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Racing Performance Center

A Dream Becomes Reality

Teachers Develop More Complex Measures of Assessment

Fostering Autonomous Learners

Tik Root ’08 Telling His Stories

From Imprisonment in Syria to the Sochi Olympics

Five-Circle Heritage at GMVS

Olympic Reflections

In this Issue

EDITORMartha Kikut

COPY EDITOR Louisa Moore

CONTRIBUTORSKim ReynoldsPeter OliverChris CrowellSteve UtterEdie Thys MorganJustin BeckwithAlice Rodgers

PhOTOgRAPhERSDennis CurranJuan herrero Rebecca SilbernagelAnnavitte RandPennie Rand

Teachers Tackle Assessmentsby Alice Rodgers 5-6

Nordic Updateby Justin Beckwith 7-8

Alpine UpdateBy Steve Utter 9-10

The Racing Performance CenterTaking gMVS to New heightsBy Peter Oliver 11-14

Ready, Set, RaceThe New Face of the gMVS Race Department by Kim Reynolds 15-17

Tik Root ’08 Worlds Apartby Kimberly Reynolds 19-20

Five-Circle heritage at gMVSReflections on Sochi and the Olympic Dreamby Chris Crowell 21-24

Alumni Community Events 25-26

Class Notes 27-30

Alumni Recognized for Exceptional Service 31

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Greetings from Dave

Dear gMVS Family,

This spring, gMVS experienced one of the busiest admissions seasons and one of the most successful racing seasons in our history. With a record number of applicants, stellar race results, and construction of the Racing Performance Center well underway, we truly have much to celebrate.

For the first time, it appears that the gMVS student body will have a relatively equal number of male and female students next year! We interviewed countless candidates and have been overwhelmingly impressed by their character, qualifications, and potential. They will undoubtedly live up to the reputations of the alumni before them!

On the racing front, diligent training and great snow conditions combined to produce both Alpine and Nordic success at the highest levels. With uninterrupted on-snow training throughout the entire season, our student-athletes excelled at local, regional, national, and international competitions. The body of talent at gMVS continues to broaden and deepen as we experience success throughout every age group.

Construction of the Racing Performance Center continues at full throttle and remains on schedule for occupancy in fall 2014. This new center truly secures gMVS as an innovative leader and cultivates our goal of providing every gMVS athlete with the best platform for success. I can’t tell you how proud and excited it makes me to know that our gMVS kids are getting the best opportunities, both on snow and off!

Sincerely,

Dave gavettgMVS headmaster

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Jay Boland ’14 received the National Merit award.

geoffrey Pyke ’14 received the gold Congressional Award for Youth based on completing over 400 hours of community service over 2 1/2 years.

Ellie Boynton ’14 received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for completing over 175 community service hours.

Ten out of the 88 athletes who competed at Alpine US Nationals this year are either gMVS students or alumni.

Five gMVS students or alumni competed at US Cross Country Nationals this year.

The boys’ and girls’ winners of the U18, U16 and U14 Vermont State Championships were all gMVS athletes. Fifteen out of the 18 podium spots went to gMVS athletes.

Sammi Stolar ’14 has been named captain of the harwood softball team. She is one of the very few “guest” players ever to be named a team captain.

GMVS US Ski Team AthletesAJ ginnis ’11 is 1st in SL, gS and SC for US 1994 athletes.

Brian McLaughlin ’12 is 1st in gS, 2nd in Dh and 3rd in Sg for US 1993 athletes.

Drew Dufffy ’13 is 2nd in SC, 2nd in Dh and 4th in gS for US 1995 athletes.

Danny Duffy ’12 is 2nd in Dh, gS, and SC, 3rd in Sg and 6th in SL for the US 1994 athletes.

Sandy Vietze ’11 is 2nd in SL and 4th in Sg and SC for US 1993 athletes.

GMVS International AthletesCharlie Raposo ’14 is 3rd in great Britain for SL. he is 1st for both SL and gS, 2nd for Dh and Sg and 4th for SC for great Britain athletes born in 1996.

David Frisk ‘15 is 2nd SL in and 6th in gS for Sweedish athletes born in 1997.

Clara Lopez Costa ’14 is 1st in SL and 2nd in gS for Spanish Athletes born in 1996.

GMVS students become well-rounded scholars, athletes and citizens...

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Alfred University

Babson College

Bates College

Bennington College

Boston College

Boston Museum School (SMFA)

Bucknell University

Castleton State College

Champlain College

Clarkson University

Colby College

Colby-Sawyer College

Colgate University

College of Idaho

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

Drexel University

Emerson College

Fordham University

hamilton College

hobart and William Smith Colleges

Ithaca College

Lafayette College

Lasell College

Lesley University

Marquette University

Mcgill University

Middlebury College

Plymouth State University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Santa Clara University

St. Lawrence University

St. Michael’s College

University of Connecticut

University of Denver

University of Michigan

University of Rochester

University of Southern Maine

University of Vermont

Villanova University

Washington University (MO)

Wentworth Institute of Technology

GMVS seniors were accepted to a total of 42 colleges and universities this year:

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Sweaty palms, heart palpitations, short-ness of breath…these are the all too familiar visceral feelings when confronted with taking tests, SATs, or other academic assessments. Whoa! ... what, we might wonder, was ThAT all about? Well, “that” is all about measur-ing how close we have come to achieving specific learning outcomes. As students and as educators, we recognize that acquiring content knowledge and developing the cog-nitive skills of critical thinking and problem-solving are important learning objectives. But equally important is the development of non-cognitive skills such as persever-ance, resilience, creativity, curiosity, work ethic, and team-work. Often coined “21st century competencies,” employers con-sider these skills to be the most valuable in today’s workplace. The American Manage-ment Association proclaimed the need for “autonomous learners who adapt quickly to new situations, who are engaged in life-long learning, and who are flexible and innova-tive in their approach to problem-solving.” Consistent with our mission, gMVS has placed these skills in a position of primacy in our hierarchy of learning outcomes. It is all well and good to establish the importance of these “21st century competencies,” but the real challenge lies in developing assess-ments that evaluate whether our students are, indeed, developing these competencies!

Question: In science, is it more important to know the Krebs Cycle or is it more important to be able to “think like a scientist?” Argu-ably both are important! While the acquisi-tion of content knowledge can be easily measured using traditional assessments

such as tests, it is not so easy to measure the acquisition of the non-cognitive skills essential to “doing science.” Intellectual inquisitiveness, persistence when faced with a challenging problem, a risk-taking mindset that leads to experimentation, and a willingness to collaborate with colleagues are at the heart of “doing science.” Although challenging to design, assessments that measure achievement of “21st century com-petencies” are essential if we are to provide students with productive feedback that encourages growth in what has increasingly become recognized as critical components of college and career readiness.

2013-14 has been a year dedicated to exploring how to design assessments that will effectively measure student progress towards achieving “21st century competen-cies.” Through a series of professional devel-opment workshops, led by Vermont higher Education Collaborative (funded by the GMVS Faculty Fund), and ongoing dialogue, teachers have “tackled assessments!” The challenge to develop more complex mea-sures has been rewarding and has stimu-lated vigorous dialogue. Always purposeful and creative in the design of their curriculum, teachers have engaged in greater reflec-tion about what we teach, why we teach it, and how to assess the effectiveness of our instructional practices. Now I extend the challenge to you, what measures would you use to evaluate if our graduates exit gMVS valuing ‘discipline, responsibility, respect, independent initiative, total commitment and effort’?g

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Professional Development Workshop funded by The Faculty Fund

Teachers Tackle Assessmentsby Alice Rodgers

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The Faculty FundThe Campaign for the Fifth Decade provided $500,000 as initial funding for gMVS’s Faculty Fund. The purpose of this fund is to support, recruit and retain faculty. This endowed fund enables our talented faculty to grow as teachers, coaches, mentors and leaders. Faculty members offer daily guidance, direction and support to our students. Dedicated teachers bring spirited inquiry to the classroom, encouraging academic excellence and a lifelong love of learning. An outstanding coaching staff challenges and motivates each athlete to pursue aspirations on the hill and beyond. The Faculty Fund supports our Faculty, the heart of gMVS.

since it was established in February 2013, gmvs’s Faculty Fund has grown to $651,000.

