Ride the Lift with..  Elizabeth Monico !
                                  Our NEW Team Gilboa President

Athletes: Vincent Monico, U16

Gilboa: Hi Elizabeth, What are you looking forward to over the next year as the new Gilboa president?

Elizabeth: Hi, Gilboa! I look forward to making progress together and having a positive impact on our ski community. Together our BOD, coaches, volunteers and families have created an inclusive club which does a great job in engaging, respecting, and supporting our community.

I feel so lucky to be part this wonderfully engaging community that cares so deeply about our club and has such a passion for skiing

G: Did you ever ski? What’s your most favorite ski memory?

E: I ski as much as I can! I am a certified PSA ski instructor and I have skied with Ski Away for years. When I am not volunteering, you will find me skiing.

I have so many favorite ski memories: I love the journey of a road trip and the stories that are shared for years afterwards. As a child, the second we loaded up our suburban for Colorado, my father immediately whipped out his Stetson. For those that do not know me well (yet), I LOVE cowboy hats!

PS Looking forward to more cowboy hats this ski season!

G: For young athletes, what makes Gilboa special? 
E: For over 37 years, TG has been inspiring and developing alpine athletes. Listening to athletes that are in our program and those that have graduated from it, they often reminisce about friendships, resilience and lessons learned and lessons gained from racing. It is not just about winning the race….

G: What do you like most about the TG community?

E: TG community’s become a family to us. It has and continues to be an amazing place to meet so many parents and athletes and we are so grateful to be a part of it.

G: What would you say to all new members of the Gilboa community?

E: The fastest way to meet other families in our community is by volunteering. There are so many volunteer opportunities that do not require experience - ski swap, party with a purpose, hand timing, bib collection and many, many more.

Thanks Elizabeth for taking the time to answer our questions! 

Ride the Lift with... Torey Greenwood
                                NEW Team Gilboa coach

Gilboa: Hey Torey, What are you must excited about as the new coach at Gilboa?
Torey: I can't wait to meet the new athletes and coaching staff. I'm excited to get back to my roots at Team Gilboa and maybe run into some familiar faces from the past! I'm also excited for something new and fresh.
 

G: What do you like doing when you are NOT skiing?
T: Spending time with my family, enjoying our new home and watching our boys grow up and learn new things everyday

G: What is your best memory from your time as a TG athlete?
T: I personally loved the road trips and going to the races with my team mates. The fall camps we had at Lutsen were always so much fun when I was young.
 

Ride the Lift with... Lindsay DiLorenzo!
                                  Course Worker volunteer

Athletes: Leo DiLorenzo U12 and Alessa DiLorenzo U16

Gilboa: Hey Lindsay, any fun things you did this fall with your racers Leo and Alessa?
Lindsay: Hey Everyone!  Alessa, Leo and I went on some beautiful walks through the woods at our cabin, soaking in the gorgeous fall days.  Even snuck in one last tube on the lake in sub 60 weather!

G: What’s it like working as a course worker on race day?
L: I'm always surprised at how much more quickly the day goes by when I'm a race day volunteer.  Not only is it fun to connect with other parents and coaches on the hill, but seeing the course in its entirety from top to bottom has given me a whole new appreciation for what all of our amazing Gilboa athletes do.  You slip the course, adjust panels, remove gates at the end of the race - generally just keep busy with whatever is needed. Bonus - you get a free lift ticket and can ski with your kids!

G: How did you get started as a course worker? Do you need to be certified?
L: I just signed up online. No certification needed.  And take it from me, no serious ski skills required either. If I can do it, anyone can.  

G: Have you learned any cool new skills volunteering on race day?
L:  Hmmm...I figured out how carry a lot of jackets and ski simultaneously!

G: Any advice for parents wanting to volunteer for the course worker position?
L: Just dive in and ask a lot of questions. Everyone is so helpful and appreciative.  And especially this season with new lodge restrictions, on the hill is the place to be!

Thanks Lindsay for taking the time to answer our questions! And for being an awesome volunteer for Team Gilboa!

Ride the Lift with… Gavin McLain!
                                   Assistant Starter volunteer (8 times last season!!!)

Athlete: Owen McLain U14

Gilboa: Hey Gavin, any fun things you did this fall with your racer Owen?
Gavin: The highlight of the fall was when Owen and I went to the Team Gilboa early fall camp in Vail.

