Burcin's Blog: Summer Training

Hey Guys,

I am only 11 days into my summer and I have already done a lot.

I graduated my sophomore year of high school on June 22nd and was on a plane to Mt. Hood Oregon the next day. It was a huge relief when I finally got on the plane after a long week of finals along with the last cram of school. I went out to Mt. Hood for a little over a week with my Killington Mountain School team. The main focus of the beginning of the camp was fundamentals with free skiing and drills while the end of the camp we ended with some Super G and GS training. It was a very productive camp with a small group of kids and some great training. The only snag of the trip was some sub-par weather with some rain, and fog, however it didn’t prevent us from having a very productive camp.

I flew back on the 2nd and am now enjoying a week on Cape Cod (not without conditioning!) The following week I have a conditioning camp at Killington with my team and then have one more week before we head to La Parva, Chile for around 3 weeks.

In Chile, we will be have a separate training block for each Slalom, GS, and Super G. I made some great improvements to my skiing in Mt. Hood that I am excited to hone into my skiing for next season. In between camps I will be focusing on my conditioning plan, getting stronger and more powerful for next year.

Hope everyone else is having a great summer as well! Already looking forward to next season!

.)) Kyle Burcin

Burcin's Blog: Pano Canada!

Hey Guys, I hope you all had a great end to the season. Hopefully you all got in some great spring series races. These can be some of the most fun races of the season! For me, my first spring series was Eastern Cup finals, with a GS at Stowe, Vermont and 2 slaloms at Waterville, New Hampshire. There were suppose to be 2 GS’s but with unpredictable weather and snow conditions they only got one off. Throughout the whole series, the penalties were very low and the fields were very stacked. This meant late bibs and rougher course conditions. In the GS, I started 78th and finished 39th, moving up 39 bibs and cutting my bib in half. I was 3rd for J2’s and 1st for US J2’s. I then drove over to Waterville for the 2 slaloms. The first day I unfortunately DNFed but the second day, from bib 69, I moved up to 33rd, 2nd for J2’s and 1st for US J2’s. I used the experience I gained from these races to move on to a final series in Panorama, British Columbia.

In Panorama, I started with 2 slaloms, then had 2 GS’s, and then ended the season with a Super G. I went into these races with little training due to the lack of snow in the east but overall I skied pretty well. In the first slalom, I had some trouble first run but laid down a good second run to finish 34th, scoring a 57. In the second slalom, I had a great run going but unfortunately I had some trouble and ended with a DNF. The GS races were very similar to the slaloms in terms of results. The first race, I had a much better second run and finished 36, scoring a 59. Just like the slalom, I DNFed the second day. For the final race of the season, I had a great Super G race. I started bib 48 and moved up to 27th, scoring a 58. It was really great to end my season on a positive note.

At the end of the season, I finished with GS and slalom points that were almost identical. My GS points will be 56.69 and my slalom points will be 56.64. I also lowered my Super G points down to 71.36. Besides points, I felt my skiing improved a lot this season and I got some great experience in all kinds of races with different fields, conditions, and locations.

Overall. I had a good year and continued to lower my points all season. Over the summer, I look forward to skiing at two different camps with Killington Mountain School. In late June, we are doing a camp in which the location hasn’t been determined yet. Then, in late July, we are heading to La Parva, Chile for a longer training camp. When I am not skiing, I am going to be in the gym, doing all I can to get my body ready for next season to go as fast as I can. Getting excited for next year already!! Have a great summer!

.)) Kyle Burcin

Burcin's Blog: Western Jr. Championships

Number 1 J2

Hey Guys, March is always a crazy month and so far it hasn’t disappointed. I have had 7 races in March so far with many more to come.

The highlight of my March so far was the Western Junior Championship series in Schweitzer, Idaho. This series was 2 Super G’s, 2 GS’s, and 2 slaloms. This series was during the same time as J2 nationals in Mammoth, California, which was the one downfall. I qualified for J2 nationals, however my coaches and I decided I would be better off going to the Idaho series for a couple reasons. The main one was that I could get 4 tech races at Schweitzer instead of 2 at Mammoth. It was a tough decision because J2 nationals is a really fun event but I think we made the right choice because I had a great series in Idaho.

