Kimball Union Academy ~ Private Boarding School Grades 9-12, Private High Schools in New Hampshire

Alpine News Feed

Two KUA Snowsport Athletes Make It to Nationals!
3/16/12
     We are proud to announce that sophomore Dan Scherding and senior Bonnie Plausteiner have made it to the US Nationals in their respective winter sports. Bonnie, a snowboard racer, and Dan, an alpine ski racer, both worked very hard this winter to make it to an elite national level of competition. Congratulations are in order for both athletes!
     Dan was one of only 140 racers around the country to qualify to compete at the J2 National Championships in Mammoth, CA, held from March 5-13th. The events included downhill, Super G, slalom and giant slalom. Dan had a great race series, finishing 12th in the slalom, and finishing in the top 40 in both the Super G and downhill!
     Bonnie will be heading out to Copper Mountain in early April to compete in the Snowboard Nationals. Bonnie is currently ranked 3rd nationally for GS, and 5th nationally for slalom in her age group. She is attending as the NH series winner for her division in Giant Slalom, Slalom and Boardercross.
     We are very proud of both Dan and Bonnie for their hard work, their great accomplishments, and for representing KUA so well on the national stage.

KUA Varsity Ski Team Scores Gold & Silver at Lakes Region Slalom Finals
2/22/12

It was a real nail-biter at the Lakes Region Slalom Championships held at Proctor on Wednesday, Feb 22nd. The KUA skiers came to play and play hard. The boys came home with the gold at the end of the day, adding to their previous gold in the Lakes Region GS Championship. Dan Scherding was able to keep up his reputation of being the fastest skier in the prep school series. He led the team placing first with a two second lead over the next competitor. Jim Herbert has been finding his stride of late and put two fantastic runs together, earning a 5^th place result. Close behind was teammate Karl Menzel in 7^th place. The surprise of the day, earning the fourth place points for the team, was Craig Tyer, landing in 14th position. Craig had a great season and was on a mission to pop into the top fifteen. Freshman Sam Durst who has been out injured for a few weeks skied solidly and placed 18th. Charlie Parry and Dylan Chauvin laid down two very solid runs, placing 34^th and 46^th, respectively. Freshman Levy Byrd had a great first run, attacked the second run, and unfortunately blew out of the course.

The girls’ team was on fire at Wednesday’s race. They were looking to add another gold to their trophy shelf, having brought home gold in the Lakes Region GS Championship a few weeks ago. However, they were barely edged out of the gold by a very competitive St. Paul’s team. Kayla Jacobs (4^th), Alicia Fairbrothers (8^th), Leah Cole Durst (9^th), Zoe Reed (14^th), Amalie Peterson (17^th) and Greta Hulleberg (fell 1^st run, 5^th in the second run) were all in the zone. Each and every one of our girls skied the best they had skied all winter. But ski racing can be won and lost by just hundredths of a second, and the amount by which St. Paul’s beat out our Wildcat girls amounted to about 1” of distance over two combined runs… only one inch! Congratulations girls on a great season.

_________________________________________________________________________________

KUA Men’s Alpine Ski Team Brings Home Team Silver from NEPSAC Championships

2/16/2012

At the NEPSAC Championships held at Blackwater ski area, the KUA men’s team held strong against excellent competition from fifteen other schools in the Class A Division, and came home with a second place overall title. Congratulations to Dan Scherding, Jim Herbert, Karl Menzel, Craig Tyer, Ethan Levine and Levy Byrd for a great day of racing. Special congratulations to Dan Scherding for a decisive win in the SL and GS race and winning the overall NEPSAC Championship title.

Teammate Jim Herbert placed an impressive 8th in the SL, and 11th in the GS to help the team on its mission. Karl Menzel brought in the final scoring points for the team placing 14th in the SL, and 20th in the GS. Craig Tyer was consistent all day finishing all four runs placing 35th in the SL and 46th in the GS.

On the women’s side, the team finished a respectable 5th overall against eleven other Class A schools, many of which host teams significantly larger than KUA’s, improving their scoring chances with back-up skiers. Freshman Greta Hulleberg led the team in place points earning a 6th in the GS, and a 10th in the SL. Teammate Alicia Fairbrothers was close behind with a 10th in the GS, and a 15th in the SL. Sophomore Zoe Reed scored the final points for the team in both races with her 20th in the GS and her 24th in the SL. Senior Leah Cole Durst had a promising 11th place finish in the first run of the SL, but unfortunately fell in the second run, hiking up to be sure to get a finish for the team. Kayla Jacobs did it in reverse, falling and hiking in the first run of the SL, and then placing 12th in the second run. In the GS Kayla came in 22nd overall and Leah came in 27th. Special thanks to Amalie Peterson for helping out the team and being on standby as an Alternate, and special thanks to all the parents who came out to support the team.
_________________________________________________________________________________

KUA Skiers Have a Great Week in the Eastern Region
2/6/2012

It has been a very busy winter for KUA skiers. Beyond their team competition in the NEPSAC, the Eastern Skiers have been traveling around New England competing in a number of events from SL (very quick turns), to GS (larger faster turns), to Super G (very big turns and much faster speeds) to DH ( going straight and reaching speeds over 65 mph).

