Don't know anything about the history of a development team at Timberline since the Perfect family took over. Where are you driving from?
Bryce and Massanutten have very strong development teams for younger kids. My sense is that more of the kids on the Bryce team are from families who have a house/condo on the mountain. The Mnut team is a mix of kids who have parents willing to make the drive every weekend and locals who live in the Harrisonburg/Elkton area. The Mnut team coaches are all very experienced.
The Timberline team had to train at Canaan during the last years of T-Lines previous ownership. So not good. But now with the new ownership and under the new head coach Victoria Waldo ( who I coached at nights at Liberty) I am sure that they will right the ship and become a very good junior race team. With great terrain to train on.
Thanks, we're coming from Bethesda, MD. I'm keen on Timberline because we like to spend time in the Canaan Valley area, but I appreciate the input on the other teams as well. Something to consider.
marzNC wrote:
Don't know anything about the history of a development team at Timberline since the Perfect family took over. Where are you driving from?
Bryce and Massanutten have very strong development teams for younger kids. My sense is that more of the kids on the Bryce team are from families who have a house/condo on the mountain. The Mnut team is a mix of kids who have parents willing to make the drive every weekend and locals who live in the Harrisonburg/Elkton area. The Mnut team coaches are all very experienced.
Glad to hear of your interest in the Timberline Team. I became the President of the Board/Team this season. My two kids (7 & 9) are racing for the team. I grew up in Vermont but now live outside DC. Timberline has returned to one of the better (if not best along with Snowshoe) ski areas in our region. The new ownership has reinvigorated the mountain in so many ways. While the race team is parent Board run we work hand in hand with TM. We have a practice race on White Lightning this Sunday Feb 6 then we host our League (saraski.org) U16-U21 Championships February 25-26. You should come watch and or meet with the team to better understand our program. Happy to discuss more details. you can contact me at teardensohn@gmail.com TRT's website - timberlineraceteam.org
What's the commitment like?
I looked at the Hidden Valley team and it was one or two week night practices plus a lesson or race on the weekend. This would have been for a 12yr old.
My sense for the W PA resorts is that everyone on the teams is local, either from the LH area or Pittsburgh. I can't imagine driving more than an hour for practice two or three times a week.
The cost isn't cheap either, but what is in this sport?
https://www.timberlineraceteam.org/trt
A typical weekend is as follows:
Drive to Davis on Friday afternoon or evening
Up early on Saturday to get kids to the hut (preferably by 7:30 – 7:45 am for 8:00 am practice).
Kids head out to practice. Some parents hang out in the hut and socialize; some head right out to ski; others do their own thing. Parents may shadow their kid’s group as long as it doesn’t disrupt coaching [? Input please, not sure what the policy is]. A few do this especially for development and at the beginning of the season.
At noon, practice ends. Parents generally meet their kids at the hut. (Older kids may be independent or ski with friends.)
Kids have access to race on the NASTAR course, some families head back out to ski together for the afternoon, and others may do other activities or have downtime.
Sunday has the same schedule, then for many of us, the drive back to home on Sunday afternoon.
John, yeah, I remember those days. Back in the day, on busy weekends when lift lines were long we would have a dozen or more of the team members hanging out in our small condo watching movies or Warren Miller. Sometimes the wife and I couldn't get into the unit without tripping over boots, coats, and other gear. It was all good. They skied and practiced hard all AM and realized the potential hazard of skiing on crowded slopes. Had to laugh remembering now that Canaan Pollock, now a US Ski Team Coach, was one of the regulars at our place. The team becomes very close and those friendships carry on into adulthood.
