Ty Tremaine has upped his game with performance training. Photo/Booth Photography

By Erika Cook and Angela Moniot

Barton Health sponsors some of the area’s top athletes: Daron Rahlves, Marco Sullivan, Travis Ganong, Lila Lapanja, and now Ty Tremaine, world champion EnduroCross rider from Gardnerville.

EnduroCross is a hybrid motorcycle competition combining supercross, trials, and enduro racing. Forty competitors blast around an indoor track, maneuvering hundreds of pounds of motorized madness, all vying for top spot on the podium.

As a child, Tremaine emulated his father’s passion for dirt biking – riding by age 3, racing by 4, and professionally endorsed by the RPM KTM Racing Team at 17. In 2013, at age 19, he became the youngest EnduroCross racer to qualify for and compete in the X Games. By 2016 he had claimed three AMA EnduroCross titles, including the AMA National 23 and under Pro EnduroCross Championship. This year, he took first in the ISDE qualifiers. 

Pure passion, skill, and speed were fueling his professional career. But his optimal stamina and strength had yet to be developed.

Expert help to up his game

Fellow EnduroCross rider and Barton physical therapy assistant Angie Hagenah recognized Tremaine’s racing potential, but she noticed he suffered from fatigue and “arm pump.” Arm pump is caused by poor posture induced thoracic outlet syndrome. Not surprisingly, it is prevalent in EnduroCross because of the hand and arm use needed to rein in such a rowdy ride. So the two began working together at Barton’s Sports Performance Lab to help Tremaine improve.

“We began by using state-of-the-art sports performance methods, including a wingate test to assess his anaerobic power and a VO2 max test to identify his aerobic training zones as well as his peak oxygen use,” explains Hagenah. “Based on the results, I designed a training program to optimize Ty’s posture and performance. When we retested Ty after four months, he saw significant improvement in his fitness.”

Tremaine credits his recent EnduroCross success to the new training program.

“EnduroCross racing is among the most intense, physically demanding sports. You are wrestling with a motorcycle while racing at your maximum heart rate for 15 minutes. It takes endurance, strength, and stamina,” Tremaine says. “I was quick on the bike, but I could feel that my arm strength was lacking. It wasn’t until I started working with Angie on my sports performance training that I closed in on the competition.”

Going to the next level

Now, for the first time in his riding career, Tremaine is competing in the highly coveted Grand National Cross Country off-road racing series.

“Going from 15-minute races in an arena to three-hour cross-country riding will be a test of my endurance,” Tremaine says. “This is where my training and the work Angie and I have done at Barton’s Sports Performance Lab will be put to the ultimate test.”

In August, Ty will return home to the West Coast to compete in the EnduroCross All West Series to try to claim the national title.

“Being a part of an athlete’s success story makes me extremely happy,” Hagenah says. “An athlete like Ty is out there chasing his dreams, and it makes me proud to know we gave him the tools for ultimate success in his EnduroCross career.”

Erika Cook and Angela Moniot work for Barton Health.

Shorts are the clothing of choice for most summer skiers at Squaw Valley. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

OLYMPIC VALLEY – You know it’s not an ordinary ski day when long pants and jackets look out of place.

Sometimes only a Speedo or bikini was covering certain parts. This is summer skiing. And it is very different than spring skiing – the atmosphere, the skier, the attitude, the conditions.

From the caliber of skier on the slopes off the five lifts at Squaw Valley these are die-hard, darn good skiers. It’s not that beginners aren’t welcome to the fun, but as some said, they probably aren’t going to get it.

Plenty of aerial acrobatics in the terrain park. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Yes, it’s a novelty to ski this time of year. After all, this is only the fourth time in Squaw’s history that it will have been open on Independence Day. But it’s something so much more. There’s a magic to summer skiing. Perhaps because only a few have had the opportunity to experience it this makes for an elite group.

It’s locals and out-of-towners showing up. Carly Carlson works at Squaw and was there Saturday on his day off to ski with his wife and their three kids – ages 6, 4 and 2.

“It’s a great treat. How often do you get to ski in the morning and paddleboard in the afternoon?” Carlson remarked.