If you are interested in supporting this talented group of professionals, please consider a donation to the Faculty Fund.

For more information, please contact Director of Development, Karyn Campbell, karyncampbell@gmvs.org

Thank you for your support!

Professional Development Workshop funded by The Faculty Fund

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Nordic Updateby Justin Beckwith

The gMVS Nordic Program is happy to share that it has had an excellent year of development. The program aims to expose student athletes to a lifetime of sport and adventure through cross-country skiing. Athletes are not only exposed to top-level training and competition, but also to landscapes and activities that instill a deep appreciation for our environment.

Through this unique approach, we are producing athletes that find success during and beyond their time in Waitsfield. We are extremely proud of our alumni who continue on to be contributing members of collegiate ski teams. This past season we had two alumni (David Sinclair, Dartmouth and MK Cirelli, Northern Michigan University) compete in the NCAA Championships held in Soldier hollow, Utah. We also had five alums competing for collegiate teams and three more racing nationally and internationally.

After two years of development, we have met our goal of carrying a team of 8-10 athletes. This year was notable for the team’s high spirits, and for the addition to the girls’ team of Annevitte Rand, gabi hawkins and Olivia Cuneo. We are excited to announce the addition of a full-time assistant coach for the 2014-15 season.

Our development goals have led us to focus on recruiting young skiers in order to provide a strong pipeline for long-term program success. Next year we will have two students in the 7th grade program along with three U16 athletes. We are also pleased to announce the addition of two top regional skiers into our U18 program. Nathanael Kuzio and Forrest hamilton have both been All-American skiers at Junior Nationals, and Forrest was the 2014 U16 National Sprint Champion. Nathanael will be joining Australian gabi hawkins in biathlon training; both are pursuing the dream of representing their countries at World Youth Biathlon Championships next season.

This winter we had success on many levels: from Winter Term athlete Olivia Cuneo winning the U14 division at Bill Koch Championships, to Senior Captain Ian Moore representing New

England at Junior Nationals, to alumna heidi halvorsen winning the overall Sprint Title and anchoring the winning relay team at Junior Nationals, and Pg alumna Maddy Pfeifer anchoring the second place relay team. Elliot Ketchel and Walker Bean represented Vermont at the J2 Championships, with Walker taking second place in the 5km event. Walker was joined by gabi hawkins to represent Vermont at Eastern high School Championships. Junior, Sam Pratico just returned to snow after he was sidelined by injury after a strong fall of training. Ian Moore capped the season with a podium finish at the 2014 US National Championships and Super Tour Finals held in Anchorage, Alaska in the mass start 30km Juniors’ event.

We are looking forward to continued success and many great adventures in the coming season. This summer is full of training camps and events where we will host athletes from our Italian sister school, the Sportoberschule, and welcome home alumni as training athletes and coaches. We are also excited for the second season of the Central Vermont Co-Op Race Series, which aims to bring together strong club skiers from throughout the region and make the gMVS Nordic Program more accessible. As always you can stay tuned to our latest activities on our team blog, www.gmvsxc.blogspot.com.

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Upgraded snowmaking equipment, cold temperatures, and a great deal of natural snow in the Valley contributed to one of our most successful race seasons to date. We capitalized on the conditions to maximize on-snow training, which enabled gMVS athletes to make big improvements in their skiing and achieve great results. Late in the season, snowstorms provided the opportunity for additional races as well as training options throughout the school’s Spring Break. We’ll be skiing well into April!

Throughout the 2013/2014 racing season, our gMVS athletes excelled at local, regional, national, and international competitions throughout every age group. At all levels we have great depth of talent coupled with the highest level of achievement. The boys’ and girls’ winners of U18, U16 and U14 Vermont State Championships were all gMVS athletes and 15 out of the 18 podium spots went to gMVS athletes. gMVS girls swept the U18 Overall podium at Eastern Cup Finals.U14 gMVS boys swept the Easterns’ Slalom podium. Ten FIS athletes are in the top ten for their age group in at least one discipline. Seven medals went to five different gMVS athletes at the U16/14 Nationals. U16 athlete, Ali Nullmeyer, attended the International Topolino competition in Italy and placed 7th in the world for her age group in slalom.

Of particular note is the significant number of current gMVS athletes who have grown up training in the Mad River Valley and continue to thrive at the highest levels of racing. Three of the six gMVS athletes on the US Ski Team and all six of the gMVS athletes selected for US U16 National Championships started their race training at Mad River glen and/or gMVS Ski Club—proof positive that our grass-roots development program provides athletes with proper teaching and training philosophies. gMVS provides its student-athletes with the foundation for achievement at all levels.

As ski season comes to a close, we transition to spring sports and dry land conditioning. We’ve strategized about the objectives of the spring training season, tailoring workouts for each training block and creating plans for each particular training session. Through the guidance and expertise of Dani Koch, our athletes learn to focus on mastering body movements and overall athleticism as opposed to focusing on strengthening particular muscles. Athletes aim to build strength, agility, power, and muscle memory through repetition of specific exercises. Training sessions are designed to keep athletes healthy, strong, and free from injury when they get back on snow at summer and fall camps.

Congratulations to the entire gMVS family on a fabulous 2013/2014 race season. Time to start preparing for next year!

Alpine UpdateBy Steve Utter

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U18Eleven FIS athletes are in the top 10 for their age group in at least 1 discipline on a national level; Christian Gallagher is 1st in GS and 2nd in DH, and Katie Utter is 2nd in SL. Lexi Skovran is 3rd in both SG and SC. Clara Lopez Costa is 1st in SL and 2nd in GS for her age group in Spain. Lexi Skovran was 2nd in the GS and 3rd in the DH at U18 Nationals. Alexa Dlouhy was the bronze winner of the U18 Canadian Nationals SL. The GMVS girls swept the U18 Overall podium at the Eastern Cup Finals with Lexi Skovan 1st, Katie Utter 2nd and Clara Lopez Costa 3rd. Sammi Stolar and Pate Campbell were the Overall VARA U18 State Champions. U16Ali Nullmeyer attended the International Topolino competition in Italy and placed 7th in the world for her age group in Slalom. At the US U16 National Championships, Jimmy Krupka came in 2nd and Tim Gavett came in 3rd in GS; Hannah Utter was 2nd in Parallel Slalom; Ellie Curtis was 3rd in SL and 4th in Parallel SL.

Ali Nullmeyer joined Chris Jones on the 1st place overall podium at the U16 AmCams. Jimmy Krupka won the U16 Eastern Championships GS and Tim Gavett came in 2nd. Jack Despres came in 2nd for the SG. Ellie Curtis and Jimmy Krupka were the Overall VARA U16 State Champions. U14Abi Jewett was 2nd in the U14 National SL and Parallel SL. Both the girls and boys winners of he U14 Can AM Slalom and GS podiums are GMVS athletes, Sydney Mason and Ben Ritchie. Second place for the boys AmCam GS also went to one of our athletes, Aedan Chiari. The GMVS boys swept the Eastern Championships Slalom podium with Aedan Chiari in 1st, Ben Ritchie 2nd, and Trevor McGlaflin in 3rd. Sydney Mason and Aedan Chiari were the Overall VARA U14 State Champions; the boys swept the SL podium (Ben Ritchie 1st, Aedan Chiari 2nd and Trevor McGlaflin 3rd).

