Message from Kate Anderson, Alpine Director
Ford Sayre Alpine is thrilled to operate under the leadership of the program’s first-ever full-time Alpine Director, Kate Anderson. Her reflections on the 2023-24 season:
Despite the challenging snow conditions throughout the region, the alpine program developed 164 athletes ranging from age 6 to 17. With a focus on personal growth, team building, and the joy of skiing, the season was a success despite the lackluster snow.
Devo, our youngest age group, was incredibly popular, filling to capacity in less than an hour. Utilizing the expertise of over 20 coaches, our 57 youngest skiers gained confidence and independence on ice, slush, bumps, jumps, and even a little late season powder! They also got a taste of ski racing with night races at Storr’s Hill and Master of the Mountain events at Whaleback and Saskedena Six.
Our annual Thanksgiving Colorado camp continued to be a highlight for our older athletes (U12-FSA), with athletes and families traveling to Summit County for high altitude skill development and fun. This camp truly encapsulates the best of Ford Sayre, including team bonding, personal growth, and a celebration of the wonder of snow sports.
At home, the early season warm temperatures lead to a longer than normal dryland season and lower than historical gate training opportunities, which we will need to continue to plan for in the future. Finding a permanent indoor space to have the athletes be able to use in the evening when it becomes too dark for dryland outside is something alpine is trying to raise funds for.
Ford Sayre is looking forward to the new Whaleback surface lift being installed this summer and utilizing the quicker turn around to get more gate training in midweek.
On the race circuit, U12 and U14 athletes competed in local qualifiers before moving on to state championships or finals for a season finale. We were thrilled to see two of our athletes qualify for Piche’s invitational, two U14 athletes proceed to Eastern Championships and Owen Osterberg (U14) reach CanAms. Congratulations athletes!
FSA had a great season and utilized local mountains in the area to gain access to earlier season training before Whaleback and the Skiway opened. With 6 full-time athletes and 4 part-time athletes, it gave the group an opportunity to travel around to different venues and train gates on different terrain however this had an increased cost for the program before our home hills were able to open. Lane fees cost $450 or more depending on the type of venue the team is training at and the added cost of lift tickets. FSA is looking forward to having a weekend program again and welcoming back a few skiers who have been solely racing for the Hanover High School ski team. This will help generate extra income for FSA as well as bring families back into the Ford Sayre community. Right now FSA is in the process of rebuilding the program and has been in a financial deficit the last 2 seasons as numbers have decreased slightly but the cost of running the program remains high. The biggest expenses for FSA are currently coach salaries ($70,000) and 5-month van rentals. Vehicle expenses for the 5-month program are expected to be $20,000 and FSA is looking at another year of deficit at -$28,795 for the 2024-25 season.
Hiring an Alpine director has been a large but invaluable investment for the program. This has been a large expense but has allowed the program to have fresh eyes as well as year round management and planning. Kate has took 4 months this past spring and summer to propose an overall vision for the alpine program to allow growth and change to move the alpine team forward.
For the 2024-25 season, the Alpine program is going to have a small fundraiser during its pre-season kick-off party with a raffle and silent auction while also highlighting the real cost of running the Alpine program. A few items Alpine is trying to raise money for are:
- Stubbies $1,200
- Coach Jackets $2,500
- Video Camera $500
- Drill/Drill Bits $600
- Radios and Batteries $6,000
- Extra Van or Truck Rental $12,000
- Epic Coach Day Passes $2,000
- Coach Education Fees $2,000
Kate Anderson
Alpine Director