Get to know the new faces on the Stifel U.S. Men’s Team
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Shauna Farnell
Seven young American men are taking a huge step in their skiing careers this 2023-24 season. Finnigan Donley, Stanley Buzek, Colin Hanna, Hunter Salani, Sawyer Reed, John Kerbaugh and Roman Elvidge recently earned a spot on the Stifel U.S. Alpine Development Team. Hailing from every corner of the country, each learned to ski before many kids learn to walk.
Finnigan Donley
Finnigan Donley was barely 2 years old when he scooted onto the magic carpet at Alaska’s Alyeska Resort. By age 6, he was racing in the Mighty Might program. After joining the Sun Valley Ski Education Team, he began competing in all disciplines on the Nor-Am circuit. He landed 30th in his first Nor-Am race (a downhill) at Copper Mountain, Colo., last December. Three days later, he finished 12th in super-G.
Although his Nor-Am results were inconsistent throughout the season, by last March he was on fire. He won gold in super-G at the National Junior Championships at Mittersill Cannon Mountain in N.H. The streak continued with silver and bronze, respectively, in downhill and slalom and sixth place in GS. At Nationals in Sun Valley, ID, the 18-year-old beat some World Cuppers last April, taking fifth place in the super-G, where he was also the top skier under 21. He names this his most significant achievement in the sport so far. He describes earning a spot on the U.S. Team as “a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.”
“I think it is a great opportunity to push myself and train with people that are better than me and take my skiing to the next level,” Donley says. “I am looking forward to competing on the Nor-Am circuit full-time and having the opportunity to put everything I can into being the best skier I can be. My ultimate goal is to maximize my potential as an athlete and a skier, and hopefully, that will lead me to success in the World Cup circuit.”
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Stanley Buzek
A Colorado native, Stanley Buzek, was 2 years old when his parents took him skiing for the first time at Crested Butte. He enrolled in Team Summit’s introductory race program a few years later. It wasn’t until the ripe age of 7 that he started “to take skiing seriously” after moving to Minnesota and joining the Buck Hill squad. Although the 17-year-old is back in Colorado and loves freeskiing, he has clearly learned his way around the tight gates.
He came out swinging last season, landing 23rd in his Nor-Am slalom debut in December. He followed up with numerous wins or runner-ups on the FIS circuit. In March, he became National Junior Slalom Champion, a feat he names his career highlight. Being named to the U.S. Team is right up there, too.
“I am super excited. This has been a long-time goal of mine,” Buzek says. “I am very excited to be representing my country. I think it will be a lot of fun with these guys.”
Colin Hanna
A product of Sun Valley, Colin Hanna’s first foray into the sport was at Mt. Hood at age 2. He started racing at age 7, following in his siblings’ footsteps. Now 18, he’s proven his worth in every discipline but loves speed. Last March, he was the fastest racer under 21 at the Nor-Am downhill final race in Whistler, B.C., finishing 17th overall against a stacked field.
“It has been a great privilege to join the U.S. Team, and it has motivated me to work much harder towards my goals,” Hanna says. “I love how ski racing has taught me so many valuable life lessons. I am most looking forward to working with our great coaches and training with my new teammates. My ultimate goal is to enable myself to be the best I can possibly be and see where that takes me.”
Roman Elvidge
An all-arounder who cut his teeth with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, Roman Elvidge crossed the finish line in nearly every race in every discipline last season and also put some serious points on the board. He scored his first Nor-Am points racing downhill (last December) and slalom (in February) and racked up top 10s in every discipline on the FIS circuit. He was the top racer under 18 at a speed series in Aspen that closed out the season.
Hunter Salani
Growing up in Vail in a family of avid skiers, Hunter Salani learned to ski while learning to walk at around the age of 1.5 years. He joined Ski and Snowboard Club Vail the minute he met the minimum age. Showing promise in all disciplines, Salani hit a high point last season, qualifying for World Juniors in St. Anton, Austria, and finishing 23rd in the super-G.
“This was one of the best trips in my ski racing career. I learned a lot and improved my skiing,” he says.
The experience lit a fire. Shortly afterward, he won back-to-back FIS GS races on his home mountain. He finished the season with an SG podium and impressive finishes in every race at the National Junior Championships.
The 18-year-old says the best part of the sport has been “the people around me and the coaches I have had throughout the years.”
He plans to “take full advantage” of the new doors opening this season.
“Joining the US Ski Team is an amazing opportunity. I am very grateful to be named, as not many kids get named a year,” he says. “Having new teammates can really help you. It is great because my teammates are also the best in the country and I can try to keep up and beat them. It gives me a great challenge. I am very excited for the trips we will be going on next year.”
Sawyer Reed
Also born with racing in his blood, Sawyer Reed started skiing at age 2 in Killington, V.T., chasing his mom and older brother around. He “loved going fast and making carving turns,” so it wasn’t long before he joined the Killington Ski Club and people started chasing him.
Before graduating from Green Mountain Valley School last spring, 17-year-old Reed clocked some fresh benchmarks throughout the season. He tried his first Nor-Am races in January at Burke Mountain, building up to 23rd in SG. He built consistency as a top-five competitor in SG, GS and slalom on the FIS circuit, culminating in his major highlight in March, becoming National Junior GS Champion.
“This was the biggest win I ever had and it meant a lot to me,” Reed says. “The thing I love most about the sport is the competitive aspect, pushing myself to be the best I can be at the thing I love doing most. The desire to compete at the highest level is what drove me through the process of making the national team.”
Reed is excited about the new opportunities that await with the national team.
“I have never been to Europe in the winter to race. I am eager to get a taste of what ski racing in Europe is all about,” he says. “Ever since I started ski racing, it has been a dream of mine to make the U.S. Ski Team. The past two seasons have been the hardest yet and I pushed myself to my absolute maximum to reach that dream, which makes it mean even more for me. I want to continue to work my way up the ranks of the national team and, hopefully, one day find myself racing at the highest level in Europe.”
John Kerbaugh
A Vermont native who first skied at Smuggler’s Notch, John Kerbaugh was lucky enough to move to the French Alps with his family when he was 4. After returning to Vermont, Kerbaugh started racing with Cochran’s Ski Club. He recalls this phase of his life as “instrumental in developing my love for skiing and being a part of a community of like-minded people.” From there, he moved to Mt. Mansfield Academy to “access bigger terrain and flexible schooling.”
It all paid off. Kerbaugh hit his stride in 2021-2022, landing on his first FIS podium (a GS in Sunday River, Maine) shortly after his 16th birthday and winning the GS the next day. He wrapped up that season as the National Junior GS Champion. Last March, he came close to defending the title, finishing third, and proved to be a top ten finisher in FIS downhill and a podium contender in all other disciplines.
As far as what he loves most about the sport, the 17-year-old says, “I love spending time in nature and being surrounded by a strong community of friends.”
He describes his spot on the U.S. Team as “a tremendous opportunity to train and learn from high-level athletes” and looks forward to “meeting new people, training and racing at new venues.”
His ultimate goal as a ski racer is “to have fun and be happy.”
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