ECS "A" Moguls - EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS. Training on Friday, Moguls on Saturday and Duals Day on Sunday. 

Coach Solomon is ready to get 'er done, ayuh! Wild cards are on the line at each event for US Champs at Stratton. See ya there! We know that, "You cahn't get there from hea," but we are going anyway!

(PS End of the Season Eastern "A" Mogul Awards - MVP, Most Improved and Rookie will be handed out at the Slush Cup Event at Stratton on Mar 31st.)

EAST FREE TOUR - NH OPEN CONTINUES, Loon, NH. Training on Thursday. Double half pipe event on Friday. Making it in before that Juniors list closes....Miracles happen! Thank you Mark Sellingham and Marissa Preston for going out of your way to support the athletes in the East.

EQS Central Region - Okemo B Games, Okemo, VT. Coach Bruno is pumped to welcome everyone for the best named event on the tour. (Shout out to Marksy!) The event info sheet just went up. Training on Friday, Moguls on Saturday, Slopestyle on Sunday. Wait list update: Ryan Dumais  - 1st alternate is in. That's it so far. I will keep you posted. That said, if you signed up for moguls and you are not coming - LET ME KNOW ASAP!

EQS Eastern Region - Whale Jam, Whaleback, NH. Event Info sheet is up: Training on Friday from 10am to 5pm, Slopestyle on Saturday and Moguls on Sunday. Jam on it! Wait list update: No cancellations. I will keep you posted. That said, if you signed up and you are not coming - LET ME KNOW ASAP!

Please watch out for the men wearing whales on their heads with loaded squirt guns!

Championship Season Update:

It is getting close. (Can't wait!) Championship season is almost upon us. The following invite dates are subject to change, but should provide a good guideline. Remember to sign up for the Eastern weekly newsletter for up to the minute updates via the link at the top of our home page - "E-Mail News".

• State Championship invitations will come out on February 27th after all the events on that last weekend. Forget the old title of "Regional Finals" - we are going to make you STATE CHAMPIONS this year!
• East Coast Freestyle Junior Championships ("B Champs") invitations will come out on March 5th after all the state champ results are in. Get pumped for Marissa's schwag bags that all athletes get at Waterville Valley when they host championship events! Woot! Woot!
• Junior National Championship invitations are slated to come out the last week of February for the big event out at Steamboat, USA. Find a bunch of information here.
• Junior World Championship invitations are also slated to be final by the last week of February for the super big event in Valmalenco, ITA. Find a bunch of information here.
• US Championship invitations will come out once List #4 is processed at the beginning of March. We are pleased to have Stratton Freestyle hosting the event again this year. Find a bunch of information here.

Good luck to all EAST COASTERS this weekend at the Nor Am at Val St Come, QUE and to all of you here at home!

Go big!

Coach Deb

Hello!

I am sorry to report that the EAST FREE TOUR - MAINE OPEN this weekend has had to cancel their halfpipe event. They will host Friday - slopestyle and Saturday - slopestyle. Registration opened tonight. The info sheet will go up tomorrow. Expect news of two halfpipe events in the next week so we can get them in before the Juniors' Points List closes! We are trying! Send positive vibes to the crew trying to make it happen!

I am also sorry to congratulate the Giants fans for their G-Men's performance. Congrats.

ECS "A" Moguls - Stratton Mogulfest, Stratton, VT. Training on Friday, Moguls on Saturday and Duals Day on Sunday. 

Coach Weinshank has assured me that they will be good to go. "Mother Nature ~ have a seat for the love of it - we are going to get a training day in on Friday."

EQS Central Region - Carinthia Cup, Mt Snow, VT. The Gulch park is open on Friday to the public and all of us for training. Slopestyle and Big Air on Saturday / Slopestyle and Big Air on Sunday. Results are best on the combined score for both airs in the Big Air competition. No repeat jumps are allowed in the Big Air competition.

Coach Johnson says, "Should be a really great Freestyle time. The forecast has changed a bit--looks much colder than during the week so be prepared. Carinthia is waiting for all of us. We just had a great weekend of training here and the course/site is awesome. There'll be plenty of altitude to be had with smaller kickers for the younger ones. So bring it and let's do it!"

