There were 13 athletes total in the program this season. Of those, eight
qualified for Junior Nationals. GMVS also had two athletes convert
from alpine to Nordic and find success in both cross country and
biathlon disciplines.
"By all counts it has been an incredible year," Beckwith added.
"We began the winter with our annual trip to Silver Star, British
Columbia, where athletes had a high-volume on-snow preparation period.
All of our athletes competed in the Eastern Cup series, in which we had
outstanding results throughout the season. Four athletes traveled to
Senior Nationals in January where several qualified for international
trips," he continued.
In January, Coach Tim Weston led the U.S. Ski Team Junior 1 contingent
to the Scandinavian Junior Championships in Kuopio, Finland. David
Sinclair qualified for the event that preps athletes for Junior Worlds.
"This was the second consecutive year we had a GMVS athlete named to the
team," Beckwith said.
"Throughout the year, the primary focus of our training and competition
was Junior Nationals. This year was very exciting as we had our first
Junior National champion. We also had five top-five results by four
different athletes and four more top-15s." he added.
Four of the athletes were on top-five relay teams, which contributed to
New England's success at the Alaska Cup competition, according to
Beckwith.
GMVS was named the fourth strongest high school in the nation.
This spring GMVS also had athletes competing in national championships
in both cross country and biathlon. David Sinclair '10 was named
Gatorade State Player of the Year for cross country. Emily Stitt '10 was
the third junior overall in the final hill climb at Super Tour finals.
Dani Leblanc '12, Devlin Shea '13 and Antoine St-Louis '12 participated
in the Junior National Biathlon Training Camp and then went on to
compete at the North American championships.
Beckwith said that, "GMVS continues to be an inlet for talented athletes
from Vermont and beyond and, as we head into next season, we are
excited to be bringing in what could be our most talented group of
athletes to date."
Here in The Valley, GMVS continues to support Junior Skiing Development.
The local Bill Koch Club, based at Ole's in Warren, has grown to 60
participants.
This February, GMVS hosted a fun sprint race at the school with an
Olympic theme for the budding program.
Beckwith said, "It is our belief that by promoting the sport here in The
Valley, we are giving back to the community and creating opportunities
for our program at the same time."
This summer GMVS is introducing a series of fun training opportunities
for the age group.
Beckwith said they "are also excited to offer summer camps that will
bring older skiers from throughout the country to campus for exposure to
structured training, as well as our program."
