GREEN MOUNTAIN VALLEY SCHOOL
Weiss Building Transformation
SPRING 2015
Fostering Inquiry-Based Learning
Teaching the Next Generation GMVS Nordic Team & the Bill Koch Enrichment Program
Thomas Walsh ’13
Ski Racing as an Adaptive Athlete
Ashley Cadwell
Reflections from a Former GMVS Headmaster
Training and Racing in Austria The Ultimate Field Trip
EDITORS Chris Crowell Diane Jewell
In this Issue
COPY EDITOR Louisa Moore
It’s Academic by Peter Oliver 3-6
CONTRIBUTORS Peter Oliver Steve Utter Justin Beckwith David Sinclair Kim Reynolds Diane Jewell Chris Crowell
Alpine Update by Steve Utter 7-8
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY Dennis Curran Gary Hall Gioia Kuss Malcolm Reiss ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY Justin Beckwith Jere Brophy Chris Crowell Lindsey Crowell Tim Curran Sean Duffy Grace Emelett Carin Frisk Dave Gavett Christine Horn Laura Jenks Michael Ketchel Jill Maynard Nolan Cindy Mumford Charlie Powell Charlotte Raymond Josh Saxe Rebecca Silbernagel James Tautkus Jeremy Transue Ariana Turner Hannah Utter 1
COVER PHOTO: Cindy Mumford
Nordic Update by Justin Beckwith 9-10 GMVS Nordic Team Gives Back Leading the Next Generation: The Bill Koch Enrichment Program by David Sinclair ’10 11-12 Thomas Walsh ’13, Adaptive Ski Racer by Kimberly Reynolds 13-14 Ashley Cadwell, Reflections from a Former GMVS Headmaster by Kimberly Reynolds 15-16 Austria Alpine Camp - The Ultimate Field Trip by Diane Jewell and Chris Crowell 17-22 Alumni Community Events 23-24 Class Notes 25-27 Racing Performance Center Update 29-30
JOIN THE GMVS COMMUNITY ONLINE! Green Mountain Valley School- GMVS
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Dear GMVS Family, It has been another busy and successful winter, and GMVS has made strides in all areas, including strategic planning, academics, training, and racing. At this time of year, when we take a step back from race season and look at all we’ve accomplished, we really can be proud. For the past several months, the GMVS Board of Trustees has worked diligently with input from senior staff members, faculty, coaches, parents and students to develop a thoughtful and comprehensive strategic plan for GMVS over the next five years. The plan outlines our GMVS mission, vision, core strengths, key objectives and initiatives. We are already tackling our list of initiatives and will continue to share our progress with you throughout the year. On the academic front, students and teachers continue to enjoy the amazing improvements in the Weiss Building. Two completely new laboratories in the Kent Coughlin Memorial Science Center constitute the centerpiece of the renovation project, with new lighting, paint, flooring, windows, modular furniture, and classroom technology to make the space even more conducive to learning. Winter on-snow training and racing improved dramatically for both Alpine and Nordic programs this winter. In January, the Kelly Brush Race Arena was officially expanded to include the Brambles trail, allowing for simultaneous Alpine racing and training as well as a larger and more diverse training area. While Alpine athletes acquired more hill space, the Nordic team purchased a new trailer that rivals any service vehicle in North America. At races, the trailer provides athletes and coaches with a home base, meeting area, waxing station, and storage space. When the trailer isn’t at races, it houses and transports the team’s snowmobile and groomer, allowing the team to maintain its own trails in selective locations. As always, GMVS experienced great success across all age groups at the state, regional, national, and international levels, competing as far away as Canada, Austria, and Sweden. We also benefited from the remarkable snowfall and record-breaking cold average temperatures. After such an outstanding season, we look forward to more spring skiing, lacrosse, and for the Class of 2015, graduation! Sincerely,
Dave Gavett GMVS Headmaster
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
Greetings from Dave
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It’s Academic
Redesign of the Weiss Building by Peter Oliver
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
The behaviorist B.F. Skinner once wrote that “education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten.” Alice Rodgers, Head of Academics, would no doubt agree with that as she lays down a road map for guiding GMVS students toward the new standards and achievements of what she calls “21st-century learning.” By that, she means a paradigm shift from old-school, rote instruction – “assembly-line learning” – to student-centered, “inquiry-based” learning.
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That shift is being achieved through various modifications in the curriculum and instructional process, but it is being furthered – perhaps symbolized – by the recent redesign of the Weiss Academic Building. The format of the traditional classroom, with the teacher at the head of the classroom facing students in regimented rows of desks, has been scrambled. Rhomboidshaped desks – so-called “huddle desks” – can be separated and pieced together at a moment’s notice to form individual or group workstations, a single, large circle, or almost any configuration a teacher deems appropriate to best address the current lesson or discussion. Central to the concept is the idea of stimulating more studentgenerated questioning, creativity, and input rather than force-feeding the facts and specifics of a rigidly defined curriculum. “By changing the physical space, you change the relationship between student and teacher,” says Rodgers. That can
be a challenge not only for students but for teachers as well. With the physical environment encouraging more student initiative, “teachers must be confident with letting go of content,” says Rodgers. Rodgers talks of the “power of collaboration” between students and teachers, between teachers and teachers, and between students and students. That collaboration is built upon a principle of a teacher “sharing a love of subject.” She goes on to say most GMVS students are “not content to be passive recipients of knowledge” and that in an inquiry-based process, “a lot of self-assembly is required.” Put another way, it is the process of figuring things out, both individually and collaboratively, that is of enduring educational value, not simply absorbing and retaining information. The ultimate goal, she says, is “fostering lifelong learning,” and that might mean taking a detour from a pre-determined curriculum. If students are thinking, asking, debating, articulating, contemplating, and solving, the subject matter is of secondary importance, and the inquiry-based concept is on its way to mission accomplished. The redesign of the Weiss Academic Building, of course, comes close on the heels of the construction of the Racing Performance Center. It was a tremendous effort, with “resources coming together to quickly put the plan in place,” says Assistant Headmaster Tim Harris.
redesign was simply an expanded version of that. “We’d been looking at redoing the science labs for some time,” says Harris, who had traveled to various colleges with a GMVS team to see how science labs were built elsewhere. With input from Rodgers, parents, and the rest of the GMVS community, the Kent Coughlin Science Center took the place of its predecessor – to provide “a world-class classroom experience,” as Harris puts it – on the first floor of the academic building.
