Varsity Ski Teams Capture Podium 2nd !
Friday night's giant slalom was an exciting and emotional race, featuring over half of New Jersey's varsity high school ski teams, making it a significant competition. Over the past two seasons, Sparta competed in the Mega West race at Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania, where we trained extensively. This year we switched to the Mega East Race held at Mountain Creek, a most familiar venue for our ski team, since we didn't train at Blue Mountain this season.
This race was important and turned out to be an emotional and challenging night for both Coach Serena and myself, as we were dealing with the grief of my father's passing. On top of that, the ski coaches and many athletes were mourning the death of our colleague Coach Carl Boyhan, with many having just come from the visitation at the funeral home. The atmosphere at the race was heavy with emotion, as we paid tribute to Coach Carl Boyhan with a touching moment of silence before the first run. As the NJISRA Vice President, I delivered this tribute at the summit:
Please stand silently for a moment of reflection and respect. Life and alpine racing are both unpredictable and extremely fast. As coaches, we routinely pour our heart and soul into our athletes and ski teams. Simply put, you bring us joy. It is with a heavy heart that we stand here missing our fellow Coach, Carl Boyhan who recently passed away. A number of you knew him and were given the gift of being coached by him. Or maybe you just remember him being here at the start with his Bluetooth speaker playing his tunes to get us pumped. Carl was an established figure in our ski community, known for his dedication as a ski instructor and as an alpine race coach at various esteemed locations, including Hunter Mountain, Winter 4 Kids, Immaculate Heart Academy, and most recently, Don Bosco Prep.
On behalf of the NJISRA, all of our racers and all of our coaches, we stand united in our support for you, not just in this moment of grief, but every single day. The bond we share as a community is strong, and we are here to uplift one another through both the triumphs and the challenges we face. As we take this time to honor Coach Carl, let us remember the impact he had on our lives and the lessons he imparted. His spirit will continue to inspire us. Together, let’s make this an incredible race, filled with the passion and dedication that Coach Carl embodied.
Please join me in a moment of silence to honor his memory ... ... ... (Cowbells) … Best of luck to everyone today.
Don Bosco Prep dominated the boys' GS race, finishing an impressive 39 seconds ahead, serving as a heartfelt tribute to their late Head Coach. The Sparta Boys demonstrated exceptional determination and resilience, achieving a fast team time thanks to the consistent performance of the same four athletes who have been instrumental to our team's success. Racers Ryan Grycuk (8th), Finn Kowalski (9), Pat Fitzsimmons (12), and Captain George Flint (13) achieved a team time of 6:46.50, securing second place on the podium and giving us 9 victories and 1 defeat for the race. Tenafly High School secured third place with a time of 6:48.32. With just one conference league race left, the boys' varsity ski team boasts a record of 32 victories and 3 defeats with a win percentage of 91.4%.
Our girls' varsity ski team achieved an impressive second-place finish as well, clocking a team time of 7:24.23. Ridgewood High School took first place with a time of 7:02.67, while Vernon High School secured third place with a time of 7:42.20. Sparta's strong performance was bolstered by the closely matched times from the following four racers: Captain Devon Dobbs (10), Aubrey Zimmerman (12), Sunny Young (13), and Ava Dyrsten (15), resulting in a score of 8 to 1. After five of six conference league races, the girls varsity ski team holds a record of 26 wins and 3 defeats with a win percentage of 89.7%.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the final conference league race of the season on Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14th, at Mountain Creek. Let's show our athletes some love! This race will be a special tribute to our senior athletes: Captain George Flint, Captain Devon Dobbs, Ava Dyrsten, Aubrey Zimmerman, and Brynne Cashion. The boys' and girls' ski teams will be giving it their all to secure a spot on the podium and qualify for the 2025 NJ State Championships.
After five out of six conference league races, here are the Team Wins & Losses:
Varsity Girls - 26 win - 3 loss 89.7% Win Percentage
Varsity Boys - 32 win - 3 loss 91.4% Win Percentage