National titles, regional titles, all-academics achievements, brand-new programs and just another year of success.
That was the Park City Ski Team’s (PCST) 2010-2011 season.
“I think overall we had a great season,” said executive director Jesse Hunt. “We had a number of really top-end results that connected us to national-level results. That put us on the radar with some of the top athletes in the country.”
The PCST held its annual awards banquet April 22 at Deer Valley Resort and there were a multitude of honors handed out to almost every member of the program.
Sydney Staples was recognized as the Skier of the Year. Staples won a J1 (age range) national combined title this year.
Daniel Demschar, a J2 (age range) level skier, was recognized for winning a national title of his own and was also honored for a top single performance in the J2 category.
“Two national titles at those age groups,” Hunt said. “Obviously that was a highlight.”
Staples, along with teammate Katy Greene, who was awarded the Cathy Swing Scholarship Award, were invited to the women’s U.S. Ski Team development tryouts in the coming weeks.
The PCST was also quite impressive off the slopes this year.
Student-athletes ranging from sixth to twelfth grade were honored for their academic excellence. Nineteen athletes sustained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout the 2010-2011 school year.
“That was exciting to see,” Hunt said.
Hunt, who just completed his second year as executive director of PCST, helped add another avenue of alpine skiing for local youth as the “Warrior” program launched this year.
The program is designed for athletes who are only able to make it to races during the weekends.
“That was a big success,” he said. “It was exciting to be able to offer this program to group of athletes that we weren’t able to accommodate in the past. That was a nice step.
“We had great participation at levels; we grew in numbers.”
Now, the Park City Ski Team faces an offseason where it asks its athletes to stay in top form before the slopes reopen again in the latter months of 2011.
“Our goal is to try and provide dryland training provide from June 1 until skiing season begins,” Hunt said. “We will have strength and conditioning training here in Park City, ski camps in Mammoth (Mountain, Calif.) in June, Mount Hood (Ore.) in July and then we’ll go to Chile in August.
“It’s pretty much a full year-round deal for upper-level athletes so we can prepare them to move on in the sport. Athletes have aspirations to move on to the national team or top-level college programs and, in order to do that, we have to train in the summer and the winter.”
As this season goes into the books, Hunt and the PCST are pleased with what was accomplished this year.
Said Hunt, “I think we’re building momentum over these past two years. We really are a community program in alpine skiing. Certainly we’re focused on obviously high-end results and focusing on delivering quality experience for a broader group of athletes.”