The same contractors who had worked on the performance center simply moved operations to begin work in the fall on the academic center. As a far more modest project than the RPC – refurbishing the interior of an existing building rather than the construction of an entirely new facility – the permitting, planning, and fundraising were far simpler. In short order, the money was there, the commitment was there, the construction logistics were conveniently in place, and the project became a go. One complication, however, was that the work on the Weiss building, unlike the RPC project, took place entirely within the academic year. In characteristic GMVS style, everyone pitched in to enable the process to move forward smoothly and expeditiously. During the roughly three-month construction period in which the academic building was out of commission, the educational community adapted. Impromptu classroom space came into being wherever it could be found, both on campus and at training camps on the road. As completion of the project neared, students provided muscle power, carrying chairs and desks and whiteboards into the renovated building. Of course it wasn’t entirely spur-of-the-moment planning and execution. A new science center had been in the works for a while, and the full building
The lab stations and triple sliding whiteboards are major improvements over what they have replaced. But perhaps the most striking feature of the new science center is an everyday piece of the puzzle that could almost be taken for granted – the lighting. Bright and clear, the vastly better lighting is an improvement that extends to the hallways and stairs leading to the three classrooms on the second floor. Coupled with newer, lighter-toned paint, the lighting engenders an energizing environment more conducive to learning. Anyone who has repainted a room at home knows what a fresh coat can do to enliven the spirit. Upon completion of the RPC, GMVS Headmaster Dave Gavett spoke about the performance center as a new focal point in the pursuit of a “goal of providing every GMVS athlete with a platform for success.” At the same time, Gavett has always emphasized that a GMVS education is not just about athletics; it is, rather, principally about “developing the whole individual. I don’t think we could do that if this was just a place that focused on ski racing.” With the re-invented Weiss building and with Rodgers’ ongoing efforts to restructure the fundamental educational process, developing the academic component of the “whole individual” keeps pace with the RPC’s contribution to developing the athletic component. “We’ve always had a strong college prep curriculum,” says Rodgers, and GMVS’s college placement record is a testament to that. But the success of a GMVS education, she insists, comes not from simply preparing students for the next level of academic life but from the creativity and encouragement of “passionate teachers who love their subjects.” That passion, interwoven with talent, allows Rodgers to liberate teachers from a rigid curriculum and to empower them with “a high degree of autonomy.”
“Having two separate, dedicated laboratory spaces (one for Physics/Physiology/APC and one for Biology/Chemistry) is incredible. Physics students definitely benefit from the versatile tables that allow unrestricted movement for Mechanics lab set-ups and group collaboration.” - Grace Emelett, Physics Teacher 4
Magic happening inside the Kent Coughlin science labs
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
Rodgers is cautious, however, in measuring academic success through “outcomes,” such as grades and/or college placements. Instead, she likes to talk about “deeper learning, not just surface knowledge – knowing how to access knowledge and what to do with it, not knowledge itself.”
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If there is an outcome that she (along with so many others at GMVS) takes pride in, it is in the breadth of achievement by GMVS alumni in a wide variety of fields. Alumni have gone out into the world with “integrity, persistence, an entrepreneurial sense, and self-assurance. They honor themselves,” she says. Law, the arts, finance, medicine, athletics, academics – GMVS alums have made their mark, often in unique, creative, and unconventional ways. “Character first” is one of Rodgers’ guiding principles – who you are, not necessarily how smart you are. When GMVS was founded more than 40 years ago, the duties of every member of the small faculty were multiple. Essentially, everyone was teacher, coach, administrator, dorm parent, advisor, and big brother or sister rolled into one. As GMVS has evolved, however, faculty members have been enabled to focus their efforts on the areas where their most valuable talents lie. Of the 25 faculty members now listed as teachers on the current GMVS web site, a small percentage of those act as athletic coaches. That allows teachers to dedicate themselves to academics, with coaches remaining dedicated to athletics– no bifurcation of duties, no diversion of purpose.
Together, GMVS teachers, coaches, and administrators move forward into the heart of the 21st century. The value in what students will take from the classes in the new Weiss building will not be what resides in their minds as they walk down the long stairs leading back to the center of campus. It will be what survives when they join fellow GMVS alumni facing challenges in worlds far beyond campus boundaries.
Honoring Kent Coughlin Kent Coughlin was a joyous, witty, and passionate enthusiast for life. He spent more than 30 years at ABC radio, leading all operations and engineering. In addition to covering national news, he especially enjoyed covering U.S. Space program/launches, special events, political conventions, and the Olympics. Another source of pride and accomplishment for him was his 40+ years of military service in the NY National Guard and Reserves. Early on, Kent spent most winter weekends at the Gavett Lodge at Haystack Mountain in Wilmington, VT. He was a founding member of the Haystack Ski Educational Foundation where he and his wife, Kathryn, coordinated ski racing programs that provided scholarship opportunities and enabled children to ski. Through their years at Haystack, they formed a very special bond with the Gavett family that has lasted three generations. Kent was such an integral part of the Gavett clan that he finished cooking breakfast for the lodge’s guests on the morning Lola Gavett went into labor with Cindy. (Kent then took the first picture of Cindy and claimed to have introduced her to the world of photography!) When Dave Gavett became headmaster of GMVS, Kent was a logical person to include on the Board. Kent and Larry Dickie helped guide the school through a successful time in its development, and Kent remained on the GMVS Board of Trustees for 20 years, where he oversaw extensive progress. His intelligence, leadership and endearing manner made him a great asset to the GMVS community. In honor of Kent, who embodied the mission of GMVS, Larry Dickie and Kathy Coughlin came together to fund the new science laboratories in the Weiss Building. Kent’s passion for exploring and investigating the world can be imparted to generations of GMVS students as they unearth the mysteries of science within the impressive new spaces that bear his name. All of us at GMVS are truly grateful for Kent’s investment in our community.
Board of Trustees Board Officers
Board Members
Jane Goldstein, P’09, Chair James Hildebrand, P’96, ’99, Co-Vice Chair and Treasurer Mike Krupka, P’16, ’18, ’20, Co-Vice Chair Jill Maynard Nolan ’82, P’17, ’19, Secretary Larry Dickie, P’99, Ex-Officio
Jamie Armstrong ’83, P’17 Robert Baker, P’02 Charlie Brush, P’02, ’04 Lindsay Getz ’02 Brett Grabowski ’88, P’17 Al Hobart, Founder Sherm Hoyt Jay Kearns, P’80 Terry Kellogg, P’20
Travis Kingsbury ’97 Michele Kinner, P’06, ’08 Brooke Laundon ’96 Fredric Leopold, P’12 Doug Lewis ’82 Jamie Preston ’80 Peter Rapelye Leslie Reynolds
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Alpine Update by Steve Utter
Lexi Skovran- 3rd Overall Combined, U.S. Nationals
Improved training facilities, a variety of camps, and great snow conditions contributed to another successful Alpine racing season. With a depth of talent and students from all over the world, GMVS experienced continuous success throughout the winter, culminating with racers earning podiums in every age group at Vermont State Championships, Eastern Regionals, CanAms, U.S. Nationals, and Canadian Nationals. We’ve also enhanced our on-snow training facilities. Thanks to a tremendous effort from Sugarbush Resort and GMVS staff, the Kelly Brush Race Arena officially expanded in January to include the Brambles trail. Coaches pulled together to get the hill FIS homologated and set new safety netting, while Sugarbush moved snow guns to prepare the hill. The additional terrain has truly strengthened the Alpine program, allowing simultaneous Alpine racing and training as well as providing a larger and more diverse training area throughout the year. With regard to Alpine camps, GMVS has begun to consider new opportunities for off-season training. Summer snow conditions have proven unreliable in recent years, and we want to ensure that our athletes get enough quality practice time on snow. As a result, we’ve added an optional spring camp at Beaver Creek in May and additional summer camps, including an indoor training trip in Germany and a camp in Norway. Although Mother Nature is the impetus for the change, we also think Alpine athletes can benefit greatly by gaining additional time on snow, flexibility of choice, and less time between on-snow sessions.