You don’t have to be a skier to enjoy the pool and hot tub. Photo/Kathryn Reed

These days of summer are the icing on what was an epic, record-setting winter in the Sierra.

At Squaw Valley on July 1 it was a party atmosphere on the slopes, in the lift lines – and certainly at the pool at High Camp.

Squaw is the only Tahoe area resort still open. It will be through July 4, then Saturdays until the conditions deteriorate enough to call it a season.

Freedom Festival is bringing out lots of patriotic garb. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“If we are able to operate on July 8, it would be the latest we have ever stayed open, but not the longest season. In terms of number of days of operations, we have had longer seasons in history, but have never operated past the 4th of July,” Sam Kieckhefer, spokesman for Squaw, told Lake Tahoe News.

On Memorial Day the base was about 192 inches, now it’s 103 inches at 8,200 feet. Top-to-bottom skiing is gone. At the base, well, it’s about cycling and golf. It really is a whole different world riding to the top via the funitel or tram.

Daily, crews assess the conditions to decide what to open. On what is skiable, the coverage is fantastic.

Clearly the seasons are blending as passenger vehicles and snowmobiles are needed to get around the mountain. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Each day the conditions change. That’s what happens when it’s 80 something degrees out.

“The heat wave contributed to a considerable amount of snow melt. Regardless, we still have a significant amount of snow,” Kieckhefer said.

A snowcat at the top of Gold Coast clearly has been pulling snow from the side of the mountain to make the traverse to Shirley Lake do-able.

Once at Shirley, it’s soft, manageable runs. To the skier’s left of the chairlift is a GS style shoot where skiers seemed to get lost as they go through this mouse-hole of sorts. The laughter coming from there could be heard on the chairlift.

Hiking trails from High Camp are pretty short right now. Photo/Kathryn Reed

There were other unfamiliar sounds. It was coming from unusual wildlife – at least to a skier. Frogs were ribbitting in the water at the Shirley lift.

A couple from the Bay Area talked about their harrowing experiences to get to Tahoe this past winter. Sometimes arriving only to find the lifts unable to spin. They were determined to get their money’s worth from their 2016-17 pass.

For some, the lift accessible runs aren’t enough. Tracks are visible in various chutes. People have been hiking to Palisades. Skiing in some form might be a year-round activity in 2017.

While it’s unusual to get snow in summer, it has happened. And with the amount of snow on the ground today and a possible early winter, it’s not out of the question that this season will just blend into 2017-18.

Snowcats are doing a better job covering trails than some people are covering their bodies. Photo/Kathryn Reed

—–

Notes:

·      The Freedom Festival continues through July 4.

·      Skiing is available from 8:30am-2pm through July 4, then Saturdays from 8:30am-12:30pm.

·      The pool and hot tub are open from 11am-6pm.

·      Fireworks start at 9pm, July 3.

By Lindsay Pollard-Post
 
There will be plenty of “oohs” and “aahs” during the July Fourth fireworks celebration in Costa Mesa this year. But there won’t be any bone-rattling booms and bangs. That’s because the city is putting on a silent fireworks display – and other cities should, too.

Noisy fireworks aren’t fun for everyone. For many dogs, cats, wildlife and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, they are terrifying and can even be deadly.

Countless dogs and cats panic at the sound of explosions – their hearing is much more acute than that of humans, after all – and bolt from their homes, sometimes tearing through screens, digging under fences or even crashing through windows. Animal shelters across the country brace for an influx of lost and injured animals following every July Fourth.

Read the whole story

A couple and their 3-year-old daughter survived a personal watercraft accident Saturday afternoon near Timber Cove Marina.

The man was driving when for unknown reasons the watercraft rolled, tossing all three into Lake Tahoe. They were all wearing life jackets.

The girl and her dad were taken to Barton Memorial Hospital.

It took a combination of people to bring them to shore. Police Officer Scott Crivelli had been notified by a passer-by about what was going on. He jumped on a personal watercraft to reach the three, the police boat assisted as did a paddleboarder.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Aaron Mendelson, KQED-TV

Colorado and Washington saw vehicle searches by police officers fall dramatically after legalizing marijuana — a trend that could have implications in California, where voters legalized recreational pot last November.

