Higgins is golden in
Junior Olympic GS
At J3 JOs in Mammoth
Ketchum teenager Sean Higgins, 15, has enjoyed a dream
winter in alpine skiing.
The Community School freshman traveled to the Topolino Games in Italy Feb.
10-20, where he was the top American and seventh of 110 racers in the giant slalom.
On Thursday, Higgins pulled off another rare feat for a Sun Valley skier.
He won the men’s giant slalom event of the U.S. Ski Association Western J3 Junior
Olympics at Mammoth Mountain, Ca.
Higgins laid down the fastest first run of the 100 starters, then he kept
up his blazing pace with the second-best second run to nip Park City’s Jacob Dudek by
.38 seconds.
It was truly a great week for both Higgins and Dudek, a couple of
second-year J3s (ages 13-14) who finished 1-2 in the combined totals at the end of the
three-race series.
Higgins, son of Pat and Alex Higgins, earned a gold in giant slalom,
silver medals in slalom and combined, and the bronze medal in super giant slalom.
Dudek, 15, won Wednesday’s SG with Higgins third, .83 seconds back.
On Friday Dudek claimed his second individual victory taking the slalom by .26 seconds
over runner-up Higgins.
In combined standings, Dudek won it all with 3.56 points and Higgins was
second with 14.34 points.
Higgins, Dudek and combined bronze medalist Tim Jitloff, 15, of Truckee,
Ca., were chosen as the three Western Region J3 men on the 12-person J3/J4 team that won
trips to the Air Canada Whistler Cup April 14-16.
Somewhat overshadowed by Higgins’ heroics was the fine performance of
Hailey Ski Team racer Jason Eder, 14.
Eder finished fifth in the combined standings with the following
placings—fifth overall in the GS won by Higgins, sixth in SG and 11th slalom.
Hailey’s Michael McClure was 12th in combined based on his finishes
of 13th SG, 18th GS and 18th SL.
In the 69-racer women’s field at Mammoth, Sun Valley’s Jessie
Ehrenkrook and Laura Durkheimer were right together, in 11th- and 12th-place overall in
combined.
Ehrenkrook placed 19th SG, 11th GS and 12th SL. Durkheimer was 12th SG,
20th GS and 13th SL.
Other placings: Hailey’s Eric Leyse 24th GS and 47th SG; Sun
Valley’s Hannes Thum 62nd GS and 42nd SG.
