Tami Razinger's Blog

The Beginning of Winter 09-10 Ski Season!!!

tamirazinger — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:38:19 +0000

Stratton officially opened on the 8th of December. It was a rough week and a half opening delay. We arrived back in VT from Colorado on the 19th and had Thanksgiving Break until the 30th, when we had to start back up with school. That week we had dryland in the mornings, since the mountain wasn’t open yet and on Friday the 4th, we trekked up to the mountain to get our ski passes, hiked up to the top of American Express lift and also went to the new Sugar and Spice Cafe to get some snacks/beverages. When the mountain opened on the 8th, we went freeskiing on Black Bear, Polar Bear, and Grizzly Bear mostly because they were the only trails open up top. Further on in the week we trained some GS and SL and raced at Stratton both on the 13th and 14th (which because of the race, school was cancelled for all). Sunday was a Vermont Cup GS on North American and Monday was a Vermont Cup SL on the bottom section of North American. On Sunday’s SL, there some good results for SMS. For the women, Emily Bamford placed 2nd, Marley Pawlak placed 4th, and Paige Chardavoyne placed 10th. And for the men, Nick Krause placed 7th. There were better results on Monday, as SMS swept the women’s podium. For women, Emily Bamford placed 1st, Paige Chardavoyne placed 2nd, Marley Pawlak placed 3rd, Tami Razinger placed 6th, and Claire Hamnett placed 9th. For the men, Nick Krause once again placed 7th, Eric Rasmussen placed 8th, and Tanner Mottau placed 10th. We also trained hard this past week, taking a day off on Tuesday. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we trained SL. This weekend, 12/19 and 12/20 we had a Vermont Cup SL at Bromley and a GTS GS at Okemo. At Bromley’s SL race, SMS was proud to have many representatives in the top ten, as well as once again having the women sweep the podium. For women, Elle Gilbert placed 1st, Tami Razinger placed 2nd, Kelsey Bresnan placed 3rd, Amanda Reilly placed 5th, Kelly Appenzeller placed 7th, Kelsey Pearson placed 8th, and Marta Decarli placed 9th. For the men, Stefan Shmidt placed 2nd, Hunter Lathrop placed 3rd and Trevor Lennox placed 4th. There are also a group of SMS alpiners at different races that are FIS. The women are at Sunday River, and the men are at Attitash, where the fields are more difficult. They have 2 SLs and 2 GSs. The men are racing from 12/17-12/20, and so far they have had amazing results. Jay Ogle won the first SL on the 17th. In the SL on the 18th, Blake Pendleton placed 2nd, Scotty Mclaughlin placed 5th, Nick Krause placed 7th, and Tanner Mottau placed 10th. In the GS on the 19th, Jay Ogle won once again, Nick Krause placed 3rd, Scotty Mclaughlin placed 4th, Hunter Resek placed 6th, Cole Skinner placed 9th and Cole Gibson placed 10th. The women are racing from 12/19-12/22 at Sunday River. In the SL on the 19th, the first SMS girl was Paige Chardavoyne in 16th.

Here are some pictures from the first few races

This is the women’s podium for the VC SL at Stratton on 12/14:

This is the women’s podium for the VC SL at Bromley on 12/19:

This is the men’s podium for the VC SL at Bromley on 12/19:

News on the Alaska Trip

tamirazinger — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:51:33 +0000

Unfortunately, I didn’t end up going to Alaska, but that was a trip that was awesome for some and not so good for others. Some came back with smiles, others, not so much (especially since on the way back, they were stuck and the Anchorage airport for 2 days, not getting any sleep). There were suberb results in Alaska by many of the 1st year J2 girls and I am so proud of them! The first couple days, they trained and freeskied in Alyeska from 12/10-12/11, they had two FIS SLs and from 12/12-12/13 they had two FIS GSs. Elle Gilbert, Libby Gibson, Amanda Reilly, Christie Choma, Kelly Appenzeller, Kelsey Pearson, and Maddi Hall all went to Alyeska for girls and Trevor Lennox, Stefan Shmidt, Danny Fowler, Dylan Alvarez, Scotty McLaughlin, Keith Schuman, and Blake Pendleton. Many were able to score under 100, withstanding the tough conditions, including an impressive score of 55 for FIS for Libby Gibson in one of the GSs. Yeah Lib!!! They said it was cold in Alyeska, dark, and the courses were bumpy and rough. But regardless, some did great and gave themselves a good start for the season, and that’s what it’s all about.

