2016-17 Race Place Catalog Cover Stories
Madeline Stern
Madeline is our Race Place Cover Athlete and received a $2,000 award. She is a 14 year old racer from Happy Valley, Oregon and skis with the Mt. Hood Meadows Race Team.
Madeline's contest entry said “I need a new speed suit”. She is wearing her 2nd bunny suit and is known in the region as “The Bunny Girl”. Madeline had to make a financial choice this past season between a new suit or skis. She went with skis as being more important. Smart choice Madeline! Spyder doesn't make the bunny design anymore so she will have to move away from that design.
Madeline learned to ski in Wisconsin where she was winning races in the Milwaukee area as a 10 year old. In 2011 she won the NASTAR National Championship for her age group in Winter Park, Colorado. She thought it was pretty cool to have her picture on the podium with A.J. Kitt, a US Ski Team World Cup winner who now happens to be a coach at Meadows. AJ was our 1st Race Place customer in 1995 when he called in a phone order for a Snap Dry Boot Dryer. Thanks for giving us a start AJ!
Last year Madeline qualified for the Western Region U14 Championship at Jackson Hole. Here's her words on how it went: “I got to the races and was very sick. I raced, coughed, slept and think I finished last in every race, but I raced and met new friends and tried to have fun”. We like her spirit!
Academics are a very important part of her life and she finished last year with a GPA of 4.0! She also received a 2nd degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. Don't mess with the "Bunny Girl".
The last statement on Madeline's Race Place Cover Application was;
"You have a lot of great racers on your covers. I might not be at that level yet, but I'm working hard to get there."
You've made it Madeline and Race Place is honored to have you on our 22nd cover!
BACK COVER WINNER: Matthieu Cote
Matthieu has won the $1,000 award for being selected to be on the Race Place Catalog back cover. His letter stated:
"I am quite new to the ski racing world. Before ski racing I would have a pair of skates strapped to my feet and a hockey stick in my hands, but now I am a ski racer."
Matthieu is going into his Junior year at Northwood School in Lake Placid, New York where he has a GPA of 3.8. He started ski racing much later than most and at age 13 went to his first summer race camp, but also went to two hockey camps. He had a decision to make after his first year U16. Hockey or ski racing? This was the biggest decision he had made in his life and ski racing won! He wrote:
"I have no regrets stopping hockey and starting ski racing. I have met so many new people and made many new friends. This past year has been amazing in both the results and the fun I had. I was able to break through my expectations and make it to Nationals. There were some rough bumps on the way which made me question why I was doing it. In the end it all paid off with the great coaching I had at Northwood and NYSEF."
Matthieu went on to say:
"Ski racing is a very expensive sport and I want to help out my parents with the expense. This award could be a thing that I could do to help out. I love them so much for what they do for me and I want to make them proud, but they tell me every day that they are proud of me already."
We feel that Matthieu is going to be a great success in life with an attitude of setting goals, working hard and thanking others for being an important part of his success. Race Place is proud to assist with a $1,000 award and to have him on our back cover!