Team Utah Snowboarding: November 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Jeremy Jolley: Coach Spotlight

Jeremy Jolley is Team Utah's Sundance Head Coach, in addition to being the Assistant Head Coach at Snowbird.

Jeremy started snowboarding in the late ‘80’s, frequenting the tree runs of Park West. Jeremy has 16 years experience helping people snowboard; working seasons in Mammoth, Mt. Hood, New Zealand, Snowbird, and Sundance. He also has worked as an instructor and trainer for Snowbird and Sundance, as well as coaching camps and conducting staff training all over Utah and Wyoming. The one unique thing about Jeremy’s riding is he seems at home, and can hang with the best, in any element- big mountain, park, pipe, backcountry, even skiing if he wants to. His technical knowledge is top shelf and has been published in national publications, including FUTURE snowboard magazine. He is also one of just a few to hold and advanced freestyle accreditation in addition to his full certification and examiner status from AASI (American Association of Snowboard Instructors). Lastly, Jeremy also brings to Team Utah an amazing knowledge and network of the industry, starting as a ski and board Technician and working into sales and marketing, he still works closely with eyewear, hardgoods, and beanie companies.

In Jeremy’s own words

One of my biggest breakthroughs in snowboarding was my first trip to Alaska. In as many years of resort and backcountry riding I realized I never learned how to make big, slow turns in powder, so I changed my perspective and did my best.

Lately, I have been into exploring my “backyard”. Turns, jumps, and tricks are part of the experience, hiking with close friends and finding new a new stash helps to complete it for me.

I have a hard time with the term “snowboard competition”. I am all about using any and all means to become the best snowboarder you can be, but I see snowboarding as one of few “pure sports” on earth. Ski racers with 13 sponsor patches and money-drenched competitions don’t really do it for me.

In addition to coaching I do some sales work in the industry and have the greatest sponsor of all, a wife, 2 little girls and boy, who let me do what I do.

I am looking forward to starting up the Sundance Team this year! Hopefully, growing the sport locally and opening eyes to potential and a positive way of thinking on and off the slopes.

To ride with Team Utah:
email admin@teamutah.org
or call 801-573-7348

Monday, November 16, 2009

Stu Rea: Coach/Director Spotlight

Stu Rea is a Director and Coach for Team Utah, and one of the founders of TUT.

In Stu's own words:

My name is Stu Rea, and I have been snowboarding for 19 years. Yeah, i am old! I was born in Great Britain, but emigrated to new Zealand in the early nineties, then to the US in 2001. I have experienced snowboarding in the USA, France, Italy, Austria, Spain, japan, Canada, and New Zealand. I am qualified snowboard pro in Europe, New Zealand and USA . I have been consistently working back to back seasons since 1995 from the USA/Europe and NZ.

I started my professional sporting career not in snowboarding but in other contact sports, namely martial arts and boxing, from the age of 9. I represented my country many times including 3 world championships, gaining 3 bronze medals, and also was European champion during my 10 year career. I stopped competing due to an eye injury, so i decided to make my other passion of snowboarding my next career.Initially I raced in Boardercross and Slalom, but I liked the baggy clothes the freestyle crew wore so i decided to get my jib on. I thought i had finished getting my ass kicked... if only i knew that would not be case.

I have been a Qualified Snowboard Professional since 1993, working for various ski schools/teams and specialized winter sports organizations. I have taught and coached all levels of ability and age groups in various countries.

I have worked for many great mountains in the USA, Mammoth, Northstar, and Park City to name a few. When i worked in NZ, I directed the snowboard schools at Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, in addition to the NZ snowboard instructors training division and several other instructor training agencies. I am currently working at Park City Mountain Resort where I act as their Technical Director,as well as also the Head examiner and Demo team Coach for the AASI-Western Division. When not going back to NZ I work with athletes at the Olympic water Park and up at Mount Hood.

I am qualified for the USSA/USASA as a level 300 coach. I have coached my athletes at many events including Grand Prixes, PBRJs, USASA nationals, US Opens, and Burton Am Series competition. I am also the USSA/USASA Coaches Representative for Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. I have qualifications in Mountain Environmental Safety and am First Aid certified. I have Stage 1 Professional Avalanche Safety Management qualifications approved by the NZ Mountain Safety Council (backcountry guide association). I am a Certified Snowboard Coach/Judge, and I amcurrently fully qualified within various Snowboard organizations in several countries, both in the training, coaching and officiating sides of our industry.

I have achived a technical engineering degree in mechanical engineering, i love motocross,and can be found trying to emulate Travis Pastrana (unsuccessfully) during my summer down time.

My snowboard widows “wife” name is Megan and i have a 1 year old named Liam, he has his board already, and he has his minishred gear ready to go.

I am so stoked to be able to work with some of the best snowboard professional in the industry, and i want to thank them all for their hard work and commitment to Team Utah

At TUT we feel that snowboarding can be more than just competition. It's a way of life, and our goal is to produce life long memories for all involved.

See you out there!

