Sometimes what makes an athlete great can’t be measured by the numbers on the stat sheet.

For Park City senior Ryan Sherman, his contributions to the boys’ varsity basketball team can be found both in the stats and in numerous ways that can’t be measured in a box score. Besides averaging nearly a double-double (in points and rebounds) this season, Sherman’s intense strength and conditioning regimen and leadership have made him one of the most important players for the Miners.

According to Park City head coach Caleb Fine, Sherman is a pretty unique player. He is one of the first Park City players to average almost a double-double in a long time, and his hard work has earned him a reputation as one of the toughest guys on the team.

Sherman wasn’t always a gym rat. He played basketball recreationally, but never took up the sport seriously until his freshman year.

"Before freshman year, football was my favorite sport," Sherman said.

But by sophomore year, Sherman decided to permanently trade his football spikes for the hardwood. Fortunately, the transition to competitive hoops wasn’t too difficult for the 6-foot four-inch Sherman. His father, Doug, who played college basketball at the University of Scranton, guided his son’s development. Doug is constantly playing basketball with him and offering him guidance.

"He has always been there for me, always helped me," Sherman said.

But Sherman’s development is also due to a relentless commitment to hard work. Sherman hits the weight room year ’round, works on his conditioning, and spends countless hours in the gym honing his skills. In the off-season, he lifts weight five or six times a week, runs twice a week, and plays pick-up games four or five times a week.

"The big thing with me is to work hard and stay motivated," he said.

All of Sherman’s hard work shows. He is a physical specimen and a force on the floor.

"He’s put his dues in, in the weight room," Fine said. "He can physically dominate players. He’s a big-time post player."

He moved from the eighth man in the rotation his freshman year to starter in his sophomore year, and last year he was the only junior to earn a varsity letter. This year, Sherman is a team captain. The Miners lost a number of talented seniors to graduation last season, and now the team’s success rests on his shoulders. It’s a responsibility that, like everything else in his basketball career, he takes very seriously.

Last year, Sherman witnessed the Miners lose some of their motivation, which only made him want to work harder. This year, as team captain, he is trying to set an example of what commitment and extra effort can do to change a team.

"The team knows what hard work can do," he said. "If I keep working hard, it shows the other kids to keep working."

This year he has been trying to share his secrets to success with the other Park City starters, convincing them that bulking up and staying focused will make both their individual and the team games infinitely better. And Sherman continues to set high standards for himself. He has set a goal to score in double digits every night and becoming one of the best players in 3A. He also hopes to see the Miners win the region title, make the playoffs, and maybe, just maybe, win the state championship.

With Sherman’s work ethic, it seems as if anything might be possible.

"He has worked so hard," Fine said.

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Under the label of Winterfest, Park City is holding a series of activities in the area to commemorate the 2002 Olympic legacy and highlight the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin which begin Saturday.

As part of the festival, two competitions will be held at the Utah Olympic Park on the jumping hill and the ice. A select group of freestylists from around the country will take part in the International Ski Federation (FIS) Freestyle NorAms. On the track, sliders from all over the West will come together for the Skeleton Western Regional; Championships which will be held Saturday and next weekend.

According to Freestyle Lives Year-Round (FLY) Freestyle director Chris "Hatch" Haslock, the event will welcome about 25 of freestyle future stars. Among them will be eight members of the U.S. Ski Team and as well as some freestylists from the Canadian Ski Team. There will also be 10 members of the FLY program competing and much of the Eastern Aerial Team competing.

"There will be people from all over," Haslock said. "Not a huge field, but some of the best."

The NorAm circuit features skiers that are one tier below World Cup

"These are essentially the people aspiring to be on World Cup," Haslock said.

The decision to make the competition part of Winterfest was easy, as Haslock predicts many of the featured participants will be in the Olympic Games in four years.

"This is the stepping process," Haslock explains.

Among some of the top competitors will be U.S. Ski Team member Jill Priest, who won the fist two NorAms of the season and leads the NorAm tour in points. Priest has finished in the top 10 in numerous World Cups. She will be joined by Park City local Austin Cummings, who leads the NorAm tour on the men’s side and was also a top finisher in the year’s first NorAms. Cummings was able to compete in his first World Cup competition, when the event was held in Deer Valley last month.

