May 2024 Team Update

Greetings SBSEF,

Normally I would say Happy Spring, and I hope you are enjoying the warm weather… but I just came down from Snowbird where nearly 4 feet of snow has fallen since Sunday night.  It felt like February on the peak earlier this week…  Sort of an odd feeling in May, but we welcome the water, and have surpassed the 600” mark this season.  So that is approximately 1,500′ in the last two seasons… Little Cottonwood Canyon is basically the catcher’s mitt for snow in the west, and I dare say the world?!

We have a couple more weekends of May camps to round out the 23-24 ski season, but are concurrently looking forward to next season, and have several very exciting current projects and announcements.  There is a lot going on in and around the organization this spring.

As many of you know we do have a couple of staff changes this Spring.  Those announcements are below.

I would like to thank Will Dujardin for his 3 years in the role of Freeride Director.  There have been many successes during those 3 years, and the AltaSnowbird Freeride Team will look to build on the strong foundation moving forward.

I would also like to recognize Fritz Wood, who dedicated 16 years to SBSEF in the role of U16 Head Coach, and many more years associated with the team.  This equates to an entire era of service to the team, and hundreds of athletes positively impacted. Fritz has played a large role in making this team what it is today, and for that we are grateful. Fritz will always be a part of this team.

Endowment Fund: At a Board meeting Wednesday night the SBSEF BOD and Executive Director approved a resolution to establish an endowment fund, which will become a reality in the coming weeks.  Like most endowment funds this is aimed at the long-term financial security and subsidization of the program, including financial aid, staff retention, equipment, facilities.  This is an exciting and momentous occasion, stay tuned for more information on the fund.

Vehicle Partnership:  We are pleased to announce that Markosian Auto has generously come on as a team sponsor and will be contributing two vehicles to our fleet for use by SBSEF coaches and athletes for comps.  We love our community partners!  Thank you Markosian Auto!

Work Hard.  Dream Big.

~ Bridger Call
SBSEF Executive Director

Freeride Director Announcement:

In the case of the Freeride Program, it is a little of the “Back to the Future” for SBSEF.  The original  SBSEF Freeride Director, Rob Greener, will be returning to that role effective July 1st.   Rob will hit the ground running, and you can expect to hear from him soon in regard to upcoming programming. We anticipate a smooth transition given Rob’s significant history and experience with both SBSEF and IFSA.

Rob grew up in Boise Idaho and raced for the Bogus Basin Ski Education Foundation.  Rob knew he wanted to ski powder and following his older brother’s footsteps, moved to Salt Lake and raced for the Snowbird Sports Education Foundation.  During that time, he credits the “original freeride team” to following Vinnie around the Bird in the mornings, then training gates on the race hill in the afternoon.   A few years later while pursuing big mountain skiing, he noticed a need for a Freeride program at Snowbird.  During that first season 2004-2005, we had seven athletes on the team.  Now fast forward to 2024-2025 and we’ll have approximately 100!  Over the last nineteen years, Rob has served as Director, Head Coach, Regional Coach, and weekend coach.  Rob has also run Snowbird’s IFSA comps for the last (how many?) years.  He has two daughters who will be on the U14 and Jfast teams this coming season.

Freeride Update:

Greetings Freeride Family!

I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding over the last two weeks of the program being in flux.  Overall, I’m thrilled to be back as the SBSEF Freeride Director and excited to celebrate the program’s 20^th year anniversary.  I want to thank Will Dujardin and his commitment and hard work that has gone into the program over the past three years.  I look forward to building on this momentum and the future of SBSEF Freeride!

In the immediate, we’ll close out the season with our last spring camp scheduled this weekend (May 11/12) and tryouts next weekend (May 18/19.)  Stay tuned for more information regarding summer Woodward training and South America this August.

I hope you take part in the SBSEF family survey and reach out if you have any questions or concerns, or if you just want to say “hello!”

SBSEF Freeride Director

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U16 Head Coach Announcement:

We are pleased to announce that Ali Spencer will be joining the SBSEF Alpine Program, leading the U16 group beginning on July 1st.  Ali brings a skillset that we believe will add to the many strengths of the team, and further the goal of a comprehensive pipeline through the Alpine program.