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Ali Nullmeyer- Canadian U18 Slalom Champion
Logan Slattery- 2nd in Super-G, U.S. Junior Nationals
Jack Depres- 3rd in Downhill, U.S. Junior Nationals
Despite the global climate change and limited snowfall around the world, GMVS coaches, athletes, and spectators braved extremely cold temperatures and saw plenty of snow here in Vermont throughout the winter. We experienced great training conditions and are grateful for yet another stellar GMVS race season.
Hannah Utter- U16 Overall Champion, Eastern Regionals
Liam Carroll- 1st in U14 Super-G, CanAms
Ben Ritchie- 1st in Slalom, U16 Nationals
Sam McClellan- 1st in GS, U16 Nationals
Elese Sommer- 3rd U14 in Slalom, U16 Nationals
Chauncey Morgan- 3rd in Super-G, U16 Nationals
Abi Jewett- 2nd in Slalom, U16 Nationals
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GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
Nordic Update by Justin Beckwith
The 2015 ski season was likely the busiest and arguably the most successful of seasons for the GMVS Nordic Program. Our roster included twelve academy athletes, and our development programs supported another six. After an exceptional fall of training here in the Valley, the Italian Alps, and the Western U.S., we entered into a diverse spectrum of races throughout New England, the U.S., and Europe. For the first time, GMVS operated as a complete and robust club, with athletes represented in youth skiing (Bill Koch), Junior and Elite Racing, as well as Biathlon. I hope you enjoy reading GMVS and Dartmouth alumnus, David Sinclair’s, nice article about our Bill Koch Enrichment Program (in this Spring magazine). It is our belief that a robust program needs to develop from the bottom up, and this program’s inception provides an opportunity for young skiers to get familiar with competitive skiing and the inspiration required to participate in our arduous sport. There is certain serendipity in Sinclair’s article, as he references the motivation from meeting Caitlin Compton Gregg at the beginning of his journey. We are proud to host Caitlin (who had a historic 3rd place finish at World Championships this winter) for one of our summer 2015 GMVS training camps. We had two athletes enrolled in the seventh grade program, and they competed admirably throughout the season and in the Bill Koch Championships and the Breadloaf Grand Prix. Tanner Ketchel and Carl Kellogg traveled with the rest of the team most of the season, making tremendous gains and providing entertainment and levity to the group. Ninth grader, Olivia Cuneo, who is still a BKL skier by age, competed in the U16 age group throughout the season, consistently outpacing skiers one and two years older. She even claimed a victory in an Eastern Cup in Craftsbury, VT. The focus for the majority of our skiers revolved around the Eastern Cup circuit hosted by the New England Nordic Ski Association. These high level events brought together the best skiers throughout our region and often included collegiate and elite racers. Throughout the season, six GMVS athletes earned podium positions in their respective age groups, and three racers qualified for Junior Nationals in Truckee, CA. To finish the season, all of our eligible high school skiers qualified to represent Vermont in the Eastern High School Championships. Our Elite/PG Team (including Sinclair and PGs Nick Gardner and Ian Moore) traveled throughout the winter, competing at U.S. Nationals, the American Birkenbeiner, and USSA Spring Series. Sinclair placed 12th in the National Sprint Championship, 15th at the American Birkenbeiner freestyle race, and remains one of the top U23 racers in the nation. Nick Gardner grabbed 4th place in the Birkenbeiner classic race. 9
Ian Moore with Coach and Kick Waxer for Team New England Justin Beckwith, after winning Junior National Relay Both Gabi Hawkins and Coach Beckwith traveled internationally this winter. Hawkins, who is a member of the Australian Junior National Team, competed in Swiss, Italian and Alpen Cups throughout the winter to prepare for her second bid at World Youth Biathlon Championships, held in Minsk, Belarus. She moved up the ranks quite a bit with some strong race results. Beckwith traveled with the U.S. World Junior and U23 World Championships team to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he served as the Head Kick Wax Service for the second year in a row. Our program’s success was perhaps best reflected at Junior Nationals in Truckee, CA during the first week of March. During this time, all three of our qualifying current athletes and one alumna earned All-American honors. Ian Moore showed his deep fitness, taking fifth in the Sprint, 4th and 10th respectively in the classic and freestyle distance races, and anchoring the New England team to win the U20 boys’ relay! Nick Gardner garnered an 8th place finish in the individual skate race and anchored his team to third place in the same relay. Walker Bean was not to be outdone, as he uncorked the race of his life and took home a silver medal in the U16 boys’ skate race. PG Alumna, Annavitte Rand (UNH) took 10th in the individual classic U20 race. In the final race of the season, Ian Moore earned 3rd in the Junior 25K freestyle at USSA Supertour Nationals. The team is looking forward to a spring filled with Nordic adventure and alpine skiing, before taking a much needed break. As a testament to our program’s strength, we have been selected to host the Regional NENSA Camp here at GMVS, which brings together the best skiers from New England and is coached by the USST Development Coach. We will be hosting continuous training throughout the summer, including three boarding camps that will provide high level training to our athletes and increase exposure for our campus and program.
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GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
GMVS Nordic Team Gives Back
Leading the Next Generation: The Bill Koch League Enrichment Program by David Sinclair ’10 Bill Koch League is the name given to youth ski leagues across New England in honor of Vermont native and our country’s only Olympic medalist in Nordic Skiing, Bill Koch. I grew up in the Mad River Valley and took part in the Mad River Bill Koch Youth Ski League for many years. The great part about Bill Koch Leagues is that they make Nordic skiing really fun for young kids. Bill Koch himself, in his own love of skiing, has always been a living example of this. Skiers develop by simply hanging out in the snow with their friends, hitting jumps, and playing games like ski tag, handball and ski soccer. While the league has been hugely successful and has grown in recent years, few of the skiers continue on to become racers in high school.
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
The Bill Koch League was integral to my development as skier, so as a professional skier back in the valley and racing for GMVS this winter, I wanted to find a way to give back to the local community of young skiers and inspire them to continue with the sport. This was the impetus behind the creation of the GMVS BKL Enrichment Program.
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The goal of the GMVS Enrichment Program is to enable particularly motivated Bill Koch skiers in the valley to ski more, gain exposure to the GMVS Nordic Ski Team, get them racing and, most importantly, to have fun. We met with aspiring BKL racers on Thursday afternoons for enrichment practices. PostGrad students Ian Moore, Nick Gardner and I took the initiative to lead these practices with help from the coaches, Justin Beckwith and Shane Macdowell, and the rest of the GMVS athletes when it fit their class schedules. .
The practices included a wide range of activities from backcountry adventure tours to sprint relays on the soccer field. This year, we were blessed with plentiful snow and we were able to hold many of the practices right on the soccer field at campus. Justin groomed a few loops that made for some impressively good skiing. One practice included a team sprint relay, with a close finish between anchors 3rd Grader Tabor Greenberg and PG Ian Moore. Due to a rule requiring skiers to perform a trick over the final rolling jump, Ian Moore landed a three-sixty, but then face-planted, giving Tabor time to sneak by for the feeling of winning.
how much fun skiing can be. Those comments made the Enrichment Program feel like a huge success. We have had a great time working with the young skiers this season. They have also done some impressive racing and turned heads with solid performances at fun events like the Craftsbury BKL Duathlon and the Mountain Top Paintball Biathlon.
