Skateboarders ride at the Ketchum park
Thirty-six contestants did their tricks as The Board Bin of Ketchum sponsored its 12th Almost Annual Skateboard Contest Saturday at Guy Coles Skatepark in Ketchum.
Winning their classes were Sam Ware (10-and-under), Jedson Waters (11-12), David Rau (13-15), Phebe Ericksen (13-plus), Nick Wojnarowicz (16-18), Colter Brehmer (19-24) and Nathan Johnson (25-plus).
The event was a bonus-point stop on the 2014 Wild West Skateboard Contest Series (WWSCS) that features competitions at Jackson Hole, Wyo. July 26 and Sept. 6, and at Driggs Aug. 16.
Check Friday’s Express for more complete results and photos from the competition.
“Rebecca’s Private Idaho” gravel bike ride is Sunday
Mountain bike racing champion Rebecca Rusch of Ketchum is staging for the second year her“Rebecca’s Private Idaho,” gravel road ride on Sunday, Aug. 31 during the Ketchum Wagon Days festival.
Sunday’s racing starts at 8 a.m. from Ketchum Town Square and takes cyclists out Trail Creek Road past Sun Valley and over Trail Creek Summit into the Pioneer Mountains and Copper Basin. The finish line is back at Ketchum Town Square.
Three route lengths are featured—the long 93.1-mile Big Potato deep into the Pioneers, a 56-mile Small Fry course into Wild Horse Creek Canyon, and a new 25-mile Tater Tot length.
The event will extend into the night with the Smith Optics “Off the Wagon Days” festival, including live music, vendors and gelande quaffing from 2-8 p.m. in downtown Ketchum.
Visit rebeccasprivateidaho.com for more details.
Max Durtschi shifts gears to biathlon
Ketchum’s Max Durtschi, 23, has shifted his athletic pursuits from cross-country skiing to professional bicycle racing, and now to the sport of biathlon. Durtschi, who attended high school in the Wood River Valley and college at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, was recently invited to join the Talent Group of the U.S. Biathlon Team.
From June 23-26, he participated in the U.S. Biathlon Tryout Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. Durtschi and others were evaluated in physical tests (uphill run), strength tests and flexibility, roller ski technique, and shooting skills and precision. This fall Durtschi is due to return to Lake Placid’s OTC for two additional national team training camps.
Durtschi said, “I am excited to undertake this challenge and experience biathlon racing first hand. I have a background in cross-country ski racing and I grew up sport shooting, so biathlon really interests me.” His sponsors include PowerBar, Fischer Skis and the Willie Neal Environmental Awareness Foundation.
Kids Adventure Games in Sun Valley this weekend
Sun Valley Resort is hosting a stop on the Kids Adventure Games Western circuit on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 30-31. The Games designed for ages 6-14 incorporate an adventure challenge course involving a range of obstacles. Kids must register in teams of two.
The two-day event ($150 per team entry) begins Saturday with an optional skills clinic from 1-5 p.m. (check-in 12 noon) during which participants rotate through stations on mountain biking, climbing/ropes, teamwork and Adventure Racing 101. Cost is $50 for all four stations.
Sunday’s racing begins at 8 a.m. on a cloverleaf-format course with different obstacles and challenges supervised by staff and volunteers. Kids travel the roughly three-mile course by mountain bike, on foot, on land or in water. Organizers said the tasks won’t cause kids any great difficulty. The course will take between 40 and 90 minutes to complete.
Age brackets are 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 and 12-14. Categories are boys, girls and coed in each age bracket. The age group is determined by the age of the team’s oldest member. Spectators are encouraged to watch.
For details, contact Helene for sign-up (970-401-3804) or Margaret for the skills clinic (970-331-1305).
3-on-3 basketball tournament in Bellevue on Sunday
The Wood River High School boys’ basketball will stage a 3-on-3 basketball tournament on Sunday, Aug. 31 with registration starting at 10 a.m. on the basketball courts at Bellevue Memorial Park. For more details, contact Chris at potatoe@sunvalleynet.
Bellevue stages Labor Day fun run/walk on Monday
As part of its Labor Day Celebration, the city of Bellevue will conduct its fifth annual 5k-kilometer (3.1-mile) fun run and walk on Monday, Sept. 1 starting at 9 a.m. at Bellevue Memorial Park. Proceeds will benefit the Bellevue Fire Department. Cost is $20 online at imathlete.com, or $30 on the day of the race. Kids 12-and-under are free.