Yeah, on the way back, their plane had been assumed “delayed” several times, and finally it was cancelled after boarding and then having to get off and go to baggage claim. Some slept in their ski bags, others on the ground or seats, covered with jackets. It sounded like a not so fun time, because for a little over 2 days, they didn’t get back to VT. Oh well, they’re back safe and sound, but tired! (They got back on 12/16 at around 3:30 PM, when they had planned to arrive on 12/14 at around midday. In Seattle, Washinton, they were sent to a hotel for a total of about 3 hours, so they could get some rest before the rest of the journey.)

Amanda, Choma, Kelsey, Libby, Maddi, and Elle posing in Alyeska, Alaska.

Colorado Trip A Success!

tamirazinger — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:08:30 +0000

Since we only had Digital Media class in the first quarter, we are not required to write any more blogs or tweets. But every once in a while, I’ll try to write a little something. It’s been a long time!

Our trip to Colorado was amazing. The snow was fantastic, well we made the most of what there was. We freeskiied in Loveland for a day, freeskiied in Arapahoe Basin for two days, and then trained in Vail for 6 days (2 of them being GS and 4 of them being SL). It was a very successful camp and we trained in Vail next to the U.S. Ski Team, which was incredible! The Slovenian team was also there, and the Austrian Team was arriving after we left. There weren’t many trails open at any of the mountains, and at Vail there was only one trail open. Although Vail was not open to the general public, that trail was a busy one. We had at least 1 GS course, 2 SL courses, a freestyle lane with moguls, another freestyle lane with rails, and some athletes freeskiing in the tiny spaces between all on that one trail.

I thought it was a very successful camp for me because I was able to improve my skiing tremendously from last year and was able to catch up to the other girls a bit, who had all gone to Chile for 2 weeks. I was focusing a lot on having my pressure done at the top of the turn, standing completely on the downhil ski, and lifting my inside hip up. My freeskiing improved and I was ready for taking it into the course. Getting into a SL course was an easy transition for me, and I was able to make nice, clean, carving turns in it, so I was very happy. GS was a different story. My GS skis this year are longer than last years. This year I have 182s and last year I had 177s, so it was hard for me to trust and turn my new GSs. We had minimal time for GS, so both days were days of gates, and I was not ready. I had to try to get used to my GSs on the one trail in Vail, avoiding courses on either side of me. I didn’t quite get all that used to them, but I tried the course, well the top (flat) part and it was okay. The next GS day, I did the entire course (which included one part that I thought was substantially steep) and I made it through the day. It was rough, but at least I made a few good turns and some progress. The last day in Vail we had our “race” which didn’t end up being a race because we were allowed to decide if we wanted to be timed or not. I was able to make 5 runs in the SL course, the last 3 which I decided to time myself. I was really happy because my runs were getting progressively faster and I was in there with the older/better girls. Also, my skiing FELT good, and that was important. I decided that I had achieved my camp goals and that my skiing had truly improved.

This year’s Vail Fall Camp was definitely the best camp that I went to. In addition to being happy about my skiing, I was able to watch the U.S. Ski Team training and met some of them! I saw Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso, Steve Nyman, Scott Macartney, Marco Sullivan, and so many more! It was so much fun to watch them ski and see them hanging out at the bottom, where the U.S. Ski Team tent was with all there oxygen tanks, food, candy, staff, and other equipment. I remember always watching ski racing on tv and wishing to see the racers sometime and at Vail I was able to watch them ski and everything! It was amazing!

I’ve also decided that I think I want to live in Colorado when I get older. It is one of the prettiest places in the U.S. I love how there are so many great mountains in close-range to each other and also there is almost always sun! So, it doesn’t usually get very cold, but the snow is still sick! The lanscape is breathtaking and the air is clean, I love it!

These are some of the pictures I have with some U.S. Ski Team Members! (Scott Macartney, Steve Nyman, Bode Miller and Ted Ligety)

Wine Image Created On Photoshop

tamirazinger — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:08:30 +0000

So far, this winery poster project is the last assignment we have completed in Digital Media Class. It was a fun one and incorporated many skills that we have learned throughout the quarter in Photoshop. We needed to manipulate the text by changing the font, sizing, stroke and fill, and stretching them to match the assignment model. We needed to draw specific shapes, copy them, fill them with color and arrange them in a specific order. We needed to draw vertical and horizontal lines of different color and have a border. We also needed to have a tan background and have the wine image pointing slightly downwards and in a different color tone, along with making it look somewhat cartoonish. I enjoyed the assignment a lot and although it required many skills in Photoshop, was fairly easy (if you understood the directions) and played with the program a bit.