2013-2014 Season Highlights

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By Peter Oliver

A barn housing a performing-arts center. Very New England, very Vermont. That was the original concept that stirred in the brain of gMVS headmaster Dave gavett about two years ago, in the kind of musing that comes regularly to any headmaster–thinking of ways to make your school a better place. But if the idea seemed drawn from a well of Robert Frostian whimsy, it was born from pragmatic and logistical need. Put simply, gavett and others recognized that the Douglas Parker Sports Center wasn’t big enough for the large chunk of school life that was getting stuffed into it and renovations were required to meet the demands of a modern conditioning program. In addition, months of rehearsal, preparation, performance, and breakdown for the annual school musical overlapped with space needed for athletic workouts, training, and equipment tuning. Other events and activities were in the mix as well. It was like trying to fit three cars into a two-car garage.

So a brain trust including gMVS coaching staff and trustees spearheaded by Mike Krupka, a gMVS parent and member of the board of trustees, went to work trying to figure out how to turn gavett’s fantasy into reality. Architects were enlisted for the cause. And it wasn’t long before the original idea had morphed into something much larger, more comprehensive, and more athletically focused. “Pieces of the pie,” as Krupka puts it, kept getting added to the initial concept, leading to a pivotal question: “Why don’t we put all the athletic facilities and staff under one roof?” With that, what had initially been conceived as a performing-arts center of roughly 7,000 square feet had evolved into the blueprint for the new, 30,000-square-foot Racing Performance Center. “When we settled on that concept, we could see all these things we could do,” says gavett.

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The Racing Performance CenterTaking GMVS to New Heights

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The planning team did its homework, traveling throughout the country to see how other schools had gone about developing similar facilities. Building designs, layouts, flooring materials, gym equipment, tuning equipment, etc. were inspected at numerous institutions including Norwich University, Dartmouth, the University of Massachusetts, and even the U.S. Ski Team’s Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah. It all came together with astonishing speed. Individual donors from the gMVS community and three key foundations committed to funding the $9 million project. No loans, few strings attached. Cash up-front. Similarly, the proposed center went through a permitting process that in Vermont, with some of the strictest development and environmental regulations in the country, can often drag on for years. In no small part, that was due to gMVS’s thorough preparations for the permitting process, especially in choosing a building site to minimize environmental and local impacts. Says gavett, “That’s a big piece of the good story – the cooperation we got from all the government agencies in order to start.” In short, on December 18, 2013, less than two years after the idea of a new center was first floated, construction began. The RPC

should be open for business when the fall session of school gets under way. But what exactly will be housed “under one roof”? The 30,000 square feet is an impressive number, and as Alpine Program Director Steve Utter says, “Many people don’t understand the size of the building.” But the number is just that – a simple area measurement that barely speaks to the many different aspects of school life that will be incorporated within the space. For athletic activity, there will be a multi-purpose gym for dryland exercises and other sports, including lacrosse, soccer, and basketball. A climate-controlled space will be dedicated to spinning, stretching, and yoga. Utter puts a head count to what those new spaces will mean, “In the new building, we will be able to train the entire student body in about two hours.” Utter notes that for everyone at the school – students, coaches, faculty – time is a precious commodity. The ability to use training time more efficiently will be invaluable in mapping out more productive daily schedules for students and staff alike. A physical-therapy space will feature a regeneration pool. A well-ventilated tuning area will house what people at gMVS repeatedly call the best tuning equipment

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EXCELLENCE THROUGH INNOVATION, COLLABORATION AND SAFETY

Racing Performance Center Highlights:

• 7,000 square-foot multi-purpose gymnasium for dry land exercise, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and basketball

• 5,000 square-foot weight room

• 1,000 square-foot climate-controlled space for yoga and stretching with shock absorbent wood floor

• mezzanine level spinning area with 40 new bikes

• large physical therapy center with 12-person regeneration/therapy pool

• World-class tuning facilities for professional and athlete tuning in an open, safe environment

• consolidation of coaches’ offices in one central location for improved coordination and communication

• Welcoming lobby and front porch with space for students to gather

• Flooring throughout the building similar to those used in university and olympic venues

• plenty of glass and open space

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in the world. Coaches’ offices will be consolidated in one building for the first time. Attention has been given to such design details as flooring surfaces optimal not only for various sports but also for injury prevention. But if those are the literal nuts and bolts of the building, gavett shares the more holistic vision of a facility to improve the overall quality of life at gMVS. The physical space for race training and preparation is a start, but within the bright, airy building featuring large, open spaces, a campus focal point for community interaction is likely to emerge. “The lobby and the entry deck,” says gavett, “are designed to bring coaches and kids together as well as kids and kids together. The hope is that the density of people – of coaches and kids – will generate a lot of energy.” The RPC, of course, will become only a part of a larger, interconnected organism – the school as a whole. Within that context, its presence will produce a ripple effect throughout the campus. For example, the current practice of hand tuning skis in dorm basements will be moved to the RPC, where ski prep and storage will be centralized. The Parker Center will be freed to house a dedicated performing arts and special events center, and plans are afoot to improve the layout and acoustics to meet new needs. According to gavett, $100,000 of funding is already in place to begin work on a new science lab likely to be housed in the former physical therapy space in the Parker Center. In addition, the on-campus presence of the RPC “compliments what we have for on-hill resources,” as Utter puts it. With the recent

addition of a t-bar and the availability of 25 high-efficiency snow guns on Inverness at Mt. Ellen, gMVS can now claim perhaps the best early-season training and racing hill in the East. The result – “both on and off the hill, our athletes have access to top training facilities,” says Utter. The hill-and-campus training combo will be a catalyst to “allow us to continually stay current and improve the quality of experience for our student-athletes,” according to gavett. gavett doesn’t like to put the RPC within the competitive context of how it might help gMVS stack up against the rest of the ski-academy world. he often reminds athletes “when you get in the starting gate, you have to think about yourself.” Do what you need to do to perform at your best, and don’t think about what the other guys are doing. he is adopting a similar mindset with the development of the RPC. “We have to think about how this fits our mission and meets our needs,” he says. In simplest terms, gMVS’s goal is to be the best school it can possibly be, and a world-class athletic facility, says gavett, “will secure us as an innovative leader and cultivate our goal of providing every gMVS athlete with a platform for success. That means we can continue attracting the best student-athletes, the best staff, and the best coaches.” The RPC will bring gMVS one giant step closer to mission accomplished.

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Ready, Set, RaceThe New Face of the GMVS Race Department

By Kimberley Reynolds

It all comes down to the final countdown in the starting gate: “5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” and somewhere between five and one, the racer pushes out of the gate, trips the wand, gains power and speed, and flies down the course.

As the wand trips, several people and systems jump into hyper-speed: the timing software begins the click down of seconds, tenths, and hundredths; the hand-timers punch their stop watches—a backup system in case anything goes wrong with the primary or secondary electronic timing; the Technical Delegate watches from on course, making sure the race is run according to the rules; gatekeepers mark their score cards if the racer should be disqualified; coaches line the course, ready to jump forward to replace a gate, rake a rut, or make other repairs; and finally, as the racer slides past the finish line, tripping the electronic wand, the time flashes across computer screens in the timing hut, the racer’s time is announced, the run complete, and then another racer is on course. This has pretty much been the system since the advent of ski racing, with hand-timing taking a back seat to electronic timing. And if you ask the gMVS staff who work on the hill on race day, and have worked race day for a combined time span of over a century (at least), then you will learn that a huge sigh of relief resonates when a race goes according to plan. Of course, it is only through the long hours of hard work and the dedication of a talented staff, along with a series of recent improvements that have made the probability of smooth sailing an assured outcome.