Jay Nachbauer headlines the Canadian squad. He has finished first in the NorAms and skied on the World Cup this year.

Haslock says this is the ideal event to watch, because the small field allows for a short competition time featuring some of the nation’s elite, making for an entertaining afternoon. There will also be television screens dispersed around the UOP broadcasting Olympic coverage so the audience can keep up with the events in Turin.

The Skeleton Western Regional; Championships will also honor Park City’s Olympic legacy. According to Steve Revelli, western programs manager for the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation the event will be a great chance to see some of the sport’s upcoming stars.

"I think it’s a good open forum for skeleton watching. We would love to have more people there," Revelli said.

The regional race will also have some broader implications. The top sliders from the race will qualify for next year’s national team selections that determine the America’s Cup, Europa and World Cup rosters.

"This is grassroots level for the next four years," Revelli said. "These are people you could definitely see for the next four years."

This year’s regionals are open to any slider qualified to start from the top of the track. Revelli says that the entire local club, the Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Federation, is entered in the race, as well as sliders from many states west of the Mississippi, including California, Colorado, Washington and Texas.

Unfortunately, because the event runs concurrently with the Olympic Games, some of the best skeleton athletes are in Italy working at the Games, but Revelli says that there will still be some bright stars. Park City’s Felicia Canfield, who has competed on both the America’s Cup and Europa Cup, will likely headline the women’s race and the Parkite Crest Simeon should be a standout among the men.

The FIS Freestyle NorAms will be held Saturday, Feb. 11 from 12:30-2 p.m. The Skeleton Western Regional Championships will be held Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. and next Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Both events will take place at the UOP.

The theater and two big screens in the day lodge will run continuous Olympic coverage for the duration of the Games.

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Of all the nights

Park City head coach Troy Buford has often told his team that any team in Region 10 could beat any other team in the league on any given night. Even with that knowledge, when the Utes rolled into town, winless in region play, it didn’t seem like there was anything to worry about.

And then the Utes shocked the entire gymnasium by finishing with a 73-percent shooting average for the night and winning by a shocking 92-69 score.

"You could have put a blindfold on those guys and it would have gone in," Buford said.

The Miners also had a decent shooting night, but their 49-percent was no match for the Utes. Led by Jake Butler who scored his 22 points almost entirely from an impossible seven three-pointers, Uintah was 27 for 37 for shots made on the night and 25 for 29 at the free throw line.

Up 50-33 at the half, the Miners stepped up their defense and figured that odds were that the Utes would not continue shooting well, but nothing changed.

"Sometimes, it’s just not their night," Buford said. "They are not a horrible team and I guess they saved it all up for us last night."

Whether or not the Miners are winners or losers after the Judge game scheduled on Friday night, the Miners may still have a chance. They are tied with Union for the fourth-place slot that would get them into the playoffs, and the Cougars finish their regular season against Morgan another tough team. If both Park City and Union lose, they will be forced into a play-in game for the final spot that will be staged in a neutral location next week. Buford just hopes that his player’s heads are in the right place.

"We have to wrap our heads around the task at hand." Buford said. "Maybe we’ll surprise some folks.

The bottom line

Although the Miners only lost 51-42 to Uintah on Tuesday, one aspect of their game seemed to be coming up short — very short. At the free throw line, Park City missed eleven shots more than the margin that would have earned them the win.

"We’ve never been a good free throw team all year," said Miners assistant head coach Matt Mapstone. "We don’t focus and take our time."

They are also struggling in the middle. With the loss of 6-foot 3-inch Nicole Bishop to a sprained ankle, Park City is forced to rotate three players that are all barely taller than 5-fett 11-inches.

"How do you not miss her," Mapstone says.

The Miners were trying to grab rebounds and block shots, but without the extra four inches, it seemed a Uintah player was always right there.

Park City will need to figure out how to win soon as they face a similar situation to their male counterparts, where a loss to Judge means a play-in game next week.

"It’s really easy right now," said Mapstone. "You win, you go to the payoffs. You lose, you go home."

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The Park City inductees included Karen Korfanta, Alan Engen, Jim Gaddis and Dick Mitchell. In a statement supplied by Amidon, the Ski Archives honors those in the competitive world of ski racing in the Intermountain area, and this year, specifically focused on those who competed during the 1950’s and 1960s. The criteria was restricted to those skiers who were living, residents of the Intermountain area (or were at the time of their competitive accomplishments), were members of Olympic or International Ski Federation (FIS) teams, achieved collegiate All-American status or were top finishers in major international races, and had not been honored previously as a competitor in the last five years.

