Tanner Farrow, Teagen Palmer make impact
Tanner Farrow and Teagen Palmer, two promising J2 (ages 15-16) alpine ski racers for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, continue to post excellent results against all sorts of competition in 2009-10.
Farrow, 16, won the J2 class and finished fifth on Valentine's Day—the second American—in the Snowbird Intermountain Cup FIS (International Ski Federation) slalom race on Utah's Wilbere Ridge Race Hill. He clocked the third-best second run among 85 skiers, 72 doing two runs.
At Snow King Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyo., the 15-year-old Palmer competed against some of the best U.S. skiers including veteran national teamers in the National Development Series (NDS) Women's Invitational Sunday and Monday on Elk (giant slalom) and Cougar (slalom) runs.
On Monday, Palmer podiumed in third place for the J2 class with a 12th-place overall finish in a field of 26 afternoon finishers. The winner, as she was in the morning slalom, was 13-year U.S. Ski Team racer Sarah Schleper, 31, of Vail, a three-time Olympian and four-time national slalom queen.
Palmer competed in four NDS races at Snow King over two days, peaking with her second-place J2 finish and 32nd overall outcome of 51 finishers in Sunday's giant slalom morning race won by USST racer Megan McJames. Palmer was 18th overall in the Monday morning SL.
Back at Snowbird, here are other best placings for the 18 SVSEF racers in the slalom field of 90 men and 44 women last weekend:
J1 men: 14—Willie Adicoff. 15—Bergen Palmer. 17—Ryan Foster. 18—Tyler Davis. In Saturday's IMD FIS giant slalom at Snowbasin, Palmer was 17th overall.
J1 women: 2—Nina Hirner (8th overall). 8—Karlee Stagg.
J2 men: 3—Miles Sweek (9th overall). 3—Harlan Collins (14th overall). 9—Tanner Dirstine. 15—Connor Farrow. 19—Dylan Carroll. 26—Gardner Cord. 38—Colin Waycott.
J2 women: 5—Amanda Stelling (6th overall). 18—Corrine Smith. 20—Reta Flynt.
Monroe Cup, Basolo are coming
Most of these alpine racers got their skiing start at Sun Valley. Wood River Valley native Lonnie Basolo was also an enthusiastic skier, but he lost his life at age 19 on March 19, 1986 in a skiing accident at the bottom of Flying Squirrel.
The SVSEF will host the Lonnie Basolo Memorial giant slalom this weekend as part of a two-day Intermountain Division North Series tech series that includes the Monroe Cup slalom. Races will be held Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 20-21 on the Warm Springs side of Baldy.
Most skiers will be ages 7-12, comprising the J4 through J6 classes. The youngest racers will vie on a stubby course, while the J3s and J4s will tackle a 25mm full gate course.
Sunny day for Slush Cup
A beautiful, sunny mid-February day greeted 175 young racers at Hailey's Rotarun Ski Area Saturday, Feb. 13 for the annual Slush Cup.
Organizers thanked the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation coaches and volunteers for making it a great event.
Fastest times of the day for the eight-and-under course went to Madison Ferris and Wyatt Minor. Top results:
Girls 11-12, Ski Team: 1—Samantha Busby 25.90. 2—Josie Allison 26.20. 3—Megan Murphy 26.58. 4—Julia Vorsteveld 26.66. 5—Alexandra Black 26.69.
Boys 11-12, Ski Team: 1—Jay Fitzgerald 24.88. 2—Will Snyder 25.22. 3—Yuri McClure 25.50. 4—Austin Savaria 25.52. 5—Will Long 25.56.
Girls 11-12, Non-Ski Team: 1—Dyllan Millar 31.55. 2—Olivia Ott 35.72.
Boys 11-12, Non-Ski Team: 1—Mac Mizer 33.36. 2—Cole Rozyla 33.85. 3—Colby Castle 34.97.
Girls 9-10, Ski Team: 1—Molly Milgard 27.55. 2—Sage Rheinschild 27.70. 3—Alyssa Ritzel 30.46. 4—Bailey Holter 30.92. 5—Sylvia Cogen 31.74.
Boys 9-10, Ski Team: 1—Kobe Tamura 25.70. 2—Matteo Jorgenson 27.35. 3—Jake Blackburn 27.73. 4—Will Griffith 27.84. 5—Tobias Verheijen 28.60.