Jere Brophy: Race DirectorFor Jere Brophy, every season involves race preparation. In the summer, Brophy works on scheduling races and repairing equipment. In conjunction with USSA, VARA, and the gMVS Race Administrator, Cheryl Skovran, he establishes a race schedule by October, and when the venue opens to training, he assists with tower and B-netting set up (a dynamic safety netting system that greatly reduces the risk of injuries to racers). Closer to race day, he turns to more specific issues such as weather (to determine if chemicals or more staff are needed, or if the schedule needs to be altered), awards, hill prep plans (grooming, start ramps, etc.). “I also get in touch with the Technical Delegate to go over any concerns he or she might have,” he said.

On race day, Brophy is on the hill by 6:45 a.m. to set up the start and finish timing equipment. Other supplies such as gates, B-net, shovels, etc., are staged in the days preceding the race. The new buildings in the Kelly Brush Race Arena, including the new timing building at the top of the T-bar and the new start building located at the top of Inverness, make his task easier than in the past. “I rarely have to lug gear around, which saves a lot of time,” Brophy said. “Coaches help set any additional fencing, reinforcing where the course set dictates a need for more net.” his day typically ends after the race and timing equipment is torn down and housed, and the medals awarded. That is only part of the race equation. In the “off season,” Brophy has to make g

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sure equipment is put to bed for the summer and then take inventory of items that need to be replaced or repaired. “I also have to be sure the hill homologations (course approvals) are in order. All courses on which FIS and USSA alpine races are conducted must be homologated or ‘registered’. If not, I prepare them for inspection over the summer,” he said. “In 2012, Lower Inverness was approved for USSA slalom, which has now become an annual December event.”

As usual, Brophy is unflappable. “When I started, we used to run on one-half the width of Inverness, skier’s left, with a banner tape running down the length of the hill.” In addition to using the full width of Inverness, he is also thankful that the Kelly Brush Foundation has enabled coverage of Inverness in B-net.

Cheryl Skovran: Race AdministratorA parent of three gMVS racers (Alexandra, Juliana, and Nicholas), Skovran’s season starts in the fall registering gMVS races with USSA and FIS. As the race season approaches, Skovran creates a timing file for each race using the race codes that have been assigned by USSA or FIS. “generally, entries for races will start to trickle in two to three weeks ahead of a scheduled race,” she said. She then adds the racer’s information into the appropriate race file.

As she fine-tunes the race list, and as race day approaches, things can get hectic. “I field many emails and phone calls each day either looking to add or pull racers from the competition and have to make my best educated guess on the number of tickets to order for the event.” About 24 hours prior to the race, the entry list is labeled as “final,” and Skovran makes sure that all on-hill and registration positions are staffed. The night

before the race, she makes copies of start lists, and when hosting a FIS race, she attends the coaches’ meeting. She arrives early at the hill on race day to set up registration, and she doesn’t leave until all paperwork is complete, bibs are returned, and results have been posted.

“Organization is key to running a successful race,” she said. “I have a particular timetable I keep in running through the various race-related tasks. With 19 races this past season, it was a lot to keep track of!” she said.

Annemarie Todd: Chief of Timing and Calculations Annemarie Todd has been timing since 2003, when she started in the timing shack at the family’s home ski hill, Elk Mountain in Uniondale, PA. She started timing at gMVS in 2009, as an assistant to Joyce hammel, and then took over as head of timing in 2012.The parent of a current gMVS student, Brendan ’14, and alum, Vince ’08. Todd is quietly efficient. She arrives at the mountain at 7:30 a.m., and usually doesn’t leave until 4 p.m., after the last racer comes down the course and all results are sent (mostly online) to USSA or FIS. “Years ago, I had to make dozens of copies of race results and reports and mail them via the USPS all over,” she said.

The first thing Todd does when she arrives at the mountain is to get the race file from Skovran, grab her back pack with her computer and then she takes the lift or T-bar to the new upper timing shack or walks across to the lower shack. She powers on the timing equipment, checks the wires at the start and finish, gauges the headsets for communication between timing and the start and finish, starts the race folders, which include preparing the Technical Delegate (TD) report, referee

“Everything I can do to make it easier for the coach to do their job ultimately makes

it better for all of the athletes at GMVS. Knowing that I can add to this through the

work we put in is the biggest payoff.” - BB Baker, Technical Expert

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reports, and timing report. She prints the start lists, uploads the race to Live-Timing, synchronizes the primary and backup timing systems, coordinates the watches for hand timers, and only then are all systems race ready. After the first run, the Referee and TD meet in the shack to check the gatekeeper cards. They then issue the Referee reports listing the racers who did not finish and those who were disqualified. After a protest period, this information is added to the race file and reports, and the second run start lists are prepared, printed for coaches, and uploaded to Live-Timing. All systems are repeated at the end of the second run. Todd then sends a copy of race results to Skovran and prepares packets with copies of all paperwork, results and penalty, and ‘head tax’ checks that will go to USSA, or FIS, the Eastern USSA office, and VARA.

“Sounds crazy, but on the difficult days, when we have lots of issues, the timing and the race crew on the hill brainstorm and find a solution,” Todd said. “Once everything works flawlessly again, those are the most satisfying days.”

BB Baker: Technical ExpertOn any given day, you might find BB Baker in virtually any role, from certified Chief of Race to Chief of Timing and Calculations or as a Jury Advisor or Referee. he is a jack-of-all-trades with a long standing professional career as technical supervisor for Broadway shows such as Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, and Beauty and the Beast. “My main focus is filling in the cracks to ensure that every race we run is a quality race that we can be proud of,” he said.

About two days before race day, he sets up the timing system and moves equipment. The night before a slalom race you might find him riding along with one of the snow groomers to build up the start area, which requires moving large amounts of snow to create a

starting ramp. “For our full gS races, we have the luxury of using our new Start Building located at the top of Inverness,” he said. On race day he is on the hill early, running through a system check, and then meeting the Jury and course workers for a 7:30 a.m. chair. As the course is being set, he gathers the final race data, such as gate count, snow conditions, and elevations, and then updates the race file. “Pre-race, we end up being the information hub,” he said. Following course approval and inspection, the crew synchronizes the three timing systems. “We run an electronic primary system and secondary system as well as having a tertiary system with data provided by hand timers located at the start and finish lines. We have an exceptional crew of hand timers, and their accuracy is typically within 2/100ths of a second,” he said.

“Five minutes before the start of the race, timing basically takes control.” The course is cleared and the forerunners are sent. “The forerunners serve two purposes for us. First is making sure the conditions of the course are good from a racer’s point of view, and second, they allow a final check of the three timing systems,” he said. his job is far from over as he mans the headset for the secondary timing, ensures that the data is approved and the race made official, and finally moves and secures equipment.

“As a parent of a racer at gMVS [Zach ’17], I want my child’s coach to be as focused on coaching as possible,” he said. “Everything I can do to make it easier for coaches to do their job ultimately makes it better for all of the athletes at gMVS. Knowing that our work contributes to the success of the athletes is the biggest payoff.”

