NAASF IS BACK!!!

Wow is all I can say.  The AA Ski andSnowboard Club/TEAAM had a great turnout with 117 players.  This contributed to a NAASF total attendance of 411, the largest group since 1992.

This led to some of the most exciting parties, racing, and fun times in a really long time.  The amazing Mountain of Big Sky Montana did not disappoint!  With snow every night, and then Sunshine breaking out every day, it made for some of the most amazing skiing ever.  Yes, we did have to scrape the snow off of the race courses every day, but it was well worth it.  Just getting to the courses was some powdery fun!

I learned that if you tell Room Mom (TED) Jana Sinn to go find us a fun, unique, and special place to have a TEAAM Dinner, you better watch out.  “THE WAYSIDE” restaurant was one of the most incredible venues we have ever had.  Really I can only offer some pictures to help show you what I mean, and even they don’t do it justice.  Thank you Jana, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

While I revel in amazing memories of Big Sky, I must immediately remind you that next months NAASF week in Steamboat Springs, CO is just around the corner.  This is our “Home” turf.  We all know it, and love it.  With mid season snow and Winter Carnival in town the week before, the Mountain will be buzzing.  I hope you can join us.  Room mom (TED) Larry Stubbs will have some more info below.

As always, thank you for being part of an amazing group of friends and family.   Ski Safe, have fun, make memories!

Rick iPrez, (Grand PooBah)

From your VP

WOW WOW WOW WHAT A WEEK!!

I can't remember a more special NAASF week...  If you were there, you know it.  If you weren't, then make the effort to be in Steamboat next month, so we can try to make it even better!  NAASF said it was the highest turnout in 33 years!  The snow was superb, racing  challenging and successful, and the parties worthy of this group.  We had members from way back, in addition to two new members, Will Francis and Martin Fedigan—Welcome!. 

We also have our newest dependent member --Congratulations to Greg Gilger and his wife on the arrival of Lyla Grace Gilger!!

I'm going to brag about our own A team captain (because he won't).  John Eidman won BOTH the A giant slalom AND the A slalom for a total sweep in the A Men's division.  Congratulations to John!  We are still waiting for the final Team points totals, so stay tuned for our standing versus Delta.

I want to mention an area that we will be working on in future events.  Information about daily events was lacking and hard to find.  I will do what I can to find out how our past president Julie Molano, and Nathan Green, were so successful in keeping us so well informed in past years.  Hope to see you at Steamboat!

Scott

From your "A" TEAAM Captain

In a word…EPIC!

Wow, did Big Sky deliver? Yes! It was massive in every sense – with its expansive topography, iconic and majestic Lone Peak, heated chairlift seats, and a bounty of fresh pow pow every day, Big Sky delivered with a very memorable ski week for all who attended!

But what about racing you say? 

For our first meet of 2025 our A team delivered as well! The race staff set us some fun courses on Hangman trail – a tight GS and a challenging Slalom. There were some unexpected changes to the schedule and format this week (some of them last minute). Thank you A’s for flexing, rolling with it, and bringing you’re “A” game in the course!

Nicole Mott lead our A women, delivering strong performances in both GS and SL, finishing 5th overall. Great job Nicole! On her tail, Ellen Wardrop finished an impressive 7^th overall. Danielle Honore gave us our strongest women’s SL finish.

On the A men’s side, Kent “KJ” Johnson smoked it, finishing 3^rd in SL and 2^nd in GS for an impressive 2^nd overall. Awesome skiing KJ! Jim Hershey had great performances as well with a 6^th in SL and a 12^th in GS, putting him in 7^th place in the standings. Mike Williams finished right behind Hershey in SL in 7^th place, 11^th overall. Our VP Scott McKee contributed with a 13^th in GS and showed us a glimmer of his SL prowess with a 5^th place after the first run in SL. And I feel very fortunate to say, I contributed my best finishes ever. 

Well done to all the A’s! Your efforts put us in 2^nd place in the Bob Powers Cup standings with 244 points…striking distance from Delta at 285 points. I’m hoping to seeing you all in Steamboat where we will continue our pursuit of the BPC and KDA!

-       John Eidmann

From your "B" TeAAm Captain

Super Beeees!

What a week we had! For me it was my first time at Big Sky.  I think it would definitely be worth telling  NAASF to get us back there soon!

The Tuesday / Wednesday racing schedule took us a bit by surprise, but you all came through for us! Hope you enjoyed a free-skiing day on Thursday to explore the rest of Big Sky. 

B racers congratulations!  You contributed almost 40% of all points for AA Ski and Snowboard team.  YOU are the reason we’re edging closer to our goal of BEATING DELTA this season!
A shout out to our top racers:
In B Women’s GS Polly Mains took 5th.  Go Polly! Jennifer Naylor placed 7th… how’s that for a snowboarder? In slalom we had Cher Dawson, B team co-captain in 5th place with Polly Mains finishing 12th, but 3rd in the “senior” division.
B Men’s GS had Chad Wright finishing 5th with Rick Wilson right behind him at 6th.  Rick also took 1st in the “senior” division.  André Halvorsen took 9th in both GS and Slalom and Rick Wilson at 10th in Slalom finishing 2nd in the “senior” division.

Yes, we’re recruiting young, fast racers, but for those of you who had past glories racing in high school or college and think you’re not up to your past glories, come back!  Your numbers may be a bit slower, but get back in there and race.  It’s the B team that will close the gap. We need you up there racing and, unlike the A team, you need only complete one run.  If it’s good enough (to your satisfaction), you’re good. 

We’re a month away from our next NAASF race at Steamboat.  I encourage you to come and come a day early if possible.  To echo “Chicken Man” come to the Winter Carnival!
Saturday, February 8th 7:30-8:30 P.M. NIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA 
Title sponsor Yampa Valley Bank. Join us for this must-see evening of entertainment at historic Howelsen Hill! This community favorite draws thousands of spectators for an exciting light display! The evening highlights local athletes showing their prowess in the dark, lit by flares and LED lights. The Lighted Man will then ski down Howelsen Hill and shoot fireworks from his pyrotechnic suit, and jumpers will soar through a fiery hoop off of the Nordic jumps! End the night with a stunning fireworks show! Location: Howelsen Hill

See you next month,

Captain Ellen

Epic Week!!

Thank you, snowboard team, for representing! The women showed up strong! I'm barely holding on to the pole position by the skin of my teeth! A special shoutout to the lovely Patrice, who absolutely killed it in her second year with a third-place finish—just amazing! We also had strong finishes from Toma, Jennifer, and Paula. Thank you, ladies!

Our men are still riding strong! Dan being our top male rider for the week—way to go, Dan! Dennis and Jim always show up, give their best, and remain constant staples on the course with their carving skills and signature chicken head. Former team captain Eric also made a great showing on the course. Thank you, Team AA snowboarders, for the turnout!

Unfortunately, our ray of sunshine, Brian, had a registration issue and didn’t make the list this time. But we’re excited to see our new boarder, Will, in action—we can’t wait to see what he brings to the course this season!

Communication Updates:

Please reach out to me at any and all events if you need information. I’m working on improving communication for future races. If you know you’re coming, please let me know personally so I can ensure you're registered properly. You can also double-check your registration on the NAASF page.

Recruiting Reminder:

We desperately need new recruits for the snowboard team if we plan to keep up with the big D (Delta)! Spread the word about our wonderful ski group, and let’s keep growing our team.

Thank you again, snowboarders—you rock!

Hollie

From your Social Chairman