Talented local moguls skier seeks support

For top young competition skiers who set their goals high, the training and travel costs can be pricey – and nearly as much of a challenge as developing skills on the slopes.
    The expenses for a single year can total between $25,000 and $30,000.
    Bethel freestyle skier and Gould Academy grad Troy Murphy, 20, is chasing his dream of becoming a top-level moguls competitor.
    A fundraiser  at the Mill Hill Inn in Bethel Oct. 6 will help him build this season on what he has already achieved in bumps skiing.
Starting young
    Troy started his ski career at age 7 in the Gould/Sunday River competition program. He went on to attend Gould Academy and compete in freestyle.
    “I always liked moguls and was pretty good at it,” he said this week.
    In addition to negotiating all the moguls on a course, the skier must also execute two aerial jumps along the way – and do it in the fastest time possible.
    Troy says he likes that combination of all the disciplines of skiing – jumps, turns and speed.
    He realized late in his career at Gould that he had the talent to go a long way in the sport, and decided then to seriously pursue it.
    Since he graduated, Troy has worked with Coach Glenn Eddy of Planet Ski International. Eddy, a former member of the U.S. Ski Team, has coached other athletes who have made the U.S. team.
    In late October Troy is headed off to Switzerland for two weeks of training, and then on to British Columbia for another 14 days.
    The first competition of his season will be the U.S. Freestyle Selections in Steamboat Springs, Colo., in late December.
    “That will determine what the rest of the season looks like,” he said.
    At the same event last year, Troy placed third, second and first, respectively, in three moguls competitions. That qualified his for the FIS Freestyle World Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., where he placed 20th among elite athletes.
    He then went on to the Junior World Championships in Italy, placing fifth.
    Now that he has a year of experience in top competitions, Troy thinks he has gained a psychological edge for this season.
    If he qualifies in the December events, he’s bumping up his goal for the 2013 FIS competition.
    “I’d like to make the finals, which are the top 16,” he said. “Making the top 10 would be awesome.”
    Troy believes he’s done the work needed to climb higher on the results board. He’s added a new jump trick to his repertoire: a back double full, which is a backflip with two full twists.
    In addition, he’s also honed his other skills.     
    “I made some technical changes and feel pretty confident about this season,” he said.
    The Oct. 6 fundraiser at Mill Hill (behind the Bethel Fire Station) begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $20, and include dinner and live music.
    There will also be a social, along with a raffle and auction of skis and pottery by both Troy and Mill Hill owner/potter Woody Hughes.
    Other auction offerings will include a ski weekend at a local home in downtown Bethel; Moses Dyer coffee; golf for two at the Bethel Inn; dinner for two at Tuckerman’s Tavern; the complete cost of a four-course dinner for 10 prepared at the home of the purchaser; high-quality sheepskin; foosball table; a radon test kit; and a homemade necklace.
    For more information about the fundraiser call 890-0486, or for tickets go to www.brownpapertickets.com/event/278744. Tickets are also available at the Mill Hill Inn, Cafe DiCocoa, Bennett Automotive, and Good Food Store.

Troy Murphy, center, is shown here at last year’s U.S. Freestyle Selections competition at Steamboat Springs, Colo. Because of his strong performance there (including a first-place finish), Murphy qualified for the FIS Freestyle World Cup in moguls in Lake Placid, N.Y. He placed 20th, and hopes to improve on that performance this season.