The next planned assignment was going to be to make a poster of our choice, advertising any type of product that we want. Our last day of Digital Media class is tomorrow, which is sad because the class was really fun and I learned a lot. This does mean skiing is around the corner, which I am totally psyced about! One more day of school left and then off to Vail, Colorado!!!

Gatorade Picture

tamirazinger — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:47:25 +0000

Gatorade is going to send Stratton Mountain School 200 stickers. The design on the sticker depends on us. We have a contest going, and along with the kids taking a computer class, anybody can make one and try to win. We have a blank template of the G-bolt sticker and can design it any way that we want. This is my attempt and the voting starts tomorrow!!!

Alyeska, Alaska Here We Come!

tamirazinger — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:39:16 +0000

Also, in mid-December, some J2s have the choice to take a trip to Alyeska, Alaska, just out of Anchorage to race some FIS races (2 gs and 2 sl). About 7 girls and a few guys are presently debating whether they will be attending these races or not. A few have chosen, but we don’t know the costs yet. It shows to be a fun-filled trip and would be to a destination that no one has visited yet-not that I know of at least. I’m hoping that I can go to Alaska, it would be the trip of a lifetime and I can just imagine it being very beautiful and picturesque.

The plan seems completely ridiculous and sick. Leave for Vail on Saturday morning and stay there for two weeks. When we arrive back to Vermont, we get a week off for Thanksgiving break. Then, back to school for a week and leave for Alaska for just over a week and go to school for a couple more weeks and finally winter break! The time from now until then seems like no time at all, but there is much to accomplish during that time. I have to remember to stay focused throughout the year, as junior year is the most important, and especially during the winter months where school will be difficult while we are away. I hope that everybody can go to Alaska that were told that they could go and that it be an exceptional trip!!!

Ready For Vail On Saturday?

tamirazinger — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:28:04 +0000

Ready for Vail on Saturday? Certainly not, is my perspective on the issue. A few more days of intense work, of sweat and strain, of no sleep.

For one thing, the quarter ends right before we leave for Colorado, which makes it next to impossible to be focusing on Vail. The grading closes on Friday and in almost all classes we have some sort of quiz or test, or even more major: a quarter test, in which we have to remember all the material so far…GREAT!

Another thing is that I didn’t go to Chile like the rest of the alpine crew did, so my ski equipment came in just recently and I haven’t touced the bases of my skis quite yet. They are in need of wax and I’m not quite sure how and where I will find the time to wax them. Also, when will I be able to pack, since I have school all this week and we leave early in the morning on Saturday, meaning that technically I should go to bed fairly early on Friday?

On the other hand and on the bright side, Vail IS coming up, which can and definitely is a good thing. I’ve heard it has snowed a lot up there and we are staying in nice condos right on the mountain. Also the U.S. women’s team will be there??!! That would be awesome!

I haven’t skied since Tuckerman’s Ravine last spring and I am totally pumped to be on snow once again. I hope to get used to my new boots fast and tear it up this season! …Definitely stoked about skiing in Vail in 5 days now!!!

Some More Photoshop Work

tamirazinger — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:50:55 +0000

These are even more pictures that I have created using Photoshop. This assignment was a type of “free-for-all” where we could create any type of picture we wanted and try to make as many as we could using the skills we have learned in Photoshop. The three pictures I have shown here I used the skills of using the filter gallery to change the picture’s look and the black and white mode to emphasize a certain color.

I had always wanted to know how to make a color picture black and white, all except a certain part. Now, I can say that I know how, and it’s pretty cool how it turns out. Some steps in the process of making the image is making the settings of the picture black in white by changing it’s hue and saturation and adding a duplicate of the image on the bottom that is the original look. Then erasing from the black and white layer, you erase all that you want using the eraser tool and being extremely careful. For example in this picture, I only erased the vests from the black and white image, to reveal the red-orange of the vests. The picture was taken in Westerly, Rhode Island, when Choma and I went to visit the McGills and we went kayaking in the roaring sea.

The picture of the San Juan surf shop, I made look a little cartoon-like. On top of that, I changed the color of the picture by emphasizing on blue and changed the brightness and contrast levels.

