Dear U12 and U10 Families,
First of all, amazing job by all of our athletes this weekend at Killington!! Two tough days of racing and our athletes showed up ready to rock and roll! Lots of smiles and great displays of sportsmanship and camaraderie, as well as some top notch results! The U10s even won the coveted Golden Helmet that goes to the fastest team of the day!! Congrats to all! Your coaches are very proud of you and happy for you all!
Results can be viewed here on the VARA website:
Secondly, this week’s update is coming to you early, but in two parts! I wanted to get you the details for the U12/U10 SL/Skills Camp on Friday at Quechee, as well as the registration links for the upcoming Saskadena Six races that are now available (see below). However, Sunday’s U12 race details aren’t available yet, so stay tuned, but you can expect a regular race day type schedule. Other important info follows – read carefully!
This weekend:
Friday 2/2 (optional!): VARA U12 and U10 SL and Skills Project – optional (but VERY fun!) training day at Quechee – registration is now FULL.
Saturday 2/3: U12 Tall and Stubby SL (full SL armor needed – chin bar, shin guards, pole guards); U10 Stubby SL (no armor necessary, but if they have shin guards they can wear them)
***Don’t forget to join in the fun at the OMS WinterFest at Outer Limits from 7-10 pm on Saturday 2/3. Buy tickets and browse the online auction HERE.***
Sunday 2/4: Stubby SL Race at Saskadena Six for U12s (link to register HERE – deadline Friday 2/2 at 4:30 pm) – race day details to come later in the week once they are available; Stubby SL Training at home for U10s
Looking ahead:
Saturday 2/10: Stubby SL Race at Saskadena Six for U10s (link to register HERE deadline 2/8 at 8 am); GS Training at home for U12s
Sunday 2/11: MVC Super G Camp at Okemo for U12s (link to register HERE ); GS Training at home for U10s
Monday 2/12 (optional!): VARA GS Terrain Camp for U12s (only U12s) at Okemo – link to register is HERE. – registration is now open to second year U12s only. First years can register on 1/30 at 9 am. Space is limited, so sign up early if your athlete wants to attend.
Wednesday 2/14 – Friday 2/16: OMS Valentine Victory Camp – this camp is full! Details on the camp will go to registrants the week before the camp.
Saturday 2/17: U12 and U10 GS Training
Sunday 2/18: U12 Tall Gate SL training; U10 Stubby SL training
Saturday 2/24: U12 Tall Gate SL training; U10 Stubby SL training
Sunday 2/25: Tall Gate SL at Pico for U12s (link to register is HERE – not open until 2/8); U10 Stubby SL training
Saturday 3/2: U10s train Stubby SL; U12s train GS
Sunday 3/3: Stubby SL Race at Quechee for U10s (link to register HERE – deadline 2/27 at 5 pm); GS Race at Middlebury for U12s (link to register HERE – opens 2/18, deadline 3/2 at 9:30 am)
Saturday 3/9: U12 Tri-Council Race (1 run tall gateSL/1 run GS) at Pico (register HERE – opens Friday 2/23 at 10 AM for second years; Saturday 2/24 for first years) – this event will likely fill fast – register quickly – it will be fun!; U10s train GS
Sunday 3/10: GS Race at Pico for U10s (link to come – currently it’s listed twice); U12s train tall gate SL
Details for U12 and U10 Quechee SL/Skills Camp – Friday 2/2:
Athletes can pick up their lift tickets (no bibs for this event) in the basement of the Quechee Base Lodge from 7:30 – 8:30 am. Athletes should meet their coaches at 8:25 am outside of the Quechee Base Lodge on the slopeside side of the building. Athletes should be fully dressed and ready to ski at this time. U12 athletes should have full SL armor on (chin, pole, and shin guards). U10s do not need any armor, but may wear shin guards if they have them.
There will be a camp meeting for all coaches and athletes on the deck near this location at 8:30 am. Campers will be divided into mixed mountain groups with a coach leader and depart for skiing from there. Groups will ski together using the drill courses set all over the mountain until 11:30 am. Then there will be a lunch break until 12:30. Athletes must bring lunch or buy one from the cafeteria. The afternoon session will go from 12:30 – 2:30 pm and will involve dual training courses. The camp ends at 2:30 pm and all athletes should be picked up by their parents at this time.
