Sage Newman crosses the finish line during a race at Tussey Mountain. (Photo: Peter Newman)
By Anna Pitingolo, Marisol Pacaja and Jeff Tinkoff
BOALSBURG, Pa. – For most kids, football or soccer is the sport they first get involved in at a young age. But for Sage Newman, she found her passion in a more unconventional sport: alpine skiing. While some kids were still getting used to the idea of walking, Newman started skiing when she was just two years old.
Newman, now 11, has lived in State College ever since her dad, Peter Newman, accepted a job as the Department Head of the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management.
Newman now skis at Tussey Mountain, located in nearby Boalsburg, and has been a member of the Tussey Mountain Alpine Race Team, known as TMART for short, for two years. While her time with the team hasn’t been long, Newman has loved every second of it.
“I like TMART because it’s a fun environment,” Newman said. “I really enjoy it, it’s a lot of fun, I feel like ski racing is awesome and it’s just amazing. I really like how TMART, we do fun things and the coaches are so nice.”
TMart started off as a small team, but has grown in recent years thanks to a growing interest in the sport. The team consists of both guys and girls, and has skiers ranging from six years old to seniors in high school. The camaraderie on the team is evident, with the older skiers always lending a helping hand to those younger than them.
One of the fun perks of being on TMART is the locker room they get to hang out and get ready in before their races. Affectionately known as “The Shack,” no parents are allowed inside, giving the skiers their own private sanctuary to just hang out and release some stress.
“The shack is a place where we just keep all of our skis,” Newman said. “We also just hang out there, listen to music sometimes and have fun. I mean it’s just so fun.”
The most interesting thing about the lockers in The Shack is their history. The lockers come from the original locker room in Beaver Stadium, and were given to Tussey Mountain when the stadium underwent renovations. Newman loves hanging her equipment in lockers that hold such history and thinks the lockers are the coolest part of The Shack.
While most of the season is spent training, the team still finds ways to have fun and entertain themselves on the mountain, especially when the weather allows it. During a recent competition that Tussey hosted where the temperature topped 60-degrees, the team planned a beach day. And they held nothing back for it.
“I’m not sure anybody else can say that you had a beach day on the snow,” Newman said. “Everybody was dressed like they were at the beach and there were chairs and umbrellas. It was just so much fun.”
With the end of the season approaching, Newman still plans on spending as much time as possible outside. But there is no doubt that she’ll be itching to get back into her skis once the weather allows it again at Tussey.
Newman stated simply, “I think that I will ski for the rest of my life.”