Ali grew up skiing at Mad River Glen before attending Green Mountain Valley School. After graduating from GMVS, she attended Castleton University, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training and an additional Health Sciences major. Ali became the head athletic trainer at GMVS and implemented return-to-snow protocols. In 2017, she transitioned to Burke as an athletic trainer while managing the return to snow and coaching FIS Women. Before returning to Burke, Ali worked with the US Ski Team as a coach and athletic trainer. Ali enjoys all things outdoors, with a passion for mountain biking, running, and hiking.

Introduce yourself to Ali: ali@sbsef.com

Alpine Update:

The 2023-2024 season has officially come to a close, and with that offers an opportunity for us as both athletes and coaches to reflect on a season well spent. For me, this time allows me to evaluate not only the strengths of the season, but also areas where we strengthen. This season had some incredible highs. We had podium finishes and successful races at every level, from Devo to FIS. We had athletes return from injury with confidence and speed. We had some incredible training days and some outstanding powder skiing. (I skied some unbelievably deep snow this week). Without a doubt, this season was a year in which SBSEF can be proud of.

However, as I write this, I realize there are still areas in which we as a club can improve, and in many areas we are making strides in the right direction. We are excited to add Ali Spencer to our staff as Head U16 coach. Ali’s experience as a coach, certified athletic trainer, and her background in helping athletes return to sport at an elite level will add more depth to our already impressive staff. Knowing that strength and conditioning are directly correlated to success and injury prevention, we are thrilled to be adding a team gym for our U16 and FIS groups to use throughout the season. Currently, Snowbird is transforming our race hill, making it wider, adding a new lift, and making improvements to our snowmaking capabilities which will provide more opportunities for our athletes to find great training at home. The ultimate goal is that we can provide a place and a staff that meets athletes’ needs and goals every step of the way from Devo to FIS. I couldn’t be more thrilled with what the future holds and am so excited to see SBSEF athletes reach new heights.

In the meantime, enjoy your summer. I hope you take time to explore some new trails and float some new rivers. Before you know it, we will be back at Snowbird getting ready for the next chapter.

~ Bo Maciejko
SBSEF Alpine Director
Head Jfast Coach

Camp Registration Due! If your athlete is attending Mt Hood camp with our Alpine teams, NOW IS THE TIME to register! CLICK HERE

Registration 2024-25 Updates:

Registration will open for team members and siblings in June. You will have two options: Pay in full at the time of registration or set up automatic payment plans, which will split your balance into equal payments, completed by Nov 1. We are using TeamSnap for registration again this year. Our website will be updated throughout May with tuition prices, etc, so be sure to check it out. We will send you an email recap of the changes when registration opens, along with your link to register. Keep in mind that you will be reading and signing waivers with registration, so we encourage you to do this from a computer vs your phone, but as you know, TeamSnap is an easy app to use, and we are looking forward to another easy registration period this summer.

Returning this year: Tuition Insurance! Through TeamSnap, you have the opportunity to purchase tuition insurance, they refer to it as RegSaver. During registration, you can review the information. If you would like to do some homework on it ahead of time, here are the details and links provided. This is 100% optional but can be useful in the event of an emergency or injury. We will not be issuing partial refunds this season due to injury/withdrawals because we can offer this insurance, which keeps us freer to use our resources to host events and trainings. Feel free to review the information provided by TeamSnap, we are including it here:

About RegSaver:

• What if your child becomes sick or injured? What if you get called to active military service?
• A Registration Saver (RegSaver) policy can cover your registration fees should your child miss their season, or a portion of it, due to a covered peril.
• Enter your address during registration to calculate your insurance cost.
• RegSaver Information: https://partner.battleface.com/library/vertical-insure-season-cancellation-and-interruption-es

Questions regarding registration: contact Becky becky@sbsef.com

Upcoming Events:

• June 21-30: Alpine Mt Hood Camp

• August: Freeride, FIS & U16 Chile Camp

• September 5: Welcome Back BBQ @ Sugarhouse Park

• September 21: Annual Ski & Snowboard Swap

• October 24-27: Annual Needles Dryland Camp

• Nov 2: Annual Gala