Coaches
Meet the FREESTYLE Team Coaches!
 Chris Marks |
This is my 8th year with Okemo Freestyle and 6th as the Program Director. I believe that skiing is a passion, not a job, and hope to instill that in our athletes — if you work hard at something you love, somehow it just doesn’t seem like work at all. I’ve coached the Fresh Start Freestylers, the A Mogul Team, our best Freeriders, and everyone in between. I’ve been a PSIA certified instructor, I have my USSA Level I Moguls Cert., I am awaiting confirmation on my USSA Level II Inverted Aerials Cert. criteria, and I’ve watched and done a whole lot of skiing. My goal for the year is to have 34 athletes, 32 families, and 11 coaches all saying by March that 2010 was the most fun year they’ve ever had on 2 skis. |
 Mike Bruno |
This is Mike Bruno’s 9th year coaching Freestyle at Okemo, in addition to having been one of Okemo Freestyle’s early team members back in the 90’s. Mike spends the majority of his season coaching the team’s upper level Freeriders, traveling, competing, and filming all over the country. Mike has coached our team at Junior Olympic and National Championship levels as well as stood in the start at the Finals of several Pro level Open comps. He was around for the birth of – as well as done a great deal of filming for – companies such as 4BI9 and New Intelligent Group. |
 RT |
This is Robert Treat’s 7th year coaching Okemo Freestyle. RT began his skiing career racing at Okemo, then returned to us to coach after spending a few years in Colorado going to school and coaching Freestyle at Ski Club Vail. RT owns a successful farm in CT and is responsible for growing the tastiest corn and collard greens ever. RT is not afraid to bring up the energy level of the group by stepping to a jump and showing the athletes how it’s done. |
| Lenny Ancuta | This is Lenny Ancuta’s 3rd year coaching Okemo Freestyle. He is currently a rugby player and aspiring Geologist at Union, formerly a mogul competitor at KMS then a Freeride competitor and graduate of Okemo Mountain School. Lenny has hiked and skied Big Mountain terrain all over the world and has filmed with 4BI9. |
 Billy! |
Billy Gozzi has coached Okemo Freestyle on and off for the past 15 years. He is a former Bud Pro Mogul Tour competitor and continues to show people up as a competitive water skier. He also has a full quiver of 200+ cm skis and rear entry boots, for those days when you feel like skiing has just gotten too easy. Unfortunately, Billy is recovering from a late-Summer hip replacement surgery, so his appearances — and most likely his backflips — will be few and far between. |
 Jonny Law and Patrick Craig |
This is Jon Norton’s 6th year coaching Okemo Freestyle. Jon began his Freestyle career as an original member of Okemo’s A Mogul Team in the early 90’s. Jon brings a wealth of competitive experience and success to the program, along with a fair share of intensity to get the team fired up. |
| Giovanna Urist | This is Giovanna Urist’s third year coaching Okemo Freestyle, returning to the program several years after graduating from OMS as an A Mogul skier, having competed in US Ski Team Selections, among other high level events. Giovanna has all the knowledge and twice the enthusiasm for the sport – whether she’s holding a video camera or a shovel, she’s the one responsible for creating and growing our developmental program, the Fresh Start Freestylers. Giovanna has just enrolled in Syracuse’s PhD in History program, so clearly, skipping out on the library will be key to a fruitful ski season. |
 Evan Williams |
Evan Williams has skied with the Okemo Freestyle Team, unofficially, for the last 6 years. Friend and peer to many who have come through the program, Evan is also a freeride competitor, professional ski film producer — New Intelligent Group — and now Okemo Freestyle Coach. Evan joined us for ramp camp 2009 and was a perfect fit with our program. We are excited to have him on board! |
 Scott Romano |
Scott Romano is a former mogul competitor from Utah and full-time Okemo Groomer. He groomed at Okemo 2 seasons ago, spent last year back in Utah again, and has returned to Okemo to ski our excellent bump lines (no joke!). Because of his love of moguls and exceptional talent skiing them, we invited him on board our coaching staff and he gladly accepted. Scott worked a number of races at the 2002 Olympic games and has watched a number of World Cup mogul events. We’re looking forward to the knowledge and experience he will lend to all of our mogul competitors. |
 Frank Provance |
Frank Provance started the Okemo Freestyle Program many years ago in the midst of a diverse ski-industry career as instructor, freestyle competitor, Hart Ski rep., and coach. He continues to help grow the program, coach part time, even has an OMARA scholarship named in his honor… and proves to the team that like a cheese, a mogul skier only gets better with age! |