Week in Review: February 6
ALPINE
Monroe Cup
SVSEF hosted over 150 U10 and U12 athletes from the Intermountain division at the annual Monroe Cup, named for former SVSEF coach and executive director, Lane Monroe. The event featured two slalom competitions, starting on Hemingway and finishing on Greyhawk. Despite unruly winds, the surface was outstanding and athletes from the Devo forerunners to Mini World Cup and North Series skiers came to the hill with a good attitude. For Mini World Cup athletes, this was a great way to dabble in racing while still emphasizing the importance of having fun. “We are doing this race for experience, of course a bit of speed, but most importantly, for FUN,” remarked MWC head coach Tor Jensen. “It is a great opportunity to try something new, test the waters in the next level and be that much more prepared for next year.”
For North Series athletes, the Monroe Cup was an opportunity to put hard work into practice. “It’s always great to have one of our races be at home because the kids know the race hill and they get to sleep in their own beds,” said North Series head coach Adele Savaria. “As always, it feels like we have a lot of support from the community when they come out to watch, too.”
SVSEF’s own Max Meucci took home the men’s overall win for the weekend, with nearly a five second lead over the second place finisher in Saturday’s slalom, and another victory on Sunday. Paxton Sammis broke the top ten for U12 men on Saturday, Tommy Hovey had a solid weekend for U10 boys with a podium on Saturday and a sixth place on Sunday, and Jay Blackburn earned second for U10 boys on Sunday. Alyssa Huntsman and Reese Kelley broke the top 10 for U10 girls, with Alyssa in 10th on Saturday and Reese in ninth on Sunday. SVSEF U12 girls took four of the top 10 spots on Saturday (Taylor Hovey 4, Ruby Crist 5, Norah Davis-Jeffers 8 and Rowan Desler 9). Natalie Gowe had a great race on Sunday, finishing on the podium in second, and teammates Taylor and Ruby went six and seven.
Results
FIS Western Region Speed Series at Schweitzer
This past week was a huge showing for SVSEF at the FIS Elite Speed Series. Program Director Scott McGrew noted that it was “quite possibly the first sweep for a club at this level of event.” Charlie Lamb, Spencer Wright and Hayden Terjeson took the top spots in the men’s downhill on February 1, with Matt O’Connor finishing fifth. Wright clocked top times for two more second place finishes at the series (2/1 downhill and 2/4 super G). Other SVSEF athletes skied to the top of the field throughout the week: Skylar Cooley finished fourth in downhill and second in super G, Alli Rathfon had a fourth place finish and two sixths, Jack Smith won the final super G and Hayden Terjeson was just off the podium in fourth in the same race.
From Nick Stenicka, assitant women's FIS coach:
The women's FIS team has returned from a successful Schweitzer speed series! Notable performances came from Skylar Cooley, Maddie Ferris, Alli Rathfon, who all acquired major qualification points towards US Nationals with their top ten finishes in the SG races. In addition to the top ten finishes achieved by Skylar, Maddie, and Alli, our girls took home two Hard Charger Awards. The Hard Charger Award was granted each day of the series to the athlete that achieved the best finish position from the highest start position. Alli Rathfon won the Hard Charger Award after moving from 29th position into sixth in the first DH race while her teammate Cailin Chandler won the award in the second DH race after moving from the 27th position into 12th.
Looking forward, our women hope to build on this positive momentum at their upcoming Wild West race series at Snowking Resort in Jackson, Wyoming. The Wild West series is also a qualifier for US Nationals. With the FIS team coming into the peak of the race season the group is excited for a week-long training block on hard snow at Baldy and Dollar.
Results
U14 IMD Junior Speed Event Qualifier at Snowbasin
Podium sweeps and top finishes were a trend for SVSEF Alpine athletes this past week. At U14 IMD Junior Speed Qualifiers at Snowbasin, Jessica Blackburn, Saba Grossman and Maya Lightner swept the women’s opening super G podium. Logan Lindstrom took second in the second super G, with Saba staying near the top in fourth. In the final super G, Saba topped the podium, and Logan again finished second. Saba’s streak of top finishes put her in first overall for the weekend. Paige DeHart and Lily Dean had strong results, with Paige in 11th in the second event and Lily in 10th in the final race. In the men’s events, Colin Hanna cruised to a win in the final super G and finished fourth the first day of racing. Nils Galloway had a significant weekend, finishing sixth on days one and two, and fifth in the final competition. Jake Charpentier stepped it up, with ninth and 12th places.
"This was a very exciting weekend for SVSEF's IMD team," said Head Coach James Tautkus. "It's typically a struggle this time of year to maintain full focus and this team defied that. To start the weekend with a women's podium sweep felt pretty sweet, but following that up with two victories on Sunday brought fulfillment to the weekend. This team as a whole dug deep and earned every once of success it received. That in itself puts confidence in the direction of this program. No doubt on current trajectory there will be more success to be had this season!"
Results
CROSS COUNTRY
Town Sprints and Boulder Mountain Tour
As part of the annual Sun Valley Nordic Festival, many SVSEF athletes participated in the opening NordicTown USA Town Sprints in downtown Ketchum. Devo athletes started off with a mass start sprint, followed by Prep Team skiers. The main event featured two-person relays – Comp, PG and Gold athletes tagged off in a fast-paced, energetic race. SVSEF Gold Team skier Matt Gelso and Team Gregg athlete Caitlin Gregg won, followed by Cole Morgan (SVSEF) and Heather Mooney in second and Henry Raff (SVSEF) and Logan Smith (SVSEF) in third.