EQS Eastern Region - Shuff's Showdown, Waterville Valley, NH. Event Info sheet is up: Training on Friday, Big Air on Saturday and Slopestyle on Sunday.

You spend your summers with him at Freestyle America so now come put it down at his event! Coach Shuff awaits your arrival this weekend!

EQS Western Region - Flite Cup, Holimont, NY. Event info sheet is up: Afternoon training on Friday and moguls on Saturday.

I do not have words from Coach Hacker, but I would imagine it would go something like this, "Wash your uniforms, sharpen your skis and get ready to take it up!"

EQS Western Region - Buffalo Aerial Assault, Buffalo Ski Club, Buffalo, NY. Event info sheet is up. Ski ya on Sunday after Holimont's event on Saturday!

The Buffalo Aerial Assault is ready to welcome all aerialists from the east again this year.  We have had to move the venue to another part of the area - the North lodge which is still on Lower East Hill Rd.  We will have three kickers available including a single kicker. This is going to be an open meet: A athletes will be scored to the USSA points list and the B skiers will be scored to the Eastern points list.
 
Remember the new rule this year for B skiers is that both jumps will count and the jumps can not be repeated.

Championship Season Update:

It is getting close. (Can't wait!) Championship season is almost upon us. The following invite dates are subject to change, but should provide a good guideline. Remember to sign up for the Eastern weekly newsletter for up to the minute updates via the link at the top of our home page - "E-Mail News".

• "A" Mogul skiers should look for East Coast Freestyle Championship invites and registration on Monday, February 13th. Ready for the drive to good 'ole Sugarloaf, USA. I know I am! Home of Jeremy Cota - who wouldn't be excited?!
• State Championship invitations will come out on February 27th after all the events on that last weekend. Forget the old title of "Regional Finals" - we are going to make you STATE CHAMPIONS this year!
• East Coast Junior Freestyle Championship ("B Champs") invitations will come out on March 5th after all the state champ results are in. Get pumped for Marissa's schwag bags that all athletes get at Waterville Valley when they host championship events! Woot! Woot!
• Junior National Championship invitations are slated to come out the last week of February for the big event out at Steamboat, USA. Find a bunch of information here.
• Junior World Championship invitations are also slated to be final by the last week of February for the super big event in Valmalenco, ITA. Find a bunch of information here.
• US Championship invitations will come out once List #4 is processed at the beginning of March. We are pleased to have Stratton Freestyle hosting the event again this year. Find a bunch of information here.

Good luck to all EAST COASTERS this week out west and this weekend here on the EAST COAST!

Go big! Do what you do!

Coach Deb

Hello!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday! Pow-pow on the slopes today! Don't worry - I took a run for ya!

Please find a few schedule changes below:

Eastern Region - Sun-Bash, Sunapee, NH: Slopestyle on Saturday and Moguls on Sunday. They have had to cancel the aerial event due to lack of appropriate terrain. Anyone registered for aerials will receive a coupon via HF TECH for your next registration.

Central Region - Happy Training! (Nicely coordinated with Super Bowl weekend!)

Western Region - Holiday Valley Freestyle Extravaganza, NY: Moguls on Saturday and a double slope on Sunday. This is sure to be a fabulous event out there in Western NY - the freestyle metropolis!

It is full-on for the Holiday Valley Freestyle Extravaganza.  Event info has been updated.  The mogul course was built this weekend on Yodeler, a departure from the normal venue.  However, access from the training center and Yodeler lodge is more convenient, and walkable.  All the athletes will put on a great show for the sun soakers on the Yodeler Lodge deck.  Sunday’s Slopestyle event will be run on Foxfire(another departure from our normal venue) and will be serviced by the Cindy’s Lift.  All registration points remain at original locations.  The Slopestyle course will be open for training starting Friday.  The mogul course will be open for training as well on Friday, however, the jumps will be closed.  Jumps may be opened from 7pm to 9pm on Friday.  A follow-up posting will be placed to confirm.  For all training on Friday, tickets can be purchased at the training center for $40.  Parent Ticket prices at registration on Saturday and Sunday will be available and less costly than the Mountains of Distinction discount.  (HVFT Event Organizer)

ECS A Mogul Crew - Killington Klassic, Killington, VT: Moguls on Saturday and Dual Moguls on Sunday. Training should be ready for Friday on Conclusion. Training tickets available at KSC.

