November 26 Proclaimed Telemark Ski Day in Colorado

November 26, 2012 Proclaimed Telemark Ski Day in Colorado
US Telemark Team Members and Coach visit Governor

Hickenlooper

After a very successfully 2012 racing season, and looking forward to the 2013 season, four Colorado based members of the US Telemark National Team and their coach were honored to meet with Governor Hickenlooper.  While visiting with the team members the Governor presented each of them with a copy of a proclomation naming November 26, 2012 as Telemark Skiing Day in the State of Colorado.  The team members presented Govornor Hickenlooper with a team hat from their new sponsor, Flylow, a Colorado based telemark ski wear company.
Meating with the Governor were:

Zoë Taylor, 17, of Atlanta, GA and Steamboat Springs, CO. A Team member since 2011. Zoë is the 2012 US National Champion and overall US Telemark points leader for the women. This year she was the first US Telemark racer to win a World Cup race in ten years. We can only find reference to one other 16 year old winning a World Cup race – an Austrian Alpine skier in 1982. Zoë’s World Cup victory was in the new Parallel Sprint in Steamboat Springs, CO in February. Zoë has left her home in Atlanta for the past several winters in order to train in Steamboat Springs with the Winter Sports Club and attends Steamboat Springs High School while she is there. She works with adaptive sports programs in both GA and CO, is an Ambassador with Outdoor Nation and speaks to youth organizations about health and combating peer pressure. She spends her summers at a sleep-away camp leading backpacking trips, facilitating the ropes course and teaching environmental curriculum.

Jeffrey Gay, 19, of Steamboat Springs, CO. A Team member since 2010. Jeffrey took second place overall at the 2012 Telemark National Championships, with a first place finish in the Giant Slalom. He also had an 11th place finish at the World Cup races in Steamboat in the Classic race. Jeffrey is studying mechanical engineering at CU Boulder. In the summers he competes in the local mountain bike race series. In his spare time Jeffrey likes to learn new sports and activities and fix bikes and skies.In the summers he competes in the local mountain bike race series. He is also the captain for an Intermural Ultimate Frisbee team as well as on the USCSA club (Alpine) ski team.

Tommy Gogolen, 31, of Breckenridge, CO. A Team member since 2012. Tommy was announced to the USA Telemark National B Team the summer of 2011.  It was only a few days later that he tore his ACL. He worked extremely hard to make the team and to blow out his knee in the off season was heart breaking. After surgery and 6 months of hard rehab, he was able to compete at the World Cup races in Steamboat in February of this year.  Hard work paid off as he skied to a career best World Cup finish 10th place.  Definitely the highlight of the season for Tommy! When not training or free skiing Tommy is the owner of Thomas Properties.  He is also very involved in coaching High School sports: boys soccer, girls soccer and helping out with the ski team when he has time in the winters.  Tommy and a group of 10 of his closest friends will be heading to Honduras in June to build a well for a local community.

Tanner Visnick, 16, of Steamboat Springs, CO. B Team member since 2012. Tanner placed 4th overall at the 2012 Telemark National Championships with one second place finish. He had two 18th place finishes in his first World Cup races in Steamboat Springs earlier this year. Tanner developed a strong interest in telemark skiing while participating in the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Telemark Development program in 2008.and was nominated to the United States National Telemark Development Team 2010. In the off season, he enjoys hiking and has climbed eighteen Colorado 14er’s. He also plays the cello and enjoys singing.

Charles “Ty” Upson of Steamboat Springs, CO. Ty is the US Telemark Ski Team coach and the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club head Telemark coach.

Unable to make the trip were team members Madi McKinstry and Charlie Dresen, both of Steamboat Springs.

Madi McKinstry of Steamboat Springs, CO had two 3rd place finishes in Classic races at the 2012 Steamboat World Cup races and a 3rd place finish in the Junior World Championships in Spain. She was the 2011 National Champion and will compete in all of the World Cup races this year, taking the second semester off of college to represent the US. Madi is a Freshman at Montana State University.

Charlie Dressen of Steamboat Springs, CO is the 2012 National Champion and overall points leader for the men.