SVSEF Takes Top Step in Four of Eight Races at FIS Western Region Speed Series

SUN VALLEY, Idaho – Feb. 21, 2022 – The SVSEF FIS Alpine Team traveled to Schweitzer Mountain Resort for the Western Region Speed Series from Feb. 15-18, bringing home eight podium spots including four gold, two silver, and two bronze. The Series was comprised of two Downhill (DH) and two Super G (SG) races for both the men and women.

Mother Nature dealt everything she could at the athletes over the course of the week. From consistent snow and fog, to respites of sunshine, high winds, and a few squalls thrown in—the weather posed struggles for everyone but the kids did a great job, stayed focused, and skied fast and strong.

“The FIS Team is heavy into the middle of the season where races are counting for Junior and Senior Nationals qualifying,” said Sue Schwartz, SVSEF FIS Coach. “The athletes are super supportive of each other. We’ve been able to work together during the week, celebrate the wins, and even more so, come together as a team. The performances are showing the strength we have across our team—from the podiums, to those racing to their personal bests and landing top 15, 20, or even top 30 results—all are a huge accomplishment at this level of competition.”

Many of the athletes who competed at Schweitzer attended the recent SVSEF Speed Project at Soldier Mountain earlier in February. It was an opportunity for the athletes to spend time on their speed skis and work on jumping fundamentals and the ability to stay fast over a variety of terrain.

“The Soldier Mountain Speed Project was a really important part of the athletes’ speed progression this season,” said Schwartz. “The Downhill course at Schweitzer had two jumps, a long gliding section, and a lot of terrain to work with, and our athletes brought what they learned and practiced at Soldier directly to their results at this regional Speed Series.”

The event kicked off with the first Women’s Downhill on Feb. 15, but the men’s race was delayed until the second day due to foggy conditions. Maya Lightner skied away with two podium finishes—3rd place in the first Women’s Downhill and 1st place in the second race. Paige DeHart took 6th in race one and 15th in race two, while Cameron Crus skied to 7th and 12th respectively. Lauren Stendell earned the 23rd spot in both Women’s Downhill races.

In the Men’s Downhill, Colin Hanna took the overall win for both races held on Feb. 16. Finnigan Donley grabbed 7th and 5th place respectively, while Nils Galloway took 16th and 14th place, and Robby Cullen had a personal best starting in bib 54 and landing in 16th place in the second downhill after placing 26th in the first race. Kai Subith nailed two top 25 finishes in 24th and 21st.

The next two days would test the athletes’ speed at Super G. For the women, Paige DeHart took 3rd in the women’s first Super G race, with Maya Lightner in 10th, Jessica Blackburn in 18th, Logan Lindstrom 24th and Lauren Stendell sneaking into the top 30 in 28th. Maya Lightner returned to the podium in the women’s second Super G race taking 2nd, with Paige DeHart in 4th, Jessica Blackburn 13th after a bib 51 start, Lauren Stendell 28th and Logan Lindstrom 29th.

For the Men’s Super G, Finnigan Donley took 5th in race one and raced to the win in race two. Colin Hanna found 7th in the first race and joined his teammate on the podium in 2nd for the second race. Nils Galloway moved up from 9th in race one to 6th in race two. Oliver Brockway landed twice in the top 20 in 16th and 11th over the two races. Kai Subith and Robby Cullen both skied to top 30 finishes in race two with Subith in 20th and Cullen in 28th.

Up next for the SVSEF FIS team, some athletes will be traveling to Snowbasin for a Super G/GS Series from Mar. 1-4, and those selected to represent the Intermountain Division at the U18 National Championships will be heading to Vail from Mar. 1-7.

For complete race results, visit: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=AL&eventid=50128&seasoncode=2022