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Barbara Schneider graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School and came to Maine to clerk for a judge before she joined the firm of Murray Plumb & Murray, where her practice centered on civil litigation, mediation and arbitration, with an emphasis on commercial, construction, and business disputes. Barbara has worked in non-profit administration, including an organization that presented continuing education programs for nurse practitioners and has been on the Board of Directors of the Cleaves Law Library, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maine’s School of Law, and the President of the Cedars Nursing Home Auxiliary. She also served as the Executive Director of Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation, a non-profit offering adaptive sports and recreational programming to people with disabilities. Furthermore, Barbara has been an Advisor to young women at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School as part of the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute. Barbara currently lives in Bethel, Maine, and is a coach for the Gould Academy Competition Program, as well as an active participant in U.S. Ski and Snowboard coaches education.
Krista Crabtree grew up in New Hampshire on the slopes every winter weekend with her mom and dad (who still competes on the masters ski race circuit). After racing NASTAR at age 5, she was hooked. Crabtree raced for Bates College as well as played tennis and waterskied (she graduated in 1995 with a B.A. in English, Concentration in Creative Writing). While at Bates, Crabtree got her Level 100 USSA coaches certification. After college, Crabtree coached U10s at Ski Club Vail in Vail, Colorado, and taught at Vail Valley Ski Academy. She later moved to Boulder to attend graduate school at the University of Colorado (receiving an M.A. in Creative Writing in 2000). She coached at Eldora Mountain Resort and joined SKI Magazine as an intern. The internship turned into full-time job as an editor, where she covered fashion, instruction and gear (she was a ski and boot tester and director of the women’s ski test). She also joined PSIA-AASI and got her Level I cert.
During the past decade, Krista launched a freelance writing career (writing for publications such as SKI and Outside Magazine), started She Skis Women’s Ski Testing Clinics in Vail, organized national ski tests and received her Level II cert and Children’s Specialist II. She currently runs the women’s program at Eldora, coaches for Vail’s Her Turn clinics, organizes women’s ski clinics, coaches U14s for Eldora Mountain Ski Team and is the head coach for the Nederland Middle School Ski Team. She enjoys raising (and coaching) her daughter, Trinity (13) in the mountains with her husband Ed.
In 2019, Stuart Abelson founded Better & Faster Together, a national non-profit organization committed to facilitating, through education and awareness, a healthy competitive environment that ensures the life lessons of competitive ski racing are central to the experience.
Abelson graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from Bates College in 1997, where he was a Charles A. Dana Scholar and was presented the Bruce Stangle Award for Distinguished Service. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (2005). Abelson recently stepped down as President & CEO of Ora, Inc., the world leader in ophthalmic drug and device development, in order to focus on development areas within the company.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently appointed Abelson to the board of the Mass. Life Science Center, an economic development and investment agency dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the life sciences in Massachusetts.
Abelson is a commercial seaplane and helicopter pilot, an accomplished athlete (where accolades include national trick water-ski champion and four-time NCWSA All-American) and is currently training as a masters alpine ski racer.
Abelson’s most important priority is to be a loving and supportive father to Sam (10) and Audrey (11) and to be a role model for them.
by Krista Crabtree | Nov 8, 2019 | Coaching, Team Building
If you’ve read SKI Magazine in the past two decades, then you learned something from PSIA’s Alpine head coach and liason with the U.S. Ski Team. Here he talks about how instruction and coaching work together to make ski racers better and faster.
by Krista Crabtree | Oct 4, 2019 | Featured, Team Building
Dave Schuiling is the director of education for PSIA-AASI, the organization of professional ski and snowboard instructors. Here he explains how better communication and teamwork in snowsports organizations makes every ski or rider better together.
by Krista Crabtree | Sep 4, 2019 | Team Building
Richard Rokos, head coach of the University of Colorado’s alpine ski team, has a guided his team to 8 NCAA National Championships and helped foster 225 All-Americans. Here, Rokos talks about how team sports make us all better and faster together.
by Krista Crabtree | Aug 21, 2019 | Community, Featured, Team Building
Olympic alpine ski racer and coach Julia Ford talks about the inspiration for forming Better & Faster Together and how to be a better competitor by lifting up teammates.