As the light fades to orange across the tops of the mountains, and only a smattering of cars remain in parking lot, you might catch a member of the race staff trudging down from the Club house, tired but with the hint of a smile for a race well run.

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7 gmvs students and graduates compete on the us ski team: 6 alpine athletes and 1 nordic athlete. two gmvs athletes compete on other national teams: 1 on the British team and 1 on the irish team.

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27Days of classes that tuition does not cover. GMVS relies on fundraising and other

income to cover 14% of operating costs this academic year.

years or more of service by 50% of gmvs faculty.15

92nd generation gumbies are currently enrolled at gmvs.

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Hours of community service worked by GMVS students

in 2012-2013.

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Tik Root ’08 is a slight, outwardly unassuming person. he has tousled black hair, wire frame glasses, and a hushed voice punctuated with pauses as he gathers thought and momentum. he was adopted from India when he was a year old and came to live in Ripton, Vermont. he grew up there, in the midst of an active family with a sibling and step siblings, attending Middlebury high School. A rebellious streak may have taken hold there. The school only allowed for a ski racer to miss an allotted number of days. In this Catch-22, a student couldn’t seriously pursue ski racing and stay enrolled. So this led Tik to gMVS. he was immediately attracted and began attending the school in 2005.

“Ski racing and gMVS teach you how to be independent, and how to work as a team and as a community. But you have to be willing to take risks,” he said. “The failure rate for taking risks in ski racing is much higher than it is in real life.”

With this axiom, Tik has made his way into the competitive world of freelance writing, “You have to take hearing ‘No’ a lot. I’m a little more aggressive than other journalists. When it’s this competitive, the worst I can hear is ‘No.’ It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” he said. In just a short amount of time, he has found a high rate of success.

he has published articles in Time, BBC, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, and The Economist, among others. In 2013, while in Yemen, he collaborated on several articles with Spanish photographer, Juan herrero, for an exposé that appeared in The Atlantic about the juvenile death row in Yemen. ”It was a shocking experience, but there was a big push, a diplomatic push, and the juvenile executions were suspended by the President,” in part as a response to his articles. “It was cool for that to happen; you look for this type of outcome. These are stories that must be told.”

he stayed in Yemen until Christmas, 2013, when he left to begin preparations for a job as alpine ski researcher for NBC at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Perhaps taking risks has become second nature to Tik, but prior to his stint in Yemen, he had to undergo a trial that may have put anyone’s mettle to the test.

The Arab SpringIn 2010, when he was studying Arabic at Alexandria University in Egypt through Middlebury Schools Abroad program, the Arab Spring broke out. The program was shut down and the students were evacuated. They had to wait four days in the Alexandria Airport before gaining a flight out of the country. The program splintered with students opting to study in the US, Morocco, and Syria. Tik left to continue the 2010-2011 Academic Year in Syria. he enrolled at the University of Damascus and had just started his first day of classes. “I was going to meet a friend from Middlebury who was coming to Damascus, and I stumbled on this protest. I didn’t really see anything. I took a left. There was a protest in front of me. I don’t know exactly what it was. I took my phone out of my pocket to try to take a picture, and I didn’t even get to that point when the secret police stopped me,” he said. “They asked for my phone and passport, and that was about it. I never saw a uniformed person for another two weeks.” he was taken in a van to a prison, his head down on the seat so that he never saw where he was going. “I think it was prison 251, but I have no confirmation.” For the first week of his internment, he was held in a 3 x 7 foot cell with one other person. The second week, he was held in a 10 x 12 foot cell with 21 other people. “It was broken down, a converted lavatory.”

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Tik Root, Class of 2008Worlds Apartby Kimberly Reynolds

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he was interrogated several times the first day. One week into his ordeal, he was put in front of a TV camera, which he said was owned by the state TV. One part was an interrogation; the other part was enacted to make him admit that he’d done something wrong. “I was confused. I didn’t have any idea what was going on,” he said. “The second week was particularly rough. You could hear all the torture and beatings pretty much day and night. Some days were worse. About 80 percent of the people I met had been tortured pretty badly, and that was definitely worrisome. They maybe once, maybe twice put me in the line for torture to make me think I was going and then pulled me out.” It was his US passport that saved him. “Senator Patrick Leahy (US Senator from Vermont) was amazingly helpful in getting me out, as was Robert Ford (US Ambassador to Syria). I think the whole thing was as bad - if not worse - for my parents back here. They had no idea what condition I was in. I didn’t have any information; they were inundated with so much information. I knew I was fine; they didn’t, which I think as a parent is as bad as it gets,” he said. “I knew by the second week they weren’t going to do anything too bad to me, but it could have dragged on. I was starting to prepare myself for it to drag on if it became something political.” “I’m very, very lucky, both for the citizenship and for the timing. If that had happened even a month later, it could have been a whole different ball game. People were held for eight to ten months,” he said. After securing his release, Tik returned to Middlebury and graduated in 2012, with a B.A. in International Politics and Economics as well as a working proficiency in Arabic. Although Tik’s experience in Syria may have discouraged less intrepid journalists, he continued to take risks to get stories told.

Soon after graduating from Middlebury, he was back in the Middle East covering Yemen. Tik reflects, “In some ways, Yemen is more unstable than Egypt. Six people were kidnapped when I was there; one was assassinated. There was a car bomb in early December [2013]. It’s unsettling how quickly these places get back to normal after this. Four to five hours after the car bomb, I was walking down the street. Two blocks of windows were blown out, and people were just walking down these glass strewn streets, just going about their business, doing their shopping, ready for the rest of the day. That’s kind of more unnerving to me than a lot of the actual violence.”

A world apart from war torn Syria and the car bombed streets of Yemen, Tik plans to further his education. With a B.A. in his back pocket and a portfolio of published work, prior to flying to Sochi for NBC, he applied to several graduate degree programs: Columbia University’s International Affairs and Journalism Dual Degree; The george Washington University’s Master of Arts in Media and Public Affairs, and The Johns hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. From the Middle East to the US to Sochi, Tik is definitely a student of world politics, willing to take the risks to get his stories told.

To learn more about Tik or read his articles, please visit his website: http://www.tikroot.com.

Kim Reynolds is a freelance editor and writer who lives in Warren, Vermont with her husband and three children who attend GMVS, Gabriel ’14, Katy ’15, and Sophie Rosen ’19.

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“Ski racing and GMVS teach you how to be independent, and how to work as a team and as a community. But you have to be willing to take risks. The failure rate for taking risks in ski racing is much higher than it is in real life.” - Tik Root ’08

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Photos by Juan Herrero

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Deep down, perhaps every gMVS student athlete dreams of being an Olympian. It’s part of what fuels the compulsion to work hard, confront challenge, endure failure and push ever forward in skill, as well as in physical and mental strength. Indeed the Olympic dream is part of what unites us in purpose.

While athletes are the stars of the Olympic games, thousands of talents contribute to the creation of these historic events. Many people in the gMVS community have had the opportunity to participate in the Olympics in a variety of roles, and they share the sentiment that the Olympics are among the most memorable experiences in their lives. It’s not only about medals and records, but also about sharing the drama, excitement and camaraderie of sport at the very highest level on the world stage. Every four years these members of the gMVS family relive their Olympic memories, whether they are fortunate enough to attend the games or are just watching from home.

