At Okemo Mountain School, our student-athletes, coaches, teachers, and faculty are all thankful to be a part of such a wonderful community, which really feels more like a family. Throughout your time with family and friends this holiday season, we urge you to think about what YOU are most thankful for!

Take a look at what some of our student-athletes are most thankful for this year!

Caleb- “I am thankful for my teachers and coaches at OMS because they make me smarter and better at snowboarding.”
Henry- “I am most thankful for my parents. Every day they go to work for long hours just to get money and they use that money on me, so I can go to school and have a good life.”
Maggie- “I am thankful for my family, friends, teachers, and of course snow.”
Katy- “I am thankful that I live in a country that gives me opportunities to get a good education and have a safe place to live. I am also thankful for my friends and family.”
Sumner- “I am thankful for everybody being okay from the house fire. I am thankful for getting to go to OMS. I am thankful for getting to go to Mexico for my Dad’s 50th birthday. I am thankful for getting to snowboard.”
Eryll- “I am thankful for my family and friends".”
Aviela- “The thing I am most thankful for this year is the support I have received after my injuries from last year and everyone helping me get back on snow as soon as possible. My friends, family and coaches have been extremely encouraging and kept pushing me to work harder and want to get healthy again. I know a lot of people have been helping me out with the process and I am extremely thankful for that!”

After 10 beautiful days in Colorado, our alpine camp has come to an end.

The athletes began their week with some pretty cold weather, but it was still nice on the hill! Arapahoe Basin was not crowded, so they took advantage getting a lot of runs and doing a bunch of drills with short segment skiing. The main focus of the camp has been ankle flexion, forward knee and hips up. They have also spent time on edging and feel on the snow. It’s really starting to pay off and the kids are starting to settle into good turns.

The last two training afternoons were slalom gates on Copperopolis at Copper. All the kids have made really good progress in their skiing and the coaches are excited to get the season going with them back at Okemo. It’s been a great camp with such a close athlete to coach ratio that the coaches feel that the kids have been able to have time to discuss and understand the concepts that they were working on. It has been huge miles for everyone!

Before going to the airport on Wednesday, the alpine campers, had a beautiful blue bird day of free skiing at Arapahoe. While they are all sad to leave, they are stoked to be coming home to snow and even more in the forecast here in Vermont!

OMS would like to thank coaches, Jet Robbins and Chris Hurka, for going above and beyond to work with our alpine athletes! Without dedicated coaches, the early season camps wouldn’t be possible.

Words from Chris and Jet- “Both Jet and I have enjoyed working with Abby, Kiera, Merina, John, Ryan, and Henry. They are all good kids and great skiers and we look forward to continuing the 2018 - 2019 season with them!”

The Colorado alpine campers have had a beautiful several days. The crowds at Arapahoe have settled down and the skiing has been ideal. The snow is perfect for drills and free skiing, giving them the best of both worlds. They have been really fortunate to have the weather they have, between blue bird days and snowstorms.

The student-athletes have been training Copper in the afternoons which has been excellent. The athletes are really working hard to make positive changes to their skiing, which is all we can ask for. They have been working on engaging the boot, the movement pattern inside the boot with the ankle, the motion of the knee during the entry and apex of the turn and the finish.

Day 7 was the one and only scheduled day off during the camp. The kids (and coaches) took advantage to relax a bit. The kids have been skiing a ton and working hard, so it was certainly well deserved. The boys spent some time at the Copper Woodward Barn tramping into foam pits, while the girls went shopping at the Outlets at Silverthorne.

The relaxation only lasted so long and on Saturday, day 8, they were back at Arapahoe Basin. The weather was outstanding and they opened the upper mountain; the skiing was phenomenal. They found out that the access chair Super Bee for Copper training went down in the morning and unfortunately we had an athlete that got stuck on the chair for 3 hours, but as soon as she was evacuated, was ready to begin training again! Even though the chair breakdown took away from some training, it gave the athletes more time to ski A-Basin. They have continued working on balance, stance, and engaging the boot and ankle/ knee. The coaches have been pushing the kids hard with a lot of drills and a lot of skating, but the hard work is paying off and the kids are improving their skills!

