Our Coaches and Staff

We have spent years building a team of coaches that is cohesive, talented, and who are excited to get on the hill every day with your athlete and help them grow into the skier they want to be! Our coaches are truly our biggest asset and you will not find a better team of coaches. Our #1 priority is to create a healthy, supportive, and fun training environment where athletes can grow to their full potential both as skiers and as strong, self-aware, conscientious individuals. The enthusiasm and support for one another that our coaches model and teach are what sets SARC apart from other camps.

Sara Beeken, Camp Director/Coach

USSS, Alpine Level 200 Coach

Sara Beeken grew up skiing in North Carolina and racing USSA with the Beech Mountain team. She earned a degree in Recreation Managment from Appalachian State University where she raced on the App State Ski Team. After graduating, Sara spent a few months in Vail, CO as an intern for the 2015 World Alpine Championships. She then became Head Coach of the Beech Mountain Academy and later the Beech Mountain Academy Program director. Later moving to South Lake Tahoe, CA, she worked as a U12 Coach and Team Administrative Lead for the Heavenly Competition team. She now lives in Longmont, Colorado! Sara loves the sense of community that comes with skiing and always promotes fun and teamwork with her athletes. She believes that by encouraging adventure and pushing limits, kids not only learn to evaluate and manage risks, but learn about themselves and build a greater sense of confidence and self-worth.

Thea Young, Head Coach

USSS, Alpine Level 200 Coach

Thea has been involved in the ski industry for 25 years as an adaptive ski buddy, ski instructor and an alpine ski race coach. She now coaches U16s at Killington Mountain School and was formerly one of the head coaches at Appalachian Ski Mountain, working in that capacity since 2011. During her time with the Appalachian Race Team alpine program, she developed their competitive US Ski and Snowboard program enabling young athletes to further their ski racing opportunities. As the head Appalachian US Ski and Snowboard coach, with a Level 200 certification, she has taken young athletes to many races all over the eastern region, including most recently, the Piche Invitational in NH. Thea is always looking for ways to extend productive and fun opportunities for young athletes to train. With a competitive track background and extensive outdoor resume, Thea understands what it takes to motivate and support her young athletes. Thea has worked in the outdoor industry for over 20 years as a mountain guide leading backpacking, rock climbing, and whitewater paddling trips.

Spencer Dirats, Coach

USSS, Alpine Level 300 Coach

Spencer grew up racing in the northeast and started coaching high school athletes in 2012. In 2017, she moved to Salt Lake City, UT where she now works in Sport Education for U.S. Ski and Snowboard and as the head U12 coach and assistant program director of the Brighton Ski Team. Spencer's approach to coaching is centered around the balance between developing both the physical skills and the mental-social-emotional skills necessary to help athletes grow into healthy and fierce competitors. In 2015, Spencer developed a highly adaptable mindfulness program that can be implemented in both academic and athletic settings for students and athletes of any age, and she has been training teachers and coaches in that approach ever since. When she's not in the classroom or on snow, you can find Spencer road-tripping, hiking, and camping all over the west!

Mark Russell, Coach

USSS, Alpine Level 100 Alpine Coach

Hi, I’m Coach Mark and I began skiing in 1984. I began racing at Massauntten in 1986, competing for 3 years. While in college at Davis & Elkins, I found snowboarding in the early 90s in addition to competing on the Senators cross-country team. After college I hung up the skis and boards and began competing in cycling and triathlon events. My tri/cycling career was primarily in the southeast with four invitations to compete at XTERRA National Championships. When my son was a toddler I introduced him to skiing with him eventually joining the Massanutten ski team. Seeing him ski reignited my passion for skiing and I set out to become a Coach, which I have been for the past 5 years. I am currently a US Ski and Snowboard Level 100 coach and am working towards my Level 200. I believe strongly in skiing as an experiential sport that imparts many life lessons on its racers. There is nothing as joyful as sliding on snow.

Eva Young, Coach

USSS, Alpine Level 100 Alpine Coach

Eva is a U21 Post-Graduate athlete at Killington Mountain School who grew up in the High Country of North Carolina, training with the Appalachian Ski Mountain Race Team. She's attended the camp since the beginning, thrilled for her to return year after year as a coach. Eva provides athletes with some great insight on what life is like as a full-time athlete!

Kat Miller, Photographer/Videographer

Resident Snowboarder

Kat Miller joined the team in the summer of 2024 and is coming back as our camp photographer, videographer, media specialist, climbing guide, and token single-planker. You'll find her on the hill each day, making sure everyone has footage for video review. Or in the kitchen, making food happen for the camp. Or in a climbing crag, getting campers on a wall. She wears many hats, and if we get enough donations we might be able to pay her this year!

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Our Board of Directors

From behind the scenes admin, to carefully crafted training plans, to massive Costco shopping lists, our Board of Directors works tirelessly to make sure that your child's experience at SARC is the best it can be! These three members of the board have been with the camp since its first year in 2017 and in 2022 we became an officially registered Non-Profit/501(c)(3). Southeastern Alpine Race Camp is run by a Board of Directors including:

Stephanie Carson- Founding Member, Parent Volunteer

Along with a few other parents, Stephanie founded SARC, creating an affordable opportunity for her kids to train in the summer with other southeastern racers. She is also our volunteer coordinator and our camp chef.

Sara Beeken- Founding Member, Camp Director, Coach

After growing up as a southeastern ski racer at Beech Mountain, and later the Head Coach and Program director for the Beech Mountain Academy, Sara joined SARC as a coach in its first year of operation. Having earned a degree from Appalachian State in Recreation Management, Sara later became the SARC Camp Director.

Thea Young- Founding Member, Head Coach

Thea came from Appalachian Ski Mountain as both a parent and coach and started coaching with SARC in its early years. Since then, her career as a race coach has grown significantly and she is now the Head U16 Women's coach at Killington Mountain school in Vermont. Thea plans the training aspects of our camp and runs a phenomenal on-hill experience for SARC athletes.