In the last image, I cut a picture of a polar bear and placed it on another image of a desert. I changed the size and settings of the polar bear to better fit the landscape and make it look so totally real!! …Right??!!

Photoshop Work

tamirazinger — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:22:56 +0000

This was another assignment due for Digital Media class using Photoshop. We have already learned to do so many neat things in Photoshop, but this assignment focused on how to make text the color of any picture you choose and how to warp text. In these examples I used a picture of fall, a sunset, and a picture of Colorado to make the color of the text for “Fall Days”, “Sunsets”, and “Alpine Skiing” look really cool. First, make the text the size you want to and have a separate layer containing the picture you want to have used as the color. Make sure the image that you want is big enough to cover the entirety of the text and put it on top of the text, arranged the way you want it. Have the image layer selected and press command and then the layer of the text and that will select the text. If all the right layers and images are selected, all you have to do is press command, then shift, then i, to inverse the selection and just press delete and the part of the image that was not over the text erases. Then just press command and d to deselect and voila! Looks cool doesn’t it? I think this is a really cool tool to be able to make posters and projects and in general, a necessity to start being “pro” at photoshop.

Photoshopped Time Square

tamirazinger — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:23:12 +0000

In January 2009, at a ski trip to Sugarloaf, ME, Beckie McGill, a great friend to all, crashed into the woods while we were all taking some runs on our downhill skis. She hit a tree at a high speed and hit her head extremely hard, making it impossible for her survive the crash. It was a day I will never forget for the rest of my life. The event changed my perspective on life, and skiing specifically, making me realize just how dangerous alpine skiing can be.

This past summer, my friend Choma and I went to Westerly, RI, to stay with the McGills at their beach house to visit and spend time with them, and to enjoy the nice summer sun. We stayed there for a few days and had a fabulous time. The McGills are great people, and awesome cooks! Choma and I went swimming, kayaking, tanning, boogie boarding, skin boarding, and surfing. We weren’t very successful surfing because the waves were extremely small and it was our first time, but we enjoyed it. The next time we try to surf, we are definitely getting up on the surfboard and riding some waves!

One night, (and also the next morning before we left to head back to Choma’s) we went kayaking right off the shore. The water was freezing, especially when we went at night, and it was just about to get really dark. We had just finished dinner and decided it would be a good idea to go out into the ocean and try to kayak. It proved to be difficult. We made it okay, but the waves nearly flipped us over and we got really wet. The McGills were afraid we would go to far out, but I think in the end we did okay and the only problem was we weren’t coordinated enough so we weren’t going anywhere and it was getting dark fast. We were glad to have gone out on the kayak at least for that minimal amount of time because we had a blast and the moments while we were offshore were some of the funniest moments of all-time. Another night, we also tried to go swimming under the full moon, but, essentially, we chicked out. We only went up to our knees and swam a few strokes in that depth, but that was it. The fact that we couldn’t see what was in the water freaked us out.

While we were at the McGill’s beach house, we met many close friends of theirs, including a girl who used to go to school with Beckie, back home. She was very nice and we had a lot of fun on the beach making an enormous sand castle and writing messages in the sand. One time, Choma and I went for a run on the beach and after about a mile, we decided to continue, but walking. And we walked a long way, too. All the way to the state beach, where just outside there are stores and restaurants because it is the center of the little town. We were refreshed by getting ice cream and one time we bought a chocolate dipped frozen banana that was covered with peanuts and it was delicious.

It was very peaceful to hang out at the beach all day and work on our tans, while listening to the calming sound of the ocean waves. It was nice to be able to leave the world behind us for those few days, and not worry about anything: no school and no work, and instead being around super nice people in a super nice place. I’m so glad that Choma and I were able to visit the McGills in Rhode Island and I want to thank you so much for letting us stay! And, Beckie, I wanted to say that I love you and miss you so much and I think about you a lot, you will always be in my heart.

After leaving Westerly, we went to Choma’s for the night, and the next day went to NYC for the day. We walked around a lot, visited Time Square and fun stores like the Hershey’s store and bought smoothies at Jamba Juice, which, by the way were delicious! We also went into Henri Bendel and got makeup put on and just plain looked around and also saw a yoga master busting some moves in the streets, putting on a show. We had a bunch of fun that day, too, but the day was one of the hottest of the year, and we sweated a ton, just walking a block. The picture below is in Time Square and in Digital Media Class, in an assignment using Photoshop, I made some changes by making certain parts cool colors!