The first races were the Super G’s, which isn’t my best event but I had 2 solid races. The first one I scored a 92 and the second one I scored an 84. It was really nice to get two Super G scores in 2 days! The next races were GS and I had two solid races again. The first day I ended up 21st, 4th for j2s, scoring a 61. The second day I ended up 12th, 4th again for j2s, scoring a 53. The 53 is my lowest score so far in my FIS career, which was pretty cool. To end the series there were 2 slaloms. My good race streak ended in the first slalom in which I DNFed first run. However I made up for it the second day coming in 17th, 2nd for j2s, scoring a 58. With all those good results, I ended up winning the overall j2 for the series, which was a good bonus.

Overall, it was a really fun series with some great races! However, coming back to the east coast was not as fun. It is warming up fast and the snow isn’t faring well. I had an Eastern Cup GS race at Stowe, Vermont today but it was canceled due to extremely soft snow and fog. It was a real bummer but there is another GS tomorrow and hopefully they can get it off! After these Eastern Cup GS races, I have 2 Eastern Cup slaloms at Waterville, New Hampshire on Sunday and Monday. It is suppose to get up to around 70 on these days so the races could get pretty interesting!

To end my season, I will be heading off to Panorama, British Columbia for a FIS series similar to the one in Idaho, 2 Super G’s, 2 GS’s, and 2 slaloms. It should be some great opportunities to end my season on a high note. As of right now, I have 57 slalom points, 57 GS points, and 88 Super G points, but I am looking to lower those some more before seasons end.

Good luck to all the SRD racers and have a great end to the season! Lets hope the snow lasts!

.)) Kyle Burcin

Burcin's Blog: Suicide Six!

Hey Guys, It’s that time of year where the schedule is packed with races. Since the last time I blogged a little less than two weeks ago, I have had 2 slalom races, 2 GS races, 2 downhill training runs, and 2 downhill races. It has been busy but it is my favorite time of the year because I get to do what I love, to race! Anyway here are some of the highlights from those races.

First, I raced a USSA slalom race at Suicide Six, Vermont as a little fun race before I went to speed week in Sugarloaf, Maine the next week. I had two solid runs and came in second overall, first for J-2’s. Then, I went to speed week in Sugarloaf for 5 days of speed.

The first day was a sort of warm up camp with 4 different speed “stations”. The first two stations were jumps, the third station was a wave track, and the final station was a glide course. It was a great way to get back on downhill skis since we rarely get on downhill skis in the east. The rest of the week, we got 2 training runs and 2 race runs. I was pretty consistent throughout the runs, coming in the mid-20’s almost all of the runs. I was pretty happy with that since I am more of a tech skier, however I love to run speed.

After speed week, I raced the fisk cup, the oldest FIS race in the US. It is slalom at Suicide Six, Vermont, which always has a stacked field. I didn’t have a great day but it was a really fun race and I got to see some really fast skiing. Most recently, I had two FIS GS races at Whiteface, New York. The first day, I had a little trouble my first run but made some of it back on my second run and finished in 14th. The second day, I tried to ski really aggressive and unfortunately couldn’t hang on and DNFed. Next, I am off to Stratton, Vermont for a 3-day series with 1 GS and 2 slalom races. I have had a few good days of training and I am really looking forward to going fast in these races!

Good luck to everyone the rest of the season!

 .)) Kyle Burcin

Kyle, Kazui and Sam Report!

Sam Morse and Kazui Kusumi

This past weekend a contingent of the SRD team raced in the Sugarbush FIS Devo GS's. Kyle, Kusumi, and Sam all ripped it up and had some good results.

Kyle lead the pack and Sam Morse had his lowest GS score yet scoring a 68.

The first day was a beautiful sunny day, the second day consisted of a cloudy rain drizzle most of the day. Sam definitely stuck out the most with his awesome bright blue SRD suit.

Kyle the second day continued to do well with a for J2's. Great times were shared on behalf of Kusumi and Morse as they stood and laughed at the bottom of the second run. For Sam had is head in a tight tuck and missed the last gate.

The three of us went to Sugarloaf the following week for some awesome Super-G's. It was Kusumi's and Morse's first FIS Super G's, Kyle had a couple of good days getting into onto the podium for J2's.

This coming week we will be racing Speed Week (DH's) at Sugarloaf, wish us luck!

Below is a Slo-Mo video of Kaz training Slalom.

.)) Kyle, Sam and Kazui!

Burcin's Blog: The FIS Points Chase

Hi Guys, Hope everyone is having a great winter.

I have been very busy racing at many different places. Most recently, I had 2 FIS GS races at Sugarbush, Vermont. I had a good start position both days, just outside the seed at 17 the first day, and starting 9th the second day. The first day I had two solid runs, coming in 15th and scoring a 66. I had some trouble finishing in previous races so it was really great to get back some confidence that I brought into my skiing the next day.

