An Inspiring Young Man

You may know who he is and what he’s been through, but if you don’t, it’s a story worth hearing.  It’s one of sheer determination, hope, faith and the power of family and friends when the unthinkable happens. And because of all of those things, it’s also a story about recovery.

On Friday February 17, 2012, I was privileged to witness an incredible event on Chipmunk, HoliMont’s bunny hill.  Yes, that’s right, the bunny hill. You see, I wear one of those red jackets, the one with a white cross and a radio.  Thankfully Holimont Patrol radio activity is mostly routine coordination. But one year ago on February 19th, the voices over the radio were different.  I can’t remember the exact words, but I can still feel the urgency that was in them.  That day Nick, then a 13-year old boy from near Cleveland, Ohio, was at HoliMont with family friends but wasn’t able to meet them at the bottom of Exhibition, a blue run, as planned.  He was in the trees; unconscious and suffering from a traumatic brain injury.  Was he skiing out of control? No.  Was he a beginner, No. And yes, he WAS wearing a helmet.  It was just an accident, an accident of the worst kind.  He doesn’t remember what happened, only that he was making turns and then he was in the hospital.

I was not at the scene on the hill that day, but I was part of the rescue team in the patrol room.   The patrol I am honored to be a part of was/is incredible and did everything possible to save his life.  The outcome far exceeded anyone’s expectations.  Nick Ventura walked into our patrol room on Friday February 17th and it brought tears to our eyes.  As we talked with him, his father and his friends, Nick stood over the very place where he laid on the floor one year ago.

We guessed at his age that day, as all he had on him was his phone. It was locked. We didn’t know his name or whom he was with.  His friends were looking for him at the bottom of the hill, then at the top, and couldn’t imagine where he actually was.  Eventually we got the phone number for his parents. But a horrific phone call had to be made...  “It’s his only son!” was what we heard next. The Ventura’s were in the grocery store near their home when they got the call.  They dropped everything, got in their car and immediately drove North with only the clothes on their back. There was no time to go home for they didn’t know what they would find when they got to Buffalo. 

Winds were too strong for Mercy flight that day so he was rushed via ambulance to Women’s & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo where they performed emergency surgery on arrival. He had a fractured skull and four significant contusions in his brain.  The next several days were difficult, survival and what level of a recovery would be possible was in question. Nick remained in Buffalo for a little over 5 weeks in the pediatric intensive-care unit, most of it in a drug-induced coma. His parents stayed in housing nearby and started a web-journal so friends and family could get daily updates and send prayers. After somehow surviving those first few weeks, he was allowed to go home to begin rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.  At that point he was still unable to walk or talk.

After months of grueling therapy, Nick continues to work on his speech and has some problems with short-term memory, but has returned to school. Nick gets A’s and B’s and is Student Council President.  He came back to HoliMont one year after that near fatal day to take another big step in his healing process.  Not only can Nick walk and talk, he can put on his snowboard boots, board and ride!  His dad tried to prepare him in case he couldn’t do it.  To which Nick said, “I can do it.”  And on Friday, Nick Ventura rode his board down Chipmunk and made some turns, some really, really sweet turns and on Saturday it was even better.  Nick rode down Sunset with several of the patrollers that saved his life and made some more really sweet turns.  

 

The 11 Foundation was created in honor of Nick by his family to help support other families with TBI and the medical expenses they incur during the recovery process.  Check it out. www.11foundation.org

As a patroller and the mom of a 13-year old girl, I ask you to please wear a helmet and always make sure your kids, no matter the age, carry ID & contact information and don’t forget it yourself if you are out on the slopes alone.  Never give up on someone and never give up on yourself, because you never know what tomorrow will bring.  It could bring some really sweet turns that you just can’t imagine today, Nick Ventura is living proof.

Sherry Hartel

Holimont Ski Patrol

Getting Social At HoliMont

To kick off the month of February HoliMont hosted two very popular social events on back-to-back Friday’s.  Friday the 3^rd was HoliMont’s annual Men’s Day event where male Member’s brought their friends to the Club for a day of fun on the slopes as well as in the Chalet.  Being that it was the Friday before the Super Bowl the theme of the day was “Pregame Party.”

With the weather acting as it has this season it’s been very difficult to predict what you’re going to get in terms of conditions on a day-to-day basis.  Luckily for those attending Men’s Day they ended up getting spoiled with a vividly sunny day where there was scarcely a cloud in the sky. 