Yesterday the clouds moved in and delivered light snow all day, which made for more incredible skiing. They spent the morning drilling and getting miles at Arapahoe. Copper was using an alternate chair to access the training venue and they got to watch some of the German National team training Super-G. On hill they worked on panel SL with a focus on “going deep to the wall”, balance and outside ski pressure ,and a brushie quickness course with a focus on pole plant timing. The athletes made good progress and they will continue building on this.

The student-athletes have been having a blast and while they are enjoying Colorado, are looking forward to getting home to start skiing at Okemo!

It has still been snowing in Colorado and the skiing has been getting better and better! The student-athletes have been skiing Arapahoe Basin still, which has offered a lot of really good varied terrain which is exactly what our Okemo kids need!

The racers have started to incorporate a lot of drills into the day, coupled with full length runs. On Wednesday, they started running gates on Copperopolis at Copper in the afternoon! They were in the lane next the US Women’s Development Team, so they were able to watch some amazing skiers and get some great training runs in.

All the student-athletes have been great about getting their homework done at study hall, doing their tuning, and getting to bed at good hour. A couple more days of freeskiing and training and they will have a well deserved day off!

2018 VARA Team

On Saturday, November 3rd, Okemo Mountain School, student-athlete, Carver Provance, was inducted onto the 2018 VARA Team. This year’s gala was at the Stoweflake Resort and Spa in Stowe, Vermont. The team is picked based on the previous season’s results and is a way to recognize Vermont’s top alpine athletes.

Also, to make the 2018 VARA Team, is OMS alumni, Carolina de Buy Wenniger. Carolina is now at Waterville Valley Academy completing a PG year to continue her ski racing career. Lydia Kelleher, another OMS alum, also made the list! Lydia is now a senior and finishing out her final year at Waterville Valley Academy, as well!

Carver, Carolina, and Lydia have continuously showed their athletic abilities throughout their time at OMS and we are so proud to be a part of their journeys in the world of alpine racing!

Our Colorado Alpine Camp athletes have made it out west!

The athletes and coaches packed up and left at 4am on Saturday! They had a smooth travel day and made it through the airports with all of their gear!

They began their first skiing day bright and early on Sunday. The athletes began their day with a morning jog to the Woodward building for a warmup while Coach Jet even made some delicious breakfast sandwiches. Then everyone packed in and headed to Arapahoe Basin in a snowstorm, which had them grinning from ear to ear! The coaches got the kids to the mountain safe and sound in the snow.

Then the skiing began! The skiing was really nice and the surface was awesome. However, they weren’t the only ones with the ski bug and the lift lines were pretty long. That being said, it worked out well for first the day on snow. Everyone got in enough runs to empty the tank. All the kids were skiing short swing Sl turns on GS skis; a real challenge but one that will pay off. John and Ryan worked on rolling ankles and femur rotation, Merina was focused on skiing in a balanced position, and Abby, Kiera and Henry challenged themselves by skiing several runs on one ski.

After training, the kids went out to dinner, tuned their skis, and had study hall. The student-athletes show their dedication with these long days and everyone was certainly ready for bed!

Arapahoe Basin got another 8-12 inches of snow last night and the kids are ready to go again today!

Okemo Mountain School coaches are getting ready for student-athletes to arrive on Monday, October 29th! In preparation, they completed two informative clinics yesterday to gain more knowledge about how to keep our athletes safe and healthy on and off the hill.

Shelley Davis with Stop the Bleed

Warming up with Noah Labow

One of the clinics was Stop the Bleed, “a national campaign to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives”. The clinic was presented by Shelley Davis, the mother of alpine U-16 athlete, Jonathan Davis, who had a horrific fall, resulting in the ski’s edge cutting his hamstring, lateral quadricep, IT band and femoral artery. Without trained coaches, Jonathan could have lost his leg or worse. After the accident, Shelley was trained in Stop the Bleed, and now makes an effort to educate as many coaches and athletes as possible. Shelley also receives support from the Kelly Brush Foundation and UVM to keep the Stop the Bleed initiative going.