Dan Scherding, the number one skier for KUA, has been competing in many international races (FIS) against Division 1 college skiers from teams such as Dartmouth, Middlebury and UNH, to name just a few. Dan is on a quest to ski fast enough to qualify to the Junior Nationals in Mammoth California in March.

Alicia Fairbrothers, Greta Hulleberg and Jim Herbert just returned from Speed Week up at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, January 29 to February 3. The three athletes skied at speeds well over 65 mph. Alicia hit 68mph, Greta 72mph and Jim topped out at 74 mph. Ironically, traveling in a car going that fast is against the law but to have athletes traveling that fast on snow is okay. The downhill run took the racers about 1 min 20 seconds from the top to bottom. The average recreational skier takes about 5 minutes to get down the same run.

This past weekend a handful of Eastern Skiers traveled early in the morning to Cranmore Mountain for a beautiful day of ski racing. Greta Hulleberg proved she does not only like to go straight, but enjoys turning too. Greta raced to a 6th place finish on the day, but it should be noted that she tied for first place in her second run. It should also be noted it is very uncommon to have ties in ski racing, even more to tie for first place. Kayla Jacobs placed 14^th overall, earning 3rd in her age class, and bringing home a medal.
Leah Durst joined the Eastern team after a knee strain and came back to place in 23 position followed by Zoe Reed in 33^rd place. Alicia Fairbrothers had a tough day making a mistake in the first run and taking her out of the running for a win.

On the boys side, Karl Menzel laid down two almost perfect runs placing him in 6^th overall. Karl also brought home some hardware placing third in his age group. Sam Durst respectfully finished in 31st position for the day.

Eastern USSA skiers:

Girls: Kayla Jacobs, Greta Hulleberg, Alicia Fairbrothers, Leah Durst, Zoe Reed

Boys: Dan Scherding, Jim Herbert, Karl Menzel. Sam Durst, Ethan Levine, Levy Byrd, Nate Lang

_________________________________________________________________________________

KUA Ski Team Victorious at Lakes Region League GS Race
1/25/12
     KUA brought it to the slopes in the second GS of the Lakes Region League season, gaining overall team wins for both the girls' and boys' Varsity teams at the home race hosted by KUA at Sunapee Ski Area. Kayla Jacobs took 2nd overall, Greta Hulleberg 3rd, Alicia Fairbrothers 5th, Zoe Reed 10th, Amelie Petersen 11th, and Steffy Lapierre 19th. In the boys' Varsity race, Daniel Scherding placed 1st overall by a convincing 2.2 seconds, Jim Herbert 4th, Karl Menzel 5th, Sam Durst 10th, Craig Tyer 15th, Charlie Parry 19th, Levy Bird 20th and Dylan Chauvin 21st.
     In the JV Girls race, Colby Little took first, winning by over 10 seconds! The boys JV team excelled as a group, placing six racers in the top 15. Dan Pogust took 1st overall, Ethan Levine 2nd, Wyett MacDonald 6th, Will Jenkins 11th, Tommy Jenkins 13th, James Lee 15th. They were edged out of top JV team honors by Cardigan Mountain School by just 3 points.
     There was a good crowd in attendance cheering on the athletes, including Headmaster Mike Schafer, Asst. Head Joe Williams and Academic Dean David Weidman. KUA's next team competition is Wednesday, Feb 1st at Gunstock Ski Area.
_________________________________________________________________________________

KUA Varsity Girls Win and Boys Ski to 2nd Place
1/18/12
     KUA racers travelled to Blackwater Ski Area for the first Lakes Region slalom event of the season. It was 20-degrees with blowing winds, which made the conditions extremely icy and very fast.
     The KUA girls worked hard as a team and walked away with their second consecutive Lakes Region victory! Senior leader Leah Cole-Durst, who was smoking through her first run, hooked a tip on a tight turn just 5 turns from the finish, injuring her knee and ending her day. Sophomore Kayla Jacobs earned her second victory in as many weeks, beating her closest opponent by 1.3 seconds. Strong runs were also posted by sophomore Alicia Fairbrothers (3rd), freshman Greta Hulleberg (5th), and sophomore Zoe Reed (9th). Amelie Petersen battled through two tough runs to help the team to its victory.
     The KUA boys were pitted against some of the best skiers in the Lakes Region at this event, but skied hard and earned themselves 2nd place behind a strong Cardigan Mountain team. Karl Menzel battled the tough conditions and earned himself 3rd position. Other notable performances came from Jim Herbert, finishing 6th despite missing a gate and hiking in his first run, Dylan “The Kentucky Flame” Chauvin finishing 13th, and freshman Sam Durst finishing 17th.
     Notable performances were notched by KUA rookies Levy Bird, Craig Tyer, and Ethan Levine, all participating in the first slalom race of their careers. While Craig and Ethan couldn’t find the finish line, Levy landed in 23rd position, with the freshman showing tremendous ability despite his inexperience.
     Next week we will see the Wildcats defending their home turf at Sunapee for a Lakes Region giant slalom. Racing action begins at 2pm; we hope to see you there!
_________________________________________________________________________________

