Getting Started and Olympic Dreams

When asked, I always recommend that parents enroll their children in Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s (SSCV) season long Future Stars weekend program at the youngest possible age of six (assuming they can get on and off the lift by themselves and ski or ride Golden Peak). This critical age for mental and physical development is an ideal time for children to gain the necessary skills to quickly progress in their sport in a fun and low pressure environment including gates, moguls, park, pipe and all mountain terrain for skiers and riders, and skate and classic technique for Nordic athletes. It is also the perfect time for children to develop their love for competition in the complimentary Steadman Clinic Vail Cup series. Just like maximizing the potential of your child academically by starting in Kindergarten, your child’s snow sports potential is maximized by starting at the same age in Future Stars.

The Passion Ignites

These early childhood moments spark a passion which provides children with focus and teaches them lifelong lessons through the vehicle of competitive snow sports. As this passion ignites so does the need to spend more time on snow and more time developing the physical and mental attributes needed to take their sport to the next level alongside thriving in a rigorous academic environment. SSCV’s full-time athletic programs in combination with its Academic Partners-Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy, Vail Mountain School and Winter Tutorial-enable children to balance athletics and academics in support of this passion, fully immersing themselves into a way of life focused on developing the total child.

SSCV Full-Time Programs and Academic Partners

An exciting partnership formed in 2007 between SSCV and Eagle County Schools resulted in the first public ski and snowboard academy in the country–Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy (VSSA). VSSA is a college preparatory magnet school dedicated to 5th through 12th grade SSCV full-time athletes. This innovative public school makes snow sports academy academics financially accessible. When coupled with SSCV’s financial aid initiatives to defray the cost of SSCV program fees and Opportunity Fund grants targeted at supporting travel expenses for deserving skiers and snowboarders, SSCV provides the greatest accessibility for kids to pursue their dreams of anywhere in the country.

Another exciting academic option for SSCV full-time athletes is available through a partnership with Vail Mountain School (VMS). VMS is a college preparatory K-12 independent school committed to supporting its subpopulation of SSCV full-time athletes. Initiatives such as after school tutoring and an intensive July academic block to help lighten the third quarter load, are among the many ways VMS supports its SSCV full-time athletes.

SSCV Winter Tutorial is an academic option for SSCV full-time athletes seeking winter term support. SSCV tutors teach students their school of origin curriculum one-on-one from early November through early April, enabling them to seamlessly return to their home school at season’s end.

As a result of these partnerships, young student athletes are provided a complete menu of local alternatives to boarding schools to pursue their snow sports dreams with no-compromises academics.

Full-Time Athlete Admissions Open Houses

I invite you to learn more about SSCV full-time programs and Academic Partners at the Nordic Full-Time Athlete Open House on Saturday, January 16 from 3 – 4:30 pm and the Alpine, Freeski, Freestyle and Snowboard Athlete Open House on Saturday, January 23 from 5 – 7 pm, both at the Minturn Fitness Center at Maloit Park in Minturn. Representatives from SSCV and its Academic Partners will be on hand.

December C3 Winners and Nominees

Bella Mauro is SSCV’s December C3 Athlete Award Winner. She is twelve years old and in her second year as a full-time snowboard athlete at SSCV and VSSA. Bella has shown SSCV coaches this year that she is ready to take her riding to the next level. She is committed to dryland, trampoline and on-snow training every day with very few missed sessions. She has impressed coaches with her commitment to healthy eating, which is making a difference on snow as well as in the gym, showing further commitment to snowboarding. Bella continues to push progression at a very young age and was on the podium at our first two USASA events this season.

SSCV is also very proud of Paula Cooper, Katie Bervy and Andrew Rogers, December C3 Athlete Award nominees, for their continued displays of character, courage and commitment.

Makayla Brown is SSCV’s December C3 SSCV Staff Award Winner. She joined SSCV in Fall 2014, a graduate of Carrabasset Valley Academy and a ski racer at Colby College. She coaches twelve and thirteen-year-old alpine girls. Makayla shows up for any project at any time on any venue. Her commitment to helping out with whatever comes her way each day is motivating and inspiring to everyone around her. With a smile on her face Makayla always jumps in to help.

What it’s all about

More than National Team placements and impressive college acceptances are well-rounded youngsters prepared to enter their adult lives equipped with the many life skills developed through their competitive snow sports experience, reflecting the priceless benefits of SSCV’s programs and its academic partnerships. For more information contact sschmidt@skiclubvail.org or 970-790-5161 or visit www.skiclubvail.org at the Academic/ Admissions tab.