Stu

To ride with Team Utah:
email admin@teamutah.org
or call 801-573-7348

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Lane Clegg: Coach/Director Spotlight

Lane Clegg is a founder, director, and head coach for Team Utah. Lane and his fellow directors materialized their brainchild in early 2009 with the creation of Team Utah, and Lane continues to be the man behind the success of TUT. Lane's coaching has produced USASA Regional Champions, USASA National Champions, and even X Games competitors.

Lane has been riding slightly longer than he has been coaching, but got into the coaching game early. Riding with friends in the early/mid eighties first in the backcountry and then at sympathetic resorts (Brighton and Park West) he had a little bit of knowledge when Snowbird decided to open to snowboarders. One of three original instructors to help the program start at the Bird, he stuck with it through it's early (albeit slow) growth until the program grew to its largest size of over 100 instructors in 2002. In 1988 Lane became one of the first group of snowboard instructors to become fully certified, and started developing instructor educational materials, as well as becoming an examiner for certified instructors. In 1996 Lane tried out and was selected to be part of the PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) Snowboard Demonstration Team – a group that develops and helps deliver instructional content across the country. Soon after becoming a member of the team, that group staged a small revolt and broke away from the PSIA by reorganizing as AASI (American Association of Snowboard Instructors) and demanding they be recognized as snowboarders – not skiers. AASI completely changed the methodology of snowboard instruction to what is currently used in instruction and coaching today.

Lane (center) with his intimidating crew of Snowbird riders

Unlike many coaches Lane came up not through competition but through a coaching background. He received his BS from the University of Utah in Psychology – emphasis on sports psych – once he realized that was where his talents and passion were. He has spent a lot of time training instructors and helping develop educational materials through his work in AASI and became a consultant for USSA (United States Snowboard Association) back in 1998, when he started helping that organization develop coaches education. Leaving the Snowbird Mountain School in 2003 he quickly found a new home as the Head Coach of the Snowbird Snowboard Team. With the amazing terrain at Snowbird and the introduction of USASA competition to the team, the numbers quickly grew and some amazing riders started to emerge who competed in national and international competitions. He stayed active in USSA and became active in USASA, quickly gaining his level 100 and 200 coaches certification and then moving into the group of Trainers for other coaches. He is now one of a small group of level 300 coaches who develop and implement coaches educational content. In 2007 Lane was named the new coach for the AASI National Team.

While Lane is still the Head Coach at Snowbird, he and other coaches around the Intermountain Region talked at competitions about how the sport wasn’t growing like it should, especially around the Salt Lake City area. With the amazing access to world class resorts and the huge population center along the Wasatch range, Utah should be producing many of the top athletes in the world. He and TUT coach/director Stu Rea chatted often about the resources available and underutilized in the state and how they could help bring snowboarding to a larger percentage of the population. Here the idea was born for Team Utah in which athletes (or prospective athletes) could easily gain access to training at one of the many resorts around the state. By taking advantage of the multitude of resort options as well as some truly exceptional (and unique) training opportunities like the Olympic Park and USSA’s Center of Excellence, TUT could offer world class training at prices that were within reach of a more middle class population. So with that idea in mind Team Utah was started in the spring of 2009.

Lane will be the head coach of the Snowbird TUT program in addition to his directorial duties.

To ride with Team Utah:
email admin@teamutah.org
or call 801-573-7348

photos by Catherine Fegan-Kim and Robin Clegg

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Andrew Johnson- Coach Spotlight

ANDY JOHNSON- TUT CANYONS HEAD COACH

In Andy's own words

I am 23 years old and a recent graduate of Plymouth State University in NH. I

am from Mattapoisett, MA and since a very young age was raised on surfing,

skating and snowboarding. I was the last one in my family to start snowboarding

when I was 10 years old. By the age of 12 I was already competing and

medaling at USASA nationals and sponsored by the American Ski Company. Soon

after, I started what would be a long term sponsorship with Atomic Snowboards

and traveled around the country following contest circuits like the Grand Prix’s.

When I was 15 I became a member of the US Junior Gold Team, and trained

with the US Team halfpipe coaches in the summers. The following season I was

the USASA National halfpipe champion as well as a semifinalist at the US Open.

After postponing college for a chance to move out west and peruse

snowboarding I unfortunately blew out my knee and decided to go to school.

While In college I started coaching under Bill Enos for the Waterville Valley

Academy (who produced riders like Pat Moore, Chas Guldemond, Tim

Humphreys, Greg Maxwell, Brandon Reis and many more). Later I began judging

for USASA and other various east coast events. This past winter I began

coaching again for the Holderness School in NH which produced several USASA

national medalists. After finishing school this past spring I moved to Park City,

where I now reside and await the lifts to start spinning. I look forward to

meeting you all as the Head coach for TUT Canyons Snowboard Team.

Andrew Johnson, TUT Canyons head coach

We at Team Utah are glad Andrew made the trek to Utah, and his past coaching and riding experience combined with The Canyons' terrain promise to bring a season to remember for TUT Canyons riders. Andrew's Canyons staff includes Gregory Gibb, a longtime coach and instructor.

To ride with team utah:
email admin@teamutah.org
or call 801-573-7348