourth year I find myself marveling at the unique cross-age social dynamic and special youth culture amongst our fine team.  The consistent exuberance and supportive nature of our crew is astounding.  We have 64 athletes and 16 staff members here in our traveling circus.  They range in age from roughly 10-20 years old.  That many young people with such diverse needs demand a robust and dynamic staff.  Alison has been nailing all the logistical details here, while also mothering any and all who need it (most certainly including yours truly when the going gets stressful).  Travelling with Millie is a pretty wonderful experience.  She is like a walking health center.  Millie has already navigated social challenges, a few pretty nasty illnesses, a dislocated shoulder, and countless cuts, bruises, and sore body parts.  Tim Magill is tuning about 20 pair of skis each afternoon to remarkably high standards.  Somehow “Downhill Tim Magill” still musters the energy to take more (and faster) runs than any other staff member.  As a former athlete of mine with the US Ski Team and now fellow director from Sun Valley said, “you guys are taking things to the next level with the service efforts.”  Tim’s enthusiasm for our special sport is truly infectious and not lost on any athletes or staff.  Our coaches are the fabric of the adult population here.  All contribute in unique and meaningful ways.  I am particularly proud of the professionalism and aptitude that our coaches demonstrate under all circumstances.  From young to old, this is a competent and seasoned crew.  They can handle everything from van maintenance (Mike essentially re-wired the trailer brakes, Noah and Chester have been equally useful in tight spots), to absolutely 99th percentile technical coaching precision.  I’ve skied with most of our coaches already this camp, and other than Tyler, have spent countless hours with each of them on and off the hill, and can assure you that their technical, tactical, and life coaching are lights out as a group and individually.

This email comes at the halfway point for the younger athletes, and at the 33% mark for most of those in the FIS/U16 ranks.  We’ve already skied a ton on a huge variety of terrain.  Spirits are generally outstanding, and the vibe is one of productive effort mixed with a healthy dose of levity.

We hope that all is well in Steamboat, or wherever home may be.

Adam and the rest of the SSWSC Mammoth 2019 Staff

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