GMVS Olympic Players

Dave Gavett, GMVS Headmaster, Women’s Alpine Speed Coach, Calgary 1988; worked for ABC, Lake Placid 1980 and Los Angeles Summer Olympics 1984

Traudl Hacher Gavett, GMVS Women’s FIS Alpine Coach, member of the german Olympic Team in Calgary 1988 and Albertville 1992

Mike Day, GMVS Head Alpine Men’s Coach, World Cup Technical Coach for the US Men’s Alpine Team, Salt Lake 2002

Todd Carroll, GMVS Alpine Equipment Manager, Assistant Video Director for the Jumbotron video crew at the Soldier hollow Nordic venue, Salt Lake 2002

JP Daigneault ‘92, French Language Announcer & host for all Alpine skiing events, Vancouver 2010

Tom Johnston ’80, Chief of Course for Women’s Speed Events, Salt Lake 2002 and Ladies Slope Director, Sochi 2014

Doug Lewis ’82, Alpine athlete (Dh) in Sarajevo 1984 and Calgary 1988; Assistant Chief of Mission for the US Olympic Team – Athletes’ Advisory Council, Barcelona Summer Olympics 1992; Cameraman for all Alpine races in Albertville 1992; Analyst for all Alpine events, Salt Lake 2002 and Vancouver 2010; Alpine Analyst for Westwood One Radio, Sochi 2014

Chris Crowell, parent of Lindsey ’18, Operations Manager for Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Salt Lake 2002

Joe Kasper, parent of Masen ’17, spectator and parent of Alpine athlete Nolan Kasper at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014

Edie Thys Morgan, parent of Chauncey ’17, Alpine athlete, Calgary 1988 (Sg, Dh, Combined) and Albertville 1992 (Dh, gS)

Tiger Shaw, father of Eva ’15, Alpine athlete, Sarajevo 1984 (SL, gS) and Calgary 1988 (SgS, gS)

Five-Circle Heritage at GMVSReflections on Sochi and the Olympic Dreamby Chris Crowell

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Olympic Reflections DaveThis Time Around: As I watched the Opening Ceremony in Sochi I remembered walking into the stadium in Calgary and hearing the roar of the crowd. It was so incredible, and gives me shivers when I remember it. Seeing the athletes brought back memories of the Olympic Village; it was amazing to be in a setting with such outstanding athletes, where everyone is able to let their guard down.

Best Olympic Memory: We were in the Olympic Village coming out of the cafeteria. The Jamaican Bobsled team was set up playing steel drums and they had a top hat out, soliciting donations from other athletes to pay for their sled!! Traudl Best Olympic Memory: As I watched the events, great memories came back of the friends I made when I was skiing for germany and being a part of the Olympic dream. I met athletes from other nations and am so glad that we are still in contact after all these years.

Best Olympic Souvenir: I am very proud to have a framed diploma from the Ski Federation that acknowledges that I was on the Olympic Team. When I was a young girl it was my dream to be in the Olympics and to be a world-class skier, so to have the certificate acknowledging that I achieved my personal goal, as a ski racer, is very special.

EdieThis Time Around: With the flat light changing everything in the speed events I was reminded of how much luck and circumstance play into every Olympic medal. Also, I loved seeing the underdogs win and seeing the relief on their faces.

Completing the Olympic Circle: It was really meaningful to be in Calgary with Dave as my coach. I first met him when I was 15 years old and had no coach for the December Nor Ams. he and gMVS totally adopted me. We traveled to the races in a station wagon staying at gMVS family houses along the way. Flash forward six years and he is my coach on the World Cup and we are marching into the Opening Ceremonies. Pretty cool!

Mike Backstage Moment: The night of the gS awards ceremony we all met at the MacDonald’s in Park City at midnight (the only place open at that hour). A father walked up to our table, and said: “I’m sorry but my son recognized you and it would be amazing if we could take a picture.” Bode enthusiastically agreed, got down on his knee then reached in his pocket to pull out his silver medal to put it on the kid’s neck for the picture. I’m sure it is a pretty special picture for that kid.

This Time Around: As I watched Bode win a medal at Sochi, at the tail end of his career, I remembered Salt Lake and how special it was to be there in person with him when he won his first two Olympic medals. It made me look back on his career and realize how proud I am of all that he has accomplished.

DougHands Down Olympic Highlight: For sure the biggest moments of my Olympic experiences were walking into the Opening Ceremonies. Take the emotion you had always dreamt of and multiply it by 100!!

Sochi Thoughts: The competitions at Sochi were some of the best races I have ever been

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part of, very competitive and exciting. It was really interesting to get to talk to the athletes only minutes after their runs whether they won or did not race up to their potential. I could feel for athletes on both sides of the podium.

ToddMost Impressive Olympic Accomplishment: Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, the “King of Biathlon”, in Salt Lake City. he made his Olympic debut at Lillehammer in 1994, earned his first gold medal at Nagano in 1998, and he just earned his eighth gold at Sochi. Being an Olympian for 20 years and winning gold 16 years apart is pretty impressive.

Best Olympic Memory: Without question it was being at Soldier hollow for the Men’s 50k race when every spectator and competitor stayed in the stadium for 45 minutes after the second-to-last place finisher to cheer for the last-place finisher, who I believe was from Brazil. I was blown away. The sportsmanship, camaraderie and heart that every person there - athlete or spectator - showed was simply amazing.

JoeBest Family Bonding: In Vancouver I was able watch my son race with 18 family members most of whom had not seen him race since he was about 10 yrs old.

What it’s all about: The Olympics are not all about who wins what medals but it’s about all the people who participate. getting all these cultures together at one time should always be why we have these games.

TigerFavorite Olympic Memories: Opening Ceremonies and my 11th place. While 11th may sound like little in the wake of many American medals over the years, it was an accomplishment for me.

Favorite Olympic Souvenir: My white Descente ski outfit from the ‘84 games is iconic because of the medals won in it and its unusual features of the time. Flex gates were just invented but we used bamboo for the slalom. So the uniforms needed to be flexible to handle both types of gates. White Descente ski pants, red, white and blue sweaters. Classic!

JPFun Olympic Memory: I was sitting between Benni Raich and Marlies Schild on the bus in Whistler and laughing with Marlies about how she gets to be the hero in the family this time around since she medaled while her husband (double-gold in 2006) came up empty handed. Benni said he might have to move to Canada.

Best Part of the Job: I loved the adrenaline rush of calling races LIVE right then and there, getting wrapped up in the action, screwing up and letting it go, inventing expressions in French on the fly, and working with friend, mentor, and role-model, Doug Lewis.

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Dave gavett (center) with Womens olympic team in calgary, 1988; edie thys morgan (2nd from left)

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New Tech, Old Tech and No Tech Chris: The technology in Sochi for the Opening Ceremonies was really impressive. Salt Lake was an open-air venue so huge props could not be suspended as they were in Sochi. At the Closing Ceremonies in Salt Lake, the Torino Organizing Committee used projection for their segment, which was considered very high tech in 2002, whereas in Sochi, there was impressive projection throughout the whole ceremony.

Edie: At the 1988 Olympics we used something called ‘Electronic messaging’ that was available on all the Olympic computer terminals for the first time ever. It seemed so high tech. That’s funny when you think of how connected and instant everything is now.

Tom: When prepping the DH/SG/GS track we used machines until two days before training, but after that we did not use a machine again. The prep was all done with rows and rows of people sidestepping. We had the ladies on the final line because they did a better job!!