EAST FREE TOUR - NH OPEN, Waterville Valley, NH - Double air event on Friday (open to B skiers!) and Slopestyle on Saturday. For the aerial event only - "A" athletes will be scored to the USSA FSP and "B" athletes will be scored to the Eastern B points list. Training will be open on Thursday.

Good luck to all of our A skiers who are headed out to the NOR AM Tour at Telluride, CO next week and to the aerialists headed to Park City for the UOP Jump Fest.

NEXT WEEKEND -

Please see the schedule on the Events page.

Don't forget about the aerial and slopestyle added to the Eastern Region schedule at Waterville Valley, NH. I know that the freeride crew is working on scheduling a half pipe. The coaches are all talking amongst themselves and once they get a plan in place, I will get the word out to you.

Go big!

Coach Deb

1. Dew Tour is at Killington this weekend.

2. Registration for the Griffin Cup at Loon is in a different location this year - at the Competition Center, and slopestyle will be on Springboard and open for training all day Saturday.

3. The Stratton Event Info has been updated again - version 3. 

Hello Eastern Freestyle-Freeskiing!

Just a couple of things before I start with the event updates.

I know it has been frustrating waiting for event registrations to open this year, but just so you are aware of the process - we wait to be sure that the mountain/event organizer is good to go before we release registration. Going through the refunding process is tedious to say the least. Thanks for your patience with this.

It is always great to see other teams helping out with event venue prep, by volunteering at events and with each other's athletes. Keep it up! Remember we represent EASTERN FREESTYLE-FREESKIING, not just our individual teams.

Big Weekend Coming Up ~

EQS "B's":

Central Region: Stevek's Mogul Challenge, Stratton, VT - m/m. A new event schedule was posted today - check it out.

Eastern Region: Griffin Cup, Loon, NH - m/s. Their event sheet is posted.

Western Region: Rip's Monster Mogul Mash, Hunter, NY - m/m

Greetings Freestyle Athletes, Parents, Coaches, and Fans!
Hunter Mountain is extremely excited to host our EQS –B Mogul two day event. Rips Monster Mogul Mash will be hosted on a new trail. Park Avenue will be dialed into EQS B meet specifications and we are very excited about the new location. As always, we open our doors to USSA Freestyle athlete’s to join in the fun and excitement this event draws. Hunter Mountain’s Management and Events staff are committed to making your visit a pleasant one. Our Freestyle community has a history of smooth running events. We look forward to your arrival. We hope all Coaches and Athletes will consider rallying your team to join the fun on January 21-22.

EAST FREE TOUR starts this weekend at Okemo, Vt with slopestyle events on Saturday and Sunday. These events are open to all of our skiers, but more appropriate for the older crew. That said, groms are always welcome!

ECS "A's":

Whiteface Bumps & Jumps, Lake Placid, NY - m/dm We are SUPER PUMPED about Lake Placid's appearance back onto the A schedule. PLEASE tell me you are heading over on Thursday to watch the World Cup and to train on the WC course on Friday before the event gets underway on Saturday! Thursday's World Cup event will feature the best mogul skiers in the world AND some of our very own Eastern athletes! (Honestly - too many to list here! Oh ok - Hannah Kearney, Eliza Outtrim, Brittany Loweree, Alison Digravio, Troy Murphy, David Digravio, and Jeremy Cota) On top of the mogul event on Thursday, the Aerial WC will take place on Friday and Saturday nights at the jumping complex - you know, the hill next to the water ramps, so we can head over and cheer the US Team as well (Eastern athletes on the air hill - Emily Cook, Alison Lee, Kiley McKinnon, Dylan Ferguson, Jon Lillis, Hans Gardner, Alex Bowen, Mike Rossi, Mac Bohonnon and Nevin Brown.) Should be a super fun weekend! Hope you can make it!

All of that said, Mike Kirchner at NYSEF needs some help still. I promised him that our Eastern coaches would help out with the chop each morning, but if there are any parents that would like to volunteer for the usual positions, then they will provide lift access for the day you work as well as give you a voucher for another day. Send Mike an email at Michael Kirchner <kirsh68@frontiernet.net>.

