Congratulations 2021 Seniors
Congratulations 2021 Seniors!
Zach Carpenter
Bryton Ferrari
Sophia Henry
Lilly Lichtenberger
Sara Olsen
Matthew Shafer
Soren Trexler
Will Wagner
Zach Carpenter
I have been in Team Summit’s Alpine Program for 11 years. It is safe to say that I have grown up on Copper Mountain sporting a blue Team Summit jacket. Through my years at Team Summit I have learned so much about hard work, responsibility, and grit, but the most valuable thing that I have taken away is the memories or all those times with my friends out in the wilderness. One great memory is when we were all at a race in Taos. We were staying at John Krone’s cabin in the woods at the base of a huge mountain. After the race, we were bored and decided to go on a hike up the mountain. The coaches made us bring a radio in case something went wrong, but instead of using the radio for emergency reasons, Charlie made up exotic stories every 5 minutes about how one of us died to an animal or some long-lost Native American tribe for everyone to hear. As we bushwhacked our way up the mountain all ten of us were soon killed off until it was just his left. When this happened we decided to go back running and sliding our way down. Next year I will miss these memories, but I will be skiing for Babson College and continuing to pursue the sport that I love. Team Summit has been such a big part of my life for so many years and I am going to miss all of my coaches and fun times that I had next year.
From Doug:We wish Zach great success as he ventures off to the east coast to attend Babson. Zach spent 11 seasons becoming a better ski racer at Team Summit and we will miss Zach’s drive, passion, and competitive spirit for racing. Although he will be missed, we are very excited for Zach and will be watching as he takes on his next endeavor.
Bryton Ferrari
This was Bryton‘s second season with TS. She came to us as an assistant last year at Breck. Bryton raced for years and was a tremendous help at Breck last season preparing the kids for their first GS & SL Summit Cup. Bryton managed the older athletes at Keystone this season. She exhibited excellent class management and I was really able to see her leadership skills come out as she had a group of all boys.
Bryton will be attending the School of Mines this fall.
Sophia Henry
I have been skiing as long as I can remember. I spent three years racing for Loveland Ski Club before joining Team Summit where I raced for two more years and learned so much about the technical aspect of ski racing, but also the love and joy that the coaches have working with the athletes. I then went back to Loveland to be an apprentice Instructor for two years before returning to Team Summit as an ITS coach. My favorite part of Team Summit as an athlete was snowy powder days where we would just get lost in the trees at Copper. As a coach I loved every minute of skiing Copper Bowl and Tucker Mountain watching the kids navigate the challenging terrain with ease and confidence as we had been working on that goal all year. I will be attending the US Military Academy at West Point studying Life Sciences and Terrorism Studies. West Point does have a very small ski hill where I may coach the local race team or volunteer as a Ski Patroller depending on my limited free time. I want to thank Team Summit for the opportunities they have given me and many other young people in the county to grow as athletes, leaders, friends, and coworkers! It is a great institution to have in our community to foster genuine connections and character development!
From Theresa Eckert:This is Sophia‘s second season with TS. She moved from an assistant to a coach mid-season last year due to her ability to manage a group no matter what the size or mix of abilities she had. Sophia exhibit excellent management skills with her group, very good with kids. She made a point to attend additional developmental clinics. She also completed the USSA Level 100 course in December. Another committed coach as the only day she missed was due to Covid. Sophia raced in high school. Before coming to TS, Sophia was an assistant instructor at Loveland. Sophia has worked for the town of Frisco with kids for years. Sophia Will be attending West Point in the fall and hopes to coach at the ski hill not too far from campus.
Lilly Lichtenberger
Lilly came to us late in the season as a well-needed assistant for our youngest skiers. She was extremely helpful and very willing to go where was needed at the last minute. She is attending Villanova on early decision next yr.
Sara Olsen
After spending the past 5 seasons with team Summit’s alpine program Sara is launching into her next phase in life. She is currently undecided on which school she will attend but we are eager to see where she will land. We will miss her determination and willingness to work her hardest everyday. Wishing her the best of luck as she starts her next chapter in life.
Matthew Schafer
I moved to Colorado in 2016 from Northern Virginia. For as long as I could remember I have been involved with gymnastics and thought that snowboarding was so fascinating. I heard about Team Summit Snowboarding and thought that it was an amazing opportunity that I could not pass up. When I moved to Colorado I didn't have any friends, but when I joined Team Summit I instantly had a group of people with similar interests as me.
I joined Team Summit barely knowing anything about snowboarding, but with some phenomenal coaches, I got the hang of it quickly. I started out competing in boardercross but then realized that competing was not really for me. For the next 2 years, I stayed with the team and enjoyed the sport of snowboarding. Within those 3 years, I gained lifelong friendships, amazing leadership skills, and comfort on a snowboard that I could never have imagined. Having a snowboard on my feet felt just as comfortable as a pair of shoes.
During my junior year of high school, I was unable to be an athlete on Team Summit. Even though I could not be an athlete, I wanted to give back to an amazing organization that has given me so much. After explaining my situation, Team Summit offered me an opportunity to become a junior coach for the snowboarding program. Making the switch from athlete to coach was not easy, but It gave me a whole new respect for how amazing these Team Summit Coaches are. Fast-forward to my senior year, I was offered an official substitute coaching position. This past season of coaching has taught me exceptional leadership skills along with so many other skills.
After graduation, I was planning on attending the United States Air Force Academy but due to some medical issues, I will not be able to go. Instead, I will be attending Cal Poly for mechanical engineering in the fall. Even more in the future, I hope to become an automotive engineer. I plan to snowboard whenever I possibly can and hopefully live somewhere later on in life where I can continue my love for snowboarding.
Thank you to all of my coaches and Team Summit for everything you have done for me. Because of you, I have grown not only as a snowboarder but as a person as well.
Soren Trexler
I’ve only been skiing since I was 9, but I was hooked instantly and spent as much time as I could watching videos about technique and of pros, always trying to improve. This past season was my only one with team summit, but everyone involved made it such an incredible season :)
My favorite TS memory has to be on our second to last day, taking my 7 and 8-year-old ITS athletes down all the best expert terrain at copper - Spaulding, enchanted forest, copper bowl, and watching them absolutely kill it and stay perfectly in control the whole time. At the beginning of the year, I was skeptical about my ability as a coach to get them confident enough and prepared enough to ski terrain like that and it was so rewarding to see them all crush it.
This fall I’m attending Western Colorado University and pursuing psychology and outdoor education degrees, in hopes of finding a career in the wilderness therapy field one day. While I’m there, I hope to pick up some backcountry experience so I can start climbing and skiing 13ers and 14ers in the winter, through their awesome outdoor extracurriculars. This summer, I’m focusing on my goal to climb all of Colorado’s 14ers and at least 100 of the 13ers by the time I turn 21.
Will Wagner
I have been skiing with Team Summit for 13 seasons starting off ski racing then moving over to Big Mountain. My favorite Team Summit memory is going on a New Year's trips to Alta/ Snowbird and ripping it up. After graduation, I plan to go to Adams State University to become a nurse. I will also be playing division 2 lacrosse there. Skiing will always be a huge part of my life and I thank all the coaches and teammates that have supported me along the way.