Click here for more information on Jonathan’s accident and Shelley’s journey to help others.

Our OMS coaches also received a training, sponsored by OMARA, from Green Mountain Academy’s Head Freeskiing Coach, Noah Labow, on the importance of trampoline safety. The coaches practiced warm-up techniques to use with student-athletes prior to using the trampoline, along with ways to use the trampoline to as a workout and to work on proper form and technique that can be correlated on the slopes. Needless to say, we can’t wait for dryland training to begin!

Trampoline Safety Clinic with Noah Labow

Okemo Mountain School is thrilled to announce the hire of Roger Kimball, Head Men's FIS Coach, for 2018-19. In addition to coaching Men's FIS, Roger will also work collaboratively with all U16 and U19 athletes, men and women, and their coaches.

Roger is a US Ski and Snowboard Alpine Level 400 Coach and active USSS Coaches' Education Clinic Leader. He is coming to us from Tri-State where he was chair of their U16 committee and most recently coaching U16/19s at the Berkshire School. Prior to this he was Program Director at Berkshire East where he was instrumental in bringing back FIS racing to the venue. Roger also serves currently on the Eastern Development Committee and just wrapped up serving on the Eastern Children's Committee. Roger brings a wealth of ski racing knowledge from his professional experience, as well as his own personal alpine ski racing experience.

Additionally, Roger brings academic strengths as well and may teach some upper level science and math if needed! He has a BS in Chemistry with a French Minor from UNH, as well as an MBA from Columbia Business School. Roger comes highly recommended by Kathy Okoniewski from USSS and Gar Trayner formerly of KMS, now USSS, and we look forward to having him!

Roger shared the following regarding joining the team at OMS: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining Okemo Mountain School. There is an obvious culture of teamwork here among the coaches and staff across both the school itself as well as the mountain. The new fitness facility at the school is simply awesome. It is already empowering the kids and is stimulating all kinds of creative thinking around athletic development. I'm honored to be a part of this community and I'm looking forward to contributing to the positive momentum. I'm already enjoying making winter preparations with my colleagues and, of course, I can't wait to start making turns with the athletes!"

Winter will be here before we know it and the OMARA Board is getting ready to welcome our members back for another fantastic season.

The OMARA Board has welcomed all members to join them for the Season Kick - Off Party on Saturday, December 1st from 5:00pm - 7:30pm at Sienna’s for hors d’oeuvres and cash bar. Come and meet the coaches for information about programs for the upcoming season and learn about fun events they have planned for the winter months.

There will be a quick summary of club business and voting in of open Board of Directors positions.

The OMARA Board looks forward to meeting you and your athletes. Please consider volunteering for the Board and contact them with any questions!

Henry Roe after completing his first Half-Marathon and Finishing 1st in Under-19 Group!

Okemo Mountain School student-athlete, Henry Roe, ran his FIRST half-marathon on Saturday, September 29th, in The New Hampshire Marathon. Henry is only 12 years old and a U14 (1st year) in our alpine racing program. Though he may be young, Henry is already following his dreams and crushing his goals!

In Saturday’s race, Henry hoped to finish with a time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. BUT! Just like in skiing, Henry exceeded his own expectations and ran a 2:13, which put him in 1st place in the Under-19 Group. We are so proud of you, Henry!

Please help us in congratulating Henry by following his wishes and donating to the OMS Campaign for Our Community in increments of $13!

We had the best weekend at Tater Hill Golf Club and we hope you did too! It was the best turnout of players we have ever had and we had a generous amount of support from our sponsors! Thank you to everyone that joined us or donated!