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4Alumni Community Events

Barbara LeBlanc P’10, ’12, Fredric Leopold P’12, and our host, Robert Siegel ’79

Shelby ’02 and Jenna Forsthuber

Michal Jablonski ’05, Kasia Jablonski ’06 Cody Transue ’06

Eric Von Stroh, Sophie Elgort ’04, Wink Maslow ’04, Libby Babbott-Klein ’02

Jay Katz P’04, Pam MacBrayne P’04, Karen Katz P’04

Vivianne Arencibia P’17, Ann Fisher P’18, Karyn Campbell P’15, ’16, Brooke Laundon ’96,

Nick Thimm ’09

New York, NY, Bomber Ski Gallery, January 29, 2014

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San Francisco, CA Park City, UT

Boston, MA Beaver Creek, CO

Curling November 14, 2013

Front row: Jane Goldstein P’09, Karyn Campbell P’15,’16, Jamie Armstrong ’83, Bill Powell P’05,

Martha McLaughlin P’12 Back row: Jeff McLaughlin P’12, Neil Gallagher

P’14,’15,’16, Guest, Ben Campbell P’15, ’16, Chrissie Hoag P’17

Birds of Prey

December 7, 2013

Doug Todd P’08, ’14 Jason Price P’14, ’16Bev Price P’14, ’16

Doug Lewis ’82 Kristin Shaw P’15 Austin Nelson ’03

Doug Lewis ’82 Gordon Gray ’99

Caroline McHugh ’08

Waterbury, VT Montreal, QC

Olympic Viewing at Cork February 16, 2014

Front row: Victoria Gonin P’08,’11,’15, Danielle Nichols Moffat ’95, Madaileine Krebs Kingsbury ’00,

Al and Jane Hobart, Eric Lande ’83 Back row: TJ Kingsbury ’97, Will Frascella ’06, Bill and

Kelly Post P’13,’15, Jere Brophy, Ben Gonin ’08, Xavier Gonin P’08, ’11,’15, Kitty and Peter Friedman P’19

Olympic Viewing

February 19, 2014

J.P. Phaneuf ’07, Jennifer White, Cynthia Tessier ’06, Marie-Claude Deschambault ’05, Audrey Bernard, Antoine

St. Louis ’11, Ian Mofford P ’08, Carelle Raymond ’08, Marie-Elaine Lepine ’09, Sarah

Moore ’08, Cedrik Dubois ’07, Stephane Raymond P ’08, Cindy Morton P ’08; Not pictured: Mitch Saucier ’07

Anouk Patty Holleran ’86, Jane Goldstein P’09, Thomas Holden, CVA grad, Ben Campbell P’15, ’16,

Anna Baxter ’96, Gordon Gray ’99, Karyn Campbell P’15, ’16, Bob Sudekum ’07

Alumni GatheringJanuary 13, 2014

Seven Academy Alumni Event

February 8, 2014

Front row: Mia DeMattei Howell ’92, Jody Curtis Kaufman ’93, Kristina Nicholas Biglow ’90, Jenny

Lathrop Buchar ’02, Abbi Lathrop Martz ’02Middle row: Johann Dellenbach ’91,

Polly Halpern-Reiss ’87, Tim Ross (former Asst. Headmaster), Erik Skylling ’85, Todd Brickson (former coach),

Ellen Hall Adams ’74, Leigh Stokes ’89, Ben Campbell P ’15, ’16, Lars Skylling ’86, Mark Radcliffe ’88

Back Row: Andy Levine ’89, Carl Skylling ’85, Jeremy Nobis ’88, Jamie Preston ’80

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70s

Ellen Adams Hall ’74 I had a great time in Vermont last summer attending my 35th Middlebury and 40th gMVS reunions! It was fun to catch up with so many friends over the span of a week. The big news in our household is that we are empty nesters. Cameron (gMVS ’06) has been living and working in Bozeman since graduating from MSU, and Kieran is a freshman at Colby where he is skiing for the ‘Mules’. Mike continues in his role heading up Atomic and Salomon Winter Sports, and I am still changing the world one life at a time as the Program Director at the National Ability Center. Life in Park City is good, and our door is always open.

Mike Taplinger ’78 My musical duo partner (who happens to be my wife) and I live in Nashville. We have a national-touring Americana/Folk duo called the Twangtown Paramours. We’ve won some awards and have been on folk radio a lot. I also own a studio, produce records and demos, and play guitar and bass for other artists. (Please see recent goofy photo.) I’m more broke than I’ve ever been, but I’m having a good time. I hope to get back to Vermont this year for some gigs and recreation. I sure do miss it up there.

80s Doug Lewis ’82Kelley and I ran into many gMVSers at the SIA ski show including Chelsea Forsthuber, Sven Sandahl and Scott Mcguffie. Then I left for Sochi to cover Alpine Skiing for NBC/Westwood One radio. I got to ski the race venue mountain, which was unbelievable. I’m hoping to get back to Sochi someday to really explore.

Alexi Felix- Jenkins ’85 After finishing my Masters of Science in Teaching Technology last August, I thought I would have had a bit more time on my hands to figure out my next step. But my youngest daughter’s singing hobby turned into more of a career. She will soon be appearing on TV over in Europe and we are all excited that she has come so far. She is living her dream and is having so much fun! It also gives me a chance to sing all the time too, which I love. I am still teaching PE and recently started helping out a local ski team on weekends. My knees are getting old but my spirit still loves the snow! gianni is in Minnesota attending a chiropractic seminar, a class reunion, as well as competing in the gatineau world loppet in Canada to keep his trip adventurous. At the end of February we will finally have a break to enjoy skiing in Sanmaun/Ischgl [Austria]. Wishing you all a successful ski season! Keep believing in yourselves! Everything is possible with a positive attitude:) hugs from Lexi and family.

Jonathan Marcus ’88My wife, Lisa, and I have moved to Austin, Texas with our 3 children, Jack (10), Olivia (7), and Lucinda (5). When we are not in Austin, we are traveling back to New York to visit my family or traveling to England to visit my wife’s family. We look forward to being able to visit gMVS in the near future.

Doug lewis ’82, Kelley lewis, sven sandahl ’82, scott mcguffie ’85, at sia ski show

ellen hall adams ’74 and family

Class Notes

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ellen hall adams ’74 and family

90s Ben Binger ’93 We had a great reunion and missed all those who didn’t make it back! This year I’ve finally been able to get out on the slopes a bit with a trip to Park City and Alta during the Sundance Film Festival, and two weeks in a back-country cabin in Colorado in March for “work”. Stop by and visit us next time you are in Washington, D.C. Wishing you all the best.

Bryan Borgia ’94 All good, full season of U10 action in our household with henriette (8) and Tor (6) on the team. I have had to dust off my ’drill’ skills and see if I can still show some grace doing some of the basics, part of my brain is still waiting for Wolfie to yell “knees and ankles” to me from the chair. Pernilla (4) generally likes to just go straight and Freyja (1) got her first season pass at the daycare. I just spent four days down in Mexico with Seth Schofield at Stephen Anderson’s (CVA/MIDD) wedding that was basically a ski reunion. I’m still living in Weston, CT during the week and Bromley Mountain on the weekends, if anyone is around.

00sMikkel Forsthuber ’00I am married and living in Durham, NC. I am the Associate Sales Executive for South Tech Orthopedics.

Morgan Esperance Chessia ’01 Patrick and I welcomed our son, Leonardo, on September 1, 2013! We are still living in Brookline while I am completing my residency in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics at Brigham and Women’s and Boston Children’s hospitals.

Lindsay Getz Brush ’02 I got married! July 5th, 2013 on Lake Champlain in Vermont. Tom getz was the handsome groom, who I was lucky enough to meet while ski bumming in Jackson hole five years ago. Many gMVS alums were attendance including my Maid of honor, Kelly Brush Davisson ’04, two of my bridesmaids, Lauren Butze and grace Crandall Escobedo ’02,and wedding guests Abbi Lathrop Martz, Jenny Lathrop Buchar, Libby Babbott-Klein ’02, as well as Clayton Reed and Teague Dugan ’03. We all had a blast! lindsay Brush’02 with

husband tom

morgan chessia esperance ’01 and family

Doug lewis ‘82 and marta vastagh Wolfe ‘00

henriette Borgia

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Shelby Forsthuber ’02 I am married and living in Brooklyn, New York. I am the US Senior Field and Experiential marketing manager for Vitamin and Smart Water in the division of sports and entertainment.

