2015 – 2016 Teams Announced
August 24, 2015, Steamboat Springs, CO— The United States Telemark Ski Association (USTSA) announced the rosters for the 2015-2016 US Telemark Teams. There are three team levels with four top racers named to the World Cup Team. Eleven were named to the US Team and another seventeen to the Development Team.
Four veteran team members will fill the World Cup Team positions this year. These team members will be competing at a pair or more of the World Cup events to be hosted in Europe this upcoming season, as well as in Nationals and various domestic races. Lyta Foulk, 17, of Steamboat Springs, CO is a second place finisher at Nationals, a two-time NASTAR Nationals winner in the non-alpine divisions and is the only woman on the squad. Three men will fill out World Cup Team. The 2014 National Champion, Cory Snyder, 23 of Franconia, NH plans to attend as many World Cup events as possible this season while also working towards his Master’s degree at Montana State University. Fellow Montana transplant, Tanner Visnick, 19, of Steamboat Springs will be balancing the role of racer with that of a college sophomore at Montana State University. He will study abroad this winter and train with the Norwegian team. Tommy Gogolen, 33 of Breckenridge, CO is returning following three knee surgeries in four years and is optimistic for a strong season and strong knees.
The US Team is comprised of four women and seven men. This team will focus their racing on US events although some may travel to Europe for World Cup races as well. Sarah Carley of Brentwood, New Hampshire will lead the US Team Women as the second fastest US woman. She will be a sophomore at Connecticut College this season and will be balancing her skiing with her studies. She is joined by Sara Godek of Gilford, New Hampshire, Farli Boden of Sandpoint, Idaho, and Taylor Finn of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Leading the men’s US Team is Jeffrey Gay, the 2015 National Champion. New to the National Team this year are Noah Block, 17 of Buffalo, New York; Dylan Weglarz, 18 of Durham, New Hampshire; and Jacob Carter-Gibb, 19 of Boulder, Colorado who all exhibited strong performances at Nationals to move up onto the National Team. Joining them are National Team veterans Garrett Long of Rowayton, Connecticut; Birk Larsen of Park City, Utah; and Devon Wright of Campton, New Hampshire.
This season the Development team has been revamped and now combines junior and senior racers in one team which includes two women and fifteen men. The women on the team are Melinda Long, 26, Rowayton, CT; Tabi Freedman, 55, New York, NY. The men include Jacob Badway, 13, of Westborough, MA; Henry Barth, 14, Glenwood Springs, CO; Ian Boisvert, 13, of Reading, MA; William “Chip” Dorroh, 58, Cascade, ID; Robert Feinberg, 56, of Putney, VT; Nathan Fogell, 26, Allenstown, NH; Sam Garber, 14, of Wellesly, MA; Rick Hirsch, 59, of Golden, CO; Cedar Mattole, 13, Whitefish, MT; Hardy Merrill, 43, Warren, VT; Norman Miller, 47, Rochester, NY; Joel Nylander, 52, of Bountiful, UT; Keith Rodney, 45, Wilmington, VT; Jack Rosenthal, 19, of Steamboat Springs, CO; and Steve Weglarz, Jr., 54, Durham, NH.
The US Team athletes will compete in regional, national and World Cup Telemark events this coming winter. Dates for regional races and the National Championships will be posted to the USTSA website in early Fall.