The second day, I had a better start position and took advantage. I had a fast first run and was in sitting in 9th. My second run wasn’t as good but I still managed to score a 60, my best FIS score of my career to date. It was a great feeling to finally put a solid couple races together and bring my points down a bit going into the middle of the season.

Before Sugarbush, I was in Sugarloaf, Maine for 3 days of Eastern Cup races, 1 GS and 2 Super-G’s. Unfortunately, I was charging a little too hard in the GS and the first Super-G ended up with DNF’s. In the 2nd Super-G, I wanted to stand up and get a finish, which I did. I ended up 38th and got a score for Super-G. Overall, it wasn’t a great series but I got some great experience on a tough hill with some great racers.

I am now off to Sugarloaf for all of next week for speed week. We will be doing downhill all week, as long as the weather cooperates. The first day we will be doing speed elements such as jumps and terrain. The next two days I think are training run followed by the last two days being races. It should be a fun week and overall a great experience.

Good luck to all SRD racers and pray for snow!!

.)) Kyle Burcin

Burcin's Blog: European Racing

Hey Guys, It has been a real busy start to the season! I just got back from a trip to Europe, training and racing in Italy and Austria. We arrived in Munich on December 2nd and drove to a small Austrian town named Patsch. Patsch is about 45 minutes from Stubai, where we were training for the first week and then racing slalom. We got some great slalom and GS training on some varying terrain.

Our first race series was at Stubai, two slaloms. The first slalom was canceled and the second slalom was moved to a different trail, which had snow that was much harder than the other trail. Unfortunately, I hipped out the first run and had to hike. After that race, we trained a couple more days at Stubai and then had 2 GS races at Jerzens, another Austrian mountain about an hour and a half from Stubai. It is the home of both Benni Raich and Marlies Schild, two Austrian ski racing icons. It is one of the best GS race hills I have skied, very technical with a lot of terrain and all kinds of pitches. The courses were also very technical, around 24 or 25 meters with a good amount of offset. This is a combination that you rarely see in the US so it was a great learning experience. In both races, I cut my bib in half, moving up around 40 bibs, even though I made fairly large mistakes in both second runs.

Finally, we moved across the boarder into northern Italy for 2 slalom races in the town of Jerzens. The place we races at was called Kruezburg Pass, a tiny mountain with one really wide trail. It was an awesome slalom trail with a 10 gate flat up top and then breaking over to a long consistent pitch with a couple rolls at the bottom. Unfortunately, both races I got a little unlucky and hooked a tip at the top of the pitch both days. It was pretty disappointing because I had been skiing slalom well in training but I just couldn’t put it into the races.

To finish the trip, the day after our final race, we headed over to Alta Badia, for the World Cup GS. The atmosphere was awesome and the race was awesome to watch. The US team had a great first run, with Ligety winning, and Bode, Tommy Ford, and Tim Jitloff all putting it in the top 30. It looked like Ted was in line for yet another GS victory after dominating first run but Max Blardone used the fuel of the home Italian crowd to throw down a really fast second run to grab the win. Although it was disappointing, it was a really fun experience to see the highest level of our sport in action. After the race we drove back to Munich and stayed the night because our flight was early the next morning. After a little trouble with our connecting flight in Newark, we finally got back to Boston after a exciting and fun, but long and tiring trip.

After 2 days of rest I headed off to one more race before the holidays, a GS at Attitash, New Hampshire. I skied a little conservative first run but was in solid position, 4th, for second run. After a decent second run I secured 2nd for j2’s and my first overall podium at a FIS race at 3rd. I also scored a 67, which was a good way to come back to the States. Anyway, I after a busy December as you can see, I have some time off before I start training again on the 28th, with a fun USSA race on the 30th.

Good luck to all other SRD racers and happy holidays!!

.)) Kyle Burcin

Burcin's Blog: Report from Soelden World Cup!

Ski season is coming fast and as a final preparation for the season, 5 of my teammates and I went to Austria for 10 days with 2 of our coaches. We went to the Stubai glacier and stayed about 30 minutes from the glacier in Patsch. After 2 previous summer camps, one in Mammoth and one in La Parva, Chile, we really focused on race training and just going fast instead of worrying so much about technique. The 2 earlier camps really honed in our technique and now we just were worrying about how to go faster with line and aggression.