Quechee is a small (but fun :)!) ski area – you can see almost the whole thing from the base lodge. The base lodge is also quite small, so planning to spend time outside primarily will be helpful. Using your car as a place to store stuff is helpful to Quechee. There is a nice deck to hang out on though and they have good food! You can leave your kids for the day if they are self-sufficient with lunch, or if you wish to stay and ski, parent tickets are available at the ticket window for $30 – let them know you are there for the camp.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS to Quechee:
Take 100 North (the right hand turn before Jackson Gore). In Plymouth, take a right onto 100A (be sure to slow down when the speed limit drops). When this dead ends at Rt 4, take a right. This will go through Bridgewater and Woodstock – watch for speed traps in both towns! The speed limit goes down to 25/30 a few times – obey the speed limit. Continue through Woodstock and after a few miles as you come to the town of Taftsville (don’t blink) you will see a big red covered bridge with a green roof on the left. Take a left to get to the bridge. Go across it and head straight up the hill. Follow this road for a mile or two until you see Quechee on your left. You can either park before the white building (this is the base lodge) or after it. It takes about an hour to get to Quechee.
Upcoming Special Camp/Event Info:
MVC U12 SG Camp – Sunday 2/11: On Sunday, February 11, we will host the MVC U12 SG Camp at Okemo. This is a very gentle introduction to the discipline of Super G and is always a fun day. Athletes get comfortable with speed in various training environments, but there is no timing, or any race held. Athletes should use their GS skis (no SL skis allowed). Registration is required at the link above. There will be no other U12 training offered that day, just like a race day. More details to come, but plan on about 8:30 am – 2:30 pm.
VARA U12 GS Terrain Camp – Monday 2/12: This is another special statewide training opportunity on Monday, February 12th at Okemo; however, this is only for U12s. It is a really great training opportunity for athletes to get used to skiing various terrain (rollers, wave tracks, spines all built on Wardance) that will improve their GS skiing. Registration is first come, first served and it may fill up, so please register early if you want your athlete to attend. To give second year U12s priority in participating, they have a 24 hours protected window for registration from 9 am Monday 1/29 – 9 am Tuesday 1/30. Again, totally optional, but very fun if your athlete can make it.
Piche’s Lottery – for U12s only:
Piche’s Invitational – Gunstock, NH – March 15-17th (optional training days on 3/13&14). This is a fun race organized by Gunstock Ski Club – they invite racers from all over the East and, because of this, set a quota for each state. Vermont’s quota is divided between Mid-Vermont and Southern Vermont Councils – the North does not participate. Mid-Vermont Council (MVC) will fill our quota of 11 athletes (either 5 boys/6 girls or 6 boys/5 girls – waiting on final confirmation of the gender split in MVC) by an opt-in lottery system. You MUST OPT YOUR ATHLETE IN by Wednesday 1/31 if you wish for them to be included in that lottery – email me to do this. More information can be found here: http://www.gunstockskiclub.com/francispiche Do not register your athlete until I confirm they are in the event – lottery winners will be announced by February 7th. Depending on the number of athletes we have going, we will send a coach. If we do not send a coach, we will organize representation and coaching for your athlete with another MVC coach. Note that Gunstock is over 2 hours from Ludlow, so requires an overnight stay unless you happen to live nearby there normally. The entry fee for all three days is $275. Again, EMAIL ME BY WEDNESDAY 1/31 to opt in to the lottery. Please do not opt in if you are not certain you would have your athlete attend AND that they would attend all 3 days March 15-17! Please let Mike or I know if you want to have a discussion about whether Piche’s is a good fit for your athlete and get some more information about the event. Please note that there is a fun local two day series that will happen in Southern Vermont on 3/16 and 3/17, so there are local, lower cost (no overnight needed) options that weekend as well!
Important Reminders/Previously shared info:
Sync Uniform Orders: Okemo Comp Center/OMS uniforms are in no way required of our athletes, but if you are interested in purchasing a jacket and/or full side zip pants for your athlete you can do so at this LINK. The Junior Blaster and Top Step Pants are considered the “uniform pieces,” but anyone else is welcome to order other items to wear and show your Okemo spirit! Please note that all orders are embroidered when you place the order, so turnaround timelines are a bit long, especially now during peak ordering season. Order NOW for a January delivery in time for our first races. Please note that some of the junior sizes are selling out. Hand-me downs or used jackets might be available from older athletes – try posting to Okemo Competition Center Parents Facebook Page if you are searching.
U12 and U10 Family Directory:
Some families have asked about a way to get in touch with other families to organize carpools, play dates, etc and last year I came up with a way to easily share the info you want, if you want to. Please note – this is a new form/sheet for this season, so if you want to share/receive info, please fill it out again. Totally optional, but if you fill out the form you are consenting to share any info provided with all others who share info. As info comes in, I will have it filter into a Google Sheet which I will share with anyone who responds via the email address you provide in the first question. You can pick and choose which info to share beyond your email and your athletes’ names and age groups. Hopefully this is helpful!
Click the link HERE to fill out the form to be added to and receive the directory.
Thanks and Think SNOW!!
Mariel
Mariel Meringolo
pronouns: she/her/hers
Head of School
Okemo Mountain School
802-228-1513
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www.facebook.com/OkemoMountainSchool
