Coaching Staff

Steve Schwartz – Head Coach, PSIA

At the age of seven, Steve followed his older brothers into the sport of ski racing. His formative years were spent on the Wilmot Ski Team in Wilmot, WI.  

Having collected over a decade of on snow experience and local success in the USSA Central, Region II; Steve continued his ski racing career at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. The team trained at Pat’s Peak in New Hampshire and competed in Division III of Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (NCCA).

After graduating college, Steve began coaching with the Wilmot Ski team in 2003 and cemented his commitment to snow sports education in 2006 when he became a certified PSIA. He maintains his PSIA status through continuing education programs and regular on snow seminars.

Steve lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with his wife Brett and their son Alec.

 

Jon Schwartz – Program Director, Coach, PSIA Level 3

Coach Jon has been teaching children to ski and race for over 40 years. An alumni of the Wilmot Ski Team, he has raced and trained at the junior, high school, and college level. Jon began teaching ski lessons at age 13 as a Jr Instructor and has not missed a season teaching and coaching since. He is a 30 year member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and a gold pin, Certified Level 3 Instructor – the highest level – and an accredited PSIA Trainer and Children’s Specialist. Jon has written ski curriculum for Evergreen Ski Club, as the Ski School Director, and is the co author of the current (and past two) ski lesson curriculum manuals and staff trainer for The Snowflake Club. Jon also serves as Head Coach of Wilmot Thanksgiving Race Camp at Keystone Resort.

Jon has been the Head WIJARA Race Coach (Wisconsin Illinois Iowa Jr Alpine Racing Association) for the past decade and is currently serving a third term as president.

 

Johnathan Beldin – Coach, USSA Level 100

On snow shortly before his first birthday, Johnathan found his way to the sport of ski racing with Wilmot Ski Team when he was eight. It did not take long for him to fall in love with the sport and was an active team member until he graduated high school.

After 10 years of very successful racing in WIJARA, USSA Central Region II, and FIS Mid-Am series events, Johnathan attended the University of Notre Dame and retired from competitive racing after the USCSA Central Championship his freshman year.

Johnathan is now entering his 8th season as a coach, having formally joined the staff as USSA Level 100 coach in 2018 after graduating from college.

 

Logan Braun – Coach, PSIA, USSA level 100

When Logan Braun first stumbled into ski racing at just eight years old, he knew he had found what would become his second home. After more than 10 years of ski racing experience across WIJARA, USSA, and Central Region II, Logan has built a deep connection to the sport that continues to shape his path on and off the hill.

Logan currently attends McHenry County College and jokes that he plans to retire from ski racing only when his legs stop working. He is now entering his second season as a coach, having started as a ski instructor before earning his USSA Level 100 coaching license in 2023. He is also a PSIA Level 1 certified instructor, bringing a strong technical foundation and athlete-focused teaching style to every session.

As a coach, Logan is passionate about giving back to the sport that gave him so much—helping young athletes grow, improve, and fall in love with ski racing the same way he did.

Ashley Childress – Coach

Ashley learned how to ski at Wilmot when she was two years old. She eventually joined the race team at age seven and raced until she graduated high school at 17. While racing for Wilmot she participated in USSA and FIS and qualified for four Junior Championships. She began coaching for the team in the 2021-22 season.

Ashley recently earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is currently pursuing her master’s degree at DePaul.

Bill Childress – Coach, PSIA level 2, USSA level 200

Bill started his ski racing career with CMSC in 1981 and raced with CMSC. Eventually, the racing interest of his daughter Ashley took over and Bill became a Wilmot ski racing parent along with his wife, Sally. They enjoyed many weekends racing in WIJARA, USSA and FIS.

While his daughter was training with the Wilmot Ski Team, Bill decided to start working at the ski school. In 2016, Bill was asked to join the team as a coach.

He completed his PSIA level 2 instructor certification in 2009 and coaches level 200 certification in 2019. He is also officially licensed as a USSA referee and USSA chief of race.