2018 Sponsors:
The Mueller Family
Blattner Energy
William Raveis Vermont Properties
Wright Construction
Vermont Orthopedic Clinic/RRMC
Total Marine/Fairline Yachts
Vermont Foam Insulation
Diamond Realty
Lavalley’s
Knight Tubs and Spas
Okemo Mountain Resort
The Boot Pro
The Mirabile Family
The Kelleher Family
The Baum Family
Mountain Cycology
Marvin Windows and Doors
Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty
Springfield Animal Hospital
Goodman’s American Pie
Lori Ford Outdoor Custom Gear
Brewfest Beverage Co.
Ted Stryhas Builder, Inc.
Morgan Stanley
POC/Nordica
M&M Excavating
Banwell Architects

2018 Raffle Donations:
Singletons
Tygart Mountain Sports
Java Baba’s
Blue Sky Trading Company
Cookster
Mojo Cafe
Big Eye’s Bakery
The Southern Pie Company
The Killarney
DJ’s
Du Jour VT

Henry Roe after completing a 10 mile training run!

An Okemo Mountain School student-athlete, Henry Roe, will be running his first half marathon on September 29th in Bristol, NH. He would like to dedicate his run to the Okemo Community because of all that it has given him. He learned to ski through SnowStars (and mini-Stars at the Penguin Playground). He then joined Amplitude+ and jibbed most of the mountain for a few years. He went on to Hopefuls with the Okemo Competition Center for alpine racing and has been a student at OMS for the past 2 years. He’s also a decent snowboarder and has tried XC and telemark. Henry will do almost anything that involves sliding along snow.

Henry hopes you can relate to something in his Okemo story and would consider donating to the Campaign for Our Community in support of his half-marathon. We think increments of 13 (his finishing run miles) would be a fitting sponsorship.

Your support enables Henry and countless others to immerse themselves in the Okemo and OMS experience, as well as in other athletic and academic pursuits that further their passions and fulfill their dreams.

We had an extremely productive camp in Mt. Hood Oregon for our 2018 On-Snow Training Camp!  Our group, comprised of alpine ski racing and snowboard athletes, was one of the biggest we have had in recent years. A big benefit to this camp came from our two guest athlete-coaches Anna Valentine and Tucker Marshall. Anna is a recent graduate of Okemo Mountain School and was also a member of the US Snowboard Rookie Team for the 2018 season. Tucker is a member of Redneck racing, an independent Alpine Racing Team. Tucker did an amazing job demonstrating drills and ski technique for our Alpine athletes. Athletes witnessed Tucker's regular daily routine staring with an off-snow morning warm-up, and then drill runs on-snow. This was all followed by an on-snow warm-up before getting in the starting gate of our training courses. Check out this great video Tucker put together for his Video Log (Vlog), it has video from our training courses and you may even spot some of our OMS athletes hard at work!  https://tuckermarshall.com/2018/07/18/mt-hood-vlog-live-on-the-site/

The Okemo Mountain School Snowboard Team competed at the Vermont Open at Stratton Mountain on Sunday, March 11th. For the girls, Maggie Hall took home the Gold Medal in the 14 and over girls division and for the boys, Otto Lichtensteiger took Silver in the 13 and under boys division, both in the Banked Slalom event. Out student-athletes just keep on doing amazing things on the slopes! 

Maggie Hall, Gold Medalist in Banked Slalom Event

Otto Lichtensteiger, Silver Medalist in Banked Slalom Event

Okemo Mountain School's student-athlete, Connie Brogden, spent last week competing in Park City at the USSA Junior Freestyle/Freeskiing Nationals. It is quite the accomplishment to even qualify for the event, however, Connie didn't just show up, she competed to the best of her ability.  Connie took home the Gold for the Overall Slopestyle and 2nd in the Overall Halfpipe, with a 1st place finish for U18s. Everyone at OMS is so proud of you, Connie!

