Although the forecast had everyone fooled for 8-12″, we did receive few inches of much needed snow here in VT last night and the long term forecast looks great with really cold temps which are the essential ingredients for bigtime snowmaking.
The Crew
The Okemo Mountain Snowboard Team kicked off the highly anticipated 11/12 season this past weekend under bluebird skies and warm temps. We had 18 OMST riders and 3 eager Groms show up for some early season good ol’ VT shreddin’. Considering the lack of snow and the second warmest Vermont November on record, the Mountain (or trail) was actually in decent shape. The park crew set up a few jibs including a box, a flat bar, and a mini pole jam so the thirst of all our young park rats was quenched for the weekend. We ended up spending our mornings sessioning the mini park and managed to creatively find and make a couple boaters for a super fun top to bottom park run. It was a great time, but the general consensus still is, we NEED snow!
Hi folks,
The weather has not been kind. We are making plans for the weekend based on snow coverage and snowmaking that can go on over the next several nights. J1/2′s, J3′s, Council, DEVO, Snowboard & Freestyle groups will meet this weekend. Stay tuned for updates from each of your own programs for specific group meeting schedules this weekend. Most likely plan on some dryland training as part of the programs this weekend.
On to you new folks, we have postponed all screenings for the weekend.
Anyone with a 12/3 (Sat) screening is now scheduled for 12/10 (Sat)
Anyone with a 12/4 (Sun) screening is now scheduled for 12/11 (Sun).
The times and meeting locations have not changed.
Hopefuls – 9:00 AM Sugar House
DEVO’s – 9:00 AM Sugar House
Freestyle – 9:00 AM Top of A/B Quad
DEVO PG – 10:00 AM Sugar House
OMST – 8:00 AM Sitting Bull
Remember only 1st Year Athletes or athletes moving from Hopefuls to Devos without prior coach recommendations need to be screened.
Thank you.
Contact Eric Evans in the Competition Center if the new date will pose a problem to you.
eevans@okemo.com
802.228.1483
Hey Folks,
I know not all of you were planning on making the trip up this weekend, especially those of you who do not have programs meeting this weekend.
J1 & J2’s & J3’s will meet at 8:00 AM by the A/B Quads on Saturday and Sunday.
The Council & Freestyle teams are on a similar schedule.
The mountain will be opening with VERY LIMITED TERRAIN.
Skiing at appropriate speeds for the situation are strongly encouraged by the staff and Ski Patrol. Please be courteous to others.
Our groups will be on the hill until about 10:00 AM each day. They will be freeskiing only.
Okemo will be opening Thursday at 9:00 AM.
Spread the word!
Thank you and have a great Thanksgiving!
Hello all and welcome back to Okemo for another season!
Whether you are joining us for the first time this season, or working on your second (or third) decade, we have been working hard to make Okemo Competitions and OMARA one of the best and biggest skiing, riding and freeski programs in the country.
We have some changes for 2011-12 and here’s a quick, and incomplete, rundown of them.
Freestyle Skiers and Snowboards will be pleased to find the park on Timberline has moved to Blackout. The lift access via the Black Ridge Triple and The Pull will dramatically improve the number of laps you can make in a day.
This opens Timberline back up for your cruising pleasure. It also means Race Arena will be returning to Bull Run. Actually, it will start on Lift Line and curve back to Bull Run and finishing just above the base of the A Quad. Kudos to the Okemo crews who are moving the snowmaking tower, clearing trees and moving some dirt around for us to make this happen!
New to the cast of coaches this year is Bruce Johnston, he will be heading up the J3′s as well as serving as our Head Coach. Bruce comes to us full of energy and ready to go for the season!
Photos of our events will be taken, once again, by Donald Dill. He’s been the photographer of our events for quite some time. With the departure of Photos by Reflex, Donald will be handling the photos himself. All of them will be available on Donald’s web page at smugmug. The direct link is here: http://tootsie.smugmug.com/
That is all for now, stay tuned for more updates!
Think Snow!
Sorry this has been late in coming to you!
It was a great day for golf and we had 11 teams come out in support of On Hill Technology for the OMARA Programs. It was a great time for all of the skiers and riders to show off their golfing talents (or lack thereof) and enjoy an afternoon of sunshine and dinner on the deck!
Here are the results from the 1st Annual OMARA Golf Tournament held at Tater Hill Golf Club!
1st Place – 59
Mike White, Ed White, Joe Sullivan, John D’Allesandro
2nd Place – 63
Steve Anderson, Jeff LaMura, Lenny Laquinto
T-3rd Place – 67
Maureen Blum, Alex Blum, Nick Blum, Denise Michaels
T-3rd Place
Rob Weber, Jim Whalen, Sue Whalen, Greg Towle
Closest to Pin
Men: Jeff LaMura
Ladies: Wendy Neal
Longest Drive
Men: Alex Blum
Ladies: Isabelle Chobor
It’s that time of year again – time to gear up for the upcoming winter at the annual OMARA Fit Day!
In conjunction with Fit Day, we are doing a FitNESS Day on Saturday, September 17th from 9 am – 11:30 am. The location will be in the Jackson Gore Courtyard or the Ice House (in case of rain). This session will be run by Bruce Johnston, the new OMS Athletic Program Director and J3 coach, but is open to anyone of any age in the Okemo Competition Program – alpine, freestyle, or snowboard athletes. We will conduct a fun and light workout with some mock physical testing and balance and agility work that applies to all winter sports. Athletes should wear sneakers and comfortable clothes and bring a water bottle. This is not a mandatory session, but will be a lot of fun!
On Sunday, September 18thwe will be having our annual Fit Day in the Jackson Gore Courtyard from 9 am – 1 pm. There will be this year’s newest alpine and freestyle skiing equipment on display with boots available to try on. Many local shops will also be there through whom you will be able to place equipment orders for the upcoming season and take advantage of competition pricing, which represents a significant savings. The snowboard program will have a separate fit session later in the fall. If you have any questions regarding equipment for your child, please contact his/her respective coach or Bruce Johnston or Mariel Meringolo are always available to help.
Leah Jennings and Anna Valentine competed in the halfpipe on Sunday. The conditions were tough as a storm blew in and dumped 8-10″ of snow on Copper and on the Nationals pipe. Needless to say, the pipe was a bit slow and choppy but both Leah and Anna charged it hard and rode really well. Leah placed 23rd in her age group and Anna Valentine took home her first Nationals bronze medal! Nice work girls!
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