Special Guest Bloggers Biba, Quincy and Phoebe Give the Austrian Low-Down

Oh hey! Didn't see you over there!
So0o0ooo, here's the down low of the Horsefeathers Pleasure Jam. In short, everyone killed it, no finals, but the vibe was über positive and happy.







Ezra had a killer run consisting of a back 540 maneuver, to a cab 900 degree rotation, to a stellar frontside 720, leading into some wallride thing, which looked cool, although not totally sure what it was. This beautiful run placed him in 8th which is just one spot out of finals. YAY! Great job, Ez-brahhh!

TEEN CRIBS


The girls...tried really hard. solid effort. Biba just coming off of her third broken collar bone killed it and landed a run. YEWwWW, as the aussies would say. Quincy had a fantastic run and held on tightly on her second run to keep it together and make it look STEEEZyy. Way to go team Canada!! Phoebe landed but forgot about the second jump all together. woops! But she stayed very positive by dancing with Quincy at the top. Everyone at the start got to hear them belting out their favourite songs. Nicely done females!





THE ICE QUEEN







Austria has been amazing thus far and Dachstein has truly delivered the goods with blue bird days, sweet shred, and great hospitality. Tomorrow we return to Hintertux where we will reunite with fellow elite team members and speed and style cr3w. We have really been missing Dan and Connor out here and are pumped to meet back up with them and see what new tricks they've got to show us.


Getting caught in the tourist traps......or tourist crevasses.....of Dachstein





Watch your step!

















The view from the top of the course














Ezra Corking out a back 540 manoeuvre

Elite SWAT Team Touches Down in Schladming for Horsefeathers

After an amazing, sunny day at Hintertux, Ezra, Quincy, Phoebe, Biba, India and myself jumped in our van for a 3 hour drive across Austria. Our destination: Schladming and Dachstien for our third trip to the Horsefeathers Pleasurejam. This 4-Star TTR event has always been a fun and legitimate way to start our competitive year.
The drive was a treat. Livestock, architecture, waterfalls and a full moon made for much discussion (dominated by Phoebe). We arrived at Pension Tiefenbach where Veronika welcomed us back for our third stay. She had not seen Phoebe or India in three years and the reunion was heartfelt.
Sun greeted us again today and the course at Dachstien was perfect. I had some apprehension letting the girls loose on a 4-Star Slope course so early in the year, but they made me proud and rode with confidence. The girls quickly decided that the big line was just fine for them and by the end of the day Quincy and Biba had full lines with front 360s. Phoebe landed her 360 early and moved onto Cab 540s on jump one.


QUINCY JUST ABOUT CORKING A FS 360










PHOEBE RELAXES ON AIR, 3000ft ABOVE AUSTRIA

Ezra is a quiet, contemplative ripper and I enjoyed helping him as he adjusted his line, mixing up back 540s, cab 900s (almost cab 10), frontside 900s and disgusting straight airs on the hip. Keep in mind this is day 3 on snow.
We also met up with SMS alum Eric Beauchemin and his girlfriend Anna Gasser who assaulted the course as a couple. Eric landed a lovely cab 10 in front of me and nearly landed a backside double-cork 1080. I love seeing graduates come up, and India and Eric made me happy today.
Qualifiers are tomorrow and my young crew is set to make a splash in the International Pro pool of riders here. We expect no podiums but I can see that they will make me proud and land stylish runs. Wish us luck.

