 |
|
GREEN MOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
Notes from Campus
|
|
NOTES FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Dear Members of the GMVS Community,
What a difference a day makes. On Sunday morning thermometers around the Mad River Valley registered lows of -20°. By Monday afternoon, my car read 35°. Despite a whipping wind, it felt warm enough to shed the heavy down jackets we've become accustomed to. If the forecasters are right, it'll continue to warm up and Mother Nature will bless us with the infamous "R" word before dropping below 0 again.
Just as the weather can change in an instant, so too can ski racing results. Mikaela Shiffrin is clearly on fire (5 wins in as many races)! But, hundreds if not thousands of other racers out there are stuck in the ruts (pun intended). Sometimes all it takes for the tide to turn is a positive attitude and a little good fortune. So much of what we do in this sport is from the neck up.
I'll never forget a teammate of mine telling me how much they enjoyed racing in the rain. It was Eastern Cup finals at Killington, I was complaining about the weather, and I asked why she was so positive. She replied, "Well, even though it's raining, somebody still has to win. I bank on at least ½ the field having the same attitude as you." She went on to dominate not only that day, but the remainder of the series as well.
So, whether the arrival of mid-January has you psyched up for the next race or anxious about what's on the horizon, nothing is preventing you from seizing the opportunities afforded to us each and every day.
I look forward to meeting with you on Saturday afternoon to share observations from my first six months at GMVS, and to open a dialogue about our future.
Warmly,
Tracy Keller
Head of School
|
|
|
|
|
Elliot Ketchel '17 (racing for Bowdoin) is first alternate for World Juniors. |
U.S. NORDIC NATIONALS
The GMVS XC team just returned from the 2018 U.S. Senior National Championships in Anchorage, AK. Our team of ten included Ursula Volz (PG) '18, Rena Schwartz '18, Elliot Ketchel '17 (Bowdoin), Matt Moreau '19, Josh Valentine '19, guests Tom Hussey, Sam Hodges from Frost Mountain Nordic Ski Club in Middlebury and coaches Peter Kling '07 and Colin Rodgers. We took part in the first three championship competitions from January 3-7: 10/15k Skate, Skate Sprint and 5/10k Mass Start Classic. Anchorage Nordic Ski Club treated us to great races at Kincaid Park. De
spite little snow and warm temperatures upon arrival,
|
|
|
Greg Burt (closest) qualified 2nd for Junior Heats. Also Elliot Ketchel in the black and white suit. |
all of the racing was perfect.
Every athlete had their own high points from the week with exceptional racing and it was great to see our program developing legitimate contenders for international trips. Both Greg Burt and Elliot Ketchel were first alternates to representing the U.S. at the U18 Scandinavian Cup and U20 World Junior Championships -- narrow misses, but fuel for the fire.
|
|
GMVS ALUMNI REPRESENT AT THE WORLD CUP
As the World Cup season hits full stride in the month of January leading up to the
Olympics, we want to congratulate a few GMVS alums who are getting their first taste of life on the World Cup circuit. It is important to remember that these athletes, compared to many of the athletes competing on the World Cup, are very young. It takes time to learn the different hills and tracks in both tech and speed.
AJ Ginnis, a slalom athlete on the U.S. Ski Team, has raced all of the slaloms this season. AJ starts in the 40's and has been consistently 1 second or less out of qualifying for a second run. His goal is to qualify for a second run, earn some World Cup points, and move up in the standings. This is all part of the learning curve of competing on the World Cup.
Charlie Raposo, a GS athlete skiing for Great Britain, has had 1 World Cup start in Alta Badia this season. He did not qualify for a second run, but gained valuable experience on one of the more difficult GS hills on the World Cup circuit. Charlie will most likely get more experience on the World Cup and continue his development on the Europa Cup and Nor Am circuits this season.
Drew Duffy is in his first full season of competing in World Cup speed races. To gain experience, he was a forerunner at the Beaver Creek Birds of Prey races and has since gotten starts at Bormio and plans to start in the classic Wengen DH/Alpine combined later this week. We were able to get some quotes from Drew about his experiences on the World Cup:
"I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to race in Bormio and now Wengen. Being competitive on the World Cup has been my dream since I was little and that remained my goal throughout my time at GMVS, and it is still my goal. Having those dreams come true has been an amazing experience. With every World Cup start I have had I realize that experience is huge in this sport, especially in Super G and Downhill.
Bormio and Wengen are the first two "classic" downhills I have raced and they are intimidating! The speed is high, the jumps are big, and the turns are challenging. But after a run or two down you realize that it's not impossible!
I look forward to gaining confidence and experience with every run down Wengen this week. I am really excited to race in the Alpine Combined on Friday and then the Downhill on Saturday.
I wouldn't be where I am today without the support from everyone at GMVS!" -Drew Duffy
We all wish our GMVS alums competing on the World Cup continued growth and success.
|
|
NOWHERE TO CALL HOME
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day next week there will be nationwide commemorations of King's work fighting for racial justice, and celebrations of the ideals he espoused: equality, tolerance, and interracial and intercultural cooperation. It is in that vein that we are excited to be hosting a special on-campus event: a screening of the documentary
Nowhere to Call Home: A Tibetan in Beijing
. The film will be shown on Tuesday, January 16th, at 7pm in the Dave Gavett Theater. Jocelyn Ford, the film's director, will be here to answer questions immediately following.