Many of the guys who attended Men’s Day partook in the Ellicottville nightlife activities the night before, which resulted in some entertaining stories being told the next morning as they were being checked in to the event.  Nevertheless, approximately 210 men took over the Chalet at HoliMont bright and early Friday morning.  The day started off with an energizing breakfast buffet by Dina’s and then for most participants it was off to the slopes.  There were ski races set up, lessons from the HoliMont Ski School offered, and a great selection of terrain open to make some turns on. 

During the lunch hour former Buffalo Bills great Steve Tasker was in the Chalet to do a meet-and-greet with all the guys.  Additionally, the Buffalo Bills went above and beyond and donated some great Bills items.  Autographed footballs and game day jerseys were raffled off later on in the day. 

After lunch it was back to the slopes for most of the guys.  The rest just hung out around the Chalet and took advantage of the laid back atmosphere.  Eventually, Comedian James Kurdziel took the stage in the Chalet and entertained the crowd with his quick-witted comedy style.  A Buffalo native, Kurdziel has garnered regional and national attention while working with Bill Burr (Chappelle’s Show), Colin Quinn (SNL, Tough Crowd), Greg Giraldo (Last Comic Standing), Greg Fitzsimmons (VH1), Jim Norton (HBO, Opie & Anthony) and Mike Birbiglia (Comedy Central) to name just a few. 

A week later the ladies of HoliMont completely took over the Chalet with their “White Out” event.  Just like the men, or perhaps even more so than the men, a lot of the ladies were out living it up on the town the night before.  But no matter how late they were out the ladies showed up in droves the next morning to commence with the white out. 

By the time registration was complete over 270 women were signed in to the event and ready to get the party started.  Not surprisingly the vibe in the Chalet for ladies day was much different than for Men’s Day.  Having a nice day out on the slopes was definitely an added bonus for the ladies but it was the in Chalet activities that really had the women excited.

As always, Dina’s provided a delicious breakfast spread that had a fantastic aroma floating throughout the Chalet.  There was also a very elaborate scavenger hunt that kept many of the women occupied throughout the morning.  Upstairs in the Chalet a vendors market was set up where approximately 15 different shops were showing off some of their finest items.  From handbags, to clothing, to jewelry, and a lot more in between, there were ample opportunities for the women to purchase some very unique products. 

Soon after lunch was finished part of the Chalet was cleared out in order to make room for a fashion show runway where the crowd was treated to an energetic display of some of this seasons hottest ski and snowboard outerwear. 

Once the fashion show culminated it was time for the real fun to begin.  With a DJ spinning a great selection of party beats the ladies spent the remainder of the event dancing the afternoon away.  And when the time came to call it a night a little peer pressure was thrown the DJ’s way and before you knew it the party continued on.

HoliMont would like to thank Dekdebruns Ski Shop, The City Garage, The Boardroom and Mud, Sweat n’ Gears for coming to HoliMont on both days to provide free ski and snowboard demo’s for all the participants of Men’s and Ladies Day.

Events like Men’s Day and Ladies Day are just a couple of the many reasons why membership at HoliMont is such a worthwhile decision.  Every winter great times are had, lifelong friendships are forged and of course there is always some very fun skiing and snowboarding out on the slopes.

HoliMont Athletes Test their Skills against New York States Finest

As we near the end of the 2011/2012 Junior USSA Race Series in Western, NY it may seem that winter has just barely started, or rather not started at all.  Not for the HoliMont Race Team.  These athletes have been maintaining their weekly training and racing regime since October.  Many athletes traveled abroad to Western and North Eastern States and Ski Areas for some early season training, and others worked hard at home with physical fitness and conditioning.  All this hard work and devotion is paying off, and many will have the chance to test their skills with the best of the best Ski Racers in NYS. 

JI/II Athletes Search for Speed at Bristol MT

This season we have a relatively young group of JI/II athletes and they are rising to the challenges fast.  This group has been tearing across the state with great results from the Ellicottville to the Adirondacks.  Last weekend they embark on another I90 road trip to Canandaigua and Bristol Mountain where they will tackle the last full weekend of racing before NYS Championship Selection.  Friday, 2/17/12, SG Race!  Saturday, 2/18/12, GS Race! Sunday, 2/19/12 GS Race!  Good Luck to all!

JIII NYS Championships to be held at Gore, Toggenburg, and Song

Last week, February 16-19^th, our JIII athletes raced at the JIII NYS Championships where the SG will be hosted at Gore Mt, the GS at Toggenburg, and the SL at Song.  From these events athletes can qualify to move on to Eastern JIII Finals and JIII Eastern Junior Regionals.  Congratulations and Good Luck to all JIII State Championship qualifiers.