ERIC B SIGHTING

SMS Elite Fall Camp in Austria off To a Great Start

The Elite and Speed and Style Teams arrived safely in Austria after extensive travel. I'm talkin' bout Trains Planes and Automobiles here. The scenery, food and shredding are all above par and the kids are so happy to be here. I have not had much time to blog. After two days at Hintertux I drove Phoebe, Ezra, Quincy, Biba and India halfway across Austria to meet our old friends in Schladming. That crew will be competing at the Horsefeathers Jam over the next few days. As soon as we arrived in our Pension, Eric Beauchemin showed up to say hello. He has been living and riding in Aus with his girlfriend for the past two months. India has also been here for a few months and she is SHREDDING. Such a good influence and example for the other girls. India also guided me across the country, no easy task with the crazy road signs and language barriers. I am so proud of Indy and Eric. It is amazing to see how far they have come, and they are both on the DC Team. Alumni extraordinare indeed (not sure I spelt that one right!)
Brief Highlights (aside from today's India Show)
-Dan Landy is quickly cementing his place on the Elite Team. Switch back 540 to reg back 540 in the jump line and nasty rail moves on his first day on snow.
-We all witnessed a few of Ross Power's legendary methods today, and they are as pleasant to watch as ever.
-Ezra Racine is terrorizing quiet towns all over Austria on his skateboard and is taking to European life quite well.

We would all like to thank all the family and staff that made this trip possible. It is so much bigger than snowboarding.....

Parents Weekend Brings a Sunny Day

Ross Welcoming the new year's parents.

Josh Cohen staying sharp on the passed ball.

Its nice to see a campus full of adults for a change and the support is overwhelming. Some individual coach/parent meetings are still taking place but while I have some time between meetings and before the BBQ lunch (to be followed by soccer games). It's a nice time to say thanks to everyone who could take the time to come and support their kids and get up to speed on the upcoming season. Thanks.
Be sure and speak up if you missed the meetings and feel out of the loop. If you have not done so please register your athlete for USASA(membership at USASA.org). If your son or daughter is in the Elite, Speed and Style, or Am Crew within the larger team and you have not done so get registered also for USSA/FIS (USSA.org). Your point man coach will fill you in on your son or daughters individual contest schedule and relevant registration steps.

World Gym.

 Looking forward to the snow more and more. In the meantime here are some more shots from the 1st Annual Sideways Standing Bootcamp at Rye Beach New Hampshire...

Speed is Strength.

Elite Team and Skate Team Coach Ian Kirk Demonstrates the proper Technique

Bowling Team Captain Andrew Tousignant

First Annual Sideways Standing Boot Camp Underway!

On the deck at the Dunes Motor Lodge in Rye Beach New Hampshire. Its tough to sit here and see the waves passing me by each minute but the sets have been rolling in since before we arrived yesterday afternoon and my shoulders badly need a break from paddling so its a great time for a trip update.
Straight to the point, here's the score. Aussie Girl Biba Turnbull is a Champ shredette on the water. Nantucket lifeguard Chip Linton is catching more waves than a fishnet and popping dislocated 180's on his deck everytime the wave slows up on him. Is He goofy or is he regular? I don't know! Dan Landy caught at least ten waves this morning...I had no idea our crew was so able on the surfboards. Clearly I should have.

Dan, Mace, PD, JP. Pitching is Pter C, at bat Josh, Chewey,Mav,Finn, OB...

We left school yesterday at 9:15 and drove in hard pouring rain across southern VT and NH. We checked into the Dunes and met up with Travis Moore of SGT who escorted us across the lot to Summer Sessions Surf Shop. Everybody got a board and a wetsuit and we hit it. Kinda cold, 4-5 foot swells, details, details, light rain, a break and everyone back into the water for session two. Chest high waves. Second session glassier than the first and everyone cashing in on hardier rides. We stayed out til well into dusk. If you were in the living room you might have looked outside and called it dark but out on the water the glass was legible. Some of the crew is very new to water and we have a good layering of different abilities so nobody is ever alone out there and all are improving. Safe and sound we had a team dinner at the North Beach Grill and I haven't seen such a tired crew since last fall's powder days in copper.

Noelle and Biba heading, am. The view from the deck.

First kids out of the lot and across the street to the water at this am at 6:30 were Biba and Noelle. Proud coaches squirming into wet suits on the deck. Kid after kid out of their rooms in the near dark and back into the water. A couple took breaks but the session lasted 2.5 hours. We have broken. We have lunched.
We are going back out now before our mid-day KettleBell workout on the beach, (we are going to look pretty cool I know...) for an hour, skating hampton public park or Rye Airfield and hopefully getting into the water again for the late afternoon session to finish the day...bonfire permit for the beach tonight...Standing sideways by the fire.

Ready, Aim,...

