Alpine Skiing (Coed)

Winter is a very special season at Deerfield Academy. The buildings are cloaked with snow and ice. Many students view the snow and January winds as elements to be borne, but Deerfield alpine skiers regard them as harbingers of a great ski season.

The boy and girl skiers travel and practice together at Berkshire East, a family resort 40 minutes west on the Mohawk Trail (Rt. 2). The mountain itself is short and steep--perfect for training slalom and giant slalom. In the past decade our girls squad has retained sole ownership of the league title (MISL), while the boys captured seven crowns. In addition to these accomplishments both teams have also won the NEPSAC Alpine Ski Championship for the past two seasons, and hope to defend the title in the years to come.

Deerfield's ski program can accommodate any level of talent. The course and the competition will challenge even the most talented skiers. For skiers with less experience, we have both a JV and a recreational program. These programs are noted for their instructional value, success, and fun-loving spirit.

Alpine skiing is coached by veteran coaches Jodi Tanguay and Marc Dancer.

Unofficial Team-maintained Page

Varsity

Marc Dancer

After graduating from Deerfield in 1979, Marc Dancer spent a post-graduate year at Harrow School in England. He then earned his BS from St. Lawrence University in 1984, majoring in mathematics and music. Marc was subsequently awarded a Watson Fellowship to study change-ringing in the UK.

After teaching at Portsmouth Abbey School, he went on to earn his ScM in Applied Mathematics from Brown University in 1990. Marc has been a member of the Deerfield faculty since 1990 and is presently a member of the Mathematics Department, coaches Alpine Skiing and baseball, and lives off-campus with his wife, Mary, and their three children.

Send email to Marc Dancer (mdancer@deerfield.edu)

Jodi Tanguay

Since taking over as the head coach of the Deerfield Academy skiing program, Jodi Tanguay has made her mark. With the able assistance of mathematics instructor Marc Dancer, she and the girls team have dominated the Mount Institute Ski League, taking five straight league crowns. In 2003 and 2004, they also finished the winter season as New England Champions. The boys have won the last two MISL titles and captured a New England Championship under Jodi's tutelage.

A stalwart skier in her own right, Jodi celebrated two MISL trophies and a pair of Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Conference championships during her time at nearby Mohawk Trail Regional School. After competing as a member of the University of Massachusetts – Amherst ski team, she served as one of the coaches for the Copper Mountain Race Department in Colorado. Returning to the area in 1994, Jodi worked with the Mohawk ski team until 2000. During that time, she also coached boys varsity tennis and field hockey. Prior to working at Deerfield, Jodi consulted as a fitness instructor at several local health clubs, and at Deerfield she serves as a landscaper for the Physical Plant.

Send email to Jodi Tanguay (jtanguay@deerfield.edu)