Why Support the

Ski Roundtop Racing Club

SRRC has a well-deserved reputation for producing some of the top athletes and hosting the most well-run races in the state. Like many other sports, ski racing is evolving in a manner that requires a greater financial and time commitment to excel. To be competitive an athlete may have to participate in out-of-state training, train year-round, and make greater use of technology. SRRC must provide more educational opportunities for our coaches, and better use of training time. The competition center provides the opportunity to perform advanced video analysis between runs when the feedback can be put to immediate use rather than the end of a training session. Since the equipment will be readily available, we will be able to time training sessions more frequently so athletes get immediate feedback as they implement modifications to their technique. A donation to the SRRC Competition Center will help to improve the performance of central Pennsylvania athletes many years into the future.

      Head Coach Bruce Bedell with SRRC team                 J4/5 State GS Champion Andy Stewart                   J3's Jamie Bender & Liza Legro

                                                                                             J4/5 State Slalom Champion Blake Bowman                     Take top honors at the

                                                                                                 J4/5 State GS Champion Tess Beinhaur                      Patrick Shire Memorial GS

The racing season is shorter in Pennsylvania than in most other skiing states. To be competitive with athletes in mountain or cold-weather states, Pennsylvania ski racers must absorb higher costs to extend their training opportunities. This often restricts an athlete’s potential or places financial strains on many of the families involved with the sport.

Many of our athletes are as dedicated and committed to their sport as the top athletes in the more visible junior sports. These other sports get more financial support due to their increased visibility but skiing athletes can be just as talented. SRRC athletes and alumni have earned distinction as medal winners at the Junior Olympics, the U.S. Nationals, and have gone on to world class racing in Nor-Am and Europa Cup venues.

Due to the large number of volunteers and officials it takes to run a ski race and the necessity for frequent travel, ski racing encourages a high level of parental involvement. Many of our parents say this sport has helped them maintain close ties with their children as they move into the teenage years when peer pressure to experiment with alcohol and drugs has caused so many youths to get in trouble. Indeed it is rare to hear about a ski racer who has strayed down the paths that could lead to ruined lives. It is a sport worth supporting.

Please support junior ski racing at Ski Roundtop with a donation to this worthwhile endeavor. Click here for SRRC Mission Statement.