Two days after Two Sprints, a number of SVSEF opted to race in the Boulder Mountain Tour or the Half Boulder. Covering 34km, the nationally renowned race starts at Galena and winds down the Harriman Trail. The Half Boulder is a 15km course that starts at Baker Creek. SVSEF Gold Team skier Matt Gelso took home the overall win for the event in a field of nearly 600 racers, with a time of 1:10:28. Repeating for an overall win for women was Caitlin Gregg. Sawyer Kesselheim, who will guide SVSEF alumni Jake Adicoff at the 2018 Paralymipcs in Pyeongchang, finished fifth overall, followed by Gold Team athlete Cole Morgan in sixth. Berkeley Canfield, a U12 Prep Team skier, won the women’s Half Boulder with a finishing time of 41:34. Teammate Ruby Gardner was the fourth female finisher and Gina Greenberg was fifth.
Full Boulder Results
Half Boulder Results
Nor-Am Cup
Other members of the Gold Team traveled to Nakkertok Nordic Ski Centre, outside of Ottawa, for Nor Am races, featuring top Canadian and United States athletes. Jack Hegman had a standout distance race, winning the men’s 15km freestyle. Kevin Bolger showed consistency across disciplines and distances, finishing fifth in the men’s 1.4km classic sprint, fifth in the 15km freestyle, and sixth in the 15km pursuit. Jack edged out Kevin in the pursuit in fifth. Rogan Brown had solid distance races, skiing to eighth overall in the 15km freestyle and eighth again in the pursuit.
Results
PARK & PIPE
USASA Slopestyle and Rail Jam at Dollar Mountain
USASA hosted a great long weekend of slopestyle, rail jam and boardercross competition at Dollar. Despite high winds that required athletes to hike up for runs, rather than take the lift, all disciplines were executed. “It was a great weekend for the Park and Pipe team, with many top spots on the podium,” said Tyler Conway, Park & Pipe program director. “The stand out event was slopestyle. Not only was it impressive to watch (with 540s,720s, 900s and switch 270s pretzel 450s), but it was awesome to see SVSEF athletes take top spots in the most competitive age classes.”
Results
IFSA Big Mtn: Targhee Regional Competition
This event was cancelled due to unsafe conditions. The team still managed to get some solid training from the weekend; see what they were up to here.
MOGULS
MOGULSNorthern Series Regional Qualifier
Sun Valley moguls athletes headed to Snowbowl, Montana to compete in the Northern Series regional qualifier. “I’m extremely proud of all of our athletes’ performances this past weekend, and the direction the SVSEF moguls program is headed,” said Mogul Technical Director John Grigsby. “This past weekend we had a few athletes competing in their first competition ever, and a few of our veteran athletes had their personal best.”
Toby Rafford led the charge on Saturday with a second place finish, and Rainey Wilson took home fifth overall.
Saturday Singles Event
Toby 1st M15
Erik Babcock 4th M15
Rainey Wilson 1st F17
Will Hausmann 1st M11
Tillianne Babcock 1st F11
Sunday Singles Event
Rainey Wilson 1st Overall
Toby Rafford 1rd Overall
Tillianne Babcock 1st F11
Nick Rubenstein 2nd M13
Drake Lovlien 2nd M11
Erik Babcock 5th M15
Duals Event
Rainey Wilson 1st Overall
Toby Rafford 1rd Overall
Henry Buell 8th
Week in Review: January 30
PARK & PIPE
Sun Valley Spectacular Slopestyle, Jan. 27-28
SVSEF hosted two slopestyle events at Dollar for the Sun Valley Spectacular. It was great to have a local event for SVSEF athletes to put all their training into practice. Notable results came from Ben Fethke and Spencer Ferries, who were second and fourth in their M13 age group on Saturday, Harper Mallett, who was fifth for M15s, and Will Griffith and Ryan Dobi, who were second and fifth for M19s. Will found the podium again on the 28th, in third. Ben Fethke won the M13 category on Sunday. Ally Olearain was third overall for women both days.
Results
IFSA Big Mtn – Brundage Regional Comp, Jan. 27
Eleven athletes competed at their second round of IFSA regional competition last weekend at Brundage in McCall, Idaho. SVSEF skiers again brought a high level of skiing to the event, nabbing top podium finishes. Addie Rafford, Esmee Verheijen and Paris Pratt swept the women’s 15-18 podium, while Hunter Diehl took the win for men 15-18. Will Everitt had a great day, also finishing on the podium in third. Owen Miller was fourth, and Axel Diehl, Hunter’s younger brother, finished sixth. The team next heads to Targhee for another regional competition.
Results
Alumni: X Games, January 28
SVSEF alumni Chase Josey, who was recently named to the U.S. Olympic Team, competed at the Aspen X Games last weekend. Josey took fourth overall in the men’s superpipe, behind Ayumu Hirano (Japan), Scotty James (Australia) and Ben Ferguson (U.S.), all of whom will be competing at the Olympics, as well.
Results
Baldy Banked Slalom, Jan. 27
The Baldy Banked Slalom, a classic local event six years in the making, draws young and old to a custom banked course on Baldy each year. The winner of the event gets a start at the Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom; this year, that winner was SVSEF coach Rick Millett. Millett led the pro-open men’s field by over a second. Coach Pat Lee also participated, and finished in sixth. For SVSEF athletes, Zoe Bacca took the win in the youth girls (13-18) category, with Channing Curci in second and Emma Schmillen in third. Julian Gluck was first for youth boys. SVSEF athletes swept the next gen boys (12 and under) category; with Jack Verhaeghe, Caleb Hothem and Nico Lerner taking one through three. Olive Gilbert and Sophie Smith, the two next gen girls, went one and two.
