THE CODY HIGH SCHOOL ALPINE SKI TEAM HAS HIT THE SLOPES NOW COMPETING IN THREE EVENTS THUS FAR THIS SEASON. IN THEIR LATEST COMPETITION THE CODY SKIERS WERE IN PINEDALE AND EACH TEAM WOULD COME AWAY WITH 2ND PLACE FINISHES. I CAUGHT UP WITH HEAD COACH OF THE CODY ALPINE SKI TEAM RICK STONEHOUSE AND HE GIVES HIS EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS YEAR’S SEASON.
“WE’VE PROBABLY HAD THE BEST YEAR OF EARLY SEASON TRAINING WE’VE EVER HAD. I THINK THERE’S A REAL OVERLAP THEIR WITH THE WAY KIDS ARE SKIING, THEY’RE DOING GREAT. THEY’VE HAD LOTS OF EXPERIENCE, THEY’VE BEEN ON THE STEEP STUFF SO THEY KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, NOBODY’S BEEN INTIMIDATED BY ANYTHING. IT’S BEEN REALLY GOOD THAT WAY. STARTED OFF WITH OUR FIRST COMPETITION IN LARAMIE WEEKS AGO AND HAD A REALLY GOOD RACE. HAD SOME TYPICAL SKI RACE UPS AND DOWNS.”
THE CODY SKIERS HAVE BEEN RIGHT BEHIND JACKSON ALL SEASON. JACKSON HAS AN ADDED LUXURY THAT THE CODY SKIERS DO NOT BENEFIT FROM, A SKI RESORT TO PRACTICE ON EVERY DAY. HOWEVER, CODY’S BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THINGS WORK. COACH STONEHOUSE ON UTILIZING THEIR TIME CAREFULLY AND EFFICIENTLY THROUGH THE SEASON.
“EVERY SATURDAY, EVERY TRAINING DAY, BEFORE THE SEASON BEGINS AND BEFORE WE’RE INTO THE HOLIDAYS WE DO AS MUCH OF RACE TYPE FORMAT AS WE CAN TO GET EVERYBODY PREPARED. WE SET COURSES THAT ARE GOING TO BE JUST LIKE THE ONE’S WE SEE IN A RACE. THEN OVER THE HOLIDAYS WE USUALLY GET SIX OR EIGHT DAYS WHERE WE CAN DO OUR TIME TRIALS AND TRY TO GET EVERYBODY LOADED UP. IT’S A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE BECAUSE WE’RE LIMITED ON SNOW TIME BUT WE THINK WE USE OUR TIME AS WELL AS WE CAN TO BE READY.”
WITH THREE EVENTS ALREADY IN THE BOOKS THERE’S JUST TWO MORE LEFT UNTIL THEY WILL COMPETE AT STATE. COACH STONEHOUSE ON WHAT HE’S LOOKING FOR OUT OF THE SKIERS AS THEY’VE PASSED THE HALFWAY POINT.
WE’RE LOOKING AT IMPROVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WHILE THE COMPETITION IS ALSO GETTING BETTER WE CAN WATCH OUR KIDS YEAR-TO-YEAR AND SOME CASES EVEN WEEK-TO-WEEK. WE CAN SEE WHAT THEY’RE DOING, WHAT THEY’RE DEVELOPING AND HOW THEY’RE IMPROVING ON THAT. THAT’S THE MAIN THING. HERE EVERY COURSE IS DIFFERENT, EVERY HILL IS DIFFERENT. SO THERE’S NO REAL STANDARD, NO REAL BAR, BUT IT’S JUST THAT IDEA OF WATCHING A KID SEE WHAT THE COMPETITION HAS TO BRING, HOW THEY CAN FOCUS ON THAT.”
LAST WEEKEND THE CODY ALPINE SKI TEAM TOOK PART IN THEIR THIRD EVENT OF THE SEASON IN PINEDALE. BOTH CODY TEAMS WOULD COME AWAY WITH SECOND PLACE FINISHES, RIGHT BEHIND JACKSON.
FOR THE FILLIES BOTH MCKINLEY ROSS AND NICOLE WAGLER WERE TOP TEN FINIHERS IN THE SLALOM AND GIANT SLALOM.
FOR THE BRONCS BOTH JAMES DAVIS AND STERLING BANKS FINISHED IN THE TOP 10 IN EACH EVENT.
UP NEXT FOR THE DOWNHILL SKIERS, THEY HOST THEIR OWN EVENT UP IN RED LODGE, FEBRUARY 7TH AND 8TH.
