1. Northwood ski racers compete primarily in three disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, and Super G. Some of the older racers train and race in the Downhill discipline. Each discipline requires a specific ski designed for that discipline. Most racers have at least two sets of skis for each discipline: one dedicated for training and another for races.
2. Twenty-six of the twenty-nine members of Northwood’s ski team (90%) were named to an honor roll last trimester. No other sport at Northwood had as many students on Honor Roll.
3. Equipment is a huge part of ski racing. Northwood ski racers “tune” their skis daily, sharpening the edges, waxing, smoothing and brushing the bases. This can take up to an hour per day per set of skis, and many racers train on several pairs of skis on any given day.
4. All Northwood skiers belong to the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF), which is a ski club that provides opportunities for athletes of all ages to reach their potential in snow sports through professional guidance and financial support. NYSEF supports athletes in alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, cross country skiing, Nordic combined, and biathlon.
5. Before coming to Northwood, many ski racers participate in the Winter Term program managed by NYSEF where they live at the Olympic Training Center during the winter months and train at Whiteface while keeping up with their schoolwork from home.
6. Northwood’s Ski Team has had preseason training camps in Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Colorado. Some team members also train over the summer in New Zealand or Chile.
7. Coach Katie Haggerty is engaged to Junior Team Hockey coach Trevor Gilligan. He proposed at Whiteface Mountain during a ski race where she was coaching. They are both Northwood graduates.
8. Northwood Ski Coach Thomas Vonn is also a Northwood grad. Vonn is a retired Olympic and World Cup ski racer who as a coach is known as an equipment guru with an international reputation for his technical and equipment expertise. While coaching Olympic athletes in the past, he custom-built ski boots when commercially-available products didn’t meet his high expectations.
9. Coach Terry was the captain of his ski team at Divison I Dartmouth College. Both of his kids go to Northwood School, but they choose hockey over skiing. Terry is an Uber driver during his spare time, something he doesn’t have during winter.
10. Northwood Ski Coach Gabriele Minghetti speaks five languages. During the offseason, he lives in Switzerland. He has coached ski racers in the United States, Switzerland, Japan, and Australia.
