September Meeting 2014 Recap

Recap

The September meeting was well attended. Jon Levy welcomed everybody to the kickoff of the new season. Next, Chuck Riley, the new EISCL representative, gave an update on the upcoming 2015 EICSL race dates and locations. Ilene Titus talked about the process for purchasing discount tickets for the Club, which was made more difficult this year due to new rules and restrictions by some mountains, including the choice of batch sizes. Bea Chaney encouraged members to send in their own short stories and pictures to publish in the next newsletter. Robin Diamond, the new Race chair, gave additional details on the EICSL racing program: race forms will be available at the October meeting; racers will be able to use PayPal; stay tuned for details on Junior Races.

The featured speaker of the evening was Kevin Kieley from Crotched Mountain. He started off with his personal story on how he became associated with Crotched Mountain: while in rehab from an injury received during week-end NASTAR racing, he met and became friends with a skier who convinced him to come work for Crotched. He has also known Robin Diamond for a long time; she was part of his NASTAR team.

Crotched Mountain has a variety of programs for everyone: Adult Racing on Wednesday or Thursday starts at 6:00 pm, with an optional free clinic a half-hour before. The intermediate-level course is challenging, but still safe. The program lasts for 10 weeks followed by a championship race. After the race, participants gather in the lodge for camaraderie and raffle prizes from many sponsors.

The mountain offers extensive programs for families and children from 4 to 18 years old. The youngest ones are admitted as soon as they are potty-trained. The ‘Tigers’ program helps kids gain confidence while having fun. They typically learn faster and better than if they were taught by their own parents! The equipment is of high quality; all kids are videotaped. Several college teams have regular practice at the mountain, including Harvard, BU, … The USSA program is top notch; it produces the best skiers in the world.

Crotched Mountain has a lot to offer, including great snowmaking. The drive is about one hour and five minutes from Nashua. So, come and visit, and sign up for the Adult Race League!

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