Girls 9-10, Non-Ski Team: 1—Kaia Jensen 31.30. 2—Leah Thayer 34.95. 3—Isabella Cronin 35.49. 4—Emily Thayer 37.15.
Boys 9-10, Non-Ski Team: 1—Hunter Barrow 37.53. 2—Carson Smith 37.79.
Girls 7-8, Ski Team: 1—Madison Ferris 23.28. 2—Lily Fitzgerald 23.40. 3—Laine Allison 24.91. 4—Allison Rathfon 26.82. 5—Lucca Vernoy 27.67.
Boys 7-8, Ski Team: 1—Wyatt Minor 23.34. 2—Buey Grossman 24.50. 3—Bennett Snyder 24.78. 4—Shaw Dean 25.62. 5—Hunter Diehl 25.73.
Girls 7-8, Non-Ski Team: 1—Sage Curtis 25.13. 2—Anja Jensen 26.61. 3—Molly Kucher 27.79. 4—Marit Kaiser 28.10. 5—Christine Esten 29.12.
Boys 7-8, Non-Ski Team: 1—Josh Blackburn 25.43. 2—Charlie Snyder 26.42. 3—Ethan Marx 27.96. 4—Alex Sanders 28.53. 5—Max Moss 28.66.
Girls 5-6: 1—Jessica Blackburn 20.58. 2—Cate Ritzel 20.61. 3—Gillian Simco 21.17. 4—Mattigan Monschke 21.75. 5—Hannah Ferris 22.32.
Boys 5-6: 1—Slater Whitehead 19.06. 2—Jett Carruth 19.18. 3—Eli Fuller 19.21. 4—Connor Campbell 20.30. 5—Jesse Keefe 23.76.
Girls 4-and-under: 1—Maya Lightner 21.21. 2—Kelby Whitehead 22.08. 3—Huntly Nabors 25.39. 4—Laura Daves 32.71.
Boys 4-and-under: 1—Zephyr Carruth 18.63. 2—Anton Holter 18.76. 3—Hank Moss 21.05. 4—Jadin Loya 21.86. 5—Brody Simco 25.36.
Get ready for Sammis Camas, Parrish SG
It's the middle of February, time to dust off your speed skis.
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) and Soldier Mountain Alpine Racing will host the 2010 Town Speed Events next week and also in early March.
These events are the Sammis Camas Cup at Soldier Mountain north of Fairfield on Tuesday, Feb. 23 and the three-day Lane Parrish freestyle/super giant slalom at Sun Valley Resort March 12-14.
Start out with the 13th annual Sammis Camas Cup downhill at Soldier hosted by Soldier Mountain Alpine Racing next Tuesday.
The event will consist of a morning training run followed by the afternoon race. It will be held in conjunction with USSA Intermountain Cup Downhills being staged there.
Eligibility will be all ages and no USSA membership is required. Sign up for the race at Soldier Mountain between 8-9 a.m. the day of the race. Training starts at 10:30 a.m.
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For Intermountain Division Masters racers competing in the three-race Soldier Mountain DH/IMD Cup taking place simultaneously with the Sammis Camas Cup, the entry deadline is Friday, Feb. 19 at noon.
The USSA races consist of an afternoon DH heat Tuesday and two downhills Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. and noon. Entry fee is $123 for the series including a $30 training fee. Training runs take place Monday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Looking a little ahead, the 20th annual Lane Parrish Freestyle/SG on Friday through Sunday, March 12-14 will be jointly hosted by Soldier Mountain Alpine Racing and the SVSEF Freestyle Team.
It will include three events starting with a halfpipe competition Friday March 12 followed by the bumps Saturday and Super G on Sunday. The event is open to all interested skiers and Snowboarders.
Signups will be at Apple's Bar and Grill, Warm Springs in Ketchum, and at the SVSEF Greyhawk office all week before the event.
For more information contact Ken Corrock at kcorrock@cox.net or call him at 720-3555.
DeYong wins Owl Creek skate at Aspen
It was a sweet Valentine's Day weekend for Nicole DeYong. Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Olympic Development Team cross-country racer DeYong, 27, won her first-ever Super Tour race Sunday.
DeYong (1.08:19) captured the 21-kilometer Owl Creek Chase women's mass start freestyle race by six seconds over Kristina Trygstad-Saari, 25, of Bozeman, Mt. (1.08:25).
In third of 15 Elite women was two-time Boulder Mountain Ski Tour queen Evelyn Dong, 24, of Bend, Ore. (1.11:38).
