Dollar Dayz offers family fun this weekend
Skiers and riders of all ages will find plenty of fun like a kids' ski cross race and the popular Pond Skim during Dollar Mountain's Dollar Dayz Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3 to close the ski season there.
Competition begins with the USSA Nordic SuperTour Hill Climb from 9-11 a.m. Saturday. Up to 150 top-level Nordic racers will compete in a race format that requires a super hill climb up Dollar Mountain.
Also on Saturday at 11 a.m., Dollar Mountain hosts the Sun Valley Kids' Cross Race for youth 15-and-younger on the Half Dollar Cross Course. Elimination rounds will challenge skiers in age classes 4-7, 8-11, and 12-15. Registration limited to 50 entrants is from 9-10 a.m. Competitors must have a parent or legal guardian sign the entry form.
Dollar's final day of operation Sunday features the Sun Valley Ski Patrol hosting the second annual Cold Bowl Pond Skim at 11 a.m.
Entry is free with a purchased lift ticket. Competition is limited to 100 entrants and registration is from 9-10:30 a.m. Costumes are encouraged and prizes will be awarded. Music and a barbeque will liven up Dollar Mountain's deck beginning at 11 a.m.
Haupt, Parker crack top 10 in halfpipe skiing nationals
Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Freestyle Team members Hannah Haupt (7th) an Ben Parker (10th) cracked the top 10 in Saturday's Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships halfpipe skiing finals at Stratton Mountain, Vt. Halfpipe skiing is one of five events being considered for inclusion in the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi, Russia. The International Olympic Committee is due to announce its decision on the issue next week.
Haupt and Parker were two of five SVSEF racers attending nationals. The others were Zana Davey (22nd overall dual moguls, 8th in turns), Trevor Norris (35th in Sunday's dual qualification runs) and first-year team member Morgan Shaver (44th single moguls.) It was Davey's final competition after 10 years with the SVSEF.
"Let the Good Times Roll" K2-Barrymore Freedogger
Sun Valley Ski Heritage Week is in full swing, and the featured local event is the K2-Barrymore FreeDogger Party Thursday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. at Whiskey Jacques. Admission is $10. Up to 500 people will fill the upstairs and downstairs at Whiskeys. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Organizers call it the largest gathering in decades of hot-doggers and freestyle skiers from the 1970s and 1980s, along with employee reunions from K2, Head, Scott and Smith. "It promises to be the best party of the ski season," said Sun Valley Host Committee member Betsy Barrymore Stoll.
Ski movies will play all evening. There will be product giveaways, K2 prizes, best 1970s costume awards, K2 raffle (tickets $5) and beer pong challenges on four upstairs tables.
Highlights are the K2 t-shirt contest for ladies and the K2 Cheeseburger Eating Contest for men. K2 skis are grand prizes for the winning lady and man. K2 contest entry deadline is today, Wednesday, March 30. Cost of $10 to enter includes two raffle tickets (must be present to win). Categories are: Young and Restless (ages 21-34), Always Awesome (35-49) and Vintage Classics (50-plus). Whiskeys has sign-up forms.
The Host Committee has also earmarked Friday, April 1, for the Apple's Apres Ski Party starting at 3 p.m. with a live band and the Hot-Doggers hot dog tent. A second raffle drawing will take place at Apple's. The raffle includes prizes from ski industry companies including K2, Scott, Smith and Eddie Bauer. The K2 prizes include skis, a snowboard, helmets, ski poles, apparel, plus a week's lodging from Barrymore's Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort in Mexico.
Proceeds from the local Ski Heritage Week events go to the Bald Mountain Rescue Fund.
Hawaiian Nationals return Saturday, April 2 to Baldy
The 2011 Sun Valley Tele Ski Series finishes the year with a bang Saturday, April 2 as the Hawaiian Nationals classic dual slalom returns to Baldy's Cozy ski run. Registration is from 8:30-10:30 a.m. in Warm Springs Lodge with racing at 11 a.m. Visit the sunvalleytele.blogspot for more details or call Kyle Livingston at 509-991-1139 for details.
Each competitor gets to run the course twice and there are some Hawaiian National perks as well—a costume contest (tropical themes encouraged) and the "Human Slalom" at 3 p.m. from the top of Baldy. The after-party and awards ceremony will take place in the Greyhawk parking lot.
Ride, Stride and Glide ends Galena Lodge's season on Sunday
Galena Lodge 23 miles north of Ketchum has invited the public to its 10th annual Ride, Stride and Glide Winter Triathlon relay-style races that will officially wrap up the 2010-11 winter season for the Nordic ski facility and its cross-country trail system.
The event takes place Sunday, April 3 with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. and racing at 9:30 a.m. Ride your bike on Jenny's Way (7 kilometers or 4.3 miles), run on Gladiator Loop and Westerhome Glade (5 k) and skate ski on Gladiator, Westerhome, Horsecreek and Psycho (7 k).
Assemble a two or three-person team or go solo if you want to push yourself. Cost is $30 per team and $15 for an individual participant includes a post-race lunch and discounted adult beverages.
