The Inside Edge

n World Cup update — Northwest racer Jackie Wiles earned her first World Cup medal with a third place finish in Downhill at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria. Lindsey Vonn made her comeback from a broken arm at the same race, finishing 13th.

On the Men’s side, a new face appears to be having a breakout year, as 6-foot-7 Bryce Bennett added a 10th place finish at the Wengen Alpine Combined to a Downhill 8th place finish earlier this year. The Edge remembers Bennett when he was a 6-foot-4 13 year-old at Junior Olympics, and has watched him grow through the FIS years. He always had amazing touch for a racer so large. He’ll be fun to watch as the years go on.

Finally, Ted Ligety’s comeback season from a leg injury has come to an end with his announcement that he will be getting back surgery.

n Junior Race Series heats up — Competition continued on a beautiful evening last Friday, with the kids getting faster and faster. The Powder Pirates leapt to an early lead in the most improved team competition, followed closely by the Rut Monsters.

The fastest girls were: Erika Edmundson – 22.56; Avery Edmundson – 23.35; Laura Boge – 24.28; Angelina Knepper – 24.85; and Sydnie Knepper – 25.46.

The fastest boys were: Slate Fragoso – 21.23; Klein Fragoso – 21.72; Christopher Swider – 22.81; Crosby Schmidt – 23.05; and Caden Billston – 23.06. Racing resumes at 5:30 p.m. this Friday.

n Evergreen Cup this weekend — 49 Degrees North resort is hosting U14 and above racers for a weekend of Super G and Giant Slalom competition. Both SARS and Independence are sending athletes and we’ll have a full report next week.

n Western Region Speed Series — The ultimate in viewing excitement. Watch the top rising 16-21 year-old talent in the West compete for honors and eligibility for the National Junior Championships. SARS needs plenty of help pulling this one off. Call SARS at 946-7859 to volunteer.

n Potpourri — It should be an interesting weekend after the weeks storms. Any comments, recommendations or contributions to this column may be sent to Shep Snow by email at shep@thesnowschool.com. Negative feedback should be sent to someone else.

The Inside Edge runs every Thursday during ski season in the Bee sports.