Other practices included rousing games of ski soccer, which take an incredible amount of agility on skis, especially when played on a field with a foot of fresh powder from the night before. While we were just having fun and messing around on skis, we could actually see the young skiers’ comfort and ability
The season culminated in a trip to the 2015 New England Bill Koch Festival to race against the best skiers in the Northeast and to celebrate skiing and winter. The Festival Weekend was themed “The Spirit of Skiing” and included a massive parade, a “MiniMarathon”, an ice-cream party, and some top-notch racing from the GMVS BKL crew.
improving from week to week. Sometimes the best way to learn is by having fun! I find this especially true. As a professional skier this year, at times I have struggled with motivation since skiing has become more of a job than a hobby. Most training workouts are very structured so, in contrast, the GMVS Enrichment Program has been a great way to step back and focus on enjoying the sport rather than treating workouts as tasks to be completed. Probably the most memorable ski this winter was an Adventure Tour led by Justin. We started on the Catamount Trail just behind Justin’s house on German Flats Road with a goal of making it all the way to Mad Barn near the bottom of App Gap. The snow wasn’t quite as plentiful back in the beginning of January, so we experienced some icy, fast skiing in the failing afternoon light. Despite emerging at the Mad Barn nearly two hours later in near-total darkness after numerous falls and covering some sketchy terrain, the whole crew was beaming with smiles. Jon Jamieson later thanked us for reminding his daughter, Anna, of
Going to the Festival brought back a lot of great memories from the many years I attended as a young racer myself, including memories of myself looking up to the older, accomplished skiers. I remember Caitlin Gregg - Waitsfield local and 2015 World Championship medalist in Falun, Sweden - showing up as a guest and giving us advice and technique tips when I was a BKL skier. Meeting and skiing with her was incredibly rewarding and inspiring. It meant that I, too, could be a top skier someday. I hope the BKL Enrichment Program is having a similar effect on today’s young skiers.
“As a professional skier back in the valley and racing for GMVS this winter, I wanted to find a way to give back to the local community of young skiers and inspire them to continue with the sport.”
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Alumni Profile
Thomas Walsh ’13, Adaptive Ski Racer by Kimberly Reynolds When you catch sight of Thomas Walsh, all 5’4” and 120 pounds of him, his face is striking. It is angular. He has brilliant white teeth and a classic profile. His face hints at the things he has done - act in the GMVS fall play productions - and the things he might do - ski for a gold medal in the Paralympics. He holds his head up high, has a bouncy energy, and seems confident about his place in the world. He is one of Mikaela Shiffrin’s best friends. They have known each other since preschool. They grew up skiing together in Vail, CO. Who could mistake the beaming smile of Thomas as he waited for Mikaela after she claimed gold in the slalom at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia? Yes, he was waiting for her at the venue! Who knew the miles he had traveled to reach her? She was surprised, ecstatic, and yes, concerned for her childhood friend. She told him to go dry off. The Make-A-Wish-Foundation had sponsored Walsh’s trip to Sochi. In 2009, at the age of 14, just days before he was to attend GMVS, he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone and soft tissue. Shiffrin and her family drove to Denver when they heard of the diagnosis and stayed with Thomas through the week. For the next year, they would continue this ritual. Walsh eventually transferred to Dana-Farber Cancer institute in Boston, MA, but Shiffrin would still visit and encouraged him to get better. Walsh endured countless surgeries, so many that he and his mother, Kathleen Walsh, can’t recall the
number. Thomas remembers going under anesthesia more than 30 times. His first major surgery was a pelvic resection. His suprapubic, supraanul, and right acetabulum, a concave surface of the pelvis where the top of the femur meets the pelvis at the acetabulum and forms the hip joint - were removed. He went on to have lung resections in which tumors were removed from both of his lungs. “And that made my lungs completely smaller and atrophied by about 50 percent lung capacity, and that’s really what made me classified as an adaptive athlete.” After surviving the cancer, Thomas, who thought skiing was a thing of the past, realized that his dreams of ski racing and attending GMVS were still alive. He called Headmaster Dave Gavett. As Gavett recalls the conversation, “Thomas said, ‘Mr. Gavett. This is Thomas Walsh. I’m wondering if you still have room at your school’.” Of course he did. “I don’t think he knew what he was getting into,” Gavett said. Thomas didn’t either. He couldn’t ski; he couldn’t run. He had brain-thinking issues and “chemotherapy brain,” a term used by cancer survivors to describe thinking and memory issues. “Just assimilating into normal life, it’s harder than I can say,” he said.
Thomas with friend, Sam Gavett, during his GMVS days 13
is thereby qualified to race internationally. His hope is that his points - he is ranked in the top 40 in all five events by the IPC - will earn him a spot on the National Team. From there, he would race on the World Cup and internationally. For the 2018 Paralympics that will take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Thomas sees himself in the starting gate. “I’m really hoping that’s in the future for me,” he said. Thomas in Cats, ’11 Despite his physical limitations—reduced lung capacity and an impaired right leg—he did all the things the other kids did. He acted in three GMVS productions: Anything Goes, Cats, and Godspell to positive reviews, and he competed against able-bodied athletes. “It was hard for me to be there knowing what I used to be and what I was.” Of the races he entered, he said, “I was coming down toward the back of the pack every time, but I loved it. I was having fun doing what I loved.”
In the meantime, Thomas is focusing on staying healthy and getting strong. In March, he headed back to Savannah for the spring quarter. “I’ve acted in a few films and have gotten my name out there. I still have that artistic side to me,” he said. More than a year has passed since he traveled to Sochi and stood in the pouring rain to witness his friend’s Olympic run. It was a type of closure for Thomas. “Mikaela had been by my side for countless treatments. She sat by my hospital bed. And getting to see her win a gold medal meant so much.”
“After surviving the cancer, Thomas, who thought skiing was a thing of the past, realized that his dreams of ski racing and attending GMVS were still alive.” In the same way, it means the world to him to get back to the sport he loves. “When I left GMVS and said goodbye to ski racing, I kind of closed that door. Now that skiing has come back into my life, I’m just going to go with that.” Kimberly Reynolds is a mother of three GMVS students, Gabe ’14, Katy ’15, and Sophie ’19 Rosen.
This winter, Thomas trained and raced with the Aspen Ski and Snowboard Club Adaptive Program. He has a range of sponsors, supportive coaches, and had impressive results in the IPC American Series. He placed in the top three in over 11 races in five different events (SL, GS, SG, SC and DH). In November, his case will be reviewed by a group of physicians from around the world to determine if he has a disability and
Thomas in Godspell, ’12
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
Thomas graduated from GMVS in June 2013, and thought he was saying good-bye to ski racing. He headed off to Savannah College of Art and Design. Sometime in his sophomore year, he realized he could ski as an adaptive athlete. Because of his pelvic resection and numbness in his right leg, he is classified as an LW4 athlete. LW4 is a para-Alpine standing skiing sport class, defined by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), for skiers who have a disability in one lower extremity. He started racing in December, 2014. “I didn’t realize what I’d been missing until I was back in it.”
