Southeastern Wisconsin Alpine Team Racing
Southeastern Wisconsin Alpine Team Racing
Southeastern Wisconsin Alpine Team Racing, Inc.
Hello and Welcome to S.W.A.Team Racing, one of the most successful junior race programs in the Midwest.
Southeastern Wisconsin Alpine Team Racing, Inc., was incorporated by the State of Wisconsin on July 18, 2001 as a "corporation organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes to train amateur athletes in the sport of ski racing under Chapter 181 of the Wisconsin State Statues, within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986."
Join us for a season of FUN and RACING! S.W.A.Team Racing offers three Alpine Ski Race Programs for athletes 7 years old through high school. Athlete’s abilities, motivation, goals, competitive drive and other characteristics help the coaches determine along with the parents which program will be best for their child. Our coaches take proficient PARALLEL skiers and train them to compete in SLALOM AND GIANT SLALOM recreational downhill ski races offered in Southeastern Wisconsin. SWATeam WILL NOT accept any applicants who DO NOT WANT TO PARTICIPATE ON RACE DAYS.
In SLALOM AND GIANT SLALOM ski racing, “winning or losing is hundredths of a second, which is the difference in a few degrees of rotation, a degree or two of edge angle and when the ski is pressured along its length. These are all very small and sometimes imperceptible amounts. SkillsQuest drills used in training athletes allow the ski racer to learn to make these minute adjustments unconsciously.”
So, what is SkillsQuest all about? It’s a program formed by the U.S. Ski Team’s Alpine Training System comprised of specific drills to address pressure, edge, balance and rotational control skills to the athlete's technique at different levels of athlete development. It is divided into 6 phases that consider age, maturity, and experience level in pursuit of long-term athlete development.
We can assist you to determine which program you would like to enroll your athlete in. Athletes who are looking for higher competition in USSS & FIS programs also fit into our programs. Athletes with prior racing experience, please indicate on our 'Contact Us' form where you raced and the team name. Athletes with prior or current racing experience will be on a priority waiting list.
All SWATeam athletes are required to:
1. Participate in two [2] sessions per week in January and February.
2. NEW MEMBER ATHLETES ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL TRAINING SESSIONS THEIR 1ST YEAR IN OUR PROGRAM FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. So please make sure your family does not have any vacations scheduled during the month before you apply. December is SWATeam's gate training month, so attendance is required.
All teams have individual programs coached by certified coaches under the direction of Program Director/Head Coach, George Loomans. The S.W.A.Team Racing program has produced numerous League champions, Junior Olympians through our USSS Programs, USSCSA, and Wisconsin High School state individual champions along with High School Championship teams over the past 45+ years. SWATeam is proud to announce our USSS elite athletes have been chosen for the USSS Central Division Team in various years. Most recently, three athletes named to the team in 2021. One of our SWAT athletes received the honor as the OVERALL CENTRAL ATHLETE for the 2020-2021 season! The "USSS CENTRAL TEAM" is an elite group of racers and represents the best in the USSS Central Division. Our talented and experienced coaching staff is second to none in the Midwest. The last 5 years of WISCONSIN STATE HIGH SCHOOL Competitions SWAT athletes have been honored as the OVERALL MALE CHAMPION 2 years in a row [Harry Melges IV] and the OVERALL FEMALE CHAMPION 3 years in a row [Aly Cunningham] RECORDS that were never set in the past! TWO of our female athletes scored 1st and 2nd place overall in the WI State Meet for 2022. 1st place in all race discipline's, Monroe Melges, 2nd place in all discipline's Elsie Kmecak.
SWATeam staff works very closely with all facets of Alpine Valley Ski Resort management to ensure that, while providing the athletes with all necessary training opportunities, the impact on the skiing and riding public is kept to a minimum. On training and race days, it is necessary to close a trail, or a portion of a trail to ensure the safety of the racers and the public. Alpine Valley has agreed to allow SWATeam to practice at their hill on designated days of the week.
Our programs DO NOT OFFER ANY "Learn to Ski or Ski Better" ski lessons. SWATeam coaches train proficient parallel skiers to compete in SLALOM AND GIANT SLALOM ski racing. If your athletes skiing skills have out grown traditional ski school lessons and they are interested in recreational SLALOM AND GIANT SLALOM competitions, then you have come to the right site and may want to consider our programs.
Our programs require a parent or guardian for all children under the age of 16 to be on Alpine Valley property for the entire training session time and present at all ski areas hosting race competitions until the end of the session. We do not allow a child to be dropped off and a parent leave the property.
*AS OF JANUARY 1st , 2023 SWATeam will not accept any new member under the age of 7. Children ages 7-11 must have exceptional skiing skills to be accepted in our RACING program which will be assessed during their "on-the-snow evaluation and try out" for the team.
THANK YOU for visiting SWATeam Racing, Inc. We look forward to coaching your athletes.
NEW MEMBER REQUESTS:
JANUARY 1, 2023 UPDATE.
BEFORE you complete the "Contact Us" form, please read all the information we've provided about SWATeam on the Facts, Questions, Answers page. Most questions new families ask are already answered there.
Thank You!
All new requests for athletes to be evaluated to join SWATeam received after JANUARY 1, 2023 will be added to the waiting list for the 2024-2025 season unless your athlete has previous SLALOM & GIANT SLALOM ski racing experience through a club or team. (Does not include participation in NASTAR or occasional recreational racing.) There are currently 33 names on our waiting list for the 2024-2025 season! We are unable to add any more to that year.
SWATeam will contact you via the number or email you provide on the "Contact Us" form in late January 2024 or early February 2024 to schedule your athlete for an on-the-snow skiing skills test with one of our coaches at Alpine Valley Resort to evaluate their skiing skills.
SWATeam's minimum age requirement to join our team is 7 years of age by December 31, 2024 to try out for the team. There will be a fee (TBD) required for your athlete to be evaluated on their skiing skills. If your athlete makes the team, that fee will be deducted from the SWATeam program your athlete enrolls in. If your athlete does not have an Alpine Valley season pass, you will be required to purchase a lift ticket for the evaluation.
SWATeam is looking for proficient skiers who are making controlled parallel turns down all runs at Alpine Valley Resort and ski at least 3-5 times a week.
IF your athlete[s] are still skiing in a wedge, we recommend you enroll them in ski school programs first.