Our Mission Statement
The AMA Snowsports Program’s mission is to promote education and athleticism and to recognize qualifying snow sport athletes, individually and on a team level, that have met and/or exceeded their goals, by providing financial aid for education, competition and local school ski programs with privately raised funds.
The Angels Murphys Arnold Boosters Club Youth Snowsports program supports the involvement of Calaveras County kids in a range of winter sports activities and helps them build active life-long skills. Now in its third year, the effort will expand to serve more schools on the Ebbetts Pass corridor as well as funding athlete participation in the competitive team program at Bear Valley Mountain Resort.
This year, '09-10, the program will provide funding for kids who would otherwise be unable to participate due to financial hardship at Bear Valley School, Hazel Fischer Elementary School, Michelson Elementary School, Avery Middle School, Mark Twain Elementary School and Bret Harte High School. Information about the school programs will be distributed through the schools in the fall.
If you'd like more information about the Race, Development, Snow Board Freeride or All Mountain teams at Bear Valley Mountain Resort go to www.bearvalley.com for additional details.
Bear Valley Captures Rasmussen Cup!
Dramatic Comeback Clinches 5th Straight Title!
Bear Valley, CA- The Bear Valley race team made a dramatic come-back in the race for the overall season title capturing the Rasmussen Cup which is awarded to the winning team in the Far West Central Series, a division of the United States Ski Association. The Central Series consists of four teams, Bear Valley, Dodge Ridge, Sierra Summit and the Yosemite Winter Club from Badger Pass in Yosemite National Park.
The Dodge Ridge race team took an early lead in the series competition racking up big points in earlier season races but by mid-season, the Bear Valley squad hit its stride overcoming a thirty-eight point deficit at the Giant Slalom race at Sierra Summit, edging ahead of the Dodge Ridge team by twenty five points. Dodge Ridge continued its downward slide while the Bear Valley team continued to ascend finishing the season with a race at Badger Pass Ski area with 1,288 total points to Dodge’s 1167 point total. The 121 point margin of victory was the closest season total in recent memory.
Racers had to contend with the usual perplexing weather patterns in the Sierra, skiing in near blizzard conditions at Sierra Summit then turning around and facing scorching spring temps at Badger Pass that had everyone hunting for yellow wax and short sleeve shirts.
Bear Valley was led by the Cashman trio- Keeley and Jordan winning first place in nearly every race they finished over the course of the season with little brother, Noah, jumping up a division to score critical points for the squad.
The late surge came in all divisions with standout performances by a number of different racers. In the J4 Girls division (ages 11-12), Bear Valley local, Alyx Fairman finished on the podium in 3 out of the last 4 races, placing first twice (and knocking Sierra Summit ace, Ashton Peckinpah out of her usual spot). Granger Hamilton, a J4 Boy, demonstrated his versatility by finishing on the podium in 3rd place in both the Super G and slalom to close out the season while first-year racer Nolan Johnson, raced into the top 10 in both disciplines.
In the J5 Girls division, April Johnson traded in her snowboard to join the BV squad and had strong finishes that will set her up as a force to contend with in the future. Bear Valley local, Sarah Pye skipped Badger, but stormed into the top 10 with back-to-back 8th and 9th place finishes at Sierra Summit. Sawyer Alford, a true J6, finished in the top 10 of the J5 boys in all three races, landing on the podium at Sierra Summit while Grayson Hamilton managed top 10 finishes in the J6 division to close the season out.
Bear Valley will compete in the FarWest Championships April 8-11 at Sugarbowl Mountain Resort near Tahoe to compete against racers from around the western United States. An awards ceremony will be held at the Championships to present Bear Valley with the Rasmussen Cup.
AMA Snowsports is currently accepting academic scholarship applications for the 2009/2010 season. Details about academic scholarship guidelines and eligibility criteria are below. Click HERE to download an application form.
Applications will be accepted through December 31, 2009
Academic Award
Academic Award Criteria (GPA 3.0 or above):
- Must be a resident of Calaveras or Alpine County living on the Highway 4 Corridor (the AMA “service area”).
- Minimum grade level eligible for Award is First Grade and, student must receive A-F Letter Grades or their equivalent.
- Athlete must be currently enrolled in an accredited Elementary School, Junior High School, High School.
- Award comes in the form of a voucher following the meeting of the above criteria and will be distributed as soon as possible after receipt of completed application.
- Award is determined by type and amount of the published team fees and we anticipate that they will be 25% percent of that amount.
- Minimum eligible Grade Point Average is 3.0. A copy of the most current Report Card or transcript must accompany this application. Athlete will need to demonstrate that they maintained their academic standing when submitting scholarship applications in subsequent years.
- Applications will be accepted beginning December 1, 2009
Incomplete Applications Will NOT Be Considered.
Please Mail to:
AMA Snowsports
P.O. Box 2
Avery, CA 95224
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