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Ashley Cadwell
Education Guru, Master of Ceremonies by Kimberly Reynolds
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
There was a time when GMVS was called the “Mad Acad,” when students sat around a weathered table doing homework, and a couch in front of the fireplace served as a teacher’s desk. The winters were long and brutal, and the kids were put through the grueling tasks of intense exercise and equally intense learning. In that picture is a dreamy yet resolute young man leading these bedraggled kids through their daily practice. The time was circa 1973, when Pomas and rope tows were the uphill mode and bindings were bear traps and the first Markers, when there were no established “ski academies” and young men and women could embark on an ambitious, at times uncertain, though always purposeful plan for building great athletes AND great students.
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“There’s a simple though incredibly complex reason we’ve been so successful,” said Ashley Cadwell, who served as Humanities teacher, Academic Director and Headmaster until 1984. “Physiologically, adolescents seem to thrive when they are physically exhausted every day or close to it, because that’s when the endorphins kick in, and when you’re on an endorphin high your mind is totally alive. All you have to do is put those minds in a stimulating environment, and they’re going to think and push themselves and do great things.” Cadwell is a seasoned educator, with 16 years as headmaster of The St. Michael School of Clayton, MO, six years as an education consultant, and more recently as co-founder with his wife, Louise, of Cadwell Collaboration, an educational consulting business. He has come a long way from the small, five-room elementary classroom of Weybridge, Vermont where he began his career as a teacher. Back then, his paradigm ideal of learning, culled from his early years on his family’s Vermont farm, was a wide open day of pure exploration and discovery, tactile learning with the freedom to push the mind and body until it was fully quenched. He unfortunately met his match with a less sympathetic principal who summarily fired him.
Cadwell’s demise was the fledgling “Mad Acad’s” recompense. So after decades of further experience, pushing his mantra of unadulterated exploration, Cadwell returned to GMVS for the 40th reunion and picked up as though a day had not gone by. He addressed all those young minds he had once overseen, leading them in a rousing chorus of the infamous howl, the GMVS communal song: an embodiment of believing and risktaking, of pushing the envelope without fear of reprisal. On the page it sounds like something from Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London, “AHHHHooooOOOO,” but was actually adopted from Paul Winter who had orchestrated several thousand howling concert goers in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Suffice it to say that Cadwell probably doesn’t have a lot of regrets, but one he may nurse from his role as MC at the twenty-first Annual Gala this past fall was, “When all the kids were up in the balcony, I should have initiated them into the howl, and then I should have invited the parents to howl, and then we could have a reciprocal howling effect,” he said. Reflection is part of Cadwell’s art. He has thought extensively over the genesis and nexus of what grew into GMVS, always turning over and probing its history. He wrote in his notes for the fortieth reunion, “We did two things RIGHT. One, we knew from our own lives that every one of us learns differently— that we come to an understanding of ourselves and of others and of the world through many different experiences, using many different languages (sometimes referred to as disciplines). “So, we always sought out new adventures/ experiences that challenged students’ learning styles-- from bike trips to art studio, kayaking to science lab, rock climbing to the annual musical production, skiing to creative writing.”
The second thing they did right was work the kids hard, physically, to produce that endorphin high. “We now know scientifically that your brains thrive on endorphins, the enzyme released during and after intense physical exercise,” he wrote. “Sometimes we hit the jackpot; while high on endorphins, you’d actually do some THINKING ...cognitive breakthroughs would occur...real learning,” he wrote. It was a homerun atmosphere. Cadwell sees the GMVS of today as a work in progress. “It’s a testimony to the strength and vision of the current leadership that they have created what we laid down as kind of a jazz riff. This isn’t something that Beethoven wrote that’s meant to be played over and over; it’s a very big idea, this idea of melding athletics and academics and character development all in a really concerted way—not idly, not just mouthing it but actually believing it,” he said. “And then together, the two of them: the academics and the athletics never lose sight of character development.” Like many, age has sharpened Cadwell’s features and overrun the surface with fissures of experience, but there is a gleam in his eye, a sort of impishness that plays in a bigger world of his own imagination. And, he thinks on a grand scale. It wouldn’t be wrong to cast him as a guru; he seems to radiate that much charisma.
work and getting results, and that it is not attached to winning the race or getting an A+; it’s that you’ve done the work, and you know you’ve done the work, and you’ve done the best you can,” he said. He refers to Carol Dweck in this context, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, who writes about the “fixed” versus “growth” mindset. Those who believe that their success is built on hard work have a “growth” mindset. They learn from failure, and realize that their performance can be improved. It is in the work that the pleasure and growth comes. “If you come away from GMVS with an understanding between the relationship of work and quality effort, you’re ready. You can go anywhere,” he said. And I believe him. So, too, did a nascent following of GMVS recruits who have fanned out into the world at large and have accomplished goals big and small, taking with them the belief in their work and their ability to succeed.
“Ashley put the fun into learning and campus life at GMVS!” - Jill Maynard-Nolan ’82
“How can you hook these kids in a dynamic situation where they have to act and then ask them to reflect on what they did and to grow from that simple cycle? The teachers and coaches get to force the reflection, and then the kids get to act again, and it’s that cycle that creates the work ethic, character, and accomplishment,” he said. He believes that this ingredient is missing in most schools. “I just wish this same ethic, this same formula, recognition of the interrelation of academics and athletics and character development were everywhere; if that’s the way every high school were operating, we’d be in a whole different place now,” he said. “There’s a whole piece of the work that I do now with schools, and it all has to do with work ethic, of experiencing hard work and the pleasure of doing hard
Ashley and Louise in Lech, Austria, March 2015, wearing the GMVS parka!
Ashley during his GMVS teaching days
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Austria Alpine Camp The Ultimate Field Trip
Although the majority of GMVS Nordic and Alpine training takes place in Vermont throughout the winter, GMVS has sent Alpine coaches and athletes to train annually in Austria for more than 20 years. GMVS coordinates Alpine camps across the U.S., in France, in Chile, and is planning a tentative trip in Germany this summer, but athletes seem to take something special away from the Austria camp. We spent some time with GMVS Headmaster, Dave Gavett, to learn a little more about this particular trip and figure out why athletes seem to appreciate it just a little bit more than the others. It turns out that the camp’s allure is not necessarily the coaching or amazing facilities but rather the opportunity that athletes have to experience European ski racing, explore a completely different culture, escape from the intense Vermont racing world for a few weeks, and bond with teammates.
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by Diane Jewell and Chris Crowell
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What unique things do you note about Austria when you visit?
What makes the Austria training different from training at other GMVS camps?
So many things! Austria, and Europe in general, is so different from the U.S. - the countryside, the language, the people, and the food. Austrians are so much better at living in their mountains than we are, and they’re better about living outside. When you’re there, you see people old and young just enjoying the outdoors. They’re always walking, cross-country skiing, just being outside. We live in the mountains here in the U.S., but we don’t use our mountains like they do.
When we go to Chile or other training camps, our focus is really on the skiing. We live out of a hotel, and we’re isolated from towns and cities where we can explore or learn the language. When we’re in Austria, our athletes completely immerse themselves in another culture.
