New York Times Newspaper
Friday, February 1, 2008, 08:29 PM
Skate or Ski Your Way Into College
By SARAH TUFF
Published: November 30, 2006
TEAL BISHOP grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where preschoolers learn to play hockey about when they learn their ABC’s. Her parents, Bill and Rita Bishop, design silver and gold hockey pendants; the Bishop yard includes a 75-foot outdoor rink, complete with a sound system and floodlights.
But Teal, 17, spends her winters in Stowe, Vt., at the North American Hockey Academy, where she devotes her mornings to studying with a tutor, and her afternoons and weekends to playing defense for the school’s team, the Winter Hawks.
Ms. Bishop said the decision to send her daughter more than 4,000 miles away to play hockey came down to a single carrot — not a spot on the Olympic team or a professional career, but a top college education. “How many Division I and Division III coaches do you get to know when you live in Fairbanks, Alaska?” she asked.
More students than ever are competing for the limited spots at the nation’s three dozen specialized winter sports schools, which usually accept no more than 30 students per grade. At the National Sports Academy, in Lake Placid, N.Y., which serves skiers, snowboarders and hockey players, the number of applicants has risen to 95, from 77 in 2002. The number of applicants to the new Tamarack Academy, in Donnelly, Idaho, has grown to 25, from 10 in 2005, its first year; at the North American Hockey Academy, it has quadrupled to 120, from 30 in 2001.
“Applicants and interest have skyrocketed,” said Bill Driscoll, the director and head coach of the North American Hockey Academy.
The record level of interest comes partly because parents are more aware of such schools and the unparalleled coaching and training they provide. And more teenagers now choose to specialize in a single sport. But it is the growing awareness that mastering snow and ice can be a ticket to a top college that has more student-athletes applying. When asked about the spike, Mr. Driscoll pointed to his school’s impressive college-placement record — Harvard, Middlebury, Amherst — as well as the competition among top collegiate programs as the primary reasons.
Once, winter sports schools were mainly the domain of those eyeing Olympic gold. But now they are becoming the choice for students and parents who do not expect to see a dime from future athletic careers. They are willing to sacrifice a traditional high school experience and pay up to $35,000 for a few more hours of play each day — and an edge on scholarships or entry into a prestigious college.
Peter Dodge, the men’s ski coach at Dartmouth, said that all but one of his current roster of 13 skiers attended a specialized sports academy for the easy slope access such schools provide.
He explained the rationale behind some parents’ decisions to send their children to a winter school. “Should I send my kid to Northfield Mount Hermon to compete against 80 percent of his class who are applying to Ivies,” Mr. Dodge said, referring to the boarding school in Massachusetts, “or should I send him to a ski academy of 60, of which 5 might apply to each elite college? Being able to play the skiing recruitment card is a very good way to get an edge, as opposed to just trying to get all your SATs up to 800. It sets you apart.”
The Burke Mountain Academy, in East Burke, Vt., the nation’s first ski-racing school, was founded in 1970 when Martha Coughlin, a ski racer, persuaded her coach to help her study while she trained for a spot on the United States ski team. Now there are about 35 such schools, ranging from nine-month academies to shorter winter tutorial programs, said Finn Gundersen, former headmaster of Burke and alpine educational director for the national ski team.
It used to be that winter sports schools were hothouses where the next stars were created. But now it is only the rare few graduates who win spots on the World Cup circuit, Mr. Gundersen said. Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso, both Olympic gold medalists in Turin, Italy, this year, attended the Winter Sports School, in Park City, Utah, while Bode Miller went to the Carrabassett Valley Academy, in Maine. “Forget about that small fringe who make the U.S. Ski Team,” Mr. Gundersen said. “The rest go to college, and a lot of them are on scholarships.”
Splitting the year between home high schools and specialized academies can result in logistical headaches. Since the sixth grade, Erin Fucigna, a ski racer, has had assignments from her high school in Hopkinton, Mass., e-mailed and faxed to her at the Waterville Valley Academy, in New Hampshire. “It’s confusing at first and overwhelming,” said Ms. Fucigna, now a junior. “Science is the hardest, because I don’t have the same materials that are available at home.”
Sasha Dingle, the subject of a forthcoming documentary called “Balance,” attended both her local high school in Jericho, Vt., and the Mount Mansfield Winter Academy, in Stowe. “I always wanted to be in the high school play, but I would miss the first part of tryouts,” said Ms. Dingle, who was accepted at St. Lawrence University, in Canton, N.Y. “I felt almost like I was living a double life. Every achievement I made through the winter, I would come back to my high school in the spring and nobody would know.”