We started with 1 days of free skiing followed by 3 days of GS, each on a different part of the glacier providing different terrain everyday. After that we had a day off, which was really fun. We went to a go-kart place in downtown Innsbruck that was fast and the perfect thing for a group of competitive kids who love racing. We then went to a crystal museum about 20 minutes from Innsbruck. We capped off the day by going to an awesome dinner in Innsbruck and then went to bed early to rest up for our next training block. Following the day off we had 2 days of slalom, again both on different parts of the glacier.

The second day we were scheduled to train on Manfred Pranger's course after he was done but the snow was too soft so he didn't train. We were all really disappointed because there is really no better way to figure out a good line than skiing the same one as one of the best slalom skiers in the world. We still had a great day of training however on a steeper more challenging hill which really pushed us to get in race mode.

The next day, we traveled to Solden to see the first men’s World Cup race of the season. I had been to one other World Cup race in Beaver Creek but never before in Europe. It was a whole new experience that I will never forget. The skiing was awesome, the weather was great, the people and atmosphere were crazy, and TED WON!!! Ted skied really well and hopefully it is going to be another great season for him. It was an unforgettable day that was also a great learning experience to see the best skiing in the world up close and personal.

Finally, on our last day we trained slalom on yet another part of the glacier. The snow was hard and fast, making it a great final day where all of us were skiing fast! It was a great way to end an unforgettable camp! I start KMS (Killington Mountain School), in about a week and a half and it couldn't come sooner. I can't wait to get up there and really get focused on the season. My first races will be at the beginning of December when me and 3 other kids from KMS are going back to Europe to do a tour around Austria, Italy, and Germany doing around 9 starts. It will be my first experience racing in Europe and I can't wait. It is also a great opportunity to score some great races and come back with my points lowered.

Good luck to all the SRD racers this season, I hope you guys are as excited as I am for the new season!!

.)) Kyle Burcin

Burcin's Blog: Chile Report

Summer has flown by but not without a lot of skiing! Right after school got out, I headed to Mammoth, California with KMS (Killington Mountain School) for about a week and a half for a Super-G and GS training camp. The snow was great for that late in the season and the weather was unbelievable. Sunny everyday except one, that’s pretty hard to beat. That camp was an awesome way to start my summer.

After that camp I was working out a lot and waiting for my next camp to La Parva, Chile, also with KMS, that I just got back from a couple days ago. I was there for 2 weeks for some slalom, GS, and Super-G. Although the snow was a little thin, the snow they did have was great for training, hard and fast. It was awesome to go somewhere like Chile that allows you to train on all different types of terrain in the same trip. While we were there I think we trained on about 5 different trails, which not only keeps the camp exciting and interesting but it’s also great for your skiing. It was also great to see a little bit of the country too. On one of our day offs we went to La Vina del Mar which is a city on the beach about 2 hours from La Parva. We checked out the city, had some lunch, played some pick up football on the beach, and even went swimming for a bit. Apparently some of the city-goers were interested by us swimming and playing this American sport in the middle of winter on the beach because at points we had up to 15 people or so watching and taking pictures of us. Then to end the day off we went up to Santiago, the capital of Chile and the closest city to La Parva, to a local market and had some traditional Chilean food for dinner, which I must say was awesome. Overall it was a great day off and trip in general. What made it even better was that the last day we got to ski about a foot and a half of champaign powder. I wish we could have stayed but we had to pack up and head to the airport later that day and come back the reality of school in a couple weeks.

Before the season starts I am planning to continue working out and getting stronger to get every advantage I can. I hope you guys are just as excited as I am about he upcoming season!! I can’t wait to have a great year and continue to represent SRD!

.)) Kyle Burcin

Burcin's Blog: Seasons End

Hey Guys,

It has been a really fun season, which I wish was still going on but sadly I had my last race about 2 weeks ago at the Sugar Slalom which is a really fun 2 day event with over 600 total racers. The age groups go from J5’s to Masters and everything in between for both guys and girls. The first day is a normal slalom but with all the J1/J2 guys they had to separate us into 2 different races. The second day is a dual panel slalom, which is just an awesome race and day as a whole. The first day I came in 3rd overall and 1st for J2 for the race I was in and the second day I fell the first run and by the time I ran second run over 600 kids had run the course. The ruts were insane and it was nice to just make it down.