Results
ALPINE
Alpine U16 Qualifier – Targhee, Jan. 26-28
The Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation hosted a U16 qualifier cup at Grand Targhee, January 26-28. The races were a qualifying event for the Western Junior Championships, which are being held March 20-25 in Alyeska, AK. IMD will take 27 men and 31 women to the event.
Originally planned to feature three competitions (one giant slalom and two slalom races), the slalom scheduled for January 28 was cancelled due to heavy snow and soft conditions. This event has yet to be rescheduled.
SVSEF found the podium across events. In the giant slalom, Marit Kaiser finished third overall, clocking the second fastest first run. Teammate Merumo Ishimaru had the second fastest second run and finished fourth overall. Sage Curtis had a great day, skiing to seventh, and Anhwei Kirk made moves, from start position 35 to 13th. SVSEF also put an athlete on the podium in the men’s GS; Buey Grossman skied to third for the day, with teammate Charlie Snyder not far behind in fifth.
In the slalom, Marit finished sixth and Anhwei Kirk ninth. Carly Walther-Pornino had a solid finish in 13th. Teammate Falon Hanna was 14th. The boys had a strong showing in the slalom; Ridley Lindstrom had a great race, finishing second overall and first for U16 athletes (the one athlete ahead of him was a U19). Charlie Snyder rounded out a great weekend of racing, finishing second for U16s. Max Moss was sixth and Finn Mallinen 10th – meaning SVSEF had four boys in the top 10.
Results
Mini World Cup
Mini World CupMini World Cup athletes competed in a slalom race on Dollar on Sunday, January 28, with great energy and enthusiasm for the day.
Find results here.
CROSS COUNTRY
JNQs at Lake Creek, Jan. 27-28
From Rick Kapala, program director and comp team coach
The Sun Valley community stepped up this past weekend and hosted an Intermountain JNQ that was relocated at the last minute due to low snow conditions at the Soldier Hollow, Utah venue. Approximately 250 skiers attended the event, held at the Lake Creek Ski Trails and hosted by the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. While being a great opportunity for our local skiers to race on home courses, the races also provided a nice economic boost to the local hotels, condos and restaurants.
Many thanks to all of those who helped pull the event together on such short notice. In particular, thanks to the Blaine County Rec District trail grooming for their trail prep work. It was a big job to put the courses together given that all the work also being done to ready the BMT courses. Thanks to our Federal Land Agency partners, the Sawtooth National Forest Ketchum Ranger District and the Bureau of Land Management Shoshone District, for their support of Wood River Valley recreation, and thanks to all the VOLUNTEERS and VENDORS who rallied. We had a great race weekend thanks to you.
The Lake Creek Trails have gained a deserved reputation as being very real tests of ski fitness and ability over the years. To have such tough challenging courses in the mix of skiing venues in our community is a big bonus for our local Nordic ski culture. Many a visiting ski parent were heard to say, “Wow, these course are hard. I guess it explains why these SV kids are so tough.” The nature of the course profiles at Lake Creek include very little flat skiing with lots of steep uphills followed by technical downhills that require skiers to be really active in their descending techniques.
The races featured formats and distances for ages U10 through U18/20. Saturday was held in freestyle technique and Sunday featured classic races. SVSEF had a couple standout resutls as a team – SVSEF had four girls in the top 10 in the U16 sprint, and in the Sunday mass start classic, SVSEF girls won every age class.
SVSEF highlights
Saturday Sprint Freestyle:
U18/20 Men Sprint Finals
Will Solow – 2nd
Drew Palmer Leger – 4th (best ever sprint result)
Henry Raff – 7th (best ever sprint result)
U18/20 Women Sprint Finals
Lily Brunelle – 3rd
Sophia Mazzoni – 4th
Ella Wolter – 8th
Eve Jensen – 10th (best ever sprint result)
U16 Girls Sprint Final
Logan Smith – 1st
Anja Jensen – 4th
Sascha Leidecker – 6th
Luci Ludwig – 9th
U16 Boys Sprint Final
Cash Dart – 4th
Cole Reeves – 10th
U14 Girls Final
Samantha Smith – 1st
Gretel Huss – 7th
U12 Girls Final
Berkeley Canfield – 2nd
U12 Boys Final
Tucker Smith – 3rd
Sunday Mass Start Classic
U10 Girls
Hadley Walker – 1st
Torin Vandenburgh – 2nd
U12 Girls
Berkeley Canfield – 1st
U14 Girls
Samantha Smith – 1st
Gretel Huss – 7th
Annika Vandenburgh – 12th
Eloise Herbert – 14th
U16 Girls
Logan Smith – 1st
Anja Jensen -6th
Luci Ludwig – 9th
U18/20 Girls
Sophia Mazzoni – 1st
Eve Jensen – 5th
Ella Wolter 6th
Kirsys Campbell – 10th
U14 Boys
Holden Archie – 11th
West Gardner – 12th
Dexter Morrison – 14th
U16 Boys
Cash Dart – 5th
Sebi Radl Jones – 11th
U18 /20 Boys
Henry Raff – 1st
Will Solow – 3rd
The next JNQ is in McCall, Idaho, February 17-18, after which the IMD Team will be named.
Locally: Nordic Town Sprints will be held THURSDAY, Feb 1st at the Ketchum Nordic Town ski stadium, located corner of 2nd Avenue and 4th Street. Come watch the fun with top locals and visiting skiers competing in a two-person sprint relay.
Youth races start at 4pm and MAIN EVENT SPRINT RACE at 5.15pm.
Results
Sydney Palmer-Leger and Johnny Hagenbuch Compete at U18 Nations in Finland
SVSEF Comp Team athletes Sydney Palmer-Leger and Johnny Hagenbuch competed in Vuokatti, Finland, representing the United States at the U18 Nordic Nations Championship. The series included three races; a freestyle sprint, a distance (5/10k) classic and a 3×3 and 3x5km classic/freestyle mixed relay. Sydney’s top individual result was in the freestyle sprint; the 15 year old finished eighth overall for women, after moving on from a preliminary field of 61 racers. Johnny’s top finish was in the men’s 10km, where he finished 19th. Both athletes were on the top male and female relay teams on the final day; Sydney’s team skied to fourth overall, and Johnny’s team to fifth. The two return to the U.S. to focus on Junior Nationals, which will be held at Soldier Hollow this year.
Results
XC Gold Team: SuperTour at Craftsbury
https://www.craftsburysupertour.com/results/
SVSEF Gold Team had a solid showing back on the East Coast. SuperTour races were held at Craftsbury, Vermont, with a 5/10km freestyle and a classic sprint. Kelsey Phinney finished second in the women’s sprint and sixth in the women’s 5km. Kevin Bolger placed third in both the men’s 10km freestyle distance race and the classic sprint. Teammates Jack Hegman and Rogan Brown were 10th and 11th in the distance, respectively. Coach Chris Mallory opted to race in the Craftsbury Marathon, finishing in an impressive 15th place in the men’s 48km field of 96 athletes.
Sprint
5k
10k
Marathon
UPCOMING
Alpine: Monroe Cup on Bald Mountain (Feb. 3-4)
P&P: USASA Slopestyle and Rail Jam at Dollar Mountain (Feb. 3-4)
Alpine FIS: Schweitzer Western Region Speed Series (Jan. 30-Feb 4)
Alpine: U14 IMD Junior Speed Event Qualifier at Snowbasin (Feb. 2-4)
Mogul travel: Snowbowl comp (Feb. 1-5)
XC: Nordic Town Sprints as part of Nordic Fest, across from Ketchum post office (Feb. 1)
IFSA Big Mtn: Targhee Regional competition (Feb. 1-4)
Week in Review: January 23
ALPINE
FIS: Snowbasin
FIS athletes competed at Snowbasin Resort in two giant slalom races. These races were GS qualifiers for U.S. Nationals (along with Snowking races, scheduled for February). Top results came from Alli Rathfon, who finished seventh in the first race, and Lily Fitzgerald, who finished seventh the second day. Maddie Ferris was 10th in the first competition. Hayden Terjeson came in 14th on the second day of racing in the men’s category, followed closely by teammates John Blackburn and Spencer Wright in 15th and 16th.
Results
FIS Western Elite: Park City/Snowbird
FIS athletes were at Park City and Snowbird for FIS Western Elite races. The Park City races were changed from GS to slalom and were open FIS races. Snowbird slaloms were U.S. National qualifiers (along with slaloms scheduled at Snowking in February).
Top finishes:
Erin Smith: 11
Lily Fitzgerald: 7
Grace Pepin: 28
Molly Milgard: 27
Elizabeth Vanderkloot: 33
Cailin Chandler, 39
Charlie Lamb: 28
Carter Jendrezak: 36
Noah Leininger: 38
Max Noddings: 33
Matt O’Connor: 31
Jack Smith: 19
John Blackburn: 26
Jake Blackburn: 27
Bennett Snyder: 26
Hayden Terjeson: 23
Results
USSA/IMD: Wes Barron
38 SVSEF athletes competed in the Wes Barron Speed Series, an IMD Open Super G event, at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. SVSEF had great results across the board, in large fields of 85-100 athletes in each event. SVSEF girls came out strong in the super G, with Sage Curtis placing second, Jessica Blackburn eighth and Saba Grossman ninth, for a total of three in the top 10. They again had a good grouping in the second super G, with Marit Kaiser in eighth, Saba Grossman and Sage Curtis tying for ninth, and Jessica Blackburn a few spots behind in 13th. Logan Lindstron and Lola Street both had good races, moving up from bib numbers in the 40s to 20th and 21st. Sage stayed steady all weekend, finishing seventh in the third and final super G and ending the series with three top-10s. Marit was 13th, Saba 16, Jessica 18 and Anhwei Kirk rounded out the top 20 in 20th.
Another athlete found the podium, this time in the men’s race. Ian Hanna finished third in the first super G. Finn Mallinen had a great race, landing in seventh, teammates Josh Blackburn and Nathan Gowe were ninth and 10th, and Ridley Lindstrom finished 12th. Leo Molter was the second U14 finisher in this race, and 29th overall. Finn inched closer to the top in the second race, tying for sixth. There were a couple more ties in this race; Josh Blackburn tied for ninth and Max Moss for 16th. Nathan Gowe had a solid race in 19th. Breaking the top 20 in the third race were Ian Hanna (7th), Finn Mallinen (10th), Josh Blackburn (11th) Ridley Lindstrom (13th) and Nathan Gowe (19th). Colin Hanna, a U14, finished 28th overall and was the second U14 finisher.
Results
IMD: Grand Targhee U14 Speed Project
Seven IMD athletes participated in the Grand Targhee U14 Speed Project, a camp targeted towards developing the education and application of technical and tactical components of a speed course. Now in its third year, the camp is offered to 12-14 year olds in the Intermountain Division. Athletes have access to quality, in-season exposure to specific aspects of a course, complete with video and feedback.
MOGULS
Travel Team: Deer Valley
The Travel Team were in Deer Valley for the Deer Valley Grand Prix. Athletes competed on the World Cup course Champion, in two singles events and one duals moguls event. Leading the team were Luke Rizzo and Sammy Smith, who both made overall podiums, and up-and-comers Toby Rafford and Tillie Babcock, who each rose to second place in their respective age groups.
Mogul Technical Director John Grigsby commented on the event and on the progression he’s seen this season. “I’m extremely proud of our athletes and coaches performance at this past event. Everyone in the west had a difficult start to the season; the lack of snow has made it hard for anyone to build a training venue. Our athletes’ hard work in the preseason really shows.” A special thanks to Sun Valley Company and mountain operations for helping us build a great training venue.
TOP RESULTS
Singles 1/20:
Luke Rizzo 4th overall / 2nd M17
Toby Rafford 2nd M15
Alex Austin 4th M15
Henry Buell 21th (overall)
Erik Babcock 5th M15
Samantha Smith 1st F13
Tillie Babcock 2nd F13
Rainey Wilson 5th F17
Singles 1/21:
Luke Rizzo 1st overall
Toby Rafford 10th overall
Samantha Smith 3rd overall
Duals 1/21:
Luke Rizzo 3rd
Toby Rafford 9th
Photo:
Toby Rafford 2nd place M15
Results
PARK & PIPE
IFSA Big Mtn: #1 & #2 Regionals at Snowbird
IFSA Big Mountain athletes finally had a chance to put all their training this season into practice at Regionals at Snowbird. Head Coach Conor Davis was pleased with his athletes’ foray into competition. “All of the athletes who attended the event at Snowbird this passed weekend surpassed my expectations! I saw sportsmanship amongst our fellow competitors, and we all learned a lot.” Conor was insightful when pointing to areas where there is room for improvement. Athletes are scored on lines, control, technique, fluidity and energy – foregoing hesitation, cranking hard turns, and being strategic with line choice all make a difference. That being said, SVSEF athletes put down solid results for their first taste of IFSA competition. Paris Pratt, Addie Rafford, Molly Kucher and Joe Goitiandia all found the podium throughout the weekend.
Best finishes:
Wilson Dunn: 12 (M15-18)
Hunter Diehl: 9 (M15-18)
Axel Diehl: 32 (M15-18)
Paris Pratt: 2 (W15-18)
Will Price: 25 (M15-18)
Addie Rafford: 1 (W15-18)
Joe Goitiandia: 2 (M12-14)
Molly Kucher: 1 (W15-18)
Esmee Verheijen: 8 (W15-18)
Video of SVSEF athlete runs
January 20 results
January 21 results
Alumni
AlumniSVSEF alumni, Chase Josey, won the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe competition at Mammoth on Saturday, January 20. This event was key, as it was the last qualifier for the U.S. Olympic team. Three male athletes had already been confirmed for the team, leaving one discretionary spot. The national event was consolidated as high winds on Thursday prohibited the qualifier from taking place. Instead, both the qualifier and final took place on Saturday. Chase had the highest score from the qualifier, going into the final. In his first of three final runs, Chase threw down a cleanly executed and highly technical run, scoring a 94.50 – this was his winning run. The announcement was made Tuesday, January 23 that Chase officially secured the fourth spot on the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Halfpipe team, meaning he will represent the U.S. in Pyeongchang. Read the official announcement here.
Results
CROSS COUNTRY
Alumni
A number of SVSEF alumni are currently racing on the East Coast college carnival circuit. This past weekend, college teams from the northeast met at Sleepy Hollow in Huntington, Vermont, for the St. Michael’s Winter Carnival; 12 former SVSEF athletes competed, representing Bowdoin, UNH, UVM, Dartmouth, Middlebury and Bates. Day one was a 10k/5k classic, and day two was a 15k/10k freestyle race. Top results came from Peter Wolter, a freshman at Middlebury this year, who took second in the men’s 15k freestyle; Katie Feldman, who was sixth in the women’s 5k classic, and Sam Wood, who finished sixth in the men’s 15k freestyle. Katie and Sam are also Middlebury athletes. The next EISA competition is the UVM Carnival, February 2-3.
Results
Week in Review: January 9
MOGULS
Far West – Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows (Moguls Travel)
Mogul athletes ventured to Squaw Valley to compete at a Far West series. Competitors converged from Olympic Valley, Wasatch Freestyle, Park City and Squaw Valley. Top results came from Sammy Smith, who won the first day of two-run singles in the ladies’ field of 30, and Luke Rizzo, who also won in the men’s field of 53. Sammy took the top spot again in the one-run single event on January 7, with Rainey Wilson close behind in fourth. Toby Rafford stepped up into fourth in the men’s competition, and Erik Babcock had a solid run to 12. In duals on Sunday, Sammy was fourth and Rainey Wilson 11. Luke Rizzo took a second win to end the weekend.
