New Research Shows that Concussion can Lead to Dementia

This information is being posted to remind our skiers and snowboarders that brain injury is a risk in snow sports. However, this risk can be reduced by following some precautionary measures, such as wearing a helmet, following the rules of the mountain and being proactive in the event of an injury. For more information on this topic, go to Snow Safety: Protect Your Head.

Two new studies, one in veterans and the other in pro-football players, find that brain injury, be it a minor concussion or a very serious brain injury can lead to dementia. With each concussion, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia later in life increases. The studies, reported Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in France, challenge the current view that only moderate or severe brain injuries predispose people to dementia.

Don't panic – this doesn't mean that every soldier or student athlete who has had a concussion is in danger. Pro-football players and boxers "are almost a different species from us" in terms of the repeated blows they take to the head, said William Thies, the Alzheimer's Association's scientific director. It does mean you should try to avoid one, by fall-proofing your home and wearing helmets and seat belts, he said. About 1.7 million brain injuries occur each year in the U.S.

"What the people who have had a head injury and read this should do is to exercise and eat right and take their medicines and take their aspirin and do meditation to reduce stress – reduce risk factors that are modifiable," he said. The new study is "a great start," but limitations in its methods mean that it can't prove a brain injury-dementia link, he said. More definitive studies are starting now but will take many years to give results.

To read more about these studies, go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/18/brain-injury-dementia-risk_n_901512.html

Applications due for Students Attending Snow Academies

For students wishing to attend a snow academy, e.g. Okemo Mountain School, for five months or longer, applications are due June 30. Please download forms and mail accordingly.

Snow Academy Applications for McCostis Scholarship Fund Now Being Accepted

The McCostis Scholarship Fund (MSF), a part of the Ludlow Teen Center (LTC), was established in 2004, to provide Okemo Valley youth an opportunity to pursue excellence through skiing and snowboard training. Started by Sue McCostis, an LTC Board member and an Okemo Mountain ski instructor, the fund was continued by her husband Dick McCostis, Safety Ambassador and ski instructor at Okemo Mountain, and head of the Windsor County Court Diversion Program. With his passing in July 2007, the MSF has continued through the support of friends and the Okemo community. The Fund has added additional scholarships-The Kevin Stillwell Snowboarding Scholarship, Than Durgin Snowboarding Scholarship, Peter Noyes Skiing Scholarship and the George Shaw Skiing Scholarship.

Applications for scholarships for athletes who wish to attend snow academies, such as Okemo Mountain School (OMS), are now being accepted until June 30. Applications for weekend programs and target terms will be accepted from September 1-Oct. 31.

Applicants for the Academy Snow Scholarships must:
• Be a full time resident of Ludlow, Cavendish, Proctorsville, Chester, Perkinsville, Springfield, Mt. Holly or Plymouth VT.
• Be enrolled in grades 7th-12th and in good academic standing
• Have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to skiing or snowboarding
• Parents or guardians are in need of financial support and are supportive of their child’s pursuit of training
• Plan to attend a snow academy full time for at least five months during the 12-13 winter season

The size of scholarships will be based on need and available funds. Academy scholarship recipients, and their families, are required to assist with fundraising. Recipients can increase the amount of their scholarship through participation in fundraising activities.

Those interested in applying must submit a completed application by June 30, 2012. Award notifications will be made by July 15, 2012. Please note: An application is not considered complete until the tax information and letter from the coach/teacher has been received.

Two MSF Snowboarders Compete at US Open

At the recent US Open Junior Jam, there were 80 competitors (13 and under) from all over the country plus several from Ireland and Japan. MSF snowboarders Taylor Spaulding and Austin Rebetz finished really well, 23rd and 26th respectively.

Watch Taylor’s tricks at Okemo.

A special note of thanks to Than Durgin's family and friends. The funds help to send both boys to a week of training just before this event.

Kevin Stillwell Snowboarding Scholarship

Kevin grew up in Mount Holly, VT and was a member of the first Black River High School snowboard team. An avid fisherman and skateboarder, as well as snowboarder, it was a shock to the community when Kevin died at 25, due to complications from diabetes. Much loved by his family and friends, his mother Sue said, “We would have liked to have sent Kevin to OMS but we couldn’t afford it. Maybe now other kids can have that advantage through this scholarship.”

This scholarship has been specifically designed to help our local snowboarders make it to national and international competitions.

Donations can be made to the Kevin Stillwell Snowboarding Scholarship by sending a check payable to LTC-MSF and mailed to LTC-MSF, 106 Main Street, Ludlow, VT 05149. Be sure to specify that the money is for the Stillwell scholarship.

Thank You

A very special thank you from the board of the MSF to all of those who made Saturday night's fundraiser such a success:

Killarney's and Mark Grieco and his Fabulous Band GMP

Blue Sky Trading Company
Boot Pro
Hunter Lea Gallery
Sweet Surrender Bakery
Brewfest Beverage Company
Wine and Cheese Depot
Killarney’s
Stratton Mountain
Okemo Mountain
Magic Mountain
Stowe Mountain
Meditrina
A Catered Affair
Joe Jones
Tuckernut Shoals
Chrisandras’s Interior Design
Dozen Eggs
Old Cavendish Fruitcake
Maker of Quilted Table Runner
Summit Soapworks
Alicia Tietsma
Joan Noyes
Rainy Hughes
Joy Patterson
Margo Caulfield
Martha Moriarty
Maria Tomaselli
Heather and Jerry Tucker
Jane Hart
Chris Marks
Bill Champion
Mary Lou Shaw
Ruth Anne Howgate
The Durgin Family

Raffle winners

Thanks to Killarney's, the many people and businesses that donated items for the silent auction, our fabulous band, and the many people who came and helped us raise much needed funds at our "Snow Bank Party." In fact, the response was so good, sufficient funds were raised to help our snowboarders attend a special snowboard camp this week. While three of the four boarders made Nationals, only Taylor Spaulding will be competing at Copper Mountain.

Joan Noye's quilts are so incredible, that everyone wants to know, who won. So the winners of the raffle were as follows:

Handmade quilt made from Batiks by Joan Noyes: Nancy Humlicek of Windsor, CT

Table Runner made by Ruthanne Howgate: Claude Marie Barthelmes of Southington, Ct

Gift Certificate Sweet Surrender Bakery: Leigh Griswold

Gift Certificate Brewfest: Nancy Humlicek Windsor, CT

Gift Certificate Wine & Cheese Depot: Donna Cahill Ludlow, Vt

Gift Certificate Wine & Cheese Depot: Lorraine Hughes Cromwell, Ct

Gift Certificate Wine & Cheese Depot: Nancy Lever Ludlow, Vt