Where do you train throughout the visit? We train at a place called Hinterreit, on a hill with two T-bars and no base lodge. We put our boots on outside the van and walk up with our skis and bags. For lunch, we stop halfway down the hill at a gasthaus and get to enjoy a fabulous meal. It’s definitely not a sophisticated set-up, but we’re very lucky. GMVS is one of the only ski clubs that gets to train at Hintereitt. The hill is not open to the public. A few years ago, the Austrian Team put money into Hinterreit to make the hill better, so there are always high-level skiers there now, although you still have to hike up and set your own courses. One year, I set a course with Worm (Coach Jeremy Transue). We used GMVS gates and set up all the timing, but Ted Ligety was there, too, so he trained on our course before we did. As you know, kids learn the most by copying, so being on the hill with world-class skiers gives them a great opportunity to watch and follow. On that particular day with Ted Ligety, we were able to show the kids Ted’s line and encourage them to ski as closely to it as possible. The hill is always filled with World Cup teams. 19 6
What kind of balance do you strike between the ski training and the cultural education? If you only do what’s right for their ski racing, you wouldn’t do enough of what’s right for them as human beings. We really do try to show them the country. We take them into Saltzburg and explore the area. We eat at St. Peterskellar, a restaurant that’s been serving food since 803 A.D. They eat old-fashioned food, listen to a lute, etc. We bring them to see castles. It’s really fun for them. Some years, generally with the younger kids, we’ve gone to Herrenchiemsee Palace. We get on a little ferry and go out to a little island to see this amazing castle built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He ran out of money before it was finished, but one of the most famous things in it is a giant Hall of Mirrors, a hall that’s bigger than the famous Hall of Mirrors in Versaille. I’ve been there so many times that I could give the tour myself!
I heard something about your visit to a church. Can you tell me a little bit about that? Yes. For dinner one night, we went to a small restaurant on a Bavarian hilltop. The building has been there since 1435 A.D., and the owners serve some of the best wiener schnitzel, potatoes, everything - some of the best food in the world!
You mentioned the food. Are the kids good about trying new things? Do they eat well when they’re there? Even the pickiest eaters love the food. The first night, everyone who’s new to the Austria camp buys spaghetti, and the center of the table has a huge batch of spaghetti in the middle. As each day goes by, the kids try new things, and that batch of spaghetti gets smaller. By the end of the trip, the spaghetti is no longer on the table. Once the kids try the food, they’re hooked! The food there is amazing. We also have an afternoon tradition where my motherin-law bakes a cake for all the kids. There’s a real family atmosphere about that. Getting all these girls together makes them feel like a family, and it’s great for me, too, because I have more time to just spend with them, not just training or doing video. That’s what the cake is about. We just get to spend time together. I really enjoy that.
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
After dinner, I asked if we could go visit the tiny old church, Streichenkirche. The church was closed, but I’ve known the chef for years, so he smiled, tossed me the key, and we all hiked up the hill. We were able let ourselves in, turn on the lights, and spend a few peaceful minutes looking around.
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Aside from the skiing, what is the most important thing the kids get to do in Austria? They visit the Dachau concentration camp. It’s incredibly difficult, and every year we go, I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I really don’t want to do it again, but I know it’s so important for them. I’ve probably been thirty times, but I learn something every time. When you first go there, you’re so overwhelmed by the horror of it that you can’t really process it. When we leave, and this happens every year, there is no conversation on the ride home. No one wants to talk after visiting Dachau. Kerry Jackson, GMVS Assistant Academic Director, came on the trip this year and wrote a blog after she returned home. In the blog, she printed a Holocaust survivor’s quote from a book called In Paradise, “The Holocaust belongs to the type of enormous experience that reduces one to silence. Any utterance, any statement, any ‘answer’ is tiny, meaningless, and occasionally ridiculous.”
The Dom of Salzburg (where Mozart was baptized)
Streichenkirche at night
The kids will certainly never forget that experience. They were really moved.
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This year, the U16 girls had the experience of racing in an Austrian race. What was that like?
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It’s just plain fun. The ski area is beautiful beyond comprehension. I really can’t even describe it. There are many people, from many nations, speaking many different languages. One big impediment to success for American ski racers is that they don’t have any exposure to Europe before traveling there for races. Many don’t speak any of the languages, don’t know how to get around, don’t realize there isn’t a base lodge, etc. They simply aren’t prepared.
GMVS girls racing at Pass Thurn
Being in a European race gives our kids such a great perspective on ski racing. This trip is the first real step in getting them prepared to race in other countries. Looking down the training hill at Hinterreit
Speaking of races, I know that you went to watch a World Cup race in Kitzbuhel, Austria this year. Is that a tradition? Yes, we’ve gone to a race there every year. Races at Kitzbuhel are the European equivalent of the Super Bowl. There are more than 40,000 excited fans, so the atmosphere is incredible. If we can, we try to go for a day of free skiing after the race, so kids get to ski the Hannenkahm hill. The kids are always shocked at how steep that hill is. They can’t conceive of being able to race it, because the terrain is so overwhelming. As steep as it looks on T.V., it’s ten times steeper! It’s a mind-boggling, difficult hill.
An exciting day watching a race at Kitzbuhel
Is there any particularly fun activity that the kids do on the trip? Most years, we pick a day to hike up to the Jufenalm hut. The hut is on farmland, and huts like that are passed down through generations. It’s pretty, but it’s not unusual. There are hundreds of them. At Jufenalm, the landowners have their own elk farm, and they make a tremendous elk goulash. We hike up after training and have dinner together, but there’s also a sledding track there, and the track is lit so you can slide down in the dark. We ride these fabulous old-fashioned sleds down in the dark and then have strudel and hot chocolate together.
Dessert and sledding at Jufenalm with Mike Loidl
Aside from being exposed to another culture, what about the trip benefits the kids? It’s really nice for our racers to step away from the Vermont racing world for a few weeks and just enjoy the process of training without the stress of points or results. There’s no expectation for performance when they’re away, even in the race. Being on that trip takes pressure off of them for their season and lets them enjoy the process and the training. The kids who get wrapped up in points and place don’t do as well. The Austria camp skiers all come back to Vermont skiing better.
Taking a break after lunch at the Gasthaus at Hinterreit
Panoramic views at Steinplatte
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GMVS Community Events GMVS Gala, Fayston, VT, September 2014
Thank you to the alumni who attended the Gala. It was a huge turnout and a lot of fun. We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, CO, December 2014
Front row left to right: Caroline McHugh ’08, Mike Duran’s Fiancee, Mike Duran ’98, Lisa Irelan ’86, Greg Klein ’86, Todd Gaujot ’87. Back row: Jeff Kirwood ’87, Mark Lundstrom ’86, Kelley Lewis PG’89, Doug Lewis ’82, Pete Jennings ’01. Also in attendance was Robert Siegel ’79.
Left to right: Todd Gaujot ’87, Pete Jenkins ’86, Greg Klein ’86, Jeff Kirwood ’87, Mark Lundstrom ’86
Mark Lundstrom ’86, Pete Jenkins ’86, Todd Gaujot ’87
Lisa Irelan ’86, Pete Jenkins ’86, Mark Lundstrom ’86
Jeff Kirwood ’87, Pete Jenkins ’86
Holiday Gathering, Waitsfield, VT, December 2014
Alumni attending: Sam Gavett ’14, Jon Gonin ’11, Patrick Meynard ’14, Theo Morton ’14, Brigitta Park ’08, Bryana Park ’05, Charlie Powell ’05, Gabe Rosen ’14, Ali Spencer ’10, Brendan Todd ’14, Vince Todd ’08, Alta Vietze ’08.
