From Moscow to Michigan: SVSEF athletes in the mix

February 02, 2012

Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation snowboarder Chase Josey earned his second straight podium at the Revolution Tour, finishing second in men's halfpipe today at Otsego, Michigan.

The 16-year-old Josey, a Community School junior, scored 90 points to place second to Kent Callister, who posted 97.2 points. Josey scored nine points more than third-place finisher Kyle Kelley. Ryan Roemer, a junior at Wood River High School, finished 16th out of 24. Both Josey and Roemer will compete in slopestyle tomorrow.

Competing in World Cup moguls at Deer Valley, Utah, on Thursday, Shane Cordeau skied to 35th in a field of 46. Cordeau is a member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team and SVSEF Gold Team.

SVSEF Gold Team members Simi Hamilton and Mikey Sinnott finished in the middle of the pack in World Cup sprints in downtown Moscow, Russia. In a field of 66, Hamilton was 31st and Sinnott 37th in a 1.5k freestyle format. The top American was Andy Newell in 22nd. Hamilton and Sinnott were second and third out of four U.S. racers.

On his Web site (mikeysinnott.com), Sinnott relayed his first impressions of Moscow.

"The race venue itself winds through a park complete with enormous bronze statues, worn out bunkers, and a mountain-sized scaffolding construct in preparation of a dual slalom World Cup. It’s nestled downtown beside the largest stadium in all of Russia. They are expecting a crowd. Many things make this a great place for a venue, but two strike me as most exciting. First, the people here know and care about skiing. On the plane ride over I discussed which wax to use at zero degree temperatures with my seatmate- who hardly spoke English and did not ski. He was just inquisitive and curious. There are ski tracks throughout the city, on frozen river ways or wherever they may fit. Which leads to observation number two- Moscow has the most park area per person of any city in the world. Trees are everywhere, as are walking paths and people using them. It’s a very congested city on the streets, and many people use that as an opportunity to be outside- I’ve already seen sledding, ice skating, swimming , and soccer. Moscow is surprisingly active considering the climate (currently 20 below, Celsius). As a final melding of the two points- there is a ski jump in downtown. Few cities give such real estate to a recreational setting, much less relating to skiing."