KUA Boys and Girls Teams Win Opening Contest of Season
1/11/12

Wednesday marked the season opener for the Kimball Union Academy school team. Cardigan Mountain School hosted the Giant Slalom event at Sunapee Ski Area. Cardigan, White Mountain School, Holderness, Vermont Academy, and New Hampton School were all in attendance.

In the girls' Varsity race, KUA racers had six racers in the top ten, earning the team a first place victory overall. Kayla Jacobs (‘13) took first place, Greta Hulleberg (’15) placed third, and Alicia Fairbrothers (’14) placed fourth.
In the boys' Varsity race, KUA had three top ten finishes, tying with Holderness for first place overall. Dan Scherding (’14) placed first, Jim Herbert (’14) placed fourth, and Sam Cole-Durst (’15) placed tenth.

Freshmen Ethan Levine and Nate Lang placed first and sixth in the JV race, respectively. KUA will compete at Blackwater on Wednesday, January 18.

Alpine Coaching Staff

Gus DeMaggio

Miki Fera

Rick Colt

Neal McIntyre

Julia Logan

Gus DeMaggio
Head Alpine Coach

Gus competed successfully at the collegiate level during his four years at Plymouth State, with a best result of 11th overall in the Collegiate Nationals. After college he directed the Loon Mountain Ski Team for eight years, and then moved overseas where he ran Team Excel Ski Academy with his wife, Miki Fera. They placed two athletes on the Scottish and English National ski teams, and three on the Romanian team. Prior to coming to KUA, Gus coached at Cardigan Mountain School for seven years, leading their alpine team to the school’s only Lakes Region Championship in any sport, as well as helping many athletes make it to the Junior Olympic level.

Miki Fera
Alpine Coach

Miki was a competitor on the Romanian National Ski Team for ten years. She participated in three Olympics, three World Championships and three University Games. In 1998 she won the Women's GS World Pro Championship and placed second overall on the Pro Tour. Miki spent four years coaching young athletes in Europe. She ran Team Excel Ski Academy with her husband Gus DeMaggio, where they had great success, placing five of their athletes on national teams. Prior to coming to KUA, Miki coached at Cardigan Mountain School for seven years, helping guide the Cardigan alpine athletes to many great successes.

Rick Colt
Alpine Coach
Rick began his skiing career in the Ford Sayre program. In high school he raced for Hanover High School and helped the team win New England Championships twice in his four years. He began coaching at Whaleback in 1993, where we was for 2 years, then coached for Ford Sayre until 2000, when he started the alpine racing program at Lebanon Outing Club. He coached the Hartford High School team from 2004 -2006, and has been coaching at KUA since 2007. Rich has run races for Ford Sayre, Whaleback and Lebanon Outing Club for 16 years.

Neal McIntyre
Alpine Coach
Neal McIntyre came to Kimball Union in 2003 to teach science and coach the alpine ski team. In his time as head coach, the Wildcats earned numerous Lakes Region alpine titles and the NEPSAC Class A girls championship title in 2008. Neal lives on campus with his wife and children in Huse House.

Julia Logan
Alpine Coach
Julia grew up racing at Waterville Valley, BBTS. She attended Waterville Valley Academy for her 8th grade year. She raced for Hanover High School for 2 years under Coach Marilyn Brown and then for the KUA Varsity team for three years for both Coach Farrell and Coach McIntyre. Julia attended Bates College in Maine and raced for the ski club competing in the Thompson Division against teams like Boston University, Northeastern, Castleton, WPI. She is in her third year of coaching at KUA.

About Alpine Racing at KUA

Kimball Union has a long tradition of fielding strong alpine racing teams with numerous Lakes Region Championships and NEPSAC successes to their credit.

The KUA Alpine team competes in the Class A division of the New England Prepartory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), at both the Varsity and JV levels. We compete in the Lakes Region League which holds competitions throughout January and early February among rival schools such as Holderness, Proctor Academy, Vermont Academy, White Mountain School and New Hampton School. KUA is a leader in the Lakes Region League and annually has racers who qualify to compete at the Class A NEPSAC Championships, held in mid-February, against racers from schools from all over New England.

Many KUA racers seek competition beyond the NEPSAC series, in events sanctioned by the New Hampshire Alpine Racing Association (NHARA), the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), and the International Ski Federation (FIS). Participation in these races is directed and supported by the Alpine Coaching Staff at KUA.

Interested prospective students and parents are encouraged to contact Snowsport Director and Head Alpine Coach, Gus DeMaggio.

NEPSAC Finals