Results
CROSS COUNTRY
U.S. Nationals, Anchorage (Comp, PG, Gold)
SVSEF Comp, PG, Gold and alumni athletes spent the past week in Anchorage, Alaska, competing at U.S. Nationals at Kincaid Park. The series featured a skate distance and sprint and classic distance and sprint. Standout performances came from Gold Team skier Kevin Bolger, who finished second overall after cruising through skate sprint heats in the men’s national championship race, and teammate Rogan Brown, who was fourth in the men’s 15km skate race in a field of top U.S. competitors. Kevin also made it to the finals heat of the men’s classic sprint (the event he won at Nationals last year), and finished fifth in this event. Gold Team athlete Kelsey Phinney skied through to the final women’s heat in the skate sprint, and finished sixth overall. Johnny Hagenbuch and Sydney Palmer-Leger, Comp Team athletes, both had a solid week, breaking the top five in the junior category and securing selection to both the U.S. Junior World Championship team and the U.S. U18 Nordic Nations Championship team (they have opted to compete at U18 Nordic Nations Championships). Sydney was the second U18 finisher (27 overall in a field of 147) in the women’s 10km freestyle on January 3. She secured a win in the women’s junior freestyle sprint on January 5, breezing through qualifiers and three rounds of heats. Johnny, like Sydney, was the second U18 finisher (28 overall) in the men’s 15km freestyle race on January 3. He also made his way through junior sprint heats, finishing fourth overall.
Results
ALPINE
Big Sky University Races and Winter Park FIS Races (FIS)
Ten SVSEF FIS male athletes headed to Winter Park for a series of FIS GS races. Top results came from Spencer Wright in 12 and Bennett Snyder in 20. The following day, Wright finished 14, Max Noddings 18 and Charlie Lamb 19. This was a good, short series to get a feel for where adjustments and steps towards mastery can be made.
Results
FIS ladies traveled to Big Sky for the University Race series, where they competed against a strong field with all of the top collegiate racers in the West (many of whom, Head Coach Brett Morris explained, have raced on Europa and, some, World Cup circuits). Lily Fitzgerald broke the top 30 in 27 in the first giant slalom and 23 in the second. Alum Haley Cutler was seventh in the second giant slalom.
Results
U14 Qualifier at Snow King (IMD)
Coordination was key last weekend, as SVSEF sent 43IMD athletes to Snow King for a U14 qualifier. The series featured a giant slalom and two slalom races. Colin Hanna nearly broke onto the podium in fourth in the men’s giant slalom on Friday. Leo Molter finished 12, Carter Sammis 18 and Jack Charpentier rounded out the top 20 athletes. SVSEF had six athletes in the top 20 in the ladies’ giant slalom; Jessica Blackburn took the win, Tatum Minor was fourth, Logan Lindstrom eighth, Lily Ann Dean ninth, Saba Grossman 16 and Hannah Ferris 19. In the first ladies’ slalom on Saturday, Jessica Blackburn again came out on top. Hannah Ferris was fifth, Lily Ann Dean 13 and Paige Dehart 17. Agnes Kind was just out of the top 20 in 22. Carter Sammis stepped up in the slalom, taking fourth in the men’s race. Cole Curci was ninth and Leo Molter 14. In the second ladies’ slalom, Logan Lindstrom topped the podium. Saba Grossman was fifth, Tatum Minor 11, Maya Lightner 13, Agnes Kind 15 and Lily Ann Dean 16. Three athletes were top-ten in the men’s Sunday slalom; Colin Hanna was sixth, Leo Molter seventh and Carter Sammis 10. Nils Galloway finished 16 overall.
Head Coach James Tautkus was happy with the first of three qualifiers for the IMD athletes. “We had a very strong showing for the first races of the season. It was a bench mark for how far we’ve come and where we need to go. I believe all the athletes found something they can hang their hats on and we’re eager to further our development in the weeks to come.”
Results
PARK & PIPE
Nico Lerner competed at Snow Basin last weekend in three GS and three slalom races. Racing in the 8-9 year old snowboard grommet category and got first in all events. Although he was competing against only one other person in the age category, his times rivaled those of the older 18-22 year old category. Progression Team Head Coach Pat Lee has been happy with Nico’s progression. “Nico is young but operates on a higher level than most other competitors his age. He has speed on his side, he loves bombing baldy and making fast turns.”
Results
SVSEF January Event Update Announcement
As of January 5, 2018, the following changes have been made to local events:
2. January 27 & 28, 2018: Sun Valley Spectacular / Moguls & Dual Moguls - CANCELLED
3. January 27 & 28, 2018: Sun Valley Spectacular - CHANGED TO TWO SLOPESTYLE EVENTS, BIG AIR IS CANCELLED
Week in Review: December 26
ALPINE
Eric Hays Memorial
For the final day of racing at the Eric Hays Memorial, seven girls broke the top 30 in the ladies’ giant slalom field of 65. Marit Kaiser finished ninth, Cailin Chandler 19, Emma MacGuffie 20, Ella Kopplin 25, Logan Lindstrom 26, Carly Walther-Porino 29, Falon Hanna 30.
In the men’s race, top results came from Matt O’Connor in fifth, Charlie Lamb seventh, Buey Grossman eighth, Charlie Snyder 18, Max Moss 22 and Johannes Liaboe 30.
RESULTS
FIS
FIS athletes competed at Steamboat in a short series that included night racing under the lights. Top results came from Lily Fitzgerald in 14 and Skylar Cooley in 20 in the ladies’ slalom on December 20, and from Erin Smith in the slalom on December 22 – Erin Smith finished 14. Alum Tanner Farrow, who now skis for the University of Denver, finished ninth in the men’s slalom on both December 21 and 22.
RESULTS
MOGULS
Luke Rizzo and Rainey Wilson wrapped up competition at U.S. Selections – stay tuned, as U.S. Ski and Snowboarding has not yet released updates on qualified athletes.
Coming up the first week of January:
Cross country Comp, PG and Gold Team athletes start making moves to Anchorage, Alaska this weekend for a week of racing at U.S. Nationals, January 3-8. For Gold Team athletes, these are important races in terms of qualifying for international events (including the Winter Olympics). The moguls Travel Team goes to Snowbird January 6-7 for Bumpin’ at the Bird, and alpine IMD athletes have an IMD U14 qualifier at Jackson.
Week in Review: December 19
ALPINE
ALPINEFIS/USSA/IMD
SVSEF athletes have one more giant slalom tomorrow to wrap up the Eric Hays Memorial at Snow King in Jackson, Wyoming. Skiers have competed in three races so far; two slaloms and one giant slalom. SVSEF skiers have accumulated a number of top-10 finishes, and one overall podium. In a field of 75 men, Ridley Lindstrom, Matt O’Connor and Buey Grossman went five-six-seven in the first slalom. SVSEF took five-six-seven again in the second race, with Charlie Lamb placing fifth, Ryder Sarchett sixth and Max Noddings seventh. In the first giant slalom, Ryder had a stellar race, landing on the podium in third, as a first-year U-16. Buey had another strong race with a sixth place finish, followed by Charlie in seventh.
In the ladies’ field of 65, Elizabeth Vanderkloot broke into the top 10 twice, finishing ninth in the first slalom and eighth in the giant slalom. Marit Kaiser has had a solid streak, finishing 13 all three races so far. Packing the punch in the second slalom were Jessica Blackburn and Logan Lindstrom, who finished on either side of Marit in 12 and 14, respectively.
RESULTS
FIS
Continuing from last week’s highlights from the first day of FIS racing at Snow King when Hayden Terjeson took 10 in the giant slalom and and Lily Fitzgerald finished ninth on December 10, SVSEF nailed down a number of top-20 results in the ensuing giant slalom and slalom events. FIS athletes next compete at Steamboat.
December 11, giant slalom
14 Lily Fitzgerald
20 Maddie Ferris
10 Hayden Terjeson
13 Noah Leininger
16 Matt O’Connor
18 Jack Smith
December 12, slalom
13 Fitzgerald
21 Alli rathfon
11 Terjeson
12 Spencer Wright
15 O’Connor
18 Charlie Lamb
Men’s second slalom
14 Wright
December 13, slalom
7 Fitzgerald
14 Rathfon
16 Skylar Cooley
15 Terjeson
19 Smith
Ladies’ second slalom
17 Cooley
RESULTS
PARK & PIPE
PARK & PIPE
Alumni
Chase Josey competed in the Dew Tour snowboarding superpipe at Breckenridge, finishing seventh in the finals on Friday, December 15. He was the fourth American overall. The Dew Tour competition was another Olympic team selection event; there are two more such events left. Chase next heads to Aspen Snowmass for a training camp, before another Toyota U.S. Grand Prix selection event January 10-14, 2018.
RESULTS
Travel Team
While teammates took advantage of training at Keystone/Copper under the tutelage of coach Rick Millett, Ridge Dirksmeier, a member of the park and pipe Travel Team, competed for the first time at the Toyota U.S. Rev Tour at Copper Mountain. In both days of freeski halfpipe competition on December 15 and 16, Ridge finished 20 in a field of 29 Rocky Mountain athletes. Rev Tour events are geared towards athletes looking to transition from grassroots to elite level competition.
RESULTS
MOGULS
Travel Team
Luke Rizzo and Rainey Wilson, who both qualified for U.S. Selections, competed in their first event at Winter Park in Colorado on Monday, December 19. Both landed in the middle of the pack, with Luke finishing 27 in singles and Rainey finishing 37. Today was a day off, before another singles event tomorrow and dual moguls to end the week on December 21. Taking into account results from last season’s U.S. Nationals as well as from U.S. Selections, athletes have the chance to qualify for the NorAm Tour and/or U.S. starts.
RESULTS
CROSS COUNTRY
Comp/Prep
SVSEF Comp and Prep Team athletes traveled to Bozeman, Montana, for the IMD season opener. The races did not count towards qualification for Junior Nationals; rather, they were an opportunity for athletes to see how they stacked up against IMD competitors. Athletes raced in a freestyle prologue on Saturday, followed by a classic pursuit on Sunday. The field included IMD racers as well as collegiate athletes. Standout performances came from Anja Jensen, who was fourth overall in the women’s freestyle prologue and first for U16s in the classic pursuit. PG Ingrid Norton was fifth in the prologue, Lily Brunelle seventh and Ella Wolter 10. In the men’s prologue, Johnny Hagenbuch finished second. Alumni Eli Jensen and Peter Wolter finished sixth and seventh. In the classic pursuit, Sebi Radl-Jones was third for U16 men, Johnny first for U18 men, alums Eli and Peter were first and second for U20 men, Logan Smith second behind Anja for U16 women, Sophia Mazzoni third for U18 women and Ingrid Norton was second for U20 women.
Prep Team skiers Sammy Smith and Anja Grover were first and second, respectively, in both U14 skate and classic mass starts. Tucker Smith was third in the men’s U12 freestyle mass start.
RESULTS
Athlete of the Week: December 14
"Athlete of the Week" is an opportunity to highlight our athletes for demonstrating the core values of the organization.
