The Lowell Whiteman School

Home of Michelle Gorgone, two-time Olympian, class of '01

With over 130 athletes and 20 coaches, the SSWSC Snowboard Team is one of the largest programs in the U.S. There are eight SSWSC riders currently on the U.S. Snowboard Team and four are members of the USASA PacSun Team. The focus of the program is safe, fun skill development that encourages a passion for the mountains, camaraderie, and a love of the sport. The Lowell Whiteman School and SSWSC have produced many notable snowboard competitors including:

Michelle Gorgone (’01 ) – member of five Junior World Championship Teams (’98, ‘99, ‘01, ‘02, ‘03).  In 2008 -  U.S. PGS and PSL Champion, 2nd in Valmalenco World Cup, finals.  In 2007 - Four NorAm podiums, won U.S. PSL title, five career World Cup podiums.  In 2005 - 1st at Breckenridge Grand Prix.  In 2004 - PGS National Champion, two-time Juniors Worlds medalist.   Michelle is a 3-year Olympic Team Member, 2002, 2006 and 2010.  Vancouver, 2010, she placed 14th PGS.

Matt Ladley  - Matt had three top 20s in 2008-09 World Cup competition, and was a U.S. Snowboard Team member.  He was featured in an article titled“Amplitude and Attitude,” included in the Winter 2005/2006 issue of Steamboat Magazine.  Matt was the ‘04 and ‘05 USASA National Halfpipe Champion.  In 2006 he was 13th in Junior Worlds in Korea.  He was injured in 2009 and missed the 2010 Olympic Games.

SSWSC Snowboarding Program

Steamboat Springs Witer Sports Club won the 2001,2004 and 2007 USSA Snowboard Program of the Year. It features coaching in Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super G, Boarder-cross, Slopestyle, and Half-pipe. Training is done at Howelsen Hill and at Mount Werner.  The SSWSC Snowboard Team is one of the top snowboard training program in North America. Program are available for all levels from beginner to pro. All programs focus on building skill and meeting goals whether an athlete plans to be at the top of the podium or at the bottom of the powder. Development, Intermediate, Competition and Elite programs are available for all ages, abilities and disciplines.  SSWSC sent 18 snowboarding athletes to the 2010 Olympics.  To learn more, check out the SSWSC site or the Team's Facebook page.

Current Students

Chloe Banning ('10) - Chloe is a Boardercross athlete who placed 5th, 2nd and 1st in the 2009 USSA Revolution Tour; 6th in the 2009 USASA  Snowboarding National Boardercross Championships.   She has competed in the Junior Worlds,  the Grand Prix, and World Cup Qualifiers.

Choloe is shy and is known to be scholarly on the LWS campus,  an unlikely looking competitor for Boardercross which is known to be wild and a bit dangerous.  For those of you who don’t  know, Boardercross is an event where four or six competitors start at the same time on the same course.   They careen down a series of jumps, big turns, rollers and obstacles all jockeying for first place.  Ultimately, the first one to the finish line wins.

Getting to the level Chloe has achieved sort of surprises her.  She won Nationals in 8th grade in Boardercross and decided Lowell Whiteman was the place for her.

“My reason for wanting to come wasn’t all about snowboarding.  I wasn’t very challenged at public school." The fact that Whiteman could support competition and travel was a plus for her.  

"I’ve been to Swizterland, Germany, and Japan and all over the Western US competing.   When I come back, the teachers all ask me how I did and give me time to get my work done; it’s a lot a work but worth it.  I wanted to do the Foreign Travel program, too, but I’ve worked so hard to get to this level so I’m going to continue competing instead. Also, school’s really important.   My coach, John Casson said, 'You’re the only snowboarder I see go from the podium straight to studying,' and that’s usually what I do.   My coaches have been great; SSWSC has really helped me find scholarships and opportunities.   I like training here – not many facilities have year-round boardercross courses; they’re hard to build.  So every place we go race, the course has just been built, and you can’t practice on it much.  But my coach, Mark Harris, (Pro Am Boardercross Coach) is building a lot of features to help us train.  We have a start gate and two wu-tangs to help us prepare for races.

I know it’s a dangerous, crazy sport; I don’t think I knew that before.  I’m taking Anatomy this year at Whiteman, and I’m learning about what can go wrong if I fall!  Some of my Freestyle friends (who like pipes) got on a Boardercross course with me and said, ‘How do you do that, it’s scary!'”

Galen Goldscheitter ('11) - Galen is an Alpine Slalom and GS snowboarder.  (Photo at right) In 2010, he had two 2nd placements in GS, and two 2nd's and a 7th in Slalom.  In 2009, he was 7th in the 20th Annual USASA National Championships and earned many top 5 placements in SL and GS, including three 1st placements.  In 2008, he placed 7th and 17th in the Annual USASA National Championships, with many top 10 finishes in SL and GS.  He had some good NorAm finishes as well, 18th Howelsen Hill NorAm PGS,12th LeRelais NorAm PSL,15th LeRelais Noram PGS and 22nd Mt. Bachelor Noram PGS

SSWSC Snowboard Program Coaches

Jon Casson, Program Director
since 2004, Coach Casson has a strong sense for rider development and works hard to establish effective training programs while maintaining the core values of snowboard culture. Jon is also very active throughout the snowboard world and is currently the Vice President of the USASA Executive Board, Freestyle Examiner for AASI, and an active participant with the USSA Snowboard Sport Committee. In 2007 and 2008,  Coach Casson was chosen to coach the U.S. Junior World Championship Boardercross Team in Bad Gastein, Austria and Valmalenco, Italy.  In 2009, Jon was selected to be the Team Captain for Junior World Championships in Nagano, Japan.

Spencer Tamblyn, Pro Am Freestyle Coach
The 2007 USSA Snowboard Domestic Coach of the Year, Coach Tamblyn began  snowboarding competitively both in racing and freestyle in 1992.  Between 1992 and 2001, he racked up dozens of top finishes in a variety of professional events as well as numerous video parts and magazine shots.  Coach Spencer has also filled several different coaching positions: Head Freestyle Coach/ Program Director for the SSWSC Snowboard Team and Head Coach for Mt. Hood Snowboard Camps. In 2006, Coach Spencer was chosen to coach the U.S. Junior World Championship Halfpipe Team in Korea.  He was recently named as the USSA Domestic Snowboard Coach of the Year and was selected to coach the next generation of US Team riders at the Project Gold Development Camps in Mt. Hood.

Further information on other SSWSC Snowboard coaches.