Friday — February 13, 2004

Merrick wins
Sammis-Camas Cup
for second
straight year

Seventh annual race

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Sunshine, superb snow and speed suits were all in equal abundance for three days of downhill racing at Soldier Mountain earlier this week.

Skip Merrick and Barbara Brumbaugh hoist the Sammis-Camas Cup after winning the race at Soldier Tuesday.

 

The Sun Valley Ski Club and Ski Tek sponsored the 7^th annual Sammis-Camas Cup on Tuesday and a pair of USSA Masters Intermountain downhills on Wednesday. Training runs were conducted on Monday.

Organizer Kenny Corrock remarked, "It (the event) came off great. In three days some guys got as many as 16 runs of downhill."

Co-organizer Scott Curtis concurred, "Everyone had a super time."

Both Corrock and Scott Curtis saluted the efforts of Soldier Mountain manager Larry Davