03/21/2026
3-21-26
Last but not least!
Read the whole post as we did an interview Q&A with dave;
Hi, im David kowell, Age 41. Live in syracuse ny, work a full time job as an auto/diesel/heavy equipment technician and manage the clubs grooming operations along with many other tasks, read on for the whole story! Speaking of story's, I've got alot of war stories from grooming. Feel free to ask about em if you see around!, after all I've dubbed Osceola "The Bermuda Triangle" of Tug Hill!!!
Everyone meet David Kowell, he wasn't showcased in our last post about all the clubs groomer operators. Why not?! Well, Dave is far more than a groomer operator within the club. He is the king pin of the trail grooming operation.
Dave serves as the club Vice President, Grooming Coordinator, Groomer operator trainer, and heads up Groomer Mainintenance/repairs along with trail work
Before and during the season to make sure grooming operations can go smoothly throughout the season.
First getting involved in 2017 and taking over grooming operations in 2020 its been a long struggle to bring the club to where it is today but saw the potential that this small club centrally located in the heart of tug hill had. There's been many ups and downs throughout but have since built a great team that works well. Based on all the positive feedback the last few seasons, it hasn't gone un-noticed!
Dave, whats been the hardest pill to swallow?
" When I first got involved with the club, then took over grooming operations I found out who was with me and who was against me. From day 1 I wanted to succeed, but realized quickly there were people in the club then that wanted to see me fail, and that's what lit the fire and motivated me not to give up. Dug my heels in and held my ground and the "bad apples" went away. Fast forward a few years and here we are today doing what we're doing!"
Dave knows our trails so well I bet if you showed him a random picture anywhere on our trail system he would be able to tell you exactly where that picture was taken! Over the years he, along with groups of volunteers made improvements to areas of trails to make grooming easier and more efficient along with making trouble spots easier and safer for groomers and snowmobilers.
Dave also attends the monthly Lewis County Area Snowmobile Association meeting in lowville to be our voice and club delegate within the county. The LCASA is responsible for funding and organizing the 9 clubs within Lewis county.
Groomer broke down? Don't worry, he's on it or coordinating efforts to make the repairs ASAP to be back on the trail with minimal down time. It's great to have a professional mechanic in the club at your fingertips. Greg and Joel are mechanical experts as well and make repairs also.
Dave heads up our groomer training, all new operators go through him to start, what's your process Dave?
"Biggest thing is to explain and demonstrate the fundamentals of the clubs equipment in great detail. Not all the clubs have the same equipment, protocols, terrain etc...there fore each club has thier own ways of doing things. Once a new operator proves they've learned the operation and trail system and its hazards that lurk below the snow surface which is important in low snow conditions. Once they/I feel they are ready to released solo, pat em on the back and say "HAVE FUN!!" Some guys take longer to train than others and that's expected. I try to make it as fun as possible yet structured to become an effective operator, not just a groomer driver...YES there is a difference between the 2!!
Dave also manages our club page(along with a few others) positing trail updates with pictures and videos to help promote the club and showcasing our grooming efforts.
Most people don't realize what's involved behind the scenes to make it all possible to have consistently groomed trails. The constant stress of the weather cooperating, operators schedules, work/personal life balance, machine breakdowns, parts chasing, did I mention the weather cooperating???? Yeah that's the wild card!! The miles volunteers rack up on their vehicles and added fuel cost just to come up and groom, as most of our operators are from out of town. We asked Dave one time how much $ he thinks he spends on a season of club volunteering and he said "I don't even wanna know...lol.."
So Dave, since you live in syracuse and spend so much time up in osceola, do you own a camp up here?
"No I don't, however great friends of mine, Paul and Kelly do and graciously allow me use of the place whenever needed. I pretty much spend every weekend up here once the snow falls till whenever grooming is done for the year, but I do alot of driving back and forth during the week"
Dave, what do you enjoy most about grooming?
"The constant challenges associated with the ever changing conditions that change daily sometimes hourly. I enjoy the peace and tranquility of grooming, you literally forget about everything going on and i find it very relaxing. It's very satisfying taking a trail that's destroyed from a saturdays worth of sled traffic and making it pristine again. Then there's the "what crazy s**t is gonna happen tonight?!" Nothing surprises me anymore. The average person would react with OMG can't believe that happened....i just "shrug my shoulders" and say "just another night on the tug!" I should also note that I've met a great deal of people and developed friendships with other head groomers at neighboring clubs and we all communicate with one another on a regular basis and everyone is always willing to lend a hand or offer advice. We're ALL VOLUNTEERS and try to work together on "the hill".
"I'm grateful for the great group of groomer operators we have, I can't take all the credit, it is indeed a group effort amongst everyone involved!"
Hats off to Dave and his die hard dedication!