Ali Spencer ’10, Alta Vietze ’08
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Gabe Rosen, Sam Gavett, Brendan Todd, Patrick Meynard, Theo Morton, Nick Post, Jay Boland, all Class of ’14
World Championship Gathering, Beaver Creek, CO, February 2015
Alumni attending: Anna Baxter ’96, Lauren Butze ’02, Grace Escobedo Crandall ’02, Will Frascella ’06, Gordon Gray ’99, Lisa Irelan ’86, Cassy Benjamin Johnston ’81, Alex Moore Judycki ’07, Linton Judycki PG ’08, Chip Leer ’80, Doug Lewis ’82, Caroline McHugh ’08, Jeff Kirwood ’87, Austin Nelson ’03, Daron Ra hlves ’91, Tik Root ’08.
Doug Lewis ’82, Kelley Lewis PG ’89, Will Frascella ’06, Linton Judycki PG ’08, Alex Moore Judycki ’07
Doug Lewis ’82, Chip Leer ’80
Academy Gathering with GMVS, CVA and SMS, Park City, UT, February 2015
Karyn Campbell P’15,’16, Jenny Lathrop Buchar ’02, Jamie Preston ’80 with CVA and SMS friends.
GMVS, CVA, and SMS Alumni
Mark Radcliffe ’88, Chuck List ’88
Chuck List ’88, Carolyn Nicholas AP’86, Doug Biglow, Kristina Nicholas Biglow ’90
Doug Biglow, Kristina Nicholas Biglow ’90, Jenny Lathrop Buchar ’02
Special Thanks to these GMVS Alumni and Families for Their Help With Events Annmarie and Doug Todd P’08,’14
Jenny Lathrop Buchar ’02
Caroline McHugh ’08
Jamie Preston ’80
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
Alumni in attending: Chuck List ’88, Jenny Lathrop Buchar ’02, Hans Johann Dellenbach ’91, Carolyn Nicholas P ’86, Kristina Nicholas Biglow ’86, Carl Skylling ’86, Erik Skylling ’85, Jamie Preston ’80, Sean Railton ’79, Susan Larson-Minneci ’92, Mark Radcliffe ’88.
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Class Notes
70s
Robert Siegel ’79 Robert Siegel ‘79, Principal of Bomber Ski, writes that Bomber’s U.S. Ski Team-inspired “Stars & Stripes” were highlighted as the only ski in VOGUE Magazine’s recent article, “Look Chic on the Slopes: The Best Ski Style from Aspen to Zermatt” on Vogue.com.
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Adam Verrier ’87 has lived in Alaska for 23 years, working as an appraiser of remote Alaska property for 15 years, and coaching for the University of Alaska. He enjoys traveling and wrote to us from Lake Placid.
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
90s
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Brandon Dyksterhouse ’93 was named interim head coach of the US Ski Team Women’s Tech! “VAIL, Colo. – The U.S. Ski Team has announced the addition of Brandon Dyksterhouse to its women’s technical team as part of a unique partnership with Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV). Dyksterhouse, a former national level racer and longtime ski coach, will join the team as interim women’s technical head coach through the remainder of the season to provide support to Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin and the women’s slalom and giant slalom squad.” Bryan D. Borgia ’94 and his family have been enjoying all the snow in VT this season skiing every weekend at Bromley and running into GMVSers as they come through town for races. Kids Henriette (9), Tor (7) and Pernilla (5) pretty much ski as a pack, and Pernilla is hard to miss on the mountain in her Yellow zebra outfit. Freyja (2) has caught the bug and often asks to go “ckiing”, so she made her debut in the driveway recently….back to the magic carpet for Bryan next year. Taylor Swift Dolan ’99 has been in Denver for more than two years. She launched a nutrition consulting business, The Swift Method, and is working part-time. She loves being a mom to daughter, Madison (16 months). Madison will become a big sister in August!
Jonathan Marcus ’88 and wife, Lisa, moved to Austin, Texas two years ago with their three kids, Jack (11), Olivia (8), and Lucinda (6). He continues to work in the real estate development and construction industry in Texas and New York. They look forward to the day when they can take a trip back to Vermont to visit GMVS.
00s
Lexi Abel ’01 enrolled in a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program at Yale and joined the cycling team. Travis Cloud ’02 was married in Isla Mujeres, Mexico on November 7th with a hundred of his closest family and friends.
in Anchorage. APU’s Nordic Team earned top honors on the USSA 2015 Supertour. Each weekend is an adventure camp consisting of backcountry skiing, mountain biking, and catching fish! Allie Rood ’06 just finished working on a TV show for Outside Magazine through Teton Gravity Research and is currently skiing for Mountain Hardwear as a freeskiing and backcountry skiing ambassador and doing freelance video work for a start-up GPS drone company. Her film, Pretty Faces, was nominated for “Film of the Year” at the Powder Awards. Ryan Kinner ’08 moved back to Burlington, VT from CT this past winter and worked at Sugarbush Resort as a full-time instructor. In the spring of 2014, he decided to move to New Zealand with college buddies and experience the winter season (our summer season). He’s always wanted to ski for over a year straight…and he’s currently going on 18 months of skiing, probably close to 300 days!
Abbi Lathrop Martz ’02 is a realtor with Summit Sotheby’s International Realty, representing Buyers and Sellers in Park City/Deer Valley, Utah. She’s competing again for Team John Lathrop in the Park City Mountain Resorts’ Town Race Series (otherwise known as a competitive “Beer League”) with her husband, John Martz, sister Jenny Lathrop Buchar, and brother-in-law, John Buchar!
“I moved to Queenstown, NZ in May, 2014, and proceeded to explore and adventure around the surrounding peaks. At my fingertips were the peaks, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Coronet Peak, with some of the best skiing and backcountry in all of NZ. Focusing on my backcountry and big mountain skiing, my two college buddies and I found ourselves on some amazing adventures and some incredible summits. I was fortunate to get a job at a legendary ski shop, Small Planet Sports, and worked there for about six months. After winter, I moved to the north island for another month to explore, camp, and experience more New Zealand culture!” He’s now back in Vermont, based at Sugarbush, looking to work in the outdoor industry in the Burlington area.
Drew Bonner ’06 works in IT and has been living in Houston for about a year and a half. He’s a sales account manager in the Houston area for a wide range of projects, including IT security, IT networking, IT data centers, and IT voice communications. Peter Kling PG’06 has retired from racing. It was not an easy decision to make. He currently works for Alaska Pacific University as a gift officer, raising money for the University and marketing APU’s Nordic team
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Class Notes, continued... Katherine (Jabber) Jondro ’09 made her way out to Oregon last September after graduating from Clarkson University and taking the summer to backpack through Europe. She now calls Portland home and bought her first house in downtown with her boyfriend, Ian. Katherine writes, “The Pacific Northwest has completely blown my mind with its incredible outdoors scene, and I spend all of my free time out on the coast or up in the mountains skiing, hiking, and biking. During the week, I work for Heart Coffee Roasters as their production/process manager while also taking some night classes at the local university. I am also working on a couple of projects on the side, one focusing on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Recovery and the other designing an advanced ballistic vest for military use, which is currently in the prototype and testing stage. As great as the west coast is, I still miss the Valley and seeing fellow alumni around New England. If anyone is ever in the Portland area, give me a shout. I will soon have a guest room for any visitors!”
