Congrats to our Special Olympians

Hi Again,

I just want to congratulate our Special Olympian Gold Medal winners! ASF sent Troy Desmond, Patrick Carroll, and Douglas Rogers to the New York State games at West Mountain where they swept the podium. Each of our racers raced on the Slalom and Giant Slalom courses in the intermediate and advanced divisions and took home two gold medals a piece! Congrats to Troy, Patrick, and Douglas!

I am heading back to Windham this weekend to go skiing (hopefully there is still snow)!

I will update again after the weekend!

LET IT SNOW! (We actually need it now!)

- Tracker
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"This is a fantastic opportunity for them.... They are really blossoming here because they are experiencing what freedom of the mind really is. They are experiencing the clothing, the weather, and learning about their health. It is a great opportunity for them to experience this feeling."
—Nasrullah Ibrahimzay, leader of the Special Olympics athletes competing from Afghanistan

Wounded Warrior Weekend

Hi All,

This weekend was the Wounded Warrior Project Weekend at the Adaptive Sports Foundation. The ASF gave over 20 soldiers who were injured in the line of duty and their families the opportunity to learn how to ski and snowboard with the use of adaptive equipment. They all were truly remarkable and inspiring. The soldiers did not let anything stop them - they all had a great time, too!

Today was also a Powder Day at Windham! Mother Nature dropped just under a foot of powder and the mountain looks better than ever! While it is a bit challenging for a four-tracker to ski in boot deep powder, I still had a great time! It was one of the few times that I fell and felt nothing! It is a beautiful thing!

Finally, I go back to Happy Valley tonight to start my next semester of classes! I cannot wait to see all my friends again. On Friday, I am heading back home to enjoy a nice three day weekend!

Have a great week and I will write soon!

LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! (Yes, even more)

- Tracker
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"A powder day is a fun day!"

What a Weekend!

Hi All,

The snow was absolutely amazing this weekend! I believe it redefined the term "Powder Day" on the East Coast! Windham got over a foot and a half of snow - something everyone is definitely happy about going into the Winter Break!

On Saturday, there were only seven racers and we had a "fun day" while we worked on our short radius turns. This was definitely beneficial as the powder is thick and harder to turn on. We all mastered the short radius turn by the end of the day, though!

On Sunday, we had our first race of the season - The Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge! Everyone did well in it and the ASF Race Team won five medals! After the race everyone decided to call it an early day and head home since it was snowing hard and everyone had a long drive ahead of them!

Overall, it was an amazing weekend and I cannot wait for the next one!

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy Kwanzaa!

LET IT SNOW!

- Tracker
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"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. " ~Edith Sitwell

First Tracks

Hi All,

What a weekend! I got my first tracks of the season in on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving! The conditions were phenomenal - it was like it was mid-February. I skied with my father and brother, Matthew. We did everything from White Way and What's Next (our beginner trails) to Upper Whistler and Lower Wolverine (our intermediate trails). As the day went on the trails began to get a bit icy and skied off, so we called it a day rather early both days. We were not in midseason form and did not feel it would be smart to stay out without building up our endurance.

I could not believe how nice the snow was! Windham Mountain definitely made a lot of improvements in its snowmaking capabilities. Now, I am already looking forward to finishing my finals so I can hit the slopes once again in mid-December. I figured I would share some of the pictures I took over the course of the weekend with you as well:













One of the views from the top of D-Lift.














Another view from the top of D-Lift.














It was such a nice background for a picture. I couldn't resist!


I would like to take the time to wish everybody who is planning on attending the Disabled Ski Spectacular in Breckenridge a great trip. I would like to congratulate Staci, one of my teammates, who received a scholarship to attend a race camp during the event! Her guide, Ally, is also going, as well as the head coach of the race team, Mary Bozzone. I am also aware that Kim, Tom, and Adam will be making the trip out there. I wish the aforementioned people along with everyone else from ASF who is going out there has a safe trip! Have a ball!

I hope you all have a great week!

Let it snow!

- Tracker

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"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour. "- John Boswell