Lastly, I am PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE the addition of a GREAT TRAINING opportunity for all of our mogul, freeride and aerial athletes. Joe Davies and the Elite Aerial Program are hosting air camps at Lake Placid this winter. The venue will be set up to help athletes from all of the disciplines to advance their air skills. I have attached a flier to this notice. Please check it out! Space is limited and I know that KMS Freeskiing is already signed up...best place to get the dub flips going...onto a chopped landing!

Have a great weekend.

Be nice and courteous to all!

GO TEAM USA!

Coach Deb

PS Did I mention that Hannah Kearney is going for her 11th straight win at Lake Placid on Thursday! GO HK!

Hello!

Congrats to all of the competitors on a great weekend of competition. All kinds of great reports have been coming into the office! Thanks again to the commitment from the mountains and their staff for making it happen for the kids! Reminder: anyone that is taking pictures - please load them up to Smugmug or Picasa and send me the link to share.

Registration has been a little off this year. Please call Mother Nature to complain. She really needs to start hearing from us!! Thanks for your patience and persistence...we are just trying to open registration once we are sure the event is a go.

Explanation of a new rule for the B's as we head into a weekend with our first slopestyle event - see end of email.

EAST FREE TOUR ~ Okemo, VT is ready to host the VT Open next weekend - Jan 21-22. That said, we may see a schedule change or two, unless the mtn is able to get the half pipe open. Please stay tuned this week for updates.

Central Region Reminder and Update - Sugarbush was cancelled. Mt Snow will be hosting a SS-A/SS-A in lieu of a mogul event this year to make up for the SS-A cancellation at Preston Cup. Finally, Stratton is getting pumped to host the annual Stevek's Mogul Challenge (M/M) next weekend.

Eastern Region - Eastern Throwdown, Jan 14-15 ~ M/SS. The event is on for this weekend. Registration opened tonight for in-region and will open at 6pm for out of region. Event info sheet should be up shortly.

Western Region - Toyota Freestyle Fest, Bristol, NY ~ M/M See below.

ECS "A" Meet - Toyota Freestyle Fest, Bristol, NY ~ M/M/DM See below.

A/B Toyota Freestyle Fest, Bristol, NY ~ PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.
There are a number of changes for our event this year, all driven by the incredibly warm weather and horrible snowmaking conditions. Neither of our normal course sites has adequate coverage to build anything on. As a result (after tremendous amounts of negotiations) Bristol was extremely generous to give us their main trail (Upper Rocket). Both courses will be located on this trail. The B course will run from the very top of the mtn and the A course will start directly below the B finish area. As of this update both courses are fully built including all airs and we have been training on them. Here are a few bullets that I need to make sure everyone understands in order to make this event run smoothly.

1. Spectators - THERE IS NO FOOT ACCESS TO EITHER COURSE! There will also be no spectators allowed directly below the B course - coaches only. The area at the bottom of the B, top of the A course will be very crowded and we cannot impede skier traffic going by. There is plenty of space at the side of the B course and tons of flat space at the bottom of the A course (this area is half way up the mtn though).

2. A athletes - There will be a fenced in area for you to congregate while you wait for your run. You must keep all of your gear (especially skis) inside of that area to allow skier traffic to flow by.

3. Skier traffic - as you might be able to tell from my previous two bullets, the mountain is extremely concerned that our event will pinch off traffic to the runs below. I have assured them that there is adequate room to ski by our courses and this will not be an issue. Please help me make sure that the general public can use the remainder of the trail.

4. All athletes - at all times please keep your speed in check when you are skiing by the courses and when you are going to the bottom down Lower Rocket.

This should be an exciting event and a really cool setup having both courses set up in this manner and running simultaneously. We are very much looking forward to hosting the Eastern Freestyle community. All training and event times remain unchanged. Thanks and see you all this weekend!!! ~Johnny

Think Snow!

Coach Deb

 A summary of the EQS Rules in reference to aerial manuevers for the 2011-2012 season. ~ by Mark Depeters

EQS Slopestyle

Inverts are NOT ALLOWED.  Spins greater than 900 and off-axis tricks must have their maneuvers qualified by a USSA Level 2 or higher coach.  If the athlete does not have the maneuvers qualified, then they must have a USSA level 2 aerial coach or higher present at the event to represent them.  (EQS 10.4) Athletes wishing to compete spins greater than 900 or off-axis tricks must perform these maneuvers during official training.  (EQS 10.5)

EQS Aerial "Big Air"

This is the same event and will be scored as traditional aerials, using the Degree of Difficulty Chart and Multipliers.

