Skiers of the Month - September

Starting the semester is hard for everyone. No matter what you did during the summer the change to classes, homework and training can be tough.

This especially true if you are a freshman. You have all the issues mentioned above PLUS being away from home for the first time, roommates, feeding yourself, classes and homework unlike anything you have done in the past, and many other difficulties.

This is what makes these two young women so phenomenal. They both have had a great deal to manage in the first month of the semester and in spite of this they have the highest practice percentages on the team!

Ella spent the summer working in two different labs in addition to making it to almost every single summer practice and ALL the adventure weekends! Despite what should have been a fairly easy transition to school one of her projects didn't end as planned and she was also left completely in charge of it. A project that really should have been managed by a staff member or graduate student fell squarely in her lap as a Junior in college. This in top of a difficult schedule with multiple hard courses and labs.

Ella is also the Vice-President of the team and as such is a strong roll model to the younger skiers. She takes this very seriously. This entire semester Ella has only missed practice when she was sick, which wasn't often. She has been an inspiration for the team in all aspects: school, training, volunteer work, and leadership. Always with a smile and a willingness to help she embodies the team.

Ella has stepped into the void left by her mentors, Elise, Sierra and Meghan, and has not disappointed. For this reason Ella is Skier of the Month for September. YOU ROCK OUR WORLD!!!!

Maddy has been around the team for so long that we forget she wasn't always here. She has attended multiple Memorial Day Ski Camps and fit in so well from the start that we looked forward to having her on the team. She has not disappointed. She is as wonderful and fits even better than we anticipated. I can't even tell you how many times she asked to help this weekend and better yet I found her just finding things to do, like dishes. She is already making her mark on the team with her smile, laugh and willingness to hurt and help!

I do not recall a time when a freshman managed to handle the transition to school and skiing better than Maddy has done. She has missed only two practices, one when she had a terrible week of exams and one when her alarm didn't go off. She is so dedicated that she is one of the faces that I expect every time I look up.

She also excelled in the hillbounding this weekend at FORO, finishing the workout with the older girls and looking good all the way through the end.

She has done a phenomenal job of school and skiing, managing to get enough rest to not get sick while still being successful in the classroom and training. She is a rock and she's only 1 month into her freshman year! We are super excited she is finally part of our family.

Maddy, you ROCK OUR WORLD!!!!