JIV/V/VI NFSC SL at Buffalo Ski Club

The younger age groups are getting some last minute training in before last Sunday’s final qualifier at Buffalo Ski Club.  As the standings are right now we have upwards of 12 athletes in contention for States Qualification and many more right on the bubble, not to mention the large group of athletes that will attend the Kandahar Festival this Weekend at Holiday Valley. 

Snowboard Athletes attend FIS NorAM at LeRelais, QUE

This season HoliMont Snowboard Racing athletes move into their second season of chasing the FIS Alpine Tour throughout the US and Canada.  Already this season many athletes have been to Steamboat, CO, Copper, CO, and Mt. Tremblant, Que chasing the FIS/FIS NorAM Circuit which will lead them to HoliMont Race to the Cup on February 26-28, 2012.  This will be the final FIS NorAM Alpine Event of the Season, and all that are present will be able to see some world class alpine snowboarding right here at HoliMont.  Expect to see athletes from the US, Canada, Europe, and abroad. 

Jr III Division Team West
Ladies		Men
Mangan Patricia Donnan Ingrid Doro Hannah Sertl Sienna Norris Leah Davies Taylor Wilson Emily Haggerty Madeline Richards Sophia Saunders Emily Kelly Deirdre Walsh Katherine R Golini Catherine Hotaling Natalie Moore Alexandria Rosenbloom Talia Robinson Paige H Thibodeau Lake Haggerty Meghan Kreuzer Hannah Evans Madeline Macaluso Olivia L Bachert Lauren	HO BM HO BM BM HO HH HH HO GP HH HV HH TG BR BM HV HO HH HV HV SG HV	Wetzel Tyler Mergl Joseph Mangan William Hopfinger Jacob Carrier Joey Armstrong Harry Hejna Ethan Vasile Joseph Foxcroft J D Palmer Garrett Thorp Zachary Seminara Jack Teal Mitchell Kreuter C J Sertl Gunnar Carbaugh John Lavicka Kaison Haldane Connor Bell Ian M Webber Gunther Djafari Alexander Corcoran Daniel Jeske Daniel Ziobrowski John Scott Maxwell M Williamson Kyle J Hughes Clayton Hodges Niall D Hurley Jack Finicle Ben Barclay Andrew Hylkema Patrick R Swagler Jeffrey Stehle Mason	SG HV HO BM BM HO HV BM HO BR BM HO HO BM BM KB HV SG HO BM GP TG SG SG HV HH HH GP HV HV TG HV BM TG

Horst’s Derby Qualifiers to J3 States
Ladies		Men
Dentes, Demetra Davenport, Miranda Bacha, Celine Arbuckle, Devon Kelly, Megan Bouchard, Sierra Batten, Hanna Zachara, Isabel D'Amico, Sophia Hughes, Kelsey	SG BE WI HO HO WF LB GO TG HH	Kane, Matthew Glasser, Connor Schweitzer, Mitchell Carter, Dalton Galvan, Sebastian Merchant, Russell Duffy, Owen Horstmyer, Tim Sheridan, George Anderson, Tommy Quigg, Connor Kane, Nicholas Wright, Sean	SG PB MV SG GO WM WM WF WI BM DH SG HV

Which Room Do You Ski In?

By Dan Balkin / HoliMont Snowsports School

Well, if I had my choice, it would be in the kitchen.  Who doesn’t like to peer into the fridge and start salivating?  But we are using the term “room” metaphorically. I picked up this metaphor while doing a ski instructor update clinic at HoliMont a few years ago.  Every two years all certified instructors must take a two day update clinic run by a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) educational staff.

Our clinician was a young PSIA examiner from Pennsylvania.  At the top of one run he posed a simple question:  where do you stand on your feet when you ski?  This harmless question was designed to provoke the wrong answer and shatter a ski instructor cliché.  Asked this question, many instructors will say “centered over your arches – in the middle of your feet.”  We did not disappoint him.  The “middle of your feet” was the consensus answer in our group.

Our clinic leader Eric now dropped his metaphorical bomb on us.  He said to imagine each of our feet to be comprised of “three rooms.”  The front room is the first third of our foot (supported by the ball of the foot and the pad of skin behind the little toe); the middle room is the center of our foot (supported by the arch); the back room is the last third of our foot (supported by the heel).  Eric explained to us why our conventional wisdom (only stand in the middle of the foot) was wrong. He had our attention because he was a fantastic skier – especially in icy moguls.  His grace and finesse gave him complete credibility in our eyes.

