Camp Staff

Doug Lewis

Doug is a 2x Olympian and World Championship medalist in alpine skiing. He created ELITEAM in 1991 with a desire to pass on his winning knowledge of world class sports to future generations. He is actively involved in every level of the ski industry as broadcaster, ski celebrity, motivational speaker, product consultant and coach.

More About Doug

Kelley Lewis

Kelley is a former world-class alpine ski racer with a passion for educating young athletes. She is the driving force behind ELITEAM’s continued success, coordinating all aspects of the camps for over 25 years. In 2016, she created ELITEAM’s Girls Power Camp (GPC) program, designed to educate and empower young female athletes.

Ellie Stannard

Ellie’s favorite ELITEAM activity has always been circuits because the result is always lots of sweat, smiles and high levels of energy. As a camper her favorite memory was winning the infamous Jello drop one year.  Ellie keeps coming back as a coach because she enjoys helping campers to explore outside their comfort zone and seeing the growth in confidence and skills as a result. 

Ellie also played soccer and crew when growing up outside of skiing.  Her advice to young athletes is to enjoy the process and to be sure to celebrate the little wins along the way as much as any big ones.  Her athletic goal, which she is currently pursuing, is hiking Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa.  After that accomplishment she is excited to run her next half marathon.  Her motto is to do hard things which she lives by every day as a rising senior at Saint Lawrence where she is majoring in Biomedical Science and Public Health. 

Ben Degirolamo

It’s difficult for Ben to choose his favorite ELITEAM activity but if pressed it’s the Jello drop because he’s a big fan of Jello. As a camper Ben’s favorite memory has always been mountain biking since it’s great cross training for skiing. Ben’s favorite ELITEAM experience as a coach is the Sand Pit SL, he enjoys seeing the campers and coaches push each other’s limits and the speed aspect emulates the world of ski racing. 

When Ben’s not ski racing as a student-athlete for Saint Micheal’s College, he stays busy in the off season with XC running, playing lacrosse, swimming, biking and participating in triathlons. His advice to young athletes is to take time to work on fundamentals and technique now because it will pay off as you progress through the sport.  One skill that Ben has learned through sports is patience, when facing a challenge or obstacle staying patient will keep you in the fight.  Ben’s athletic goal for this season is to complete 30 straight pull ups by the end of the summer and his motto is mind over matter, if you don’t mind it won’t matter.

Emme Bell

Emme’s favorite ELITEAM activity is the Sand Pit SL since it’s a perfect combination of fun and competition.   As a coach she is looking forward to seeing the athletes push themselves and accomplish tasks that they didn’t previously realize they were capable of.  

Emme plays soccer and is active in Strength and Conditioning outside of skiing.  Her advice to young athletes in their pursuits is to never lose sight of what they love about your sports, even when the going gets tough. Over the years sports have taught her that a strong mindset is just as important as your physical ability.   Emme’s current goal is to always give it her all and her motto is that you are stronger than you think which will be a good reminder as she conquers her upcoming freshman year at Saint Michael’s College.  

Cam Tuille

Cam’s favorite ELITEAM activity is any sort of team activity because it allows you to get closer with other ELITEAMers. Cam’s favorite memory of ELITEAM has always been the mountain biking days. His advice to young athletes is “The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop caring” 

As an athlete himself Cam played rugby and football in addition to skiing of course.  Sports have taught him to listen and learn. His current athletic goal is to deadlift 500 lbs and to run a mile in under five minutes.  In his freetime Cam is a 2nd Lt in the Marine Corps and goes to school.

Jimmy Krupka

Jimmy spends the winter racing on the World Cup and Europa Cup circuits and attends Dartmouth College.  Having spent four years as an ELITEAM camper himself he is very familiar with the physical and mental toughness needed.  While thinking back on his time as a camper he fondly remembers his favorite activity – the Sandpits. In his own words “I love the speed. And I absolutely love the high stakes—the need to raise your performance to the level of competition around you. Being in the zone and hucking it. Rising above.”   

Outside of skiing Jimmy also participated in Soccer and Lacrosse in high school.  Participating in sports has taught him to be resilient regardless of failures—sometimes quite horrifically and spectacularly—in sports again and again. He didn’t always know how to pick himself up and do it again, but sports slowly taught him how.”  An athletic goal that Jimmy is currently pursuing is to establish himself in the Top 30 on the World Cup and lives by his motto of “Just Send It”

Madelyn Buxton

Mads favorite ELITEAM activity is the hike because it’s an adventure that requires teamwork, you get to complete challenges along the way and the reward of beautiful Vermont views at the end.  Her favorite ELITEAM memories as a counselor is cheering on campers in the obstacle course, encouraging the campers and watching them accomplish challenges they didn’t know they were capable of achieving.

Mads attends Middlebury College where she participates in Ski Patrol, club lacrosse, crossfit and enjoys running in the Vermont countryside. Her advice to young athletes in their athletic pursuit is that competitions/races/games are important but the training is where you become the athlete you are which includes valuing the off season so that you can make the most of your season when the time comes.  Sports have taught her perseverance through tough times and conditions, building grit only makes you stronger mentally and physically. Her current athletic goal is to beat her PR half marathon time by the end of the summer and her motto is gratitude.  When she feels the stress of an upcoming event she is grateful for her successes, failures, hardwork and support system that have led her to where she is now. 

Sam Naples

Sam’s favorite ELITEAM activity was the reward of walking through the river after completing Sufferfest.  As a camper Sam’s favorite memory was making lifelong friends and playing cards before bed with her roommates.   

Additional sports Sam participates in outside of skiing are soccer, sailing and track.  Her advice to young athletes is to never give up, mental strength is just as important as physical strength for success.  Sports have taught her to push through the hard days because the days that are great make it all worth it.   Sam recently graduated from Boston College with a computer science degree and is in the Marine Corps.  Her current athletic goals are to run a 5K in twenty minutes and her motto is “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. 

Alex Krupka

Both Alex’s favorite memory and his favorite activity as a camper were the Sandpits! Alex loves the opportunity to push himself to go for his personal best times and achieved this by using quick fit during the sandpit Slalom Days. 

In addition to skiing Alex also participated in soccer and lacrosse growing up.  His advice to young athletes in their athletic pursuit is to stay true to your identity and to be different from everyone else.  Sports have taught him the importance of being a leader, a teammate, a friend and a competitor.  Alex’s current athletic goal is to make the US Ski Team and is pursuing that goal during a gap year after graduating high school to focus on his ski racing.  Alex’s motto is “You got to do you”.

Klara Niss

  Klara’s all time favorite ELITEAM activity has always been baking, because food is fun!   One special aspect of belonging to the coaching staff for Klara is the ability to capture the memories for current campers with her photography that she also  experienced during her time as a camper at ELITEAM including her favorite memory of rocks and river activities. 

While growing up Klara also participated in both cheerleading and lacrosse outside of skiing.  Sports have instilled in her over the years a sense of community and helped her gain important leadership skills which have proved to be vital on her pathway to her current profession of running social media and to her new adventure of starting as a freshman this fall at the University of Denver. Her advice to young athletes is that you are greater than your sport, it’s important to take breaks where needed and to value yourself.   At the moment Klara’s personal athletic goal is to regain her cheer skills for the upcoming season and lives by her motto “Be the good”.