G: What’s it like working as Assistant Starter on race day?
Gavin: It is an important role to make sure that the race stays on track. You make sure that all the racers are lined up and ready to go. As an assistant starter you get a great view at the top of the hill and are part of the action of the race. You also get to see the great coaches prepare our kids for the race and all the excitement of the team members cheering each other on.

G: How did you get started as an Assistant Starter? Do you need to be certified?
Gavin: It was easy all I had to do was sign up on the CR1 website. No training needed. A loud voice does help as well as cat herding experience.

G: Have you learned any cool new skills volunteering on race day?
Gavin: I learned how to pronounce a wide variety of names. I also have a better appreciation of all the hard work that coaches and volunteers put in to make sure the races are successful for the racers.

G: Any advice for parents wanting to volunteer for the Assistant Starter position?
Gavin: This is a position that comes with a free lift ticket. I usually like to volunteer for the girls races so I can watch the boys race but watching Owen from the top of the hill is fun too.

Thanks Gavin for taking the time to answer our questions! And for being an awesome volunteer for Team Gilboa!

Ride the Lift with... Bridgett Erickson!
                   Finish Referee volunteer

Athlete: Bennett Erickson U16

Gilboa: Hey Bridgett, any fun things you did this fall with your racer Bennett?
Bridgett: Bennett’s little bros were in person learning in September and October so it was fun (for me) and sweet to share some lunch breaks with him!

G: What’s it like working as a Finish Referee on race day?
B: Being a Finish Referee is engaging and social! I got to know some other parents and really see all the athletes giving it their all.  I had fun, and the cold was much less noticeable when I was making pals and helping out!

G: How did you get started as a Finish Referee? Do you need to be certified?
B: I showed up, said I could help and another parent gave me a patient and clear run down of the duties and hung out with me until I got the hang of it.

G: Have you learned any cool new skills volunteering on race day?
B: I did! Once I announced and I learned how to get confident in name pronouncing, and if you get it wrong, have fun with it ;)

G: Any advice for parents wanting to volunteer for the Finish Referee position?
B: Bring extra hand warmers and a glove for your writing hand!

Thanks Bridgett for taking the time to answer our questions! And for being an awesome volunteer for Team Gilboa!

Ride the Lift with... Brian Chou!
                     Start Referee volunteer

Athletes: Maddox Chou U14 and Emmett Chou Jr Race

Gilboa: Hey Brian, any fun things you did this fall with your racers Maddox and Emmett?Brian: For sure we had fun times – we would review Schoology together for missing assignments, teach and learn together on quadratic equation homework, research and report on the Theizinosaurus for II projects…LOL. Just joking, looking back it was pretty great even with remote school - mild weather stretched out fall so we could dial-in our backyard flag football skills, perfect the sushi roll with the help of the sushi bazooka, use power tools together to make stuff and simply slow down and hang out as a family. But now it is nice to be in Minnesota with Hyland open and at least a dusting of snow!

G: What’s it like working as a Start Referee on race day?
B: Start Ref seems like the coldest spot to work a race but it is a fun race day duty. Essentially the position is top of the hill making sure the race is Safe, Fair and the start is Organized. There are some great people volunteering from Gilboa and other clubs and that I met as a Start Referee. An interesting side opportunity when in the starting corral is seeing how athletes and coaches from different clubs support, encourage, and coach.

G: How did you get started as a Start Referee? Do you need to be certified?
B: I got started through Maddox’s passion for skiing and wanting to support him. My first on hill volunteer duties were at the Gilboa pot luck races when we had three kids in the program – we made casseroles, I tended gates, wrote times on the board, removed bibs at the finish and gathered kids at the top of the hill. There are lots of fun ways to get involved in those races. Certification and continued education for the Start Referee is required.

G: Have you learned any cool new skills volunteering on race day?
B: For me race day is about supporting the kiddo racing and setting up the rest of the family to have a fun day whether they are also skiing at the venue or off doing something else in the area. Getting the DIBS as the Start Ref then gives me something fun to do while those other things come together.

G: Any advice for parents wanting to volunteer for the Start Referee position?
B: Sure, some races have volunteer positions such as assistant hand timers that do not require any certification and you get to be right in the chaos of the starting area. From there you can see what the Start Referee position entails. Hope to see you again this season!

Thanks Brian for taking the time to answer our questions! And for being an awesome volunteer for Team Gilboa!