Inside Edge: Local U12 racers hit the slopes at Mt. Spokane
Northwest Cup No. 2 — SARS hosted four days of super-G competition this past weekend. The first two days were Northwest Cup Qualifiers while the second two were FIS. Four local racers competed in a field of 150 consisting of 15-year-olds and older.
Erika Avery was consistent, posting overall results of 13th in both contests, and sixth and seventh among U16 racers. Avery Edmundson was 20th and 18th on the day and 13th and 11th respectively for U16s.
Wesley Simko was 22nd in both races and Crosby Schmidt was disqualified in the first race but finished 34th in the second, 14th amongst U16 boys. All four athletes enjoyed nice reductions in their USSA points and earned WC points towards Northwest Cup Finals in April.
Inland Empire Youth Ski League No. 2 — The 12 and under crowd headed to Mount Spokane for slalom races this weekend and enjoyed the normal fog and precipitation. A number of racers from SARS and Independence competed in a fairly large field. Here were the top local finishers (top 15 only).
Halle Wyman was disqualified in the first race but was the 13th U12 skier in the second race. Elaina Stiller got disqualified in her first U10 race, but took bronze in the second race. Jordyn Lemon had a good weekend, placing fourth and eighth. Libby Welker finished seventh and 10th, followed by Stella Albright, who had a pair of 12th-place finishes. Elsa Gidley was the only U8 girl to post a result, capturing second in the first race.
On the boys side, Jeru Gidley took silver in his first race, but slipped to 12th in his second. Dakota Landwehr had a solid day, finishing third and fifth in the two events. Landon Buoy was 15th in the second race.
Logan Johnston took bronze in the first U10 boys race and sixth in the second. Solen Landwehr placed eight and ninth in the two races. In U8, Brig Ambauen secured first and second in the two races, and Rory Johnston also had a solid day with third and fifth place finishes.
Other participants were: Zayda Ambauen, Wyatt Lemon, Tekla Lien, Clara Sherman, Faith Stephaney, Healy Summer and Sophia Taylor.
World Championships at Cortina — Mikaela Shiffrin set a few records this year. In addition to her medals last week, she won the silver medal in giant slalom (.02 back) and then took the bronze slalom to give a total of four for the championships. It’s been 14 years since that feat was last accomplished.
Her 11th medal tied her for the most ever. She also has the most medals for any American and the most World Championships (six), male or female. In all, it was a good ending for what has been a difficult and emotional year for Shiffrin after the loss of her father.
Nina O’Brien had the second fastest first run in giant slalom and was moving well before a mistake on the flats near the finish. She had to settle for 10th place.
In his first World Championships, 23-year-old River Radamus finished 11th in giant slalom. On the final day, 20-year-old Ben Ritchie was the top American, taking 13th in slalom.
Potpourri — 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.