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
SVSEF Skier Ryder Sarchett Selected to Represent the U.S. at Seven Nations Cup
Ryder Sarchett, 14, a member of the USSA team, competed in the U16 National Performance Series (NPS) at Burke Mountain, VT, January 9-12. The series brings together the best U16 athletes from around the country and is invitation-only. As part of the National Development System, athletes are selected based on high-level results over the past season at regional and national events. According to U.S. Ski and Snowboard, which runs the project along with club coaches from across the country, “stimulating long-term growth and preparing athletes for future international competition are the overarching goals.” The top six men and women from this series are invited to represent the U.S. at the Seven Nations Cup in Malbun, Liechtenstein, February 8-9.
Ryder skied extremely well over the four-day event, finishing third in the slalom (winning one of the runs) and third in the giant slalom. Based on his performance, Ryder has been selected as one of those six U.S. athletes invited to compete in this year’s Seven Nations Cup.
“The Seven Nations Cup, hosted by a different nation in Europe each year, is a good international test for the U.S. U16 athletes, with deep competition from the strong central European nations,” explained SVSEF U16 Head Coach Chuck Harris. “This will be a great experience for Ryder, and is a well-deserved appointment.”
SVSEF Cross Country Juniors Punch Tickets to International Competition
There was a lot riding on cross country U.S. Nationals, held this past week at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska. Results from the races help determine roster spots for Olympic, FIS Junior World Championship, U23 Championship and U18 Nordic Nations Championship teams. The event draws the top junior and senior athletes from across the country, who all have the potential, through their performance, to represent the U.S. in international competition.
Based on their results at Nationals, two SVSEF junior racers (under age 20) have been selected to represent the U.S. at international events this season. Sydney Palmer-Leger, 15, and Johnny Hagenbuch, 16, both posted top-five results in the junior distance freestyle and sprint freestyle races, confirming their selection to the U.S. U18 Nordic Nation Championship team and World Junior Championship team (with the option to attend one of the two events).
“The Anchorage courses featured steep climbs followed by fast twisting downhills, on snow conditions that demanded and rewarded aggressive, dynamic skiing,” said Program Director Rick Kapala. Sydney and Johnny were able to adjust their tempo and energy to the terrain and the conditions, and had solid races among 200 top junior competitors as a result. 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.
Both athletes have chosen to compete at the Nordic Nations Championship, which consists of a distance, sprint and relay race with the top U18 skiers from across the Scandinavian countries. They will be part of a six male, six female team representing the U.S. Sydney and Johnny leave for Vuokatti, Finland, on January 21 for the series. Their focus when they return to the U.S. will be on the U.S. Junior National Championships, which will be held at Soldier Hollow, Utah, in early March.
Full results here.
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
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
2017 Baldy Hill Climb Results
A dreary start to the day on Saturday, September 30 was hardly a deterrent for this year's Baldy Hill Climb – 134 people made their way to the top of Bald Mountain for the 39th annual event. Reclaiming victory in the racing class were SVSEF Gold Team athletes Jack Hegman and Mary Rose, who powered up before heading down to Park City on Sunday for a NTG/National Elite Group camp. Hegman completed the 3,140-foot climb in 35 minutes and 13 seconds, just nine seconds off Miles Havlick's 2014 course record of 35:04. A minute behind Hegman was teammate Rogan Brown, who made it to the finish line in 36:13. Rounding out the top three men was SVSEF alpine alumni Miles Fink-Debray in 36:37. Rose finished in 43:34, a solid 2 minutes and 46 seconds in front of women's runner-up Alexa Turzian (46:15), a SVSEF cross country alumni. In third was Lexi Abel (49:24).
A total of 52 participants opted for the race category, while 64 chose to hike. Eighteen people raced in the biking class, with 11 of those taking it to another level by tackling the Cheeso Double. Named in memory of the late SVSEF alpine coach Craig "Cheesbo" Kjesbo, this race category includes both the bike portion and the hill climb – meaning athletes scale Baldy twice.
A big thanks to Sturtevants, who sponsored the event, and to all of the volunteers who came out and supported the participants and SVSEF.
RESULTS:
Women's Race
Men's Race
Women's Hiking
Men's Hiking
Biking
Cheeso Double
Find more photos from the event here.
The Week in Review: 4/18/17
Freeskiing
The Freeskiing Team wrapped up competition at USASA Nationals at Copper in Colorado. SVSEF athlete Ben Fethke had a strong halfpipe finish, coming in second in the Menehune (10-11) boys field of 38 competitors. For other top results, see last week’s Week in Review.
Full results here
A total of 60 athletes from across the country have been invited to participate at the 2017 USSA Project Gold camp, to be held May 15-22 at Mammoth Mountain. Criteria for invitation was based on results from the Revolution Tour, Junior Nationals, USASA Nationals and select discretion. Five SVSEF Freeski athletes have earned a spot at the camp: Ben Fethke, Harper Mallet, Ridge Dirksmeier, Hanna Blackwell and Jed Waters have all made the cut. Athletes will have access to a 22-foot pipe with air bags, Mammoth’s Unbound Terrain Park, and a private jump with airbag. Athletes will work with U.S. Freeskiing Team coaches, including SVSEF alum Ben Verge, along with top program coaches from around the country. The aim of this camp is for athletes to work on setting goals, learn new tricks and improve skills.
