Shop to the Top is Aug. 21
The Elephant's Perch 2010 version of The Shop to the Top climb of Baldy is set for Saturday, Aug. 21.
Early registration deadline is Thursday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. at The Perch in downtown Ketchum for $25 per person. The cost rises to $40 until the final deadline of Friday, Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. There are no race day entries. If you register online at active.com, the cost is $30 until Aug. 19 at midnight. Pick up your race packet Friday, Aug. 20 at the Perch.
Courses for the 3,300 vertical foot climb are six miles ("Race Class") starting at 9 a.m. from The Perch in Ketchum, or five miles ("Sport Class") beginning at 8 a.m. from River Run Lodge. Participants can take the chairlift back down, if weather permits. There will be awards for the fastest man and women in each class, and prize drawings for everyone. No dogs, please.
Last year there were 94 finishers—47 in the six-mile "Race Class" for ages 12-59 and 47 in the five-mile "Sport Class" for ages 10-72. Fastest times in the respective classes were Simon Gutierrez 53:19 and Megan Kimmel 1.07:22, Jennifer Schwartz 1.10:13 and Del Pletcher 1.12:38.
Ketchum skateboard contest set for Aug. 14
The Board Bin of Ketchum will sponsor the ninth annual Ketchum Skate Park skateboard contest Saturday, Aug. 14 starting with 9-10:30 a.m. registration at Guy Coles Skate Park along Warm Springs Road. The contest begins at 11 a.m. There will be three heats with finals at 3 p.m. and awards at 4 p.m. Prizes will be given for each age group. New this year is the Jersey Barrier Best Trick. Entry is $15 with a free t-shirt.
Four days for Lyle Pearson Labor Day tennis
Tournament director David Perry has announced plans for the Lyle Pearson Labor Day Tennis Championships presented by Sun Valley Resort on the Sun Valley courts. The U.S.T.A. Intermountain competition is scheduled for four days, Friday, Sept. 3 through Monday, Sept. 6. Entries close Tuesday, Aug. 31 at midnight Mountain Time.
All Open divisions are sanctioned events. All other divisions are not sanctioned and non-U.S.T.A. members can enter. Perry calls the tournament purse "the largest in Idaho." For Men's Open, based on a 16-player draw, it has $350 for the singles champion and $150 for finalists. There will be a players' party Saturday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. including a raffle for many prizes.
Tournament site is tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Schedule/Search.aspx. The tournament ID number is 257408610.
Cyclists in Cascade/Warm Lake 3 Summit Challenge
Wood River Valley cyclists were among the leaders in the 405-rider field during the Cascade/Warm Lake 3 Summit Challenge presented by George's Cycles and the community of Cascade Saturday, July 31. There were three summits along the 65-mile, 6,500 vertical foot course—and the third one was timed. Guest riders included 2008 Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong and 1996 Olympic road cyclist Greg Randolph.
In the 50-rider timed summit climb, Boise's Chris Hong finished first in 27:32 and Ketchum's Miles Fink-Debray was second in 27:48, both top cyclists hitting over 12 miles per hour on their climb. In fourth place was Bill Nurge (Sawtooth Velo) of Ketchum, 30:36. Other local participants included John Swyers and Tom Campion.
Jon Francis 5-kilometer run returns Saturday
The Jon Francis Race to Alturas 5-kilometer fun run is Saturday, Aug. 14 at 10 a.m. from Luther Heights Bible Camp at Alturas Lake 40 miles north of Ketchum. The race on flat, unpaved and undeveloped roads and trails is limited to 100 runners. Entry fee is $35. There is online registration only at bluecirclesports.com or lutherheights.org/jon-francis-race-to-alturas.html. Francis, a Luther Heights counselor, died in 2006 while hiking Grand Mogul. Money raised goes to the bible camp and the Jon Francis Foundation.
Cell phone distraction a factor in Willie Neal's death
Distracted driving because of cell phone use was one of three factors listed by Maine State Police in their report about the June 21, 2009 death of Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Olympic Development cross-country skier Willie Neal, 19, of Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News & Guide reporter Thomas Dewell reported in the Aug. 4 edition of the weekly newspaper that, according to the police accident report, Maine teenager Erik Lundquist was distracted by his cell phone when he collided with Neal, who was roller skiing at the time. Police reported the two other factors were a setting sun and the fact that Neal was skiing well out in travel lane—a factor disputed by Neal's mother Mary Neal, according to Dewell's reporting.
Lundquist was not prosecuted in connection with the 8:30 p.m. Father's Day accident in Aroostook County of northern Maine. Three months before his death, Neal won a bronze medal in the 15-kilometer skate race at the USSA Cross Country Junior Nationals in Truckee, Ca.
Summer update on freestyle skiers
Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation freestyle program director Andy Ware sent along this summer update about some of his top athletes:
Reigning Junior National halfpipe champ Tai Barrymore traveled to New Zealand last week for a month of skier halfpipe training and competition. Tai has been training at Mt. Hood (Ore.) preparing for the New Zealand Open Pro Halfpipe event and the Junior World Championships in Cardrona, New Zealand.
The competitors faced near-white-out conditions Saturday, Aug. 8 for the New Zealand Open. Barrymore, 18, held his own against a seasoned pro field qualifying into the finals and finishing 10th overall. It was his first top-10 finish in a Pro event. Later this month Barrymore will be joined by SVSEF freestyle teammate Hannah Haupt, 16, and SVSEF park and pipe head coach Ben Verge to train and compete in the FIS Halfpipe Junior World Championships. The two Sun Valley athletes are part of an eight-member U.S. Junior World Halfpipe team. Verge was chosen as the U.S. team's head coach while in New Zealand.
Barrymore and Haupt are each ranked #4 in USSA's overall national halfpipe rankings. They are returning to the SVSEF Freestyle ski team for the 2010-11 season. Barrymore returns as a member of the SVSEF Freestyle Olympic Development Team. Ware has high hopes that skier halfpipe will become an Olympic event in the next Winter Games. He added Barrymore and Haupt are positioned well to earn spots on the 2014 U.S. Olympic Halfpipe team.
The U.S. team is training in New Zealand prior to the Aug. 26-27 World Championships. Ware said, "It's unique for one ski program to have two of the eight spots allowed for the Junior World Championships. With two weeks of training Tai and Hannah should be prepared to give their best efforts and see how they stack up against some of the world's best young skiers."