Eric said that if you initiate a turn on a steeper slope on the middle of your foot, the forces generated by the turn are often going to push you onto your heels (the proverbial “back seat”).  He encouraged us to feel as if we were pressing down on the “front room” of our feet to start our turns.  The cues that we feel (while initiating a turn to the right) would be the ball of the left foot and the pad of skin behind the little toe on the right foot.  Another cue would be feeling pressure on the tips of our skis when initiating a ski turn. 

As the turn progresses, pressure and edge angles also increase.  We can absorb the pressures by flexing our legs (just like a shock absorber).  In short, Eric said to start each turn with forward pressure on both feet and then settle into the middle of the foot for the remainder of the turn.  The alternative is to start the turn on the arch (middle) and most likely get tossed onto the heels – a position from which most skiers can’t properly balance.  If you feel you can’t pressure the front of your skis when you start a turn, you most likely need to make one of the following adjustments:  #1-bring your hips up over your feet at the initiation of the turn / #2 – if that does not help, talk to one of our expert boot fitters in town about adjusting the “ramp angle” of your ski boots (proper ramp angle allows you to pressure the front of your ski, not just the middle of you ski; in other words, ramp angles influence your fore and aft balance).   

All ski setups are not created equal.  Different boot and binding combinations can strongly influence your fore/aft balance. With my new boots this season, I had to make some adjustments to the ramp angle in order to feel that I could pressure the front of my skis properly and not get pitched onto my heels on steeper runs.  Fortunately, most après ski activities are conducted on surfaces that are quite level.  If I had to think about hip position, the front room of my feet or ramp angles while sipping a refreshment – life would be complicated indeed.  

HoliMont Racing Updates

We are now about halfway through the 2012 season, which means that the HoliMont Race Team is in top form and cruising through the Western New York competition circuit. 

On January 28^th HoliMont hosted its first IntraClub race of the season.  Listed below are the results of a very competitive day.

Class: 11 & Up Female

Team              Name                                   Run #1           Run #2           Combined

UINT                         Jenna DiDonato                    35.09 (1)               33.77 (1)               1:08.86 (1)

UTravel                   Kathryn Webb                        35.71 (2)               36.82 (2)               1:12.53 (2)

UINT                         Hannah Holland                   39.19 (4)               41.09 (4)               1:20.28 (3)

UJunior                    Julia Ross                                  40.82 (5)               42.17 (6)               1:22.99 (4)

UTravel                   Hanna Laube                          42.84 (9)               41.04 (3)               1:23.88 (5)

Class: 11 & Up Male

Team                      Name                          Run #1           Run #2           Combined

UINT                         Elliott Cahill                           37.25 (1)               34.78 (1)               1:12.03 (1)

UJunior                    Spencer Johnson                   37.94 (2)               38.70 (2)               1:16.64 (2)

UINT                         Liam Deschamps                  39.48 (3)               40.37 (3)               1:19.85 (3)

UINT                         Eric Brankovic                       41.25 (5)               40.73 (4)               1:21.98 (4)

UINT                         Troy Hendriks                       40.92 (4)               42.63 (5)               1:23.55 (5)

Class: 5 & 6 Female

Team                     Name                          Run #1           Run #2           Combined

INT                            Hilary Cummins                   43.07 (1)               43.76 (1)              1:26.83 (1)

INT                            Lauren Farber                        51.00 (2)             51.87 (3)               1:42.87 (2)

INT                            Mary Cathrine Mangan     52.06 (3)               51.60 (2)               1:43.66 (3)

INT                            Madalyn Cummings           58.07 (4)               57.53 (4)               1:55.60 (4)

INT                            Claire Rintoul                        1:10.01 (6)           1:04.99 (5)           2:15.75 (5)

Class: 5 & 6 Male

Team                       Name                          Run #1           Run #2           Combined

INT                            Cameron Johnston               47.08 (1)               44.68 (1)               1:31.76 (1)

INT                            Liam Ainslie                            52.73 (2)               50.82 (2)               1:43.55 (2)

INT                            Hans Solly                                54.24 (3)               53.63 (4)               1:47.87 (3)

INT                            Aaron Gyorgy                         55.29 (4)               53.29 (3)               1:48.58 (4)

INT                            Blake Preston                         1:09.06 (5)           1:06.69 (6)           2:15.75 (5)

Class: 7 & 8 Female

Team                        Name                          Run #1           Run #2           Combined

INT                            Alexandra Cummins          44.31 (1)               45.24 (2)               1:29.55 (1)

INT                            Courtney Maclay                 45.85 (2)               46.32 (3)               1:32.17 (2)

INT                            Elliot Barr                              49.32 (5)               43.90 (1)               1:33.22 (3)