Sportsmanship • Citizenship • Character • Teamwork • Creativity • Passion • Perseverance
ALPINE: LOLA STREET
Lola Street, 14, is this week’s alpine athlete of the week. Lola has done an amazing job this fall and early winter on all fronts. She has managed to crush her dryland training and factor in as a leading member of her volleyball squad. Now that winter is upon us, she is taking that drive and persistence to the training slopes. Lola’s coach Chuck Harris commented, “Lola has done a wonderful job in our prep season and is now bringing that joy, drive, and fire to the training hill. She is great athlete and a wonderful teammate on the USSA squad.” Lola exemplifies the SVSEF core values and we are super stoked to have the opportunity to give her this shout out. Well deserved.
CROSS COUNTRY: SYDNEY PALMER-LEGER
CROSS COUNTRY: SYDNEY PALMER-LEGERSydney Palmer-Leger, 15, relocated to Sun Valley this year with her family. Her brother, Drew, is also part of the cross country program as a post grad athlete. As soon as she joined the team, her values and personality were apparent – Program Director Rick Kapala noted that she “immediately elevated the group, and has constantly engaged her teammates at practices in a positive way.” With an incredible work ethic, a great head for racing and an attitude geared towards taking advantage of every opportunity given to her to improve, Sydney is an example of how hard work pays off. Results at early season races indicate that she’s made a jump from being one of the best U16s country to, quite possibly, the best – she is able to compete at the highest level with the best juniors out there. “We knew she was a really good cross country racer, but what we’ve figured out is that she is a really good teammate and really engaging – we couldn’t be happier,” said Kapala.
MOGULS: RAINEY WILSON
Rainey Wilson, 16, is the athlete of the week for moguls. Rainey, a member of the Travel Team, has been been showing up to training everyday to prepare for U.S. Freestyle Selections. Coach Kurtis Fieguth commended Rainey. “She is always a great role model for the younger athletes in the program. She does this by staying positive, working hard, and having fun.” Rainey is the only female athlete from the Travel Team to qualify this year for U.S. Selections, which are being held in Winter Park Colorado.
PARK & PIPE: CHARLEY BINGHAM
Charley Bingham, 16, is the park & pipe athlete of the week. Charley is always happy to be on his skis – Program Director Tyler Conway testified to this, saying, “Charley is one of the most stoked athletes I have every skied with.” He is out there every day, is eager to learn and progress in his slopestyle skiing, and is constantly pushing teammates and himself on and off the hill, throwing high fives all around.” The SVSEF park and pipe team is thrilled that Charley is part of the squad.
Week in Review: December 12, 2017
PARK & PIPE
Alumni
SVSEF alumni Chase Josey was based at Copper Mountain in Colorado last week for the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, an Olympic qualifying event. Each country can only have four athletes competing in each event at the Winter Olympics; with only three more qualifying events left, the stakes are high. Josey took seventh overall in halfpipe finals on Saturday, December 9, and was the fifth American finisher. He had qualified fourth in his heat on Thursday. Chase next competes at the Dew Tour in Breckenridge this week (Thursday and Friday), which is another Olympic team selection event.
RESULTS
Travel Team
Five athletes from the Travel Team are headed to Colorado for a week of on-snow training at Breckenridge/Keystone. Sawyer Largay, Ally Olearain, Will Griffith, Ridge Dirkesmeier, Cate Seay and Charlie Bingham will take advantage of features and terrain in Colorado. In addition, athlete Ridge Dirksmeier is also making the trek to the centennial state to compete at a Rev Tour event at Copper.
MOGULS
MOGULSMogul athletes Rainey Wilson and Luke Rizzo have qualified for U.S. Selections, based on a top-60 U.S. ranking. They will be competing at Winter Park in Colorado from December 15 through December 21. Athletes will have the opportunity to compete in both moguls and dual moguls, in an attempt to qualify for starts in NorAm events and possibly U.S. World Cups. The top 20 finishers at this selection event will qualify for NorAms.
CROSS COUNTRY
PG/Comp/Prep: Winterstart
To kickoff the season, SVSEF, the BCRD and Galena Lodge hosted its annual Winterstart race at Galena. 80 competitors, which included junior racers from SVSEF, Utah Nordic Alliance (TUNA) and Bogus Basin, participated in four different skate distance races: 1.5km, 3km, 6km and 9km.
Thanks to the BCRD, Galena Lodge and volunteers for their support of this event!
RESULTS
Gold Team: Silverstar SuperTour
The cross country Gold Team traveled to Silverstar, BC to round out period one of the domestic SuperTour race circuit. Saturday was a classic sprint. Gold Team skier Cole Morgan won the prelim; this was a big win, since Olympic selection is based on prelims, not the final heats. Teammate Kelsey Phinney was second in the women’s prelim. At the end of the day, SVSEF walked away with a number of top finishes in the finals, with Morgan third overall, Jack Hegman fourth and Phinney fourth for women.
Sunday was an interval start freestyle race: 15km for men and 10km for women. Jack Hegman made the podium in second place, while first-year Gold Team skier Kevin Bolger finished fourth, keeping him in the running for Olympic Team selection. The team is back in Sun Valley for a few weeks of training and recovery before they head to U.S. Nationals in Anchorage, which begin January 3, 2018.
RESULTS
ALPINE
With the Eric Hayes memorial race officially moved to Snow King, FIS athletes who are currently competing there will be joined by FIS and USSA teammates this coming weekend. At FIS-sanctioned races at Snow King, Hayden Terjeson broke into the front of the pack in the men’s giant slalom on December 11, taking tenth place. Lily Fitzgerald did the same in the ladies’ giant slalom on December 10, placing ninth. Racing continues today and tomorrow with slalom events.
RESULTS