Spins greater than 900, off axis and inverts ARE Allowed subject to the following:

For EQS aerial/big air events any athletes performing spins greater than 900, inverted jumps and off-axis tricks must have these maneuvers qualified in accordance with the current USSA rules (Section 3070 in the USSA Freestyle/Freeskiing Competition Guide) and must have a USSA Level 2 aerial or higher certified coach present.  (EQS 10.1)

For EQS aerial/big air events any athletes performing spins greater than 900 inverted jumps and off-axis tricks must have these maneuvers listed on the USSA Freestyle Jump Qualification List, available at www.easternfreestyle-freeskiing.org.  (EQS 10.2)

In EQS aerial/big air events jumps may not be repeated. Jumps must be called down to the head judge.  Calling down jumps in EQS aerials/big air is merely to help educate the athletes and judges. If an athlete does not perform the jump called down the judges will score the jump performed with no deductions.  (EQS 15.4)  Please be aware using this format both jumps will count towards the final score.  The score is a combination of the two jumps performed.

The highest degree difficulty jump that is going to be performed during the competition must be performed during official training.

EQS Moguls

For EQS mogul events athletes may not perform spins greater than 720, inverted jumps or off-axis tricks.  (EQS 10.3)

Reminder: EQS mogul athletes are invited to participate in one mogul and one dual mogul event at the ECS level each year.

For all EQS events if the Technical Delegate deems the situation unsafe; the site not appropriate; the athlete having problems with the jump, then the TD may exclude the jump from the competition.  (EQS 10.6)

Here's the deal for Friday Training ~

8:30am - Head coaches meet at SR Comp Center to discuss plan.

9:00 am - EVERYONE should be dressed and ready to head up to the mogul hill to prepare the first full mogul course in the East. Sunday River has made it happen in the midst of one of the worst early season starts, and we need to support them. With temperatures dropping and snowmaking only able to happen for the last couple of days, they are on a tight schedule and need help from the community.

So pack up the SUV's and get on up there so we can prep the moguls, build the jumps and chop the landings and get training open some time after lunch. Sound good? Sweet!

A big thanks to the Sunday River crew for getting this event off the ground and especially to the snowmaking crew!

Good luck to all - have a great weekend!

Coach Deb

PS If you just show up after lunch to train, well...ummm....

ECS A Meet - Mogul Maine-ia, Sunday River, ME ~ mogul/dual mogul - Coach Kimble reports that things still look good for next weekend. He will let us know whether training will be available on Friday, once they start the build and have a better idea of timeline. We will open registration on Tuesday night.

EQS Central Region - Sugarslide, Sugarbush, VT - mogul/mogul - Coach Smith reports that they have to postpone until Jan 14-15. We will open registration on Tuesday night to give everyone a chance to get home and back online.

EQS Eastern Region - Preston Cup, Waterville, NH - mogul/mogul - Coach Preston reports that the aerial portion of the meet will have to be postponed until later this winter. They will be good to go with a mogul course to start the Eastern Region's season though. We will open registration on Tuesday night to give everyone a chance to get home and back online.

Looking ahead - A bunch of the Eastern freeskiers are heading out to North Star this week for the second stop on the Rev Tour. After competing in Tahoe, they will come back to open the new EASTFREE Tour with the first stop at Okemo on Jan 21-22. Coach Kroetz over at Bristol Mtn is getting ready to rock for their annual mogul extravaganza on Jan 14-16. He wants to be sure that everyone is saving the date!

Looking back - Congratulations to PSI athlete, Troy Murphy and CVA athlete, Alison Digravio for their performances at the US Selection Events in Steamboat, CO. Both athletes qualified for World Cup starts at the upcoming Lake Placid, NY and Deer Valley, UT World Cups in January. Go EAST COAST! While in Utah, the Eastern aerialists were also posting up some great results, including Dylan Fergusen (Waterville) and Mac Bohonnon (Stratton).

