Chris Brigham Named Alpine Men's Head Speed Coach

12:00AM / Tuesday, May 09, 2006Print Story | Email Story

PARK CITY, Utah - Chris Brigham, a member of the U.S. Ski Team alpine coaching staff since the mid-Nineties, has been promoted to men's downhill and super G head coach, Men's Head Coach Phil McNichol announced. Brigham replaces John McBride, who retired after 10 years with the U.S. staff, including the last four as downhill/SG head coach. Pete Bosinger also retired at season's end, creating a second opening on the World Cup staff. Brigham grew up in Sheffield, Mass., in the southern Berkshires, and was a racer until graduating from UMass-Amherst in 1989. He coached at Waterville Valley Academy (NH) and the New York Ski Education Foundation for five years, joined the U.S. staff with the '95 season for a year, spent '96 with the Canadian downhillers and returned to the U.S. Ski Team staff for good after the 1996 season. With Brigham moving up, McNichol said Europa Cup Coach Rewk Patten, formerly with Colorado's Crested Butte Academy before joining the U.S. coaching staff before last season, was being promoted to the World Cup squad and former Australian speed coach Michael Branch has been added to the staff, too. "Even with 'Johno' and 'Pedro' leaving, it's all coming together pretty well for the new staff," McNichol said. "Chris is an outstanding coach and he's got the respect of the athletes, which is so important, but he also brings the continuity that we look for in maintaining stability in the staff and on the team. He's been with us for about a dozen seasons and he's seen it all... "And we've worked closely in recent years with the Aussies on the World Cup, helping each other back and forth, so our guys all know 'Mick' and this was another easy decision. He's worked with us for three years, so there's almost no learning curve to go through because he knows us and how we like to do things. He's a quick, easy fit. Rewk performed well last season with the Europa Cup and he's already fit in, too," McNichol said. Brigham pointed to the talent on the team and said he looked for younger skiers to keep moving up. Following the retirement of former world champion Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA), the veterans include reigning world DH and SG champion Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, NH) and two-time Olympians Scott Macartney (Redmond, WA) and Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) plus 2006 Olympian Steve Nyman (Orem, UT) with Bryon Friedman (Park City, UT) returning from injury. â€œIâ€™m pretty excited. Having been with the Ski Team [more than a decade], itâ€™s good to have the continuity...and Mickâ€™s practically been part of our staff these last two or three seasons, so thatâ€™s all to the good,â€ Brigham said. â€œWeâ€™ll miss Daron, of course, but weâ€™ve got some athletes proving themselves on the World Cup...and it should be a fun season.â€ In other coaching moves, Forest Carey - Middlebury College alpine head coach and a former U.S. Ski Team athlete - has been added to the men's slalom and GS staff. Carey replaces Tom Sell, who takes over as men's development coach with Andrew Cesati assuming additional duties as conditioning coach, while Manuel Gamper, who was a seasonal coach last winter with the men's tech team, replaces Patten on the Europa Cup staff. U.S. Alpine Director Jesse Hunt said, â€œPhilâ€™s done a tremendous job filling key positions in a post-Olympic period when thereâ€™s been turnover in veteran staff. The goal of keeping consistency and continuity is being achieved in the menâ€™s program, and it reflects our ongoing philosophy to fill important positions, where possible, from within the organization. Iâ€™m proud weâ€™re in a position to charge our own coaches with leadership roles.â€

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Cannabis Cultivator Plans Dispensary

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:57PM / Friday, December 26, 2025

PITTSFIELD. Mass. — A cannabis cultivator and manufacturer has opted to sell its products on site in Downing Parkway.

The Zoning Board of Appeals this month approved a special permit for J-B.A.M. Inc. to operate a dispensary out of its existing grow facility. There will only be changes to the interior of 71 Downing Parkway, as there will be less than 500 square feet of retail space in the 20,000-square-foot building.

"My only concern would be the impact, and really would be traffic, which I don't think is excessive, the odor, if there was one, but that doesn't seem to be an issue, and I think it's a good location for a marijuana facility," board member Thomas Goggins said.

The company's indoor cultivation site plan was approved in 2019, an amendment to add manufacturing and processing in 2021, and on the prior day, a new site plan to add a retail dispensary was approved by the Community Development Board.

J-B.A.M. cannabis products are available in local dispensaries.

The interior of the facility will be divided to accommodate an enclosed check-in area, front entrance, retail lobby, secure storage room, offices, and two bathrooms. There are 27 parking spaces for the facility, which is sufficient for the use.

No medical or recreational cannabis uses are permitted within 500 feet of a school or daycare, a setback that is met, and the space is within an industrial park at the end of a cul-de-sac.

"The applicant desires the restructuring of the business to be more competitive in the industry with the ability to grow and sell their own cannabis products so they have more financial stability," Chair Albert Ingegni III, read from the application.

View Full Story