Thanks. It is a tough job as we always say but somebody has to do it. Rough Edit for now, squirming back into that suit momentarily.

Fire! JP launching an ollie.

Rider Profile: Biba Turnbull

Stratton Mt School has a long, rich history of working with international athletes. Continuing in this tradition we find Biba Turnbull enjoying her junior year at SMS.
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Biba brings a heavy surf influence with her. As a big Shayne Pospisil fan, I'm a sucker for that surf style as are most judges and camera lenses! Her passion is slopestyle, but she can be found getting down on natural mountain features as well (a good habit for aspiring slope champs to get into).



It was difficult for me to see Biba's first year at SMS marred by a broken collarbone midway through the season. She stuck it out at the academy, almost re- breaking the bone in a spring soccer game. My pity soon turned to envy when I heard how she made up for her lost season. Biba returned down under for the Australian winter and had a near perfect season. Working with an excellent Australian coach,Peter Long, Biba regained her confidence and edge. She learned new tricks, amassed photos and footage, and won almost every contest she entered. Her grand finale was a rebreaking of the same collarbone in August but, it seems to me, its impact was reduced and overshadowed by the successes of the winter.
We just returned from a dryland surf trip to Rye Beach NH, where Biba finally got to show her classmates what she is all about. Tenacious and stylish are words that pop to mind when seeing her surf. It was her first East Coast surf experience and she enjoyed it heaps.




Biba's upcoming season will begin early November with a training camp to Austria. A young globe trotter indeed!

"Biba has a really nice touch on the ball and has a great sense of the game." - SMS Soccer Coach Jessie Mallis

'Showing the maturity and confidence of a healthy seasoned athlete, not one fresh off a double collar break this past northern winter, Biba dominated the podiums (and websites) down under setting the standard in Junior Snowboarding winning 8 out of the 9 events she entered. As always, it's been an absolute pleasure to shred with her each and every day, it truly is about the perfect balance of both fun and creativity for Biba, and progression soon follows. Its this, combined with her great work ethic that will for sure see her kick every goal she sets in snowboarding.' -Snowboard Coach Pete Long



"Meeting Biba Turnbull only a few times over the last year, and then seeing here back healthy this year was an amazing experience. I had the pleasure of shredding waves with this Aussie, watch out, she is a ripper! From the moment she arrived at Jenness Beach with the SMS crew she knew one thing and one thing only, she was going to surf her brains out! and she did. It was very difficult to get her out of the water. She did cutback's and floaters for three sessions a day. Thanks for the good time's Biba, keep that positive vibe and stoke, have a great season!"
Travis Moore SGT (Sass Global Travel)

Cheers Biba! Here's to a great 2012.

Rider Profile: Chip Linton

Back from the beach and already putting in work, SMS junior Chip Linton is this year's first Blog Profile.
As SMS coaches, we expect our riders to enjoy thier summers, yet stay in shape. Chip idealized that request by lifeguarding and surfing in Nantucket this summer. He returned to campus with sun-bleached hair, high fitness, and the foucus and responsiblity that true lifeguards should possess.
Dave Redden has designed a demanding new fall workout for the team. Chip has quickly mastered the routines and his example aids both team and coaches. The Russian Kettlebell is an integral dryland tool this year, and Chip's technique is something to see.

Entering his third year on the storied SMS Skateboard Team, Chip was pleasantly surprised to be elected Team Capitan. In his time on the team his skating has improved by leaps and bounds, quite literally. His ollie heights are unchallenged on the team. Yesterday a massive funbox ollie (see photo) earned him a victory in the Tuesday Frends Headphones Challenge.




Some words from the SMS world:


"Chip's deterination and drive are astounding to me." - Scott Johnston

“Chip doesn’t give himself enough credit. He is an awesome guy who has worked hard in his own simple way to come as far as he has. Whether it be skating, where he has the highest ollies in the rec, or on the hill where he silently slays his landings, he is always killing it with the best attitude.”

-Phoebe Novello

"Ever since I've met him, he has been trying hard." JP McArdle

"Chip saw the most improvement in his Functional Movement Screen over the past year." - Dave Redden