Connie Brogden coming in 2nd in the Overall Halfpipe USSA Junior Nationals Freestyle/Freeskiing competition 

Connie Brogden coming in 1st in the Overall Slopestyle USSA Junior Freestyle/Freeskiing competition

OMS snowboarders Samantha Skoler, Margie Black, and Anna Valentine competed in the third Toyota Rev Tour halfpipe stop in Park City, Utah today. The girls all rode really well and were boosting in finals. Sammy Skoler (14 years old), placed 15th and rode really well in her first Rev Tour event. Margie Black (15 yrs old), narrowly missed the top 6 ladies finals and placed 7th. OMS senior and US Rookie Team member, Anna Valentine, blew away the field and took the top spot on the podium!  Congrats to Anna, Margie, and Sammy for killing it out there!!

Anna Valentine taking the Gold!

We held the 8th Annual Okemo Mountain School Winter Festival last Saturday, February 17th at Willie Dunn's. Before the event even started, we had raised over $30,000 from our gracious donors (See full list below), many of which are regular supporters of OMS. 

We would also like to thank all of the restaurant donors for their delicious appetizers and those that donated silent auction items! By the end of the event, with the support from our donors, along with the money we raised on our silent auction items and ticket sales, we have raised over $50,000 in support of our student-athletes. This event is one of our biggest fundraisers and we couldn't do it without everyone that donates and comes to the event.

Thank you for all you do and continue to do to support our Okemo Mountain School student-athletes! 

Mark your calendars for the 9th Annual Okemo Mountain School Winter Festival on February 16th, 2019!

2017 Donors:

World Cup Crystal Globe Donors:

The Mueller Family, Okemo Mountain Resort

Olympic Gold Medal Donors:

The Young Family, William Raveis Vermont Properties and Development, Inc., Mary W. Davis Realtor & Associates, Inc., The Goodrich-Kasperzik Family

Olympic Silver Medal Donors:

The Kelleher Family, The Maggiore Family, The Monks Family, The Stein Family

Olympic Bronze Medal Donors:

The Lovejoy Family, The Nelson Family, The Tobin Family, The Yurkerwich Family, Sotheby’s

Okemo and OMS alum are ripping it up in USCSA collegiate ski racing! The goal of many OMS students is to be able to compete at the collegiate level and it is great to see that many of you have achieved this dream! So great to see so many of you still at it!

Pictured are: Greg Murray(Clarkson), Kathryn Graham(St Anselm), Mike and Dolores White(UCONN), Libby McCusker, Ryan Riley(Both Clarkson), Jonah Glickman(UMASS), Brian Chambers, Aiden Riley and Taylor Ludl (UCONN) at the McConnell Division race at Pat's Peak a couple of weeks ago

Pictured are: Morgan Dawkins (William and Hobart Smith), Elise Michaels (Cornell), Ryan Skinner (Cornell), Simon Ludl (SUNY Binghamton), and Sean Giannotto (Cornell) at a MidEast Division race at Greek Peak this past weekend.

It is with a heavy heart that we report the loss of dear friend, coach, and long time Okemo community member, Jeff Mallia. Jeff coached hundreds of Okemo athletes to great success for 17 years. He touched the lives of so many and will be dearly missed by all!

Calling hours will be on Wednesday 1/31 from 5-7 pm at the Jones Funeral Home in Schenectady, NY and a Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday 2/1 from 3-6 pm at the Edison Gold Club in Rexford, NY.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesunion-albany/obituary.aspx?n=jeffrey-j-mallia&pid=188012874&

Photo L to R: Charlie Pierro, Jeff Malia, Robert Best, Lori Ford, and Peter Kravitz

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The holidays are quickly approaching and it is time to do the holiday scramble to find last minute gifts! Let us make it a little bit easier on you by offering some OMS swag for the whole family. 

Please see the below price list and pictures of many of our items. You can place an order by emailing info@okemomountainschool.org or just stop by OMS, 10am-6pm midweek. However, the school will be shut down for holiday break starting on December 20th.

Happy Holidays from everyone at OMS!
 

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OMS SWAG PRICE LIST:

OMS Beanies $25

Skida Alpine Neckwarmer $26

Skida Tour Neckwarmer $20

Skida Headbands $20

Big Truck Hats $35

Water Bottles $25

Moscow Mule Mugs $25

Blankets $35

Coffee Mugs $10