Hudson Marshall ’27. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

The men’s FIS season just kicked off with a race at Stowe Mountain, and we had some good results! The guys are just getting off break and their Colorado prep camp, so they’re ready to get after it on race day.

“I was happy with the first race of the season,” said Hudson Marshall ’27. “My first run was alright, but I was really able to step it up and perform on the second run. It was nice to see all the hard work and preparation we put in during the off-season in the weight room and at camps pay off. I’m excited to keep the ball rolling with the next few series coming up,” added Marshall, who finished 11th overall with a 2nd-place second run as a first-year FIS.

“The first race of the season came quickly, and it was good to be racing,” said Will Carou Jones ’27. “Unfortunately, I DNF’ed, but I was able to make some good turns and take some positives out of it. I am ready for the upcoming races to put what I have worked on all year into action,” added Carou Jones.

The boys seem to have their plans down for the upcoming series at Stratton and are really pushing the limits and each other on the hill. We wish them the best of luck!

Northwood ski team members at Copper Mountain. Photo provided.

The first week of the pre-race season ski camp in Copper Mountain, Colorado, is underway. The camp started out with a 4-day block of GS (Giant Slalom) training on the main training lane. A total of 33 FIS athletes are at the camp; 29 are Northwood athletes, and 4 are NYSEF Winter Term athletes.

The first two days of GS were easier days, with flowy courses to help us get our feet under us again. The next 2 days had a more rigorous set and also had timing, which made teammates fight for that top spot.

A typical day at the camp includes breakfast around 8:00 a.m., with a departure for the mountain at 9:15 a.m. and loading the lift by 10:00 a.m. On average, we have been getting 9-13 runs in our 2-hour blocks. Copper Mountain is a very popular training location because the conditions are very well-maintained. Because the training there is so good, we have to share the training lanes with other teams, including private schools like Northwood, national teams, and some professionals.

Husky ski racers saw the Northern Lights in Colorado. Photo provided.

When our 2-hour blocks end, we return to our nearby condo accommodations, have about 30 minutes for lunch, and then we have a 3-hour study hall.  Later in the afternoon, we have a video review of the morning runs and then tune our skis before or after dinner. This can take 45 minutes to an hour. At 7:30, we have a team meeting at one of the condos. Then it’s lights-out at 9:30. We all need to be well-rested for the next day.

This Cooper Mountain Ski Camp is very important preparation for the start of the official race season, which kicks off with a slalom race at GMVS (Green Mountain Valley School) on December 2^nd – 3^rd.

On October 25, the women kicked off the ski season with a GS race in Sölden, Austria, followed the next day by the men. Julia Scheib won the race for the women, with Paula Moltzan and Laura Gut-Behrami following, and Marco Odermatt won for the men, with Marco Schwarz and Atle Lie McGrath.

Austrian Julia Sheib was able to take home her first-ever World Cup win after 49 starts. “I did not see this coming for the women’s race; this was definitely someone new that we will have to look out for this season on the circuit.” Paula Moltzan took 2nd, her best World Cup GS finish to date. Mikaela Shiffrin took 4th, which is a very strong result after returning to GS and starting from bib 20. The race conditions were good, with softer snow as the racers progressed, but they ran very well.

Marco Odermatt becomes the second most successful men’s skier in Sölden, behind only Ted Ligety (USA) @FIS/ActionPress/MarcusHartmann

Marco Odermatt took home the win and carries his dominance over to the new season. This is the start he had in mind, and it must feel good knowing he is where he belongs. “I love watching all these top guys run because just watching them helps us get better, and it is entertaining,” Hudson Marshall, ‘27 said. The field was very stacked with the top 3 separated by just .27 seconds. The conditions were a bit rougher for men with heavy snow, very low visibility, and a delayed 2nd run. A big surprise to everyone was Lucas Braathen skiing out in the first run. He was definitely a favorite for the podium.

Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt celebrates on the podium after placing first with second place, Austria’s Marco Schwarz and third place, Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

Sölden, Austria, is a notoriously challenging hill, and securing a first win is a massive start to the season. Hopefully, it can carry momentum throughout the year. It was a fantastic start to the season, with great competition and young racers getting a chance to shine!

The U19 soccer team traveled to the new turf field in Saranac Lake for a rare weeknight game where they faced the Division III Paul Smith’s College side.

“The boys played really well,” Coach Jose Coss said. “We gave a lot of minutes and chances to players who might not normally be in the lineup every week, so it was really good to see them in a competitive context, while dominating a college team. It was a good opportunity to give them confidence in what they are doing and what we are working on,” Coss added.

Mikey Mezzetti ’26 (center, in white). Photo provided.

Noah Moodey ’26. Photo provided.

Parker Borden ’27. Photo provided.

This game was really an opportunity for many of the nonstarters to show what they can bring to the team and give them some “game reps” for the coming weekends.

The game started off hot, with a couple of quick goals and some players regaining their touch. “The game started, and 5-10 minutes in, we had scored,” Coss said. “Mikey Mezzetti ’26 scored a beautiful goal. He has been playing as a striker this year, and he’s been doing really well, so it was good to see him up and running again.”

The dominance continued throughout the game with a final score of 5-0. Mikey Mezzetti ’26 had two goals, and William German ’27, Anthony Wan ’26, and Andres Castro ‘27 had one apiece.

This game was a great experience for many players, as they had the opportunity to play more minutes than usual and gain valuable game experience. This result demonstrates the competitiveness of the Husky U19 team, as they played a DIII college without conceding a single goal and gave many non-starters nearly 90 minutes of playing time.

Following this match, Paul Smith’s College men’s soccer team made it to the final four of their conference, the Small College Conference (YSCC).

The skiers at the training camp in Chile spend their mornings on snow, but what happens off snow is just as important. School, dryland training, meetings, videos, and so much more are vital components of this camp that occur every single day. This is what a day looks like for us.

Most mornings at the Chile training camp are on the hill. Photo provided.

The most challenging part of this whole camp is keeping up with the schoolwork and learning everything on our own. We do a 2-hour 45-minute study hall every day to keep up with work while we are away. It is very important that each athlete keeps up with their work while away, because they will not be able to ski the next day if there are missing assignments. This holds each athlete accountable to put forth their best effort as a student-athlete.

Directly after study hall, we go and do recovery/dryland. As a team, we stretch, do agility and mobility, and do a light run every day to keep our muscles loose for the next day of intense training. Dryland typically lasts about 30-45 minutes and seamlessly transitions into video work.

Video is an excellent opportunity to have a one-on-one with a coach and hear what you need to work on for the next day of training. Our coaches typically video our first 3 to 4 runs, and that is what we base our day on. Being able to watch yourself ski is really helpful and the best way to make changes in your skiing.

After the video with the coach, we have some downtime until dinner, followed by our team meeting, where we reflect on our day as a whole team. We also have a nightly presentation by 2-3 people, where we play games as a team, but the individuals creating the game are not allowed to use electronics.

A day in our lives is much more than skiing. Skiing takes up maybe a third of our day at most, and everything else enables us to succeed in skiing. Our day is very packed and can get exhausting, so it’s good to stick to our routine.

The view on the hill in Chile. Photo provided.