According to biographies supplied by the Amidon, each honoree was at the forefront of skiing in Utah, the nation and the world and left a permanent mark on the ski community.

Karen Korfanta A native of Pinedale, Wyo., Karen was the Intermountain Division slalom champion in 1961 and 1962; downhill champion in 1962 and 1964 and giant slalom champion in 1963, the same year she won the slalom in the U.S. Junior National Championships and was named the division’s Junior Girl Racer of the Year. She won the senior title the following year. She represented the University of Utah at the World University Games in Sestriere, Italy, placing 6th in the DH and 8th in GS. She placed 3rd in DH in the Canadian Nationals in 1966, the same year she won the GS at the Far West Kandahar. She placed 2nd in the Special Slalom at the World University Games in Finland in 1970. She was a member of the U.S. National Alpine Team in 1967-70, selected to the U.S. Olympic Team in 1968 and was a member of the U.S. FIS university teams in 1966 and 1970. She served as U.S. Ski Team Coordinator from1971-73; was race department manager at Park City Mountain Resort and chair for the America’s Opening Alpine World Cup from 1986 until 2003. She served on the jury for the Alpine Women’s Events for the World Championships in St. Anton in 2000 and from 1998-2002 she was the Park City Mountain Resort’s Sports Manager for the snowboard and giant slalom venues during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Korfanta continues to serve as PCMR’s race manager.

"When you look at those who have been honored before I’m proud to be part of that group," Korfanta said. "There are some really great athletes who have been honored. It’s my favorite event, so it’s nice to be honored."

Alan Engen, son of legendary ski pioneer Alf Engen, made his own mark on ski history in the Intermountain west. Alan started skiing at the young age of 2 and started competing at 9. He was very successful as a junior racer in the Intermountain capturing membership on the Junior National team from 1953 through 1958. He was the champion of both alpine events but jumping as well. He attended the University of Utah and was a member of the ski team. He was co-captain from 1959-1962 and was named to the NCAA All American team in 1960. Also in 1960 he took second place in the U.S. National Alpine Downhill, Slalom and Giant Slalom Combined. From 1964-66 he was a member of the U.S. Ski Team for the Counseil Internationale du Sports Militaire World ski championships and FIS competition in Europe. He continued his ski racing in the Master Series. Alan has been listed as a Utah Ski Legend in 1989. In 1991 he was named to the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 2004. Alan’s accomplishments aren’t only on the ski hill. He has produced two videos on his father; Alf Ski Meister of the 20th Century and Alf Engen An American Legend. He has also written "For the Love of Skiing of which he received the Ullr award from the International Ski History Association and "First Tracks, A Century of Skiing in Utah with Dr. Gregory Thompson. His most notable accomplishment is the building of the Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center/Alf Engen Ski Museum at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City Utah. Alan has been the Director of the Alta Ski School from 1992-98 and most currently the Director of Skiing at Alta. He is the founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation, Chair and president of the Alta Historical Society, torchbearer prior to the 1996 Olympic Summer Games and 2002 Olympic Winter Games. He is a charter member of the U of U J Willard Marriott Library’s Ski Archives Advisory Board. "I’m very humbled to be considered with this group of great athletes and personalities," Engen said.

With the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the completion of his books, Engen has been at the forefront of preserving Utah’s ski history. Thus, the Ski Archives honor seems to be a fitting award for Engen. "We work hard," Engen said. "The folks that have an active role as part of the Ski Archives play an important role with Alf Engen Ski Museum."