  

Agathe Ducarre – Coach, PSIA

Agathe grew up skiing between Les Vosges, a small mountain area in the northeast of France, and the French Alps in Val d’Isère, where her grandparents lived. She has been passionate about the sport since she could walk, making her parents go out in the storm to ski on the bunny hill, even when the rest of the resort was closed.

She would have loved racing as a kid, but it wasn’t possible, and she eventually started racing right after college, at 24, when she moved to Chicago. She has been racing with CMSC and US Midwest Masters ever since. She also coached the adult program at Wilmot after 10 years of racing, but when her oldest kid started racing, too, she decided to coach the Wilmot junior team and is currently completing her PSIA Level One. 

Kevin Kullby – Coach

Kevin began ski-racing at Wilmot when he was five years old. He continued skiing until he graduated college in 1984 after a four-year living and racing experience in Steamboat Springs Colorado in the early 70s. During his time in high school and college he raced USSA Mid-Ams, qualifying out of the Central Division for the Junior Olympics and twice for the Nor-Ams. He continued ski racing into his mid 30s in Masters events and raced in the US Masters Nationals in Big Sky Montana in 1995.

He helped coach at Wilmot during college winter breaks and coached racers at a club in Madison, Wisconsin. After college, he coached alongside Wilmot coaches Grant Brown and Bob Larsen through 1995, traveling with younger racers to USSA events. He returned to the program in 2015 and helped out a few seasons, took a few off and now he’s glad to be back.

Astrid Levesque – Coach

Coach Levesque began skiing at age three on the slopes of Crystal Ridge, a small ski hill in her hometown. Her passion for the sport intensified when she started ski racing at twelve, joining the SWAT club ski team where she competed through the end of high school. Her enthusiasm for skiing was so strong that at fourteen, she convinced Crystal Ridge to hire her as a ski instructor despite their policy of not employing anyone under sixteen. Her persistence not only secured her the position but also led to a lasting change in the resort’s hiring practices, opening opportunities for other motivated high school students. She continues to work as a ski instructor to this day.

During her freshman year of high school, Astrid discovered her school lacked a ski racing team to compete in conference races. Determined to change this, she reached out to other students and coaches from her club team to help establish her school’s first ski team, FAST, which began competing her sophomore year. She raced for FAST throughout her remaining high school years and qualified for the WIARA Wisconsin State Championships three consecutive years, from sophomore through senior year. After graduating, Astrid’s commitment to the sport remained unwavering. She volunteered with her high school team before joining the Wilmot ski team as a coach for the 2024-2025 season. Currently, she is working toward her PSIA certification to further develop her expertise as a ski instructor.

   

Kris Maj – Coach, PSIA Level 3, PSIA CS1, PSIA Freestyle, PSIA Ed. Staff Member

Kris began skiing at Wilmot Mountain in 1973 and quickly fell in love with the sport. His passion led him into alpine racing, where he competed with the Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council (CMSC) from 1981 to 1984.

In the 1985–1986 season, he began his professional career as a ski instructor at Wilmot Mountain. Teaching soon became a lifelong focus, and in 2000 he expanded into race coaching, serving for many years as a traveling coach at WIJARA events. During this time, Kris also had the opportunity to help train his son, who became one of the top freestyle skiers in the Midwest before continuing his skiing career in Utah while attending college.

Kris has been deeply involved in instructor education and professional development throughout his career. He is a clinician and trainer for the ski school, specializing in new instructor development and ongoing training. Kris leads clinics for instructors at all levels, focusing on skill development, teaching effectiveness, and progression.

In addition to his on-snow roles, he served as Ski School Director for the Winnetka Park District from 1989 to 1993, overseeing program development, instructor training, and daily operations.

With decades of experience as a skier, racer, coach, instructor, and educator, Kris remains passionate about helping skiers and instructors reach their full potential while sharing a lifelong love of the sport.