Nowhere to Call Home
tells the story of Zanta, a Tibetan woman who is in search of a better life with her son in Beijing, and it touches on themes of family, cultural difference, and race within modern China. Our World and US History teacher, Renny Babiarz, had the opportunity to meet Ms. Ford and Zanta, during his time teaching and traveling in China and Tibet. The event is open to anyone who wishes to attend, including parents, local families and members of the Mad River Valley community. Please contact Renny Babiarz at rbabiarz@gmvs.org with any questions.
|
Over the past several weeks, many alumni have returned to GMVS and the Kelly Brush Race Arena to take advantage of the best early-season training conditions in the East. Some were here while on a break from their National Team schedules, while others came with their college teams. Some also came as individuals, as they prepared for their collegiate or post-graduate seasons.
Drew Duffy and Jimmy Krupka fit in some skiing before heading off on their busy U.S. Ski Team schedule, while Middlebury College was here several times with Katie Utter, Max Stamler, Pate Campbell and Jack Schibli as part of the crew. UVM also came by with Sandy Vietze and Ryan Mooney, while St. Mike's skiers Danny Duffy, Kara Gailiunas, and Clara Lopez joined in for a few sessions as well. Boston College (led by Head Coach Ben DeFlavio) brought Maddie Davis and Natalie Wetmore back to the home turf, and Dartmouth's Hannah Utter and Bates' Josh Turner also got some turns in on familiar terrain. David Frisk and Justin Boes have also been by as they gear up for their seasons.
On the Nordic side, Elliot Ketchel '17 was busy in the RPC tuning room preparing for US Nationals in Alaska, as he recently traveled with the GMVS crew before heading back to Bowdoin.
|
|
|
|
|
Our admissions season is off to a strong start and the admissions team has been impressed by the quality and number of applicants and inquiries we have received to date. On campus, many of our students directly participate in the admissions process as tour guides, and almost all indirectly participate as ambassadors of GMVS. We have a wonderful student body and our goal always is to attract new applicants who fit the profile of the GMVS community.
As we head into the busiest months of our admissions season, we wanted to reach out and ask for your support as well. Current parents, alumni parents and alumni are some of the most visible spectators at races, and certainly some of the most knowledgeable about GMVS. Your connections are an incredible asset for us.
The easiest way to assist is to refer qualified applicant families to us. Cindy Mumford, Director of Admissions, is our primary contact and can be reached at
cmumford@gmvs.org
. We also have an online inquiry form that is easy to complete on our website -
www.gmvs.org
. We have contacts throughout the U.S, Europe, S. America and Canada, so don't hesitate to send us names from distant locations.
|
We are looking forward to seeing everyone on campus this weekend!
Friday, January 12th
|
8:30-12:00 PM
|
Parent/Teacher Conferences and Meetings with Advisors
|
|
Saturday, January 13th
|
7:45-10:00 AM
|
Registration/Continental Breakfast
|
|
|
8:00-1:00 PM
|
Parent/Teacher Conferences and Meetings with Advisors
|
|
|
1:00-1:45 PM
|
Coaching Group Meetings (Parents and Coaches Only)
|
|
|
2:00-2:45 PM
|
State of the School Meeting
|
|
|
3:00-3:45 PM
|
U14 Coaching Group Meeting (Parents and Coaches Only)
|
|
|
3:00-4:45 PM
|
Navigating the College Process
A workshop for parents and students of the Class of 2019
|
|
|
5:00-7:00 PM
|
Community Cocktail Party
Sugarbush Inn, Sugarbush Access Road, Warren, VT
|
|
|
|
GMVS ONLINE STORE
The GMVS Store online store is now open!
Check out our new logowear (Big Truck hats, hoodies, and t-shirts) and gear up to support Gumbies around the world as the season conitnues.
|
|
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Each week we select a "Photo of the Week" to share throughout GMVS communications. Anyone can submit images! Email images to:
photos@gmvs.org.
|
|
|
This week's Photo of the Week from Senior Ellie Lundberg:
Dramatic scenery as warmer weather comes over the mountains |
|
|
|
Last Week's Photo of the Week from Junior Ava Pavlik:
Gumby enjoying Mother Nature's gift for the holidays!
|
|
|
A FEW SNAPS FROM OUR RECENT ADVENTURES
Check out great photos of GMVS activities on SmugMug, a photo-sharing website where we post pictures from races, games, camps, theater and other weekly campus events.
The website is gmvs.smugmug.com and the password is: GMVScommunity (it is case sensitive).Visit
GMVS SmugMug now!
|
|
|
| Blue sky day on Inverness over the holidays |
|
|
|
| Scenic nordic training by the Robert Frost Cabin at Rikert Nordic Center |
|
|
|
U19 girls having a quick lunch after their second runs at Middlebury last week.
|
|
|
|
| Thanks to Sugarbush for great snowmaking on Brambles over the holidays! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