Chelsea Forsthuber ’06 I am enjoying living in Carlsbad, California. I am a Social Media/ Public Relations Specialist for ALP-N-ROCK.

Sarah Moore ’08 I graduated from Concordia University with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and Journalism in May of 2013. Now I’m living in Montreal and working as the Online Content and Community Specialist at Specialized Bicycle Components Canada. It’s pretty much my dream job! I’m not cross-country ski or mountain bike racing at the moment, but I’m staying active. I get to go on an hour-long bike ride with my colleagues every day at work, I just completed my 8th gold Coureur des Bois at the Canadian Ski Marathon, and I recently got into back- country skiing. Follow my adventures on Twitter and Instagram: @smooresmoore.

Paige Pasquini ’09 I recently graduated Cum Laude from St. Lawrence University with a bachelors degree in Sociology and Fine Arts. I recently received my 200 hour Yoga Teaching Certificate from Kripalu Center for health and Wellness in the Berkshires. I now live in Burlington, Vermont with my brother, Tate Pasquini, and teach yoga five days a week at a personal training gym in South Burlington. I frequently ski at Sugarbush with my best friend, Bridgett gilroy, and am making plans to hike part of the Appalachian Trail come April.

Maggie McLaughlin ’09 Brett Depper-goldstein ’09 and I live together and both are working in NYC.

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pat Duran ’03 (marker/volkl a rep for rocky mountain area at u18 nationals with max stamler ’14

lexi Kaplan, liz cochrane ’09, and maggie mclaughlin ’09 enjoying sugarbush

Doug lewis ’82 and chelsea Forsthuber ’06

Class Notes

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10s

Olivier Bouvier-Johnston ’10I am currently enrolled in my second year of law school at the University of Montreal and have been racing on the university ski team as well. I am hoping to take the bar exam in 2015 and pursue a career in either civil and commercial litigation or corporate law. Since graduating from gMVS, I have backpacked around Europe for several months, have returned to New Orleans with a former classmate, Katherine Scalia ’10, to work for habitat for humanity, and have found a new passion for the law.

Jackie Maier ’10I am a junior this year majoring in Neuroscience. For the last few terms I have been working in a lab, which is focused on building a neuronal mechanism connecting reward, attention, and decision-making. This summer I will start studying for the MCATs, apply to medical school, and decide if I want to write a Thesis.

Ali Spencer ’10 I am coming off of my senior season as the caption of the ski team here at Castleton. It was quite a winter and I am proud to say that I was awarded MVP for the women’s ski team this season. It’s crazy to think that my career in ski racing has come to an end. Words cannot describe my deep respect and appreciation for the sport. Ski racing has not only taught me about sports, but it has taught me about failure, success, and having fun through it all. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for this crazy sport of throwing yourself downa mountain on two sticks of wood. One minute you’re on top of the world and the next you’re face planting out of the start of a gS race. These moments of failure are not only humbling but the lesson ski racing has taught us all.

Pierre-Karl Houle ’12I am now attending Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. I am majoring in International Business Management.

ali spencer ‘10 (middle) receiving mvp award

olivier Bouvier-Johnston ’10

Katie Fitzpatrick ’11 and sara Kikut ’11, eisa championships

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Will Frascella ’06The fact that you can ask Will for technical help at anytime and always have the response “no problem, I’ve got this covered,” is a given with Will. Will has spent countless hours volunteering quietly behind the scenes to help with the technical aspects of lighting, sound and computer requirements at the gala, the 40th Reunion, and on-going alumni events. he is always prompt to respond when asked to help. If he doesn’t know how to do a project he researches it and always comes up with the best solution. his expertise is truly appreciated.

Doug Lewis ’82Doug’s contributions are endless. he dedicated hundreds of hours to organize the 40th Anniversary Alumni Reunion and helped create the book, A Forty Year Journey – the History of GMVS. These are the things that can be seen. But it’s his attitude and energy about supporting his alma mater that is most recognizable. Doug lives and breathes gMVS with answering countless emails, promoting gMVS and constantly being available to help with events. his support is greatly appreciated.

Alumni Recognized for Exceptional Service

This recognition is given to alumni for distinguished and exceptional service to Green Mountain Valley School.

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Congratulations to the GMVS alumni graduating from college this year:

Wesley Barkan ’09 University of VermontChandler Boynton ’10 The George Washington University Ainsley Carbone ’10 St. Lawrence University Ben DeFlavio ’09 St. Lawrence University Clara Gelabert ’10 University European of MadridAdam Hart ’09 University of Vermont Blaire Hooper ’10 Castleton CollegeChad Lawrence ’09 University of New Hampshire Emma LeBlanc ’10 Brown UniversityAlec McGovern ’10 Bowdoin CollegeLaura Rozinowicz ’09 University of New Hampshire Katherine Scalia ’10 SUNY GeneseoNick Scalia ’08 St. Lawrence University David Sinclair ’10 Dartmouth College Ali Spencer ’10 Castleton CollegeEmily Stitt ’10 Middlebury CollegeDerek Zucco ’10 Boston College

gmvs class of 2010 graduation entrance

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Thank you!The focus required in international ski racing is the same focus

that enables our students to excel in college and beyond. GMVS students graduate with values and skills that will help

them build meaningful and fulfilling lives. Success lies in knowledge, motivation and a commitment to lifelong learning.

At GMVS, athletic performance enhances individuals, it does notdefine them.

Our core values of discipline, responsibility, respect, independent initiative, and total commitment and effort are infused into all that

we do. This philosophy is what makes GMVS special. The continued growth and evolution you see at GMVS requires

strong commitment and a great deal of resources. It requires thatwe, as a community, live our ideals.

Thank you for making such amazing outcomes possible through your tax-deductible gift to the Annual Fund.

For more information about the Annual Fund, or to make a donation,please contact Karyn Campbell, Director of Development, at karyncampbell@gmvs.org,

or visit www.gmvs.org/development/annual-fund today.

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Mark Your Calendars!GMVS EVENTS

September 6, 2014Kelly Brush RideMiddlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont

Meet at the gMVS tent and ride with other gMVSers

September 27, 2014GMVS 21st Annual GalagMVS Doug Parker Sports Center

Dinner and Auction to benefit the gMVS Scholarship Fund

October 19, 2014Head of the Charles - 7 Academy Alumni Event Boston, Massachusetts

Watch the Regatta with alums from BMA, CVA, gMVS, KMS, SMS, NSA & WVBBTS

October 23 – 25, 2014GMVS Theater ProductionDoug Parker Sports Center

December 6, 2014Birds 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

Donate to the Annual Fund today!Please visit: www.gmvs.org/development/annual-fundor contact: Karyn Campbell, Director of Development, at karyncampbell@gmvs.org

The Annual Fund is the most important fund at gMVS. A donation to the Annual Fund will be used to help support the general operations of the school.

At gMVS, tuition covers 86% of the total operating costs of educating a student. As a result, gMVS relies on the generosity of the community to help close this gap. With help from alumni, parents, board members, grandparents and friends, gMVS is able to gather the funds needed to support small class sizes, small coaching groups, vans, soccer, community service, lacrosse and all the extras that enable gMVS to provide a superior educational experience.

Support the Annual Fund!Your donation makes a difference

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