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WELCOME
OUR
CLUB
The Liberty Mountain Race Team (LMRT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization. Our parents serve on the Board of Directors and work
closely with our Coaching staff to run the team. per our by-laws.
The athletes race under the governing rules of the United States
Ski and Snowboard Association which is the sanctioning body of the
US Ski Team itself. Nearly all of America ’s Olympic athletes
and U.S. Ski Team members came up through programs just like this
-- and many from mountains smaller than this. Our organization does
not function without parents’ participation. Volunteering is
rewarded with fun and camaraderie on snow or in the lodge and a
first hand view of the development of the kids as confident
athletes. Parents are expected to participate. We answer to
ourselves with a Board of Directors. Various committees, chaired by
board members, are responsible for everything from reserving hotel
accommodations for an away race or fundraising off-season, to
assisting with timing at practice. You will be asked to serve on a
committee. You will be asked to lend any special skills or personal
expertise you can bring to the LMRT.
OUR
MOUNTAIN
The Liberty Mountain Resort generously supports our
program with everything from reserved trail space for race &
training courses, early, pre-opening lift access, extra snowmaking
and grooming to providing space on their property for our storage
equipment. We are forever grateful. We cannot function without the
resort’s continued support. Many of our members work here and
want the resort to thrive. We contribute to the health of the
resort by buying hundreds of season passes and tickets per year,
not to mention patronizing mountain businesses. Our relationship is
a good one. However, it’s important to note: we are guests on
the mountain just like any other paying customer. While we enjoy an
enhanced relationship with Liberty Mountain, we are not in any way
a profit-making enterprise of the resort, nor do we have any say in
how they operate. Please remember that your actions at the Mountain
reflect on all LMRT members.
OUR MEMBERS
Our race team members are aged 7 to 60+. They are divided into age
categories under USSA rules. The youth members (7 to 18) who join
the club have already learned how to make linked parallel turns, at
speed. They can turn and stop at will and ski all trails on the
mountain in a safe and controlled manner. In short, our racers
already know how to ski. The LMRT exists to teach them how to RACE.
This is an important distinction. Unlike many league and team
sports, ski racing includes significant risks not found on playing
fields. Training is conducted on terrain that is open to the
general public. For safety’s sake, athletes must be able to
keep up with their group, recover from crashes without assistance,
and carry their own equipment unassisted. Many aspiring racers gain
their basic skiing skills and graduate to racing from the
resort’s excellent Junior Development program, which is run
by the Liberty Mountain Ski School . The six-week series of lessons
puts kids in groups as if they are on a team. Junior Development is
not, in any way, a club enterprise. However, we highly recommend
it.
OUR
COACHES
We are led by Kurt Zwally, our Head Coach. All are USSA certified
coaches, and most have additional credentials as race officials.
They direct a corps of coaches dedicated to teaching the most
modern, fast, consistent and controlled racing turn. They are paid
for their time on club duty, but they don’t do it for the
money.
OUR PARENTS
You’ll meet people from all walks of life and
literally from around the world. We’re brought together by
our genuine love of snow sports -- and the desire to see our kids
become the great skiers they want to be!! Parents, coaches,
mountain management, we are all volunteers for the club.
OUR SCHEDULE
See our calendar in handouts and on-line. It boils down to this.
All practices and races are voluntary. The more often you
come the more you will get out of it. Many of our first year
members practice one day a weekend. The club holds formal
practices on Saturdays and Sundays during the ski season, as well
as staging a "holiday camp" between Christmas and the New Year. All
age groups start at the same time- 8:00 am. Skiing continues until
about 3pm with a lunch break. Depending on weather, we also have
optional weeknight practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays 6 to 9
pm. (Weeknight training is not available for participants in
the Development Team program.) There are two races at Liberty
Mountain that all members can enter. The annual USSA GS race
organized by LMRT parents, and the Resort’s annual Triple
Crown Giant Slalom family fun race organized by the Snow Sports
School.
OUR RACE
The premier event for LMRT each season is the Liberty Mountain
Giant Slalom race. Our club is responsible for the monumental
logistics of staging this sanctioned USSA race. All parents are
expected to participate in this weekend by volunteering or being
assigned to various committees. Jobs range from running a
registration table indoors, to hauling fencing and equipment on and
off the mountain or serving as race officials and gate
judges. All LMRT families are required to help organize our
race. It’s a very important (and fun!) weekend for all
of us.
RACING
AT OTHER MOUNTAINS
More experienced racers typically enjoy competing in away meets at
other mountains in central Pennsylvania. Depending on their
results, many will be invited to the State Championships (aka,
Derbies) for their age class and some may advance to regional meets
in New England such as the Future Stars event, Eastern Finals,
Invitationals or Junior Olympics. Traveling, and racing away is an
individual enterprise. Important: Parents and racers are
responsible for obtaining registration/fee information and
submitting the forms for away races on time and on their own.
(See the PARA website for more details.) There is some
important paperwork in ski racing, and it is not a team activity.
Also, parents are responsible for their own travel arrangements,
and must be prepared to support their racer on-the-road independent
of the team. Coaches will gather racers once they arrive at the
mountain, and assist in course inspection and starting. However,
racers are the ones who are responsible for appearing on-time and
properly equipped for a start. In this aspect, ski racing is a
highly individual and very rewarding sport.
EQUIPMENT
Minimally, athletes must have an approved helmet and goggles.
Face guards are optional for slalom but are not permitted in Giant
Slalom by USSA for safety reasons. Older J1 and J2 racers
must use skis that meet the same international F.I.S. standards
that World Cup skiers and Olympians adhere to. More serious
athletes do have both Slalom and Giant Slalom racing skis but it is
not required. Many more casual LMRT members have one pair of
skis. Coaches can be a great resource in equipment selection.
It is important to note that the most important equipment in ski
racing (after a helmet) is a pair of properly fitted and
appropriately flexible ski boots.
WHO TO TALK TO
Many of your questions will be about scheduling and
upcoming races. Your athlete’s coach will make
recommendations on what races your racer should enter. The
Coaches regularly update the training calendar based on any changes
in the race schedule that are made during the season. . However, be
sure to check the PARA website as it often has the most current
race schedule. Individual coaches are available on the
mountain during practices and via e-mail links that you may find on
the website. You may be serving on one of the committees designated
by our Board of Directors. Your individual committee chair can be
helpful for questions about who is doing what. See the website for
a list of contacts.
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