Jim Gaddis The Salt Lake City native was named Intermountain Ski Racer of the Year in 1957, 1958, 1962 and 1963 and was the Intermountain Division’s slalom, downhill and giant slalom champion in 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1963. In 1959, 1960 and 1962 he was captain of the University of Utah Ski Team. In 1960 and 1962 he was named to the NCAA All-American Ski Team and won the NCAA Alpine Combined title. In 1962, he also won the NCAA slalom, the U.S. Giant Slalom Championships and the Snow Cup, repeating as Snow Cup winner in 1963 and 1964. He founded one of Utah’s first racing programs for the development of junior racers in 1964, which evolved into the Gaddis Training Organization (GTO), which later became the Park City Racing Team. He coached the Intermountain Division Junior National Ski Team from 1970 to 1976. Jim has been inducted into the University of Utah Crimson Club Sports Hall of Fame (1989), the Utah Sports Hall of Fame (1989) and most recently the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame. Jim has volunteered his time and talents to numerous ski-related organizations including chairing the U.S. Ski Team Ski Ball, the Alf Engen Ski Museum Foundation, the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Ski Archives, the National Abilities Center, and the Alpine Site Selection Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the Youth Winter Sports Alliance. "It’s always nice to receive honors for something you do in your past," Gaddis said. "I was one of the founding members [of the Ski Archives], but I had nothing to do with the selection," he added laughing.

Dick Mitchell The Ogden native learned to ski at age 11 by watching others. He started skiing at Snow Basin, when there was still a rope tow. After a stint at Weber State College, he became a member of the University of Utah ski team finishing second in the NCAA Slalom Championships as well as in the Eccles Cup in 1952. In 1953, as captain of the U. ski team, he won the NCAA Downhill Championship and place third in the slalom. As a pilot for the U.S. Air Force, he competed for the USAF European Ski Team with athletes from the United Kingdom, Germany and the NATO Allied Air Forces. He skied for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 1956 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, d’Ampezzo, Italy. In 1955 Dick placed 32nd in the Hahnenkamm Downhill in Kitzbuhel, Austria, and he placed 43rd the following year in the Lauberhorn Downhill in Wengen, Switzerland. He piloted F105s during the Vietnam War, logging 100 combat missions over Vietnam and 49 over Laos. He and his fighter plane were shot down twice.

"It means a lot. After a long, long time, someone is recognizing us old guys," Mitchell said.

Mitchell also reflected on the significance of being recognized with the people who were on the competition circuit when he was.

"We’ve been a family," Mitchell said.

Mitchell says that in his time in Park City, he watched the city come of age and move into the booming status it is at now.

"I’ve had a great life," Mitchell said. "I loved Park City."

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Last year, North Summit took a loaded squad to the 2A State Wrestling Championships, yet somehow, they came home empty-handed, finishing outside of the top six places. This season, not only do they have another talented team, but a new coach, Rene Potter, who brings 20 years of coaching experience and a life-long commitment to the Braves’ wrestling program.

Potter wrestled at North Summit in the 1970s and has since been involved with wrestling in Coalville at every level. He brings with him 16 years of coaching experience, although he says that much of the success of wrestling is talent developed from a strong developmental program.

"If you have a feeder program and the kids learn to wrestle young it helps so much," Potter said.

Much like the dynasty that has been created at Wasatch High School through the development programs in Heber, Coalville has committed resources to start youth in wrestling at a very young age. Potter hopes eventually to see North Summit rise to prominence similar to Wasatch.

"That’s what we want to get our program to the Wasatch level," Potter said Another benefit that Potter wants to capitalize on is community. Coalville has traditionally been very supportive of North Summit wrestling and Potter has already begun to schedule more dual meets than last year so locals can come to the high school and cheer the Braves on. The team will also travel to numerous tournaments, as well as hosting their own on Dec. 17. The North Summit Wrestling Tournament will bring in teams from around the state and Wyoming from the 1A division all the way up to 4A. Because wrestling is such a talent-and-skill-based sport, school size does not affect the quality of the team, so all the teams should provide a challenge.

The Braves will need all the advantages they can get. They are in Region 14, one of the toughest wrestling regions in 2A, with top-ranked South Summit and Juab also challenging for the top spot in the league.

Potter predicts that this year North Summit could have as many as five state champions. He is returning five seniors, including a transfer from West High School in Salt Lake. There are also a number of talented underclassmen in the program. Some wrestlers he expects a lot from this season include, Nick Robinson- 140-pound weight class, Dane Ercanbrack 152-pound weight class, Coltan Potter189-215-pound weight class, Drew Robinson 215-heavyweight -pound weight class.

The team will not be allowed to start practice until Nov. 7, when the season officially starts. Potter says that because many wrestlers are also football players, the season has been pushed back a few weeks to allow the state football playoffs to finish.

"We’re looking forward to a good year and have young kids coming up, so we’re excited," Potter said.

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