Also at the end of the season was Nationals at Sugarloaf. I didn’t ski my best but it was really fun, and a great learning experience for next year. In the GS, I was having a pretty good run until I had a big mistake right before the last little pitch. Second run, I did about the same thing. It was disappointing that I couldn’t put down a clean run but I learned a lot about the hill for next time I go to Sugarloaf. In the Slalom, I was having a really good run until I went a little straight into a hairpin at the bottom of the course and straddled a gate after. Finally, in the Super-G I came in 29th, which I was fairly happy with because I am more a tech skier then a speed skier. The last day was canceled due to bad weather, which isn’t surprising at Sugarloaf. Overall, I took it as a learning experience and can’t wait to go back next year and go fast.

After Nationals, I had a FIS series at Stratton with 2 slaloms and 2 GS’s. I scored a 64 the second slalom race, which was my lowest FIS score. In the GS’s I had two top 10 finishes but missed scoring but a couple points both days. I ended my season with 69 slalom points and 70 GS points. Overall, I was pretty happy with my FIS season as a whole and I can’t wait to lower my points next season.

After Stratton I went to a couple USSA races in New York. It was really fun and we brought some good points to the races to help our second year J3’s score some points. In the GS races, I came in 3rd in both and in the slalom’s I won the first race, scoring a 52, my lowest USSA score and DNFed the second.

Overall, it was a fun season with a great ending. Thankfully, I don’t have to wait too long to ski again. I am going with KMS to Mammoth, California for a training camp at the end of June. Then we are going to Chile at the end of July. Before that, I am going to take advantage of the time off to get in the gym and get stronger. Hope everyone had a good season and thanks SRD for all the support.

.)) Kyle Burcin

Burcin's Blog

I have done a lot of racing since my last blog. Most recently, I was racing NJR FIS races, which are the races that qualify you for J2 nationals. The GS series was at Whiteface, New York about 2 weeks ago. The first day I finished 25th overall and 9th for J2’s. The second day I finished 9th overall and 4th for J2’s. After that I headed over to Stratton, Vermont the next week for the slalom series. The first day I finished 14th overall and 6th for J2’s. The second day I dnfed on the first run. Overall I was pretty happy with both the series but there were definitely opportunities to ski faster. I qualified for J2 nationals as the 12th J2 from the East out of the 20 that were invited. I was really pumped that I accomplished one of my goals to make J2 nationals. It is being held in Sugarloaf, Maine, starting with GS on March 4th and goes through March 11th. It was also sweet that 2 of my other teammates also qualified so it will make the trip that much better.

Overall my season is going pretty well as I have gotten my FIS points down from the starting point of 990 to 70 gs and 76 sl points. I have also gotten a little more experience in speed. It has been a really fun season and I am looking forward to a fun and exciting end of the season. Good luck to everyone else!

.)) Kyle Burcin

7' in Mammoth!

Hi guys,

It has been a really fun beginning of the season with a bunch of camps and couple of early season races. First, I was in Mammoth, California during the last 2 weeks of November for some GS, and SL training, with some unexpected but welcomed powder days thrown in there, too. We got a big storm that hit us hard for a couple days, totaling around 7 feet. We got some awesome powder skiing in on some rented fat skis and had a lot of fun. It made the snow for training kind of soft but the training was still really good for early season. After Mammoth, I flew back to Killington for a couple days and then flew back out west, to Beaver Creek, Colorado for a NDS (National Development System) speed camp. The first day we were there we worked race crew for the Birds of Prey GS, slipping the course and doing whatever we were needed to do. It was the first time I had been to a World Cup event and it was awesome. It made it even better that Ted Ligety won, representing USA very well. The next 4 days we trained on the Birds of Prey DH venue. It was my first time training downhill; being that I am a racer from the east we don’t get much speed training in. It was really fun and a great opportunity to train on a world cup venue. Overall, the camp was a great opportunity that was extremely fun.

Finally, I came back to Killington for a week of some training and then I headed off to Attitash, New Hampshire for a Devo FIS series. It was my first FIS series so I was looking to get some finishes to bring my points down from 990. The first day was SL and I finished 16th, 2nd for 95’s, moving up 91 spots from my bib of 107. The next day was also SL and I finished 8th, 2nd for 95’s, moving up 104 spots from my bib of 112. The third day was GS and I DNFed. The fourth and final day was also GS, and I finished 37th, 2nd for 95’s, moving up 84 spots from my bib of 121. Overall, it was a decent series but it was great to finally get some FIS points and not be 990.

I am currently on my Christmas break and off from training for a couple days but I am looking forward to getting back to training and to keep getting faster. Hope everyone has a great season.

.)) Kyle Burcin