Little ski team gets help from a giant

LONGSWAMP, Pa. - When former U.S. Ski Team member A.J. Kitt looks at the children on the Bear Creek Race Team, he sees a lot of himself.

"The ski area I grew up at is no bigger than Bear Creek," said Kitt, who got his start on the slopes more than 30 years ago at Swain Resort near Rochester, N.Y.

While neither Swain nor Bear Creek, in Longswamp Township, Berks County, has the kind of terrain Kitt would encounter at the Olympics and on the World Cup circuit, he said both mountains have the kind of coaching and support systems that can kick-start a young skier's career.

"I look back to when I was a kid and what a value being a part of a program was to me," said Kitt, now a consultant for Bear Creek's youth racing program, which is coached by Richard Wagner of Doylestown. "It molded me as a human being, and it was such a big part of my life. And obviously it was a springboard to bigger and better things."

Kitt, 39, of Hood River, Ore., is a two-time U.S. downhill champion (1992 and 1995) and two-time U.S. Super G champion (1991 and 1992). He was the first American male athlete to compete in four Olympics in alpine skiing, representing the country in 1988, '92, '94 and '98. He also spent a decade on the World Cup tour, where he posted 12 podium appearances and won the bronze medal in downhill at the 1993 world championships.

Although Kitt hasn't been involved with the U.S. Ski Team since his retirement from competitive racing in 1999, he remains very active in the sport and serves as a celebrity pacesetter for NASTAR, an organization that offers competitions for skiers of all ages and skill levels at resorts nationwide.

It was Kitt's involvement with NASTAR - albeit in a roundabout way - that led to his becoming a consultant to the Bear Creek Race Team.

The connection between Kitt and Bear Creek was made by Fred Patton of Trexlertown. Patton owns Phoenix Sports Technology, a precision-timing company that specializes in bicycle and ski racing.

Patton, who regularly times bike races at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center and NASTAR races at Bear Creek, became friends with Kitt years ago as a result of his work on the professional ski racing circuit.

So when Patton learned last year that Bear Creek's management was going to pour more than $1 million into upgrades to its racing slope, the formation of a youth racing team, and other resort improvements, he suggested the possibility of getting Kitt involved.

"I said, 'If you're going to do all these improvements, you really need a name-brand person to get this energized,' " Patton said. "So I called up A.J., and he came here and saw how wonderful this resort is and how behind everything they are. And he agreed to sign on and be our overall consultant for the whole competition program."

Thanks in large part to Kitt's involvement, Patton said, the Bear Creek Race Team received an enthusiastic response from resort customers. This season, in just its second year, the team has grown to include 60 children ages 6 to 14.

Team member Quinn McGunnigle, 14, of Phoenixville, said he loved the supportive atmosphere, adding that getting to ski with Kitt was "awesome."

"It's nice to meet an Olympian and see what they're like," McGunnigle said. "He's a really nice guy and a really good skier."

Suzanne Kistler is so impressed with Bear Creek's race program that she and her husband, David, drive five hours every weekend to take their son Nate, 7, to the mountain from their home in Drum Point, Md.

"He's loving the experience," said Kistler, who grew up in Northampton. "Nate is learning a lot about skiing, and what's really nice is we do get a lot of quality family time."

In addition to Kitt's involvement, Bear Creek officials credit much of the team's early success to head coach Wagner, a former competitive racer from Montreal.

"The whole emphasis here is getting the kids to be better skiers and having a lot of fun," said Wagner, who has been coaching for 10 years. "It's not getting too wrapped up in the competitive aspect of it."

He said Kitt visited Bear Creek about four times each winter. In addition to working with the racers, Wagner said, Kitt conducts coaching clinics to help him and the numerous assistant coaches develop more effective drills and instructional techniques.

"It works out great, because the kids have so much fun when he's here," Wagner said. "They can't believe they get to ski with a World Cup, Olympic athlete. So it's a big deal to them."

The racing conditions for Bear Creek's March 8 NASTAR race were downright awful, thanks to a driving rain that created puddles and thin spots on the course. Despite the weather, race team members made multiple runs down the mountain, and after the races, Kitt was inside the lodge handing out medals to honor their performances.

"He's wonderful with the kids," said Karen Race of Souderton, whose son Mitchell, 7, is on the team. "He's so enthusiastic, and the kids all love having him here. He has signed every helmet, every pair of skis, everything."

Race's husband, Kevin, is president of the Bear Creek Ski Club, a nonprofit booster organization that provides financial support to the race team and serves as a sort of social support system for the families involved.

"A.J. gives to the mountain, but he also gives to the club," Kevin Race said. "He's just a great, down-to-earth guy, and it's definitely an asset, having him here."

Kitt said he never imagined that helping run a youth racing program would be so enjoyable.

"Being involved, being at the grass roots of this sport, is very fun," he said. "When I was a kid, I did the same thing. I was in a race program at a very small resort. We raced NASTAR once a week, and there was never a former Olympian or national team member that was a part of it. So that whole aspect of it was unattainable as far as we knew, because it wasn't part of our context of thinking.

"But with me being here, coming from Olympics and world championship racing, hopefully it seems a little more attainable for these kids and their families, too."