Researchers with Stanford University’s Open Policing Project found the trend buried in data on 130 million traffic stops by state patrol officers, including millions by the California Highway Patrol. They reviewed data from 31 states, but the steep fall in searches in Colorado and Washington surprised the researchers.

In Colorado and Washington, the number of drivers found with contraband fell by 40 percent in the year following legalization. Nothing like that happened in other states, according to the report.

Read the whole story

·      Fireworks are not allowed anywhere on the Tahoe National Forest.

·      Effective July 3 CalFire is suspending all permits for outdoor residential burning within the state responsibility areas of Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento, and Alpine counties.

·      Nevada law enforcement officers will be increasing patrols for impaired drivers and riders between now and July 14.

·      Former MLB all-star pitcher Mark Mulder, the two-time defending champion, and newly-retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo are the co-favorites to win the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.

·      July 8 is the Death Ride. Monitor pass will be closed to motorists from 5am-noon and Ebbetts Pass from 5am-3pm for the bike ride.

Tahoe Arts Project will be bringing the Missoula Children’s Theater back to Tahoe the week of July 10-14. 

Auditions for “Alice in Wonderland” will be July 10 at the South Tahoe Middle School multipurpose room from 10am-noon. Plan to stay for the full two hours.

Some of the cast members will be asked to stay for a rehearsal immediately following the audition.

Among the roles to be cast are three Alices of varying size, her sister Margaret, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Queen of Hearts, the King of Hearts, the Knave of Hearts, the Cheshire Cats, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, the Flower Band, Cards and Lobsters.

No advance preparation is necessary.

Assistant directors will also be cast to aid in rehearsals throughout the week and to take on essential backstage responsibilities. All students, entering 1-12 grades are welcome. Must be 5 and have completed kindergarten to participate. There is no guarantee that everyone who auditions will be cast in the play.

Auditions are free. If cast, there will be a fee of $50 per child to participate in this weeklong theater program. A limited number of scholarships are available; call Tahoe Arts Project at 530.542.3632.

Rehearsals will be from 10am to 2:30pm each day.

Alice in Wonderland will be presented on July 14 at STMS at 3pm and 5pm. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors.

By Jenny Kane, Reno Gazette-Journal

While it may not be your first time buying pot, it may be your first time doing so legally. 

As of today, recreational marijuana will be available in select dispensaries in Northern and Southern Nevada, and an expected green rush is expected to follow. 

While the Nevada Department of Taxation has yet to release a list of dispensaries licensed to sell recreational marijuana during the early start program, we spoke with one of the co-owners of Mynt, Joey Gilbert, about what you may need to know if you stop at a pot shop.

Read the whole story

By Henry Brean, Las Vegas Review-Journal

PAHRUMP — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke didn’t stop at any national monuments during his first official visit to Nevada, but he promised to return for a tour of Gold Butte and Basin and Range before the end of July.

During an event in Pahrump on Monday, Zinke said he wants to see the two Nevada monuments from the ground and talk to stakeholders before he decides whether the designations should be reduced, rescinded or left intact.

He said he doesn’t have any “preconceived ideas” about the two Obama-era monuments, though he indicated that his recent recommendations on Bears Ears National Monument in Utah provide a blueprint for what might happen here.

Read the whole story

Placer County is on a quest to improve traffic flow in the North Lake Tahoe region with a renewed focus on meeting those needs through improvements to public transit, and pedestrian and cycling paths.

Supervisors this week updated the project list.

Transportation infrastructure improvements throughout the county are partly funded through fees charged to developers, whose projects create a need for those improvements. The approved update also increases traffic mitigation fees for the North Lake Tahoe area by 9.1 percent, from $4,986 per dwelling unit to $5,540, effective Aug. 28.

Concerns were raised by board members as well as the public regarding Caltrans’ desire to widen Highway 267  between Truckee and Tahoe.

“I am not a fan of road widening as it does not address traffic capacity issues,” said Chairwoman and District 5 Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery. “I am looking forward to working with the community and county staff to help identify smart solutions for how North Tahoe moves, preferably by public transit, bicycle or on foot.”

— Lake Tahoe News staff report