Ski Racing Kids!

No offense taken; I believe you may be thinking of Holimont, which is pricey

Coach, on the winter term program at NYSEF, have you heard any feedback from parents of kids there; have you seen improvement in the kids who attend

Thx

The U14 top nysef winter term kids are killing it this year. You will likely see two boys and two girls on the U14 champs podium from this program.  That said all were really good racers before they entered this and the two boys are both really big physically mature 2nd year U14's so they likely would have dominated either way so its hard to say how much the needle moved with this.  3 of the 4 were in NYSEF in the past but did not live locally so this was the way they could train more.  After the top few other kids in Nysef's regular program that train on Friday and 2 nights a week are doing just as well or better.

I cant speak to how its worked for them academically.  Winter term is not its own academic program you need to have buy in from your school back home to support having the students use the winter term tutors to stay in place. That may be hard to come by depending on your school district.

snoloco wrote

Can't believe you still remember that one post out of almost 1,900.  I think it was in one of my snowmaking, grooming, high speed lifts "discussions".  

That's one of many things I remember, it popped into my head.  That was especially memorable to me because I'll never forget the financial stress of 2008. I don't sense you think about it much. (Good for you really.)

Sorry to derail this thread, it sounds like HH was total chill.

Welcome hunthollowmtn1.

(Also PM me if you can help with this :)

On her way to NYS High School Champ. @ Whiteface!

My son wrapped up the regular season with a 7th in a SL at Gore.
He made u14 states and was the best ranked 1st year in the council at 6th and gets a slot in the A seed for states which is quite an honor for a 1st yr.

WF Nysef took 17 of the 28 spot quota allocated to the MT council of Nyssra.  Coach Jimbo rocks!

So I need the low down on Bristol Mt.  What is the lay out of the race trail?  What are the best viewing spots?  Should I ski or just hike?  How is the skiing there now is it worth it to buy a lift ticket?  What are the crowds like 1st weekend of March?

Never been to Bristol, but heard a bad tasting story about race kids forced to hang out in a lodge with no running water (Rocket lodge?). Families and racers were literally asked to leave the main lodge with threat of pulled tickets.

Yes, unfortunately true.  No running water in the kids area,  and although paying up to $80 a day for race entry fees, management made it clear to parents they are not welcome to spend time on the second floor, except for a limited duration when supporting their cafeteria.  Spend money, not time.   Athletes are not allowed upstairs period, even if/when they are eating food purchased at the cafeteria.  Must be confined to bottom of base lodge but only after booting up in the bubble.

No reflection on the club there, as they do a fantastic job.  It is the mountain driving the unwelcome atmosphere for parents year after year.

Hoser wrote

paying up to $80 a day for race entry fees

Another case of the "we paid more than you so we're better than you" entitlement mentality.

Maybe that policy is in place because at any ski area I go to, the race kids are notorious for leaving their shit all over the lodge and blocking off entire tables on busy days, just so they can guarantee themselves a seat when they come in.  Reality check:  Just because you're in a race doesn't mean that you're better than everyone else and get to take a whole section of the lodge all to yourselves.  If I'm at Mountain Creek on a racing day, I basically expect to not find a seat easily in the lodge.  Thumbs up to Bristol for putting a stop to that crap.

Maybe should lawyer up

snoloco wrote

  If I'm at Mountain Creek

Another thread ruined

The same thing is true at other mountains.  Stop flying off the handle without bothering to read my full posts.  What I wrote isn't about Mountain Creek, it's that I'm pissed about the way race parents feel like they're entitled to throw their crap all over the tables in the lodge to make it impossible for anyone to sit there.  Maybe if you read my full post you'd know what it actually was about.

Hey Sno
You don't mean ALL race parents right? And you would agree that plenty of other groups do what they can to monopolize tables and lodge real estate right? As a guy who doesn't have somebody squatting for space in the lodge all day, I sympathize with you but I could offer more support if you inserted the word SOME or even MANY into your post. Unless you're just trying to stir the pot, in which case, excellent job. And for the record, I think the race programs are great for the sport and if either of my sons showed an interest, I'd be right there with you guys. I'm not much of a joiner myself and I'm afraid I passed that gene on to them.

Well it's certainly the majority of them.  Non race school groups are just as bad.  They actually will reserve tables for themselves and not even ask management permission.  I know that reserved lodge seating isn't in the deal for large groups because I did some research on group ski trips when attempting to start a ski club at school (it failed because I wasn't popular enough).  Nowhere did it say on any ski area's group rates page that you got a reserved table in the lodge, and I wasn't planning on having that wherever we went.

What set me off was the part about paying 80 dollars for race entry fees that somehow justifies this behavior.  Seems like Bristol realized that this was a problem and did something about it, because there are a lot of entitled assholes out there who it does take the threat of getting their ticket pulled to get them to think about someone other than themselves.  

Why would this place be given a state champs if they treat the racers so poorly?  They are going to make a crap load of money off this 3 day race.

Typically on race day the boys get about 20-25 mins to buy and then wolf down lunch between their run and the 2nd run inspection. The girls get more time as they run first so they are done with 1st run earlier.

Sno please stop ruin other peoples threads.  My take is if you were less of a gaper you would be racing.

I have zero interest in racing.  It makes skiing like a job and takes much of the enjoyment out of it for me.  I prefer to pick my trails and my pace.  Doesn't make me, of any other kid that doesn't race a gaper.

Bristol isn't treating anyone poorly.  They're trying to provide a good experience for all of their customers.  If their management observed that many race families were not respecting the public lodge space and using their piles of equipment to block off multiple tables to guarantee themselves seats, maybe they wouldn't have this policy.  

Windham has taken similar action, but not outright banning anyone from a certain space.  Some race families brought a catered buffet for lunch and took up an entire table in the lodge that no one else could use and then left everything so they'd have the table to themselves when they got back.  When they were gone, Windham employees immediately removed everything so that their normal paying customers could have a place to sit at lunch.

I have not been to Bristol but have heard the same horror stories, they treat the race families like low life shits.

Bristol treats racers fine and has a great race hill.  Have been to many races there with my older kids (J3 States; J1-2 States and others).  The main lodge is not huge so they may try to keep racers stuff from being strewn all over but they have a very strong race program and every race I have been to comes off well.

It would seem to make sense to direct all the racers to one spot.  At WF it's the AuSable room.  But they are not banned from other locations.

HH can you give me the low down about the rest of my questions about Bristol?

The finish is hikeable and the super g and gs will certainly finish there and you can see up the course quite a ways.  On the slalom, in the past, there would be one course above which you couldn't see from the finish, and one below. Boys/girls would reverse from 1st to 2nd run on the upper/lower course.

Don't know about current conditions but skiing is generally good with a fair amount of different areas/terrain to explore.

Did you find accomodations yet?

I'll definately plan to ski on Saturday the SL day and then play it by ear.  Interesting approach with two courses.  Would they run simultaneously the race runs?  The coaches are really going to stretched that way.

No skiing Monday SG day for sure as I have to visit a client in Rochester.

We are staying at the Homewood Suites in Victor.  They offered a group rate.  Lots of restaurant choices in Victor.