10s
Sandy Vietze ’11 was “Skier of the Week” at the Dartmouth Carnival, placing 3rd in the GS and 3rd in the SL. Thomas Walsh ’13 After finishing freshman year at Savannah College of Art and Design, Walsh was given the opportunity to ski race as a disabled athlete. Still studying Performing Arts and Creative Writing at SCAD, he continued to race with the Aspen Valley Ski Club Adaptive Alpine Development Program this winter and hopes to qualify for the U.S. Paralympics’ team in the coming season. This past winter, he finished his first race with a 1st in the GS and 2nd in the SL. One of his coaches is former GMVS student, Austin Nelson ’03 (featured in photo).
Doug Lewis ’82, Eva Shaw ’15, and USSA President and CEO, Tiger Shaw at Beaver Creek.
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Ryan Kinner ’08
Back row, left to right: Trevor Olch, Jenny Lathrop Buchar, John Buchar, Abbi Lathrop Martz, Jeremy Transue, Jamie Kingsbury Wylie. Front row, left to right: Christin Lathrop, John Martz.
Congratulations to the GMVS alumni graduating from college this year: Bates College St. Lawrence University Endicott College Penn State Bates College University of Vermont St. Lawrence University Laval University Williams College University of Pennsylvania Marianopolis College Montana State University Drexel University Montana State University University of California, Santa Barbara Castleton State College Dartmouth College SUNY Geneseo
Class of 2011 Graduation Day
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
Daniel Bell ’11 Sarah Burns ’11 Haleigh Carbone ’11 Tomek Dobrzanski ’11 Katie Fitzpatrick ’11 Jonathan Gonin ’11 Hannah Kadah ’11 Katerine Lessard ’11 Elena Luethi ’11 Zach Pasteris ’11 Malcolm Pinnell ’11 Jackson Rich ’11 George Risi ’11 Ryley Walker ’11 James Whalen ’11 Blaire Hooper ’10 Jacqueline Maier ’10 Katherine Scalia ’10
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What GMVS Staff and Coaches Say About the Racing Performance Center
GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
“The new student tuning space has dramatically improved the conditions for student-athletes. They have more light, better ventilation, and easier access to Tech Services when they need help. The fact that the student tuning, ski storage, and the ski room are all in such close proximity streamlines the tuning process and helps to minimize equipment as a variable in the larger ski-racing-success equation.” - Todd Carroll
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“The pool is fantastic for injured kids and regeneration purposes. We are very lucky to have the option for injured athletes to get into the pool and get strong. This will be our first spring training season for the pool, so we have been working on programs tailored for spring workouts.” - Traudl Gavett
“Being able to have all the kids training at once has been very efficient for both the kids and the coaches. Having the athletic community all in one place makes everything easy, whether it’s tuning skis, watching a video, or working out. The space is excellent- there is a lot of natural light and plenty of space for all the equipment and for kids to move around. The RPC has made it easy for kids to train hard”. - Dani Koch “The new ski room maximizes efficiency and has allowed us to service more skis and to complete work faster than ever before. We have serviced over 13,000 pairs of skis since we started using the machines, and that number is growing exponentially. We continue to refine our processes and offerings to make sure that we are putting out the highest-quality, fastest skis possible.” - Todd Carroll
Notable Alumni Racers Special congratulations to Drew Duffy ’13 and AJ Ginnis ’11 for their incredible success this season in the racing world! Drew was an invitee to the USST Development Team, spent the year racing the FIS and NorAm circuits, and represented the U.S. at the FIS Alpine World Junior Ski Championships in Hafjell, Norway. He stunned the ski world at U.S. Nationals by winning the Super-G title from Bib 30! After racing in NorAms and in several World Cup races, AJ won Bronze in the Slalom at the FIS Alpine World Junior Ski Championships. AJ’s season culminated with winning 2nd in the Slalom at U.S. Nationals and winning U.S. Junior Skier of the Year!
Drew and AJ at U.S. National Championships at Sugarloaf, ME
AJ celebrating with his mom, Jeannie
Drew on his way to the top of the podium
Staff Recognized for Exceptional Service Martha Kikut This winter marked the end of a terrific tenure with Martha Kikut at the helm of the GMVS Communications team. Martha started working for GMVS when her older daughters, Anna and Sara, entered the 8th grade program; her third daughter, Ava, followed soon after. In those early days, Martha began by working as GMVS Ski Club Manager, and she continued in several positions over the next seven years, lasting beyond the graduation dates of her three daughters, who are all currently enrolled in college. Martha’s main contributions were in her efforts overseeing school communications, developing admissions materials, helping to manage the school website, and editing the school’s e-newsletter, Campus Notes. Martha was also a project manager for the successful Capital Campaign for the 5th Decade. Of all the projects she worked on, the one she enjoyed most was editing this magazine. During her tenure, the magazine continued to broaden its content to include current happenings at GMVS in addition to alumni-related stories and news. Martha left GMVS to focus on her communications consulting business and to pursue a certificate in Development Management from Harvard Extension School. We thank her for all of her contributions and wish her the best in her future endeavors. 30
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GMVS MAGAZINE SPRING 2015
Thank you! Tuition covers 86% of the annual cost of educating a GMVS student. GMVS Annual Funds help fill this gap. Without your donations, we would have less for: Snowmaking Teachers and Coaches Lacrosse Financial Aid Vans for Transportation Gates Training Weights Nutrition Study Cubbies Early Season Training
Mark Your Calendars! GMVS EVENTS September 12, 2015 Kelly Brush Ride Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont le with GMVS friends and family for an impo September 25, 2015 Annual Golf Tournament Sugarbush Golf Course Warren, VT September 26, 2015 22nd Annual Gala GMVS Racing Performance Center Dinner/Auction to benefit GMVSefit GMVS students October 22-24, 2015 GMVS Theater Production- Les Miserables Doug Parker Center October 24, 2015 Pre-Show Cocktail Party GMVS Library 33
December 5, 2015 Birds of Prey Beaver Creek, Colorado Watch the race and then meet for après ski.
Details will be posted this summer: www.gmvs.org/alumni/alumni Interested in hosting a GMVS event? We will make it easy! Please contact Jennifer White Alumni Relations Manager jwhite@gmvs.org
There are hundreds of reasons to support the GMVS Annual Fund. What’s your reason? Lifelong Friendships GMVS Community Travel and Adventure Spring Lacrosse Graduation Dinner Late-Season Slalom Training Junior Leadership Prom Late-night Play Practice Training in Sub-Zero Temps Study Hall Art and Photography Classes Tuning...And More Tuning
DONATE to the Annual Fund today! Please visit:
www.gmvs.org/development/annual-fund
or contact: Karyn Campbell, Director of Development karyncampbell@gmvs.org (802) 583-1755
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Total Commitment and Effort
Independent Initiative
Respect
Responsibility
Discipline
Through the sport of ski racing, and through education in the liberal arts tradition, it is our mission to develop the whole person with a life-long love of learning, sport and adventure. Our goal is to create an environment in which our students can become well-rounded scholars, athletes and citizens who value:
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