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Biesemeyer to lead NWS alpine program

Keene resident named Director of Alpine Skiing at Northwood School

LAKE PLACID — Michael Maher, Northwood Head of School, announced the appointment of Tommy Biesemeyer as Director of Alpine Skiing and upcoming transitions within the alpine ski program. 

Biesemeyer joins Northwood after a storied racing career and 15 years of experience in alpine racing, training, and coaching. A resident of Keene, and known within the ski community as “B.Z.,” Biesemeyer began skiing at the age of three and had his first race at age seven when he joined the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) program at Whiteface Mountain. At 12, Biesemeyer competed in J3 and J4 races but always had sights set on the U.S. Ski Team. A victory at the 2003 Junior Olympics started him down that path, and he then made his World Cup debut in 2010 and the Olympic Team in 2018. 

“My vision and motivation to join Northwood stems from being a local kid from Keene, who fell into ski racing with NYSEF,” Biesemeyer said. “Being a part of the alpine sport provided me with incredible opportunities, and I look forward to working in partnership with NYSEF and creating these same opportunities for the student-athletes at Northwood.”

Last October, Biesemeyer stepped away from racing to pursue new passions, which now brings him full circle to Northwood School, just nine miles from where he learned to ski at Whiteface Mountain. 

“We are all excited for the leadership and vision that Tommy will bring to our elite program,” Maher said. “He is uniquely qualified with a well-rounded perspective of the sport to help advance our athletes.”  

Transitions from Terry DelliQuadri, former Director of Alpine Skiing, and Katie Gilligan, Director of Ski Operations and U19 Alpine Assistant Coach, are underway. Recently, Gilligan announced her retirement from coaching and will be starting a new position as the Director of Sales and Marketing for the SYNC Custom Program. She will continue to reside on campus with her husband, Trevor Gilligan, who is the Huskies head coach for girls hockey.

“Over Terry’s years at Northwood, his work ethic and reliability have been at the forefront for our entire community,” said Northwood Director of Athletics Gino Riffle. “Whether it is spending countless hours on the mountain or a last-minute request to pick a student up at the airport, Terry would answer the bell.”  

“Terry and Katie have been an integral part of our school on campus, on the road, and the hill with NYSEF,” Maher added. “On behalf of the faculty, staff, and the Northwood community, we thank them for their efforts and dedication to our school.” 

Thomas Vonn and Jeremey Transue remain in their capacities as heads of the men’s and women’s FIS programs, respectively. Biesemeyer’s first day with Northwood was on Monday, starting with onboarding meetings and lunch with the alpine student-athletes. His focus and next steps include evaluating the current program and staffing, recruiting, summer strength and conditioning, and engaging with staff, faculty, coaches, and alpine families.

Northwood School has a long-standing partnership with NYSEF. Recognized as a “Gold Certified Club” by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard, NYSEF is one of the organization’s original eight Gold Club members. The organization has been a leader in snowsport education for nearly 50 years. Northwood coaches and the roles of director and operations at Northwood work closely with NYSEF staff and coaches. 

“We’re so proud of Tommy and his accomplishments — on snow and beyond — as an NYSEF alum and Olympian, he continues to live our mission by supporting the next generation of athletes while instilling a love for winter sports as he has recently done with the ‘World Cup Dreams Foundation,'” said John Norton, Executive Director of NYSEF. “We’re also sad to see Terry and Katie move on from the program. NYSEF is an organization of outstanding people, and we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the impact these two individuals had in our sport and community . They will be missed.” 

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