Hi all,

For those of you that do not know me, my name is Thomas Cuddy or as the kids may know me, Coach Cuddy. I grew up skiing with my family at Sterling Forest, starting when I was 5 years old. After a few years of skiing and trying to keep up with my older cousins, my parents told me if I wanted to go fast, I’d have to learn to control it first. That’s when I started racing. I fell in love with it and continued to race throughout high school and into college at Castleton University in Vermont.

After college I was looking to continue being involved with ski racing and that’s when Coach Amber reached out to me and asked if I was interested in coaching at Mount Peter. I started on January 6th, 2018 and never looked back. I fell in love with coaching  and working directly with young racers and watching them become the best racer they can be. I have had the privilege of working with various age racers both during the season and at postseason races, I am very excited for this opportunity as Race Director for Mount Peter, because it means I not only get to work with all of our athletes, but I also get to work with mountain management, NJSRA, and USSA to help grow the sport of ski racing in our region.

I am looking forward to creating a fun environment where our  athletes can become the best versions of themselves. I want to prepare our athletes not only for regular season and postseason races, but also for the rest of their lives.

I would like to recognize our previous Race Director, Rob Dowd. His efforts throughout the years to grow this program and create the amazing environment we have now are greatly appreciated. Although Rob is stepping down from Race Director, he will not be stepping away from coaching just yet. Thank you to Rob for all you have done to support all of the race families at Mt Peter!

Please look over this checklist before the season begins to ensure you are prepared:
● Check the equipment requirements for your age group. (Posted on mtpeterracing.com)
● Make sure your equipment is tuned - especially if it is new (or has been sitting in the garage)!
● Purchase your season pass and get your photo taken.
● Renew or purchase your US Ski and Snowboard membership for U8-U21 athletes
● Look up your age group race schedule on NJSRA.org
● Watch Ski Racing videos on YouTube to get yourself psyched!
● Get to the Gym.
● Eat Healthy and get plenty of rest.

See you soon!

Coach Cuddy

While we are all patiently awaiting the first snowfall of the year, it is a perfect time to start getting into shape for the upcoming season. We all feel invincible on our first day of skiing, but the next day is always very painful due to using muscles you haven’t used since last season. Skiing requires excellent aerobic fitness, strong legs, and flexibility. Use this training guide for exercises that will help strengthen your legs and ease you into the ski season.

1) Any form of cardio will help your aerobic fitness, but some activities are better options than others. Riding your bike is an excellent way to keep your cardio up during the offseason, and it also strengthens similar muscles that you will use on your skis. Running is also an excellent alternative, as it provides intense cardio along with great power and stamina for your legs.

2) Biking and running will help establish your baseline, but to really ramp up for massive jumps and deep powder you have to do squats and lunges. Squats strengthen your legs and glutes but are also an excellent way to simulate the burn from skiing all day. This will help your balance and allow you to land with less than perfect form. Lunges improve the lateral movement of your lower body. This will help strengthen your back, hips, and legs.

3) Finally, to prepare for ski season you need to start stretching. The best pro skiers are not only fearless but can contort their body and morph into the best position for skiing. For freestyle skiers, flexibility allows you to do more grabs in the air and take larger impacts while falling. Being flexible will also allow you to keep yourself balanced with less effort and less energy. Becoming flexible takes a lot of time and a commitment every day to stretching for at least 30 minutes. Focus on touching your toes while standing, stretching your legs, and opening up your hip flexors.

To conclude, if you wait for the snow to start falling to prepare for ski season it is too late. Stay active, cross-train with other sports than compliment the same muscles, and start stretching to ensure you are ready for the first day on the hill.

WARWICK — The United States Ski and Snowboard Association has announced that Mount Peter Race Director Rob Dowd has been chosen as the 2013 USSA Alpine Coach of the Year.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment and it is gratifying to see all the work that Rob has done in building our program be acknowledged by ski racing’s governing body,” Mount Peter officials said in their press release announcing the award.
Nominated by the Mount Peter Race Club, Dowd was selected by a USSA committee over many qualified applicants from across the country. His selection is best summed up in these paragraphs from the nomination:
“Dowd’s influence on the sport of ski racing at a little bump of a mountain in southern New York is not measured solely by the countless medals won by racers in his program, nor is it measured by the more than 1,000 children who have passed through the race program since he arrived.
“Dowd embodies the grass roots USSA coach who is the lifeblood of the organization - as a race director who recruits coaches to the program and conducts USSA Level One clinics for them, as a race association board member who cajoles parents into becoming certified officials and technical delegates, and most of all, as an ubiquitous presence at Mount Peter, where he leaves his day job as an insurance broker around noon to work 75 days and nights in ski boots on the hill from mid-December to mid-March.
“On winter weekends, Mount Peter’s dirt parking lot is often packed and two of its trails are usually full of young ski racers – hundreds of young ski racers. You can find Rob Dowd making his way from group to group, giving advice and offering encouragement, working top-to-bottom in a matter of minutes.”