On Saturday, DeYong skied to a solid second place behind Bridger Ski Foundation's Trygstad-Saari in the women's 5k classic race at Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club.
Travis Jones, SVSEF ODT head coach, said, "The Owl Creek is a unique and challenging course, starting at nearly 9,000 feet of elevation at Snowmass Cross Country Center. It then climbs almost non-stop for the first 7k. Nicole made a decisive move with about 250 meters to go that Trygstad-Saari couldn't match.
"This is a breakthrough result for Nicole, and a great sign for the rest of the season."
SVSEF ODT racer Mikey Sinnott, 25, of Ketchum finished fourth among the Elite men in Sunday's 21k men's skate race at Aspen. Sinnott had been fifth in Saturday's 10k classic race at Aspen Valley.
Jones said, "It was a solid weekend for Mikey as well. He was fighting hard for a third-place finish, only to be passed by Aspen native and SVSEF alum Noah Hoffman, 20, with about 500 meters to go."
Men's winner at 57:40 was Tad Elliott, 21, of Durango, Colo., skiing for Central Cross Country Marathon Team. Sinnott clocked 59:59, just four seconds behind Hoffman. There were 29 Elite men.
DeYong, Sinnott and SVSEF ODT Olympian Simi Hamilton will travel to Europe later in February for the Europa Cup.
Payette Lakes Ski Marathon 33-kilometer event on Feb. 20
McCall hosts the 29th annual Payette Lakes Ski Marathon Saturday, Feb. 20. It's one of the oldest Nordic ski marathons in the northwestern U.S.
This is the second year on a new point-to-point, 33-kilometer course, beginning at the Little Ski Hill west of McCall, and finishing at Blackhawk On the River.
Classic (striding) races start at 9 a.m. followed by freestyle at 10 a.m. New is a 2k children's race. The marathon course follows the Payette River, climbing onto Red Ridge on an old railroad grade, and finishing at the new Blackhawk on the River Club House. Food and drink await all finishers.
Pre-registration Friday is 5-8 p.m. at Gravity Sports in McCall. Day-of-race registration is at the Blackhawk clubhouse, starting at 7 a.m. Racers will be shuttled to the race starts from Blackhawk.
Class divisions are in 10-year increments in 10k freestyle and 33k classic races. Younger age groups for the 33k freestyle race will also be in 10-year increments, with older age groups (30-and-up) in five-year increments.
All entrants (except those entering the kids race) will receive duffle bags. Awards will be given to top finishers of all age groups as well as overall winners. Hats will be available for purchase by everyone and proceeds will go to the Bear Basin Grooming Fund.
For details and online registration go to mccallnordic.com.
Janss Pro-Am Classic returns March 4-6
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation has announced plans for its 13th annual Janss Pro-Am Classic.
Called the Thomas Weisel Partners Janss Pro-Am Classic, the event is scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, March 4-6 at Sun Valley. It is one of the most important fundraisers for the SVSEF.
Skiers and snowboarders are teamed with former Olympians, Pro Tour and World Cup racers for three days of racing and social festivities.
New this year is an option to be on a non-racing team that will ski Baldy with a pro for two days and enjoy all the same parties and fun.
The SVSEF is partnering with TAG Productions for the Saturday evening entertainment portion of the event. After the Saturday awards party, Janss participants will be VIP guests at the Soul Asylum concert in downtown Ketchum as part of the Wintersol Festival.
Registration is currently open. You may take part in the Thomas Weisel Partners Janss Pro Am Classic as a corporate team sponsor, team sponsor or individual racer. All abilities are encouraged. Racers will be handicapped and everyone has a fair chance to win.
In keeping with tradition, the Janss Pro Am will center on a theme. This year's theme is "Celebrations". Each Pro-Am Team is made up of four amateurs and one Pro.
Team/Theme ideas include: Mardi Gras, Weddings, New Years, Debutante Party, School's Out, Spring Break, the Olympics, etc. Given the creativity and fun spirit of our participants, we are expecting terrific rivalries and imaginative costumes.
Named for Bill Janss, former owner of Sun Valley Company, the Janss Pro-Am raises money that supports nearly 500 young athletes, who participate in alpine, freestyle, cross-country and snowboarding sports. The SVSEF provides over $100,000 in annual scholarship assistance and is recognized as one of the top programs for that.
Visit svsef.org and click on Events to view a schedule of events, pricing and learn how to become a teammate. To register call Kate Berman at 720-6789 or kate@svsef.org.