Classrooms are by turns unusual and unadorned at winter sports schools since access to snow and ice is paramount. The Winter Sports School holds classes in double-wide trailers near the ski jumps and bobsled track of Utah Olympic Park, while the Mount Mansfield Winter Academy occupies the former Two Dog Lodge in Stowe and has recently converted the sauna and dog-washing area into a pottery room.
Just down the road, the North American Hockey Academy is housed in a chalet. Its classroom setting is informal. In the basement, students and teachers sit in pairs. Thin cubicle walls separate Algebra 2 from History of World Societies. Science class is just an arm’s length away from the Spanish lesson happening near the TV.
Several parents and students said the tiny class sizes often put them ahead of their fellow high school students when they return in the spring.
“Teal comes back ahead of her classes here in Fairbanks,” said Ms. Bishop, whose daughter has been inducted into the National Honor Society and this fall earned a full athletic scholarship from Ohio State. “She learns better because of the one-on-one attention.”
Still, not every student at specialized sport schools excels academically, nor are high grades required to win admission. At Tamarack Academy, applicants need only have a 2.0 grade-point, or C, average, said Belinda Brey, a school official. The Winter Sports School requires students to maintain a 1.67, or C-minus, said Rob Clayton, the headmaster.
Rather than focus on grades, admissions officers also consider athletic potential and teacher recommendations that reflect a student’s ability to cope with an untraditional structure.
“We look for students who have the maturity to manage the demanding schedules of on-snow training and class work,” Chess Brownell of the Mount Mansfield Winter Academy wrote in an e-mail message.
Hard workers on the rink or the ski course can sometimes make for self-starters in the classroom, said Dave Wenn, headmaster of the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid. “There’s a carryover from the discipline to be a good athlete to the discipline to be a good student.”
Those who are not naturally driven, he added, are often forced to miss competitions when their grades fall below a C-minus average.
Among colleges, specialized winter schools have earned a reputation for producing not only accomplished athletes, but students who can handle the intellectual rigors of a campus. “From an academic point of view, we certainly have a high opinion of ski academies,” said Bob Clagett, dean of admissions at Middlebury College, adding that academy graduates often arrive with extraordinary time-management skills. “They end up being some of the strongest students we have.”
Winter-school students, whose applications are not packed with a variety of extracurriculars, are not necessarily penalized for it. “We far prefer to see a higher level of talent and experience in fewer areas than dabbling in many,” Mr. Clagett said.
Elizabeth Wissner-Gross, author of the guide “What Colleges Don’t Tell You,” thinks the same way. “Colleges now want what they’re calling lopsided kids,” she said. “So, it’s kind of fun, if you do it correctly, to pursue the thing that you really love and would really like to succeed in and at the same time make yourself more desirable to colleges.”
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( 3 / 997 )Off To Ohio State Univerisity
Friday, February 1, 2008, 08:25 PM
Ohio State Women's Hockey Welcomes Six Recruits to 2007-08 Team
Buckeyes add three Minnesotans as well as players from Alaska, Illinois and Toronto
Nov. 16, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State women's hockey team has added six recruits to its 2007-08 roster, head coach Jackie Barto announced Thursday. The incoming class includes three Minnesota natives as well as recruits from Alaska, Illinois and Toronto.
"We are very excited about the incoming freshman class," Barto said. "They are outstanding people as well as hockey players. They will bring a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy along with excellent skills and passion for the game. They all come from strong hockey backgrounds and want to achieve at the highest level.
"As impressive is their dedication to academic success. They all have excelled in the classroom and we believe they will make a strong contribution to our program. They will be great representatives of Ohio State both on and off the ice."
Teal Bishop, a native of Fairbanks, Alaska, is a 5-feet-7-inch defenseman and currently attends the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, Vt. Prior to attending NAHA, Bishop played with Fairbanks Arctic Lions boys bantam and midget teams. She has captained NAHA the last two seasons and was named Defenseman of the Year in 2004. In 2004-05, she won the state championship with the Arctic Lions and advanced to nationals in Richmond, Va. Bishop is a three-time participant in the USA Hockey Pacific Team Festival.
"We are pleased to have Teal become a Buckeye," Barto said. "She is a strong skating defenseman with good speed and quickness. Teal has good vision and creativity on the ice, and is capable of generating offense at her position. She had a good sense for the game and a strong work ethic."