INT                            Nyah Solly                              46.97 (3)               48.25 (4)               1:35.22 (4)

INT                            Annika Hambleton              49.54 (6)               50.32 (6)               1:39.86 (5)

Class: 7 & 8 Male

Team                        Name                          Run #1           Run #2           Combined

INT                            Trey Maclay                           43.59 (1)               45.10 (1)               1:28.69 (1)

INT                            Michael Turnbull                 45.20 (3)               45.73 (2)               1:30.93 (2)

Steppi                      Will Knauss                             44.75 (2)               47.41 (6)               1:32.16 (3)

INT                            Connor Hughey                    46.49 (4)               46.76 (5)               1:33.25 (4)

INT                            David Rintoul                        47.82 (5)               46.27 (4)               1:34.09 (5)

Class: 9 & 10 Female

Team                       Name                          Run #1           Run #2           Combined

INT                            Zoe Knauss                              38.44 (1)               39.75 (1)               1:18.19 (1)

INT                            Megan Turnbull                   42.16 (3)               40.31 (2)               1:22.47 (2)

INT                            Maddie Farber                       41.54 (2)               43.17 (3)               1:24.71 (3)

INT                            Annie Dietrich                       43.73 (4)               45.22 (5)               1:28.95 (4)

INT                            Emma Swankie                     45.62 (5)               44.84 (4)               1:30.46 (5)

Class: 9 & 10 Male

Team                          Name                          Run #1           Run #2           Combined

INT                            Callum Cahill                         41.99 (1)               43.69 (2)               1:25.68 (1)

INT                            Zachary Hughey                   43.64 (3)               43.39 (1)               1:27.03 (2)

INT                            Adam Brankovic                   42.76 (2)               44.48 (4)               1:27.24 (3)

INT                            Matthew Stanton                  45.30 (4)               44.84 (5)               1:30.14 (4)

INT                            Daniel Benedetti                   46.81 (5)               44.36 (3)               1:31.17 (5)

February 5^th HoliMont hosted a NFSC J4/5/6 Combined competition.  In the J-6 Field, HoliMont’s Logan Kidd finished in 5^th Place, Samuel Dresing finished in 6^th Place, Drew Vergon finished in 11^th Place, Trek Wilday finished in 13^th Place, and Kyle Chmiel finished in 14^th Place.

In the J-5 event HoliMont Racer Maxxon Solly took 2^nd Place, Carlo Muscarella took 5^th Place, Austin Gyorgy took 12^th Place, Lucas Johnson took 14^th Place, Tiger London took 15^th Place, Samuel Balanevsky took 22^nd Place, and Kyle McNamara took 23^rd Place. 

In the J-4 event HoliMont Racer Jacob Flaherty took 2^nd Place, Andrew Mangan took 3^rd Place, Spencer Smyth took 5^th Place, Carson Foxcroft took 9^th Place, Kenneth Bianchi took 10^th Place, Gage Thibodeau took 12^th Place, Liam Ross took 14^th Place, Max Balanevsky took 16^th Place, and Ryan Chmiel took 19^th Place.

On the ladies side in the J-6 field HoliMont’s Josephine Cochran finished in 7^th Place. 

In the J-5 class, HoliMont’s Megan Ross finished in 11^th Place, Oksana Wilday finished in 15^th Place, and Katelyn Stevens finished in 17^th Place. 

The J-4 class saw HoliMont’s Danielle Mason take 1^st Place, Andee Berberich took 5^th Place, Chloe Richards took 7^th Place, Anna Vergon took 8^th Place, Angelica Priest took 10^th Place, Brogan Cairns took 11^th Place, Sarah Johnston took 14^th Place, Pyper McDowell took 17^th Place, Shannon Clough took 19^th Place, Hanna Laube took 27^th Place, Isabelle Cochran took 31^st Place, Claire McKenna took 32^nd Place, and Grace Cannon took 33^rd Place.  

On February 6^th, HoliMont had a strong outing at the J3 Super-G Race at Bristol Mountain.

Over 60 female athletes competed in the race and HoliMont had 5 racers place in the top 13.  Patricia Mangan took 1^st Place, Hannah Doro took 4^th Place, Taylor Davies took 5^th Place, Sophia Richards took 7^th Place, and Lake Thibodeau took 13^th Place.

On the men’s side, over 70 athletes were competing for the top spot.  Four racers from HoliMont finished in the Top 16.  Harry Armstrong finished in 5^th Place, William Mangan finished in 6^th Place, JD Foxcroft finished in 7^th Place, and Ian Bell finished in 16^th Place.