Top-level Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation alpine ski racers have qualified for two big March events—and one, Haley Cutler, has already climbed a podium in Colorado.
SVSEF racers earning berths in the U-18 (ages 16-17) National Championships March 2-6 at Copper Mountain, Co. were Jordan Fitzgerald, Samantha Busby, Haley Cutler, Kyla Miller and Tanner Josey.
In Sunday’s 44-racer women’s downhill at U-18 Nationals, Cutler (1:16.57) was the silver medalist—placing second just 0.26 seconds behind winner Isabella Wright (1:16.31) of Jackson Hole, Wyo. Kyla Miller finished 10th, Jordan Fitzgerald 19th and Samantha Busby 25th.
Fitzgerald, Cutler and Busby finished 10-11-12 in Monday’s 52-racer super giant slalom, with Miller 20th. For the men, Tanner Josey was 14th in Sunday’s downhill and improved to eighth overall of 65 finishers, 1.4 seconds back, in Monday’s SG.
Those making the grade for the Western Region Junior Championships March 4-9 at Squaw Valley, Ca. were:
Linnea Baysinger, Amanda Stelling, Karina Schwartznau, Mackenzie Bachmeier, Olivia Wentzell, Madison Milgard, Ben Kanellitsas, Taylor Cooper, Austin Savaria, KJ Savaria, Jay Fitzgerald, Montana Kurahara, Payton Anderson, Stockton Troyer, Griffin Curtis, Tanner Riedel and Trenor Gould.
News from other slopes
· Ben Kanellitsas emerged as the overall champion of the Trudi Bolinder Memorial given to the top skier based on three super giant slalom races Feb. 21-23 at Bogus Basin near Boise. He will get his name on the Trudi Bolinder trophy;
· Kipling Weisel, a SVSEF Gold Team racer, won the overall title at the conclusion of the Western Region Wild West Classic Feb. 15-18 at Snow King Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Sam Busby and Jordan Fitzgerald placed 1-3 in the women’s U-18 class at the Wild West Classic.
· Top SVSEF male racers in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Intermountain giant slalom that closed the Bolinder weekend at Bogus Basin Monday, Feb. 24 were Kanellitsas sixth overall of 72 finishers (4-U21) and Jay Fitzgerald eighth overall (1-U18). Also making the first page were Austin Savaria 10th overall (2-U18) and Will Snyder 12th (2-U16).
Sage Rheinschild (7-U16) led SVSEF female racers in the Feb. 24 Bogus Basin GS on Ridge/Bowl with eighth place of 45 finishers. Other top placers were Ava Mazzoni (12-U16) 13th and Margot Griffith (14-U16) in 15th.
· SVSEF Gold Team racer Tanner Farrow, 20, placed 34th of 89 men’s downhill finishers in the 2014 International Ski Federation (FIS) Junior World Ski Championships at Jasna, Slovakia on Sunday, March 2. Farrow had placed 31st in the Junior Worlds super giant slalom Feb. 26 at Jasna. He DNFd the super combined race.
· Riders from Sun Valley competed in last weekend’s USASA Big Mountain West at Park City. Elk Spencer was “Most Improved,” for the series, while Clyde Montgomery and Clara Jenner earned “Sportsmanship” honors.
Among top SVSEF race placings: 1—Clara Jenner and Cora Kaiser. 2—Jack Verhaeghe and Payton Bacca. 3—Elk Spencer and Phebe Ericksen. 4—Clyde Montgomery. 6—Jake Evans.
Freestylers head to U.S. Junior Nationals
Andy Ware, program director of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation freestyle, freeski and snowboard teams, has announced qualifiers for the U.S. Junior National Freestyle/Freeski Championships March 10-16 at Park City, Utah.
Freestyle team (moguls) qualifiers are Morgan Shaver, Renee Shapiro, Alysha Herich, Zac Maricich-Siele, Jack Rizzo, Wilson Dunn, Wyatt Wilson and Alex LaFleur. Freeskiing team (park/pipe) qualifiers are Eli Roberts, Will Griffith, Noa Hecht, Alvaro Jiraldo, Jacob Beebe, Hayes Gilman, Wilder Curtis, Hannah Blackwell, Justin Kennedy and Trey Potter.
Events at Junior Nationals include single and dual mogus, halfpipe and slopestyle.
Future freestylers of SV
SVSEF Freestyle Devo and Prep teams had their chance to go for gold last weekend at the Future Freestylers mogul event on Roundhouse Slope.
This event was intended for just the Freestyle Devo and Prep teams.
Ware said, “Our younger athletes have been working hard all season developing their skiing skills. This was a chance for them to apply what they have learned in a competitive setting.
“Our older athletes from the Comp home and Travel teams spent the weekend skiing with the younger athletes and helping out with the event. It’s a great way to get everyone connected.”
Top placings by age class:
7-year-old girls: 1—Tatum Ware and Attie Murray. 2—Tilly Babcock.
8-year-old girls: 1—Maya Lightner. 2—Charlotte Davis-Jeffers. 3—Samantha Smith. 4—Ruby Crist.
8-year-old boys: 1—Gage Wilson. 2—Lucas Carlson. 3—Ari Roberts. 4—John Tumolo. 5—Anton Holter. 6—Zephyr Carruth. 7—Asher Maxwell.
9-year-old girls: 1—Frances Cherp.
9-year-old boys: 1—Braden Buchanan. 2—Lachlan McFarland. 3—Charlie Price. 4—Will Benners. 5—Caden Clifford.
10-year-old girls: 1—Logan Smith. 2—Amanda Brown. 3—Noelle LaFleur. 4—Avery Griffin. 5—Carson Vogel. 6—Isabelle Thompson.
10-year-old boys: 1—Sam Ware and Joe Markthaler. 2—Harper Mallet. 3—Dylan Mills. 4—Gavin Rutherford and Luke Beebe. 5—George Murray. 6—Wilson Baker. 7—Erik Babcock. 8—Adam Kind.
11-year-old boys: 1—Axel Diehl. 2—Will Price. 3—Alex Austin. 4—Ridge Dirksmeier. 5—Tripp Benners. 6—Brian Heekin.
SGs at Snowbasin for alpine
Utah’s Snowbasin Resort hosted U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Intermountain Division U-14 (ages 12-13) super giant slaloms Friday and Sunday, Feb. 28 and March 2.
There were 23 Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation kids in the field of 90 girls and 72 boys from Utah, Wyoming and Idaho competing in three SG qualifying races.
Earning podiums for the SVSEF were U-14s Wyatt Minor, Ella Viesturs and Molly Milgard. Top SVSEF class placings for the Snowbasin SGs:
· U-14 boys: 3—Wyatt Minor. 4—Bennett Snyder. 8—Charlie Stumph and Matt O’Connor. 11—Logan Chai. 12—Jake Blackburn. 23—Ethan Daves. 24—Benjamin Travers. 50—William Everitt and James Mahedy. 54—Jackson Swenke.
· U-14 girls: 3—Ella Viesturs and Molly Milgard. 10—Allison Rathfon. 11—Lily Fitzgerald. 15—Sophia Mazzoni. 20—Libby Kaiser. 22—Lucy More. 25—Kaia Jensen. 30—Madison Ferris. 56—Molly Kucher. 72—Lauren Baty. 78—Miriam Gilman.