ALPINE
FIS
Despite two cancelled races for both men and women last week, SVSEF FIS athletes capitalized on the downhill and super G events, held at Mammoth April 15-16. In a field of nearly 40 athletes, Spencer Wright charged to a win in the downhill. Hayden Terjeson finished 14th and Filippo Collini 17th. In the women’s field of 23, Erin Smith was eighth, Skylar Cooley 9th and Kaia Jensen 17th. Haley Cutler did not finish her first run, but bounced back the next day in the super G, claiming victory in the women’s competition. Erin was ninth, Kaia 20th and Skylar did not finish her first run. In the men’s super G, Filippo led the men in fourth, Spencer was seventh and Hayden 16th.
Full results here
FIS/USSA
The Snowbird Snowcup Series/Last Chance wrapped up on April 12, with a giant slalom instead of the scheduled super Gs (one day of racing was lost earlier in the week because of deteriorating snow conditions). In the women’s race, SVSEF claimed two podium spots, with Alli Rathfon in second and Lily Fitzgerald in third. Three other SVSEF racers made the top 20; Maddie Ferris was 12th, Merumo Ishimaru 14th and Carlota Pomes 17th. SVSEF placed a remarkable eight out of the top 20 men in the giant slalom; Jack Smith was seventh, Max Noddings ninth, Noah Leininger 11th, Bennett Snyder 13th, Will Snyder 14th, Thomas Klose 16th, U14 Ryder Sarchett 19th and Buey Grossman 20th.
Full results here
In the Intermountain Cup, SVSEF dominated both individual disciplines and the overall 2017 Bryce Astle title. Jack Smith and Lily Fitzgerald were overall champions. SVSEF men swept the downhill podium, as did the women, and SVSEF had a representative on every podium except the men’s giant slalom.
Downhill Men: Duncan Fuller-1, Spencer Wright-2, Charlie Lamb-3
Downhill Ladies: Erin Smith-1, Ruby Marden-2, Skylar Coolie-3
Super-G Men: Jack Smith-1, Jeremy Mathers-2, Bridger Harrison (OV)-3
Super-G Ladies: Lily Fitzgerald-1, Alli Rathfon-2, Elena Zipp (RM)-3
Giant Slalom Men: Holden Parazette (JH)-1, Sam Dupratt (UU)-2, Max Miller (PC)-3
Giant Slalom Ladies: Lily Fitzgerald-1, Alli Rathfon-2, Anya Mulligan (RM)-3
Slalom Men: Holden Parazette (JH)-1, Bennett Snyder-2, Hunter Carlson (FLO)-3
Slalom Ladies: Lily Fitzgerald-1, Merum Ishamura-2, Danika Mannelin (RM)-3
IMD
IMD U14 Spring Project, Grand Targhee, April 8-10, overall results
The Week in Review: 4/11/17
ALPINE
FIS
SVSEF athletes finished out a week of spring series racing at Mammoth on a high note; Haley Culter won both ladies’ giant slalom races on April 5. Katelyn Rathfon had solid results, with a 13th and 14th place finishes. Erin Smith was 16th and 11th and Skylar Cooley 18th and 16th. In the men’s slalom races on the same day, Will Snyder finished fifth in the first event, and John Blackburn 11th. Yuri McClure was 17th and Cooper Dart 19th. Will Snyder maintained composure, with a 7th place in the second event of the day. Filippo Collini made top 20 in 15th. Super G competition for both men and women, scheduled for April 7 & 8, was cancelled.
Full results here
IMD
Six athletes just finished up a short ski and skill building camp at Targhee. Lena Nelson, Colin Hanna, Paige DeHart, Cole Curci, Nils Galloway and Jessica Blackburn attended.
FIS/USSA
SVSEF put three athletes in the top 10 in both men and women’s slalom races to get the week started at the Snowbird Snowcup Series/Last Chance. Lily Fitzgerald and Merumo Ishimaru took gold and silver for women, and Maddie Ferris was seventh. Cailin Chandler and Marit Kaiser both moved up considerably; Cailin from bib 39 to 16th, and Marit from bib 42 to 17th. Jack Smith made the podium in third for men, Bennett Snyder was sixth and Charlie Lamb ninth. Ridley Lindstrom made moves, going from bib 53 to 16th. Ryder Sarchett was the second fastest U14, and 29th overall.
In the second slalom event on April 9, Merumo Ishimaru kept the momentum going with another second place, and Lily Fitzgerald stayed up there in fourth. Maddie Ferris was sixth, Katelyn Rathfon ninth and Alli Rathfon 14th. Bennett Snyder was SVSEF’s top male finisher in seventh; four others broke the top 20, with Charlie Lamb in 11th, Carter Jendrezak 12th, Buey Grossman tied for 16th and Ryder Sarchett with another great performance in 18th. He was the top U14 finisher in this race.
A giant slalom race scheduled for April 10 was cancelled due to bad snow.
Preliminary results from Live Timing show Will Snyder in fifth and Jack Smith in sixth in the men’s giant slalom on April 11, and five women in the top 10; Alli Rathfon in first, Lily Fitzgerald i second, Maddie Ferris seventh, Merumo Ishimaru eighth and Carlota Pomes ninth. Competition continues tomorrow with super G.
Full results here
Live timing men’s GS
Live timing women’s GS
FREESKI
Nine SVSEF Freeski athletes are at Copper in Colorado for USASA Nationals. In halfpipe competition that took place on April 10, SVSEF Breaker boys (12-13) stood out, landing four athletes in the top 15 out of 45 competitors; Harper Mallett just missed the podium in fourth, Ridge Dirksmeier was fifth, Joey Markthaler eighth and Dylan Mills 15th. In the women’s open class for halfpipe, Hanna Blackwell was third. Competition continues tomorrow with slopestyle and halfpipe competition.
Full results here