Joe May– Coach, PSIA Level 2, USSA Level 200, USSA Technical Delegate Level 2

Coach Joe completed his Level 200 USSA over 10 days of a World Cup finals, in Vail, Colorado which is one of his fondest ski racing experiences. He has served as a ski race official for over 375 competitive events, equaling a lot of late nights on the road traveling home and time away from family and friends, but oh so many memories. Fielding a team for the Western High School Championships from Illinois,
after numerous false starts, remains one of his best experiences, ever. He also competed at the CMSC, Masters level and attended Nastar Nationals.

Joe’s coaching philosophy is pretty simple: establish a high edge angle at the apex of the turn, ski the riskiest line that you can, use angulation and ankle flex to balance the forces against the ski and minimize the friction of the edge angle achieved. Never just park and ride. If you never miss a gate in a race, you’re not taking enough risk to determine your true potential.

Teaching and coaching has afforded him the opportunity to work in Aspen and Breckenridge, Colorado, Chestnut, Illinois, Norway, Michigan and Wilmot.

“It’s been a pretty good ride.”

Sergey Osipov – Coach, PSIA Level 3

Sergey started ski racing in high school on a small hill near Moscow, Russia. He and other racers would cut walnut sticks in a nearby forest and use them as slalom gates. Later, he was part of his university ski racing team and competed on regional level. In the U.S., he continued ski racing at Wilmot with CMSC beginning in 1998 and continues racing with CMSC today.

Sergey began coaching with Wilmot in 2008. He achieved his PSIA level 1 in 2008, level 2 in 2009 and level 3 in 2010.

Andrew Schwartz – Coach, PSIA Level 3, PSIA CS1, USSA Level 100

Coach Andrew was a nationally ranked junior USSA racer and former FIS competitor who has remained active in the sport for decades as both a coach and instructor. He is a PSIA Level I, II, and III Certified Instructor with Children’s Accreditation, recently recognized by PSIA for 30 years of service, and holds U.S. Ski & Snowboard Race Coach Level 100 certification, with higher-level credentials in progress.

Andrew’s coaching emphasizes strong technical fundamentals, tactical awareness, and age-appropriate progressions that build confidence and keep training fun. 

His passion for working with children is reflected in his advanced PSIA Children’s Specialist education and focus on long-term athlete growth. Outside of skiing, Andrew was a Division I pole vault specialist at the University of Missouri, earning national rankings and induction into the Mizzou Letterwinners Club.

Finn Skobel – Coach

Finn was two when she first learned to ski at Coronet Peak in New Zealand. When she was 11 she followed her brother onto the Wilmot Ski Team and immediately loved it. A few years after joining the team she was training year round and had the opportunity to train with former Olympians and U.S. Ski Team members. This prepared her for USSA, FIS, and high school championships which she went to the first two years Illinois qualified for the western high school championships.

In the 25/26 season, she will be competing in U20 for WIJARA and is currently completing her PSIA Level One. Next year she’ll be attending the University of Utah and plans to continue racing and coaching.

Bob Vasa – Coach, USSA Level 100

Bob Vasa is a USSA Level 100 certified alpine race coach with experience developing competitive ski racers at both the club and high school levels. He has been a member of the Wilmot Ski Team coaching staff since 2018, where he focuses on athlete development, strong technical fundamentals, and fostering a positive, competitive team culture.

In addition to his club coaching role, Bob coaches the Illinois High School Alpine Ski Team, which competes nationally each March. His experience working with athletes across multiple programs gives him a well-rounded perspective on long-term development, race preparation, and balancing high-level competition with academic commitments.

On race weekends, Bob can often be found on the hill capturing photos of Wilmot racers in action—combining his love for the sport with a commitment to supporting athletes and families beyond the start gate.

Bob is passionate about helping athletes reach their potential while instilling a lifelong love for alpine skiing.

Vaclav Vavrinek – Coach

Vaclav started skiing at the age of five years old. From when he was nine through age 18, he was on the national Czechoslovakia Ski Team. He began coaching with Snowflake Ski Club based out of Highland Park in 2010 and eventually transitioned to the Wilmot Ski Team.

Always active, Vaclav coaches a triathlon youth team in the off season. He enjoys biking, hiking and spending time with his family.