For the week of January 14 - 20, 2004

Higgins fourth in
Tech Series slalom

At Snowbasin

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University of Denver ski racer Sean Higgins, 18, of Ketchum made a big impression in slalom during the Utah Winter Games FIS Western Region Elite tech series Jan. 7-10 at Snowbasin and Park City.

Ketchum’s Sean Higgins of Denver University roars around a gate during the Utah Winter Games FIS Western Region Elite tech series staged Jan. 7-10 at Snowbasin and Park City, Utah. Courtesy photo by Pat Higgins

Higgins roared down Wildflower run at Snowbasin in fourth place overall in the Jan. 8 men’s slalom. He was 1.96 seconds behind Martin Stocker of Austria. There were 115 starters, and only 61 finishers.

The Community School graduate won the J1 class.

Besides that outstanding finish, Higgins placed 10th of 101 finishers in the Jan. 9 giant slalom on CB’s run at Park City and 11th in the Jan. 7 slalom at Snowbasin. Those were the best placings for the 12 local skiers in the four-race series.

Winning the men’s slaloms were New York’s Brad Hogan, 24, and Martin Stocker, 24, of Austria. GS winners were Nevada-Reno racer and former NCAA GS king Tommi Viirret of Finland along David Lamb, 22, of Steamboat Springs.

Sweden’s Lina Johansson captured both women’s GSs. Slalom winners were Christine Roberts, 16, of Steamboat Springs and Heidi Hillenbrand, 16, of Santa Fe, N.M.

Meanwhile, in FIS University Games tech races at Park City, Higgins placed 16th and Zachary Brown of Sun Valley 20th in Sunday’s GS. On Monday, Higgins was 11th, the fourth American, in slalom. Wes Powell placed 37th and Jason Eder 45th. Brown DNFd.

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There were 118 women and 136 men in the Utah Elite tech series — Placings for locals, in sequence of the races:

Men—
Sean Higgins 11-SL, 4-SL, 10-GS, DNF-GS;
Robin Sarchett 20-SL, 14-SL, 11-GS, 29-GS;
Zachary Brown 24-GS, 21-GS, DNF-SL;

Jason Eder 28-SL, 37-SL, 57-GS, 53-GS;
Dixon Mooseau 55-SL, 41-SL, 77-GS, 84-GS;
A.J. Cronk 59-SL, 53-SL, 81-GS, 77-GS;
Wes Powell 51-GS, 37-GS.

Women—
Hailey Duke 24-GS, 46-GS, 13-SL;
Laura Durkheimer 42-GS, 51-GS, 49-SL, DNF-SL;
Lauren Eder 43-GS, 50-GS, DNF-SL, 30-SL;

Amy Alexander 57-GS, 62-GS, 68-SL, 52-SL;
Jessica Hamilton DNF-GS, 56-GS, DNF-SL, 25-SL.

 

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