Quincy Evans has solid outing at U16 Championships
(Photo courtesy of SCOTT EVANS) Local Quincy Evans tackles the Super G in the U16 Championships last week.
Shiffrin’s Record Season — We’ve been biting our lips here waiting to roll out all the details about the most remarkable Alpine racing season in history.
Mikaela Shiffrin ended her season winning the Giant Slalom, notching her 17th victory of the year and claiming the Giant Slalom Globe.
To put everything in perspective, here’s a summary of Shiffrin’s season of landmarks: First Alpine skier to win the Overall, Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom Globes in a single season; most victories in a single season by any man or woman (17); tied the time slalom wins record (40); won her third-straight Slalom World Championships win — making her the first athlete to win four World Championships in any event; (takes deep breath) was the first male or female athlete to notch World Cup wins in all six currently contested alpine disciplines and finished fifth on the all-time World Cup wins list with 60.
In short, she notched 22 podiums in 26 races, good for a 70 percent win ratio. That’s the best mark ever.
Western Region Championships — Nearly 200 U19 and older athletes competed in the Giant Slalom and Slalom at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows last weekend for Regional honors and a slot at US Nationals.
Two SARS athletes attended. Farli Bowden finished 40th and 39th in Giant Slalom and 25th and 26th in Slalom. Addison McNamara had a difficult week; she only finished one GS in 52nd place.
U16 Championships — One local racer made the trek to Sun Valley for the U16 Regional Championships. Just qualifying for this race is a big deal, and Quincy Evans skied solidly, posting Super G finishes of 53rd and 56th, plus a slalom finish of 59th.
Inland Empire Youth Finals — Lookout Pass hosted the league finals for the Inland Empire League last weekend a number of local athletes attended.
Top 15 finishers in the Giant Slalom and Slaloms were as follows: Boys U12 division, Cadin Billstin finished fifth in both events, Gidley Jeru took U10 Silver in both events. Dakota Landwehr also had a good weekend in that age group, placing seventh in Slalom and sixth in Giant Slalom. Wyatt Lemon placed 14th in Giant Slalom. Amongst the U8 Boys, Logan Johnston placed fourth in Slalom and Rhys Taylor was close behind in eighth. Solen Landwehr was fourth in Giant Slalom.
On the girls’ side, Halle Wyman was 12th in Slalom and stepped up to 6th in Giant Slalom. Elaina Stiller was the second place U8 in Slalom. Other local participants were: Zayda Ambauen, Faith Stephany, Hannah Stiller and Sophia Taylor.
SARS Sweeps League Awards — In concert with league finals, individual and team awards were presented for season long performance. Jeru Gidley was the top U10 boy, Ryhs Taylor top U8 boy this season and Elaina Stiller was the third place U8 girl. SARS swept the Boys, Girls and Overall Team Trophies.
24 Hours for Hank – The annual fundraiser for MS research will take place at Schweitzer this Saturday. The format is team-based and will include two Giant Slalom races.
The first race starts at the Summit Lodge and extends 2.5 miles to the Outback lodge, making it the longest Giant Slalom race in North America (and probably the world). Competitor start order will be determined by funds raised.
Racers start at intervals, but are permitted to pass during the race, giving it a “Wild West” feel. The second race is a more traditional Giant Slalom with no passing. Times are combined and voila.
Google 24 Hours for Hank for details.
Potpourri — Tune in next week for U14 Regional Championships results. 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.