SPECIAL NOTE - PLEASE HELP! A freestyle friend from the Far West Division took quite a spill out at US Selection Events in Steamboat. Jake Hickman of Squaw Valley Freestyle is currently in Denver, Co and has been accepted into the Craig Hospital spinal cord injury rehabilitation program. Jake has been well supported by his family and many of the Rocky Mountain Freestyle families over the last week, but I am hoping that the Eastern Freestyle-Freesking community will now help to support him from afar. Please check out the website here. With over 500 families in the East, we could really make a difference in this young athlete's road to recovery. It is times like these when we can all be thankful to be a part of this great community.

Happy New Year!

Think SNOW!

Coach Deb

The week prior to US Selections at Steamboat Springs, Rocky Mountain Freestyle is hosting a Champs/Senior Moguls and an Open Moguls at Winter Park. Our Champs/Senior Moguls event is run as much like a FIS event as allowed by USSA rules. After the morning qualifier run, there will be a performance cut to the top 20 skiers of each gender for afternoon finals. Unlike a FIS event, the better of the two runs determines the event score for the top 20 skiers (so it's not a true "finals" format as defined by FIS rules).
 

JUNIOR NATIONALS, Steamboat, CO: March 7 to 13, 2011

The first round of Juniors invites will expire at noon today. Please take a minute to check out all the invite lists to be sure that your children, athletes, and teammates have registered. Make some calls if you think someone forgot!!

Our last order for our Division sweatshirt is going in THIS Friday so that we have them in time for Junior Nationals - this will be our team wear - parents, siblings and athletes attending JO's - Get in uniform!!

Here is the link to order:

http://www.easternfreestyle.org/node/259

Here is the link for Juniors Invites:

http://services.easternfreestyle.org/invitations/jo/invitations_jo.php

ECS "A" Eastern Divisional Championships, Waterville, NH: March 1 to 5, 2011

The first round of the ECS Eastern Division "A" Champ invites are up now. These invitations are set to expire on Feb 25th at noon. The invitation process for HP and SS is different this year, as voted by the EFCC in the 2010 Spring meeting. Due to an increase in participation in these disciplines(yeah!), quotas of 60 athletes for each event were established. Aerials is still an "open" event and anyone may register.

http://services.easternfreestyle.org/invitations/ecs/ECS_CHAMPS.html

Note from the Organizer:

Hello Eastern Freestyle!
Waterville Valley is happy to host the 2011 Eastern Divisional Championships. We are excited to offer all five disciplines at this year's championships. We hope you will enjoy your time at Waterville before heading off to Junior Olympics in Steamboat this year. Please note the following:

BagJump Competition
Directly following the aerial competition, we will host a fun Big Air competition into Waterville's brand new BagJump! Come show off your biggest jumps and try out the Bag! The competition will cost $40 and will include a lift ticket for the day. (For those of you just training that day, your training ticket will cost $30, so for $10 more you'll get the chance to hit the BagJump). Sign up online!

Banquet
The banquet will be held on Thursday evening directly after Slopestyle. We hope that all of our freeride and mogul skiers can join us for a fun evening at the Waterville Valley Conference Center. Competitors can enter for free. Parent tickets are $32.

Sweatshirts
ECS Champs sweatshirts are for sale online with registration. Pick them up in the WVBBTS Competition Center when you check in. (Marissa also has a sweet "schwag" bag for all the competitors as well - you will get it at registration!)

ECS Champs Aerial Comp
We will host ECS Champs Aerials on Wednesday. This is an open comp, so please consider signing up. Aerials is just a fancy name for Big Air, so come compete your best freeride tricks on our sweet air site! Salomon gear will be given to the winners!

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions!
Thanks,
Marissa Preston
Event Organizer
mpreston@wvbbts.org

Congrats to everyone!

Train hard!

Coach Deb

PS

Just an FYI: Once all of the 7 divisions host their Division Champs, 7 Combined Champions will be named as long as each division hosts their championships in aerials, moguls and half pipe. The Combined Champ is the top finisher in the following divisional champ events: moguls, halfpipe and aerials. These athletes are given a start at Junior Nationals in these events only above and beyond the quotas currently named. This may help a couple of our Eastern athletes to qualify for additional events at Junior Nationals, and the current alternate lists may move again once these athletes are named.

PPS 

If you are injured (ugh!) or do not plan to attend Junior Nationals or Eastern "A" Champs, kindly RSVP to: invitations@easternfreestyle.org.