Deidre Facklis is a 5-8 goaltender from Wilmette, Ill., who currently is a member of the New Trier High School boys' varsity team. She has started the last two seasons with the Trevians and recorded seven shutouts with a 2.20 goals-against-average in 2005-06. She helped the team to the 2006 Chicago Metro Founders Cup Championship. Facklis attended the USA Hockey Select 15/16 Festival in 2004 and 2005.
"Deidre is a good athlete with size and presence in the net," Barto said. "She is a fundamentally sound goaltender who has good quickness and balance. We are excited to have Deidre join our program."
New Prague, Minn.-native, Jenna Kilpatrick is a 5-7 forward from New Prague High School. She is a seven-time member of the Trojan varsity hockey team and has been named Team MVP each of the last six seasons. A four-year captain and six-time all-conference honoree, Kilpatrick finished the 2005-06 season as the state's top scorer. She has totaled 402 points on 228 goals and 174 assists through 136 career games. Kilpatrick has led New Prague to three Missota Conference championships and three Minnesota state high school tournament appearances, including runner-up as a sophomore. She has attended four USA Hockey National Select Development Camps.
"Jenna will bring good size and presence on the ice," Barto said. "She is a strong skating forward who will make a contribution in all three zones. She has the ability to create offense and has excellent vision on the ice. We are excited Jenna has chosen to be a Buckeye."
Christina Mancuso is a 5-7 forward from Toronto, Ontario, who most recently played with the Toronto Junior Aeros. This season she is an assistant captain of the Junior Aeros, after captaining the Midget Aeros in 2005-06. Mancuso led her Havergal Collegiate High School team in goal scoring last season with 24 and finished the season with 39 points in 20 games to earn the team MVP award as the assistant captain. She was named a member of the 2006 Toronto Star All-Star Team and led the Midget Aeros to the league championship last season.
"Christina is a hard-working and aggressive forward with good size and strength on the ice," Barto said. "She will be effective in the corners and in front of the net. She has the ability to create offense and we are excited to add Christina to our program."
Sandra Nelson, a 5-4 defenseman from Spring Lake Park, Minn., is a four-year starter with Spring Lake Park High School. She has captained the team the last two seasons and earned All-Suburban Conference honors those years as well. She led the Panthers in defenseman scoring in 2005 and 2006 with 26 and 36 points, respectively. Nelson has earned a total of 10 varsity letters at Spring Lake Park with four from hockey and six as a member of the golf team. She participated in the 2006 Phase II USA Development Camp and was a member of the U-19 Walser team in 2005 and 2006.
"Sandy is a strong skating defenseman with a solid work ethic and defensive skills," Barto said. "She sees the ice well and makes good decisions with the puck. We are pleased Sandy has chosen Ohio State."
Also a Minnesota native, Shannon Reilly is a 5-5 defenseman from Chanhassen who attends Benilde-St. Margaret's. She is a four-year member of the hockey team and has earned all-conference the previous three seasons. Reilly, a two-time captain, was named all-state and all-metro in 2005-06 and was an all-state honorable mention in 2004-05. She has lettered in hockey and golf at Benilde-St. Margaret's three times each. Reilly is a three-time participant in the USA National Development Camp.
"Shannon is an outstanding skater who has good speed and footwork," Barto said. "She is an offensive-minded defenseman and will generate scoring opportunities from her position. She has a good feel and vision on the ice. We are excited to have Shannon join our program."
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( 3 / 1053 )Hunter, Teal, and Vivian
Saturday, July 1, 2006, 07:29 PM
;)
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( 2.9 / 1557 )NAHA Team Awards 2004-5
Saturday, June 17, 2006, 10:09 AM
2004-05
Tier I
Most Valuable Player: Ginny Berg, Katy Applin
Defensive Player of the Year: Teal Bishop
Offensive Player of the Year: Kelli Blankenship, Kyla Sanders
Seventh Player Award: Mel Henshaw
Coaches' Award: Randi Motsko
Most Improved Player: Jessie Knight, Teddy Fortin
Leadership Award : Stacey Scott
Winterhawks Award : Stephanie Morris
Tier II
Most Valuable Player: Chelsea Fillingim
Defensive Player of the Year: Nikki Parks
Offensive Player of the Year: Hannah Westbrook
Seventh Player Award: Randi Zukas
Coaches' Award: Jeanna Dippel
Most Improved Player: Liz Keenan, Erica Higginbotham
Leadership Award : Joelle Smykowski
Winterhawks Award : Chelsea Koloski, Margaret McNamara
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( 3 / 470 )Teal at NAHA
Friday, December 16, 2005, 12:27 PM
Here is a picture of Teal at NAHA recently...
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( 2.9 / 2286 )