BCRD Youth Track and Field to begin
The three-week Blaine County Recreation District youth track and field program for all boys and girls in grades 1-8 will begin the week of Monday, April 11 and continue through the Blaine County/Hershey track and field meet Saturday, May 7 at Derrick Parke Memorial Field, Carey. In general, kids pay $35 for three weeks of after-school instruction including a t-shirt. Sign up at your local school and show up at practices starting either Monday, April 11 or Tuesday, April 12.
Local men at National Ski-Joring Finals in Montana
Local men Peter Stevenson, Taylor Stoecklein and Hunter Storey returned victorious from the National Finals Ski-Joring races March 12-13 at Red Lodge, Montana. Sponsored by Stetson, the locals performed well in the Open Class despite muddy conditions. Riders, skiers and calcutta participants were rewarded with nearly $20,000 in cash and prizes.
Stoecklein placed second overall on his horse Jax, pulling skier Chris Newey from Bozeman, Mt. Jax won "Best Horse" on the final day. Stevenson ended up third overall in the Long Jump event pulled by Stoecklein and horse Badger. Storey was fourth overall in the Long Jump, also pulled by Stoecklein and Badger.
Earlier this winter, Stoecklein and Storey placed first in the Open Class in the Idaho Extreme Ski-Joring contest in Bellevue, with horse Badger.
Softball silver in Shoshone
Playing with heavy hearts in memory of Hailey's James Nelson, the local Red Dog Construction slow-pitch softball team captured second place in Saturday's Shoshone coed tournament. On the Hailey team were Anthony Rooney, Jimberly Rooney, Kassidy Brice, Tommy Thompson, Mike Beall, Brandon Beall, Erik Bywater, Jamie Stone, Dani Stone, Milton Brooks, Tonya Brooks, Jen Owens and Jamie Ulrich. The team wore black arm bands in memory of baseball-softball supporter Nelson, who died March 19 at age 42.
B+ Hockey playoffs begin
A three-goal hat trick by Jay Hedrick lifted the top-ranked Islanders to a 5-2 win over #6-ranked Senators Sunday night and into the April 10 championship game of the B+ Hockey League's Hutch Cup playoffs at Sun Valley Skating Center.
Tony Mallane and Todd Avison added goals for the Isles, while Gunnar Whitehead and Josh Green scored for the Nats.
Other results from Sunday's first-round playoff games were #2 Vipers 5-1 over #5 Hutch's Bad Dogs and #3 Rangers 3-0 over #4 Sharks.
Scoring single goals for the Vipers were Jim Laski, Scott Miller, Shaun Kelly, John Cortum and John Riley. Mark Elsbree got the Bad Dogs on the scoreboard. In the other game, Rod Watson's two goals and a single by Scott Seaward were Rangers goals in the shutout.
On Sunday, April 3, the B+ Hockey playoffs continue at Sun Valley Skating Center with these games: At 6:30 p.m., Senators vs. Hutch's Bad Dogs; at 7:45 p.m. Vipers vs. Rangers; and at 9 p.m., the Sharks vs. the winner of the Senators-Bad Dogs game earlier that night.
On April 10, the championship game at 6:30 p.m. and consolation game at 7:45 p.m. will finish the league's season. The winner of Sunday's Vipers-Rangers game will meet the Islanders for this year's title.
Rangers take senior hockey gold in Montana
The Ketchum Rangers hockey club (4-0, 23-1 goals against) successfully defended its title and captured first place for the third time in four years at the Montana Senior Olympic (over 50) tournament over the weekend. Wins over Wyoming Wolves, Missoula Rattlesnakes and Bemidji Seniors got the Rangers to the finals, where they solidly beat host Bozeman Flying Zambonis 4-0.
Bench coach Steve McCoy kept fresh legs on the ice throughout the weekend. Co-MVPs were Dale Johnson and Brad Dredge. Rounding out the roster were Bobby Noyes, Tom Treischman, Mike Punnett, Glenn Hunter, Crash Ballou, Shaun Mahoney, Tim Jeneson, Rick Bourbonnais, David Vail from Minnesota and Dave Dolson from Victoria, BC. John Heinrich was general manager. Goaltender was Rick "The Preacher" DeMichele of Boise.
Young baseball players can attend clinics
Don't lose hope if you're a young baseball player housebound by the lingering snow—green grass will appear soon and two youth baseball clinics are being planned locally.
The Blaine County Recreation District is sponsoring youth pitching and catching clinics for boys ages 8-12 Mondays and Wednesdays, April 4 and 6, and April 11 and 13, from 6:15-7:15 p.m. in the BCRD gym at The Community Campus.
Wood River High School coaches and players will lead the Hailey clinics. Cost is $25 per person for the four clinics, all proceeds to WRHS baseball.
Former WRHS baseball coach Lars Hovey is conducting his second annual Hagermania 12-and-under clinic on Saturday, April 9 in Hagerman. Guest instructor is Lloyd Frazier from College of Idaho and Fresno State. Cost of $35 includes instruction, t-shirt, lunch and a swim pass to the Thousand Springs Resort.
Times in Hagerman are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Throwing and hitting fundamentals will be emphasized, and there will be live scrimmages in the afternoon. Each player will be videotaped during live hitting and pitching. Visit sawtoothbaseball.com for sign-ups and for more details about Hovey's Sawtooth Baseball Academy.
