GRANT REPORT - MAMMOTH HIGH SCHOOL SKI + SNOWBOARD TEAM
MMCF supports many Ski PE programs in the Eastern Sierra however it also supports CIF snowsport teams in both local Mammoth Unified School District and adjacent district high schools. The Ski and Snowboard Team is the largest co-ed varsity sport in Mammoth High School. It is a major component of winter sports and has the advantage of being 4 miles away from one of the most awesome resorts in the Northern Hemisphere – Mammoth Mountain! The team is a great way for all students in the high school to competitively participate on the snow. The mountain towers up from campus, displaying one of the most awe-inspiring sights in town. In fact, it is THE sight in town. And being on the school team familiarizes our student body with this large communal asset. MHS Ski and Snowboard team has many championship banners that line the wall of the gym and there is a reason for that. Connie Moyer, long time head coach of the team, recently set aside some time to tell us about it. Here is what she had to say.
How did this grant improve the lives of the student population benefiting from it? What ages/grades does your program serve?
The grant funds provided by MMCF supported every member of our 37 member team who range from first time ski/snowboard racers to our most experienced seasoned team athletes who became state champions. We were able to train four afternoons a week, host races to qualify for the state Championships and travel/compete as a whole team at the CNISSF Championships at Mt. Shasta. We were able to field a full team at the Champs to defend our title and everyone on the team traveled (even if some of the team members did not qualify) to support their teammates. This is the largest high school Varsity sport in all of Mammoth High School.
Was there a noticeable correlation between academic engagement/progress during the time period that Mammoth Ski & Snowboard team was in season?
Our team members also excel in academics! Part of our mission is to learn the balance of all aspects of life including school studies, extra curricular activities (like music, arts and ASB leadership), other Varsity sports (several of our athletes also play Varsity basketball and soccer during the same season and have to figure out which sport to practice in a single day….lots of juggling) and even work in town and/or for the ski area. Since we are a Varsity sport and part of the mountain team program our athletes have to maintain a certain GPA to remain eligible. I am proud to say that every athlete remained eligible throughout this season. That is the norm, but I do not take that for granted. Our athletes often are the school leaders as Val/Sal nominees, Senior Student Athlete of the Year nominees, and the recipients of many community scholarships awarded at the end of the year. Our athletes go on to attend great colleges and have great careers and attribute much of their success to being a member of our ski/snowboard teams. I attribute their success to learning how to balance life through hard work and their many activities that make them grow!!
How did this grant improve the lives of the students and their athletic experience?
Without this grant, the MHS Teams could not exist. Dave McCoy’s legacy is to provide access to all of our local youth who want to participate and learn life lessons on our giant playground we call Mammoth Mountain. My goal is to pass that access on to our youth. MMCF enables this access. Since the grant goes directly to coaching fees, it improves the athletes technical and tactical racing abilities. We train four afternoons a week working directly on the important skills for racing. Everyone improves! One afternoon a week, we meet as a team and work on goal setting, race course strategies, concussion baseline testing, mental imaging and more. For the qualifier race entries, we spend four different full days racing with eight races. During these races student-athletes learn race strategies, how to go fast, technique, tactics, timing and the independence of where to be when so they don’t miss their starts. Responsibilities and independence are a huge learning factor through this racing experience.
Did this grant have the effect that you were hoping for?
Each year in my coaching career, the goals of our teams exceed the previous one. Life lessons are learned on and off the ski/snowboard race arenas. High school aged student-athletes sometimes make mistakes, but we create an environment where it is a safe place to grow through respect and inclusion. No matter what their ability, everyone feels included and valued on our team. Winning is a great frosting on the cake, but these life lessons are the cake and way more important!
You mentioned that the Ski and Snowboard team is a CIF sport and that oftentimes Mammoth High School is in contention to win the CA State Championships! Can you elaborate on this?
This year we had a ripping ski team that was so deep. Like the previous year, we had troubles traveling during the storm of the year to the Champs and did not arrive until 1am the night prior to racing the champs. At champs there are close to 40 schools and 400 student athletes competing. Nine of our Husky athletes either DQ’d or DNF’d in the GS or SL because they were so tired, but we still won the Champs by over 70 points. Our snowboard team did great as well with the women placing 4th overall. Three athletes from each team scored and in the men’s snowboarding we only had two great student-athletes, so that challenged our combined overall results. Those two guys were so resilient. That in itself was worth their weight in gold!
Are there any expansions you would like to make within the team?
I would love to build our snowboard team (especially the men) to a larger roster. I would also love to build diversity on the teams with our Latino populations and get them out on the hill! In addition, I would also like to grow our CNISSF division and include other High Schools in our area like Lee Vining, Coleville, Big Pine, Lone Pine (that have so many younger athletes learning to ski through MMCF!) and even schools with student-athletes near Snow Summit and Lee Canyon down by Las Vegas, NV.
How is Mammoth Mountain involved with the Mammoth High School Ski and Snowboard team?
Our Husky team is thankful to the Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard team for their support through our coaching staff and beyond. We have great support from the ski area who allow us to train pretty much for free on the hill. They also give our athletes free passes for Mammoth and June. Race Department Director, Chip White, puts on our Qualifier races like they put on World Cup races. We feel the support from everyone involved with the daily operations of Mammoth Mountain.
Is there anything that you would like to convey to the donors of MMCF that we can include in our article?
Thank you to all that have made a donation to MMCF. Without MMCF’s support and the support of all of those who contribute to the foundation, our local high school athletes would not have this amazing opportunity to participate in winter sports here at Mammoth. Our gratitude is beyond words and higher than the mountains we ski and ride on. The team athletes understand and appreciate the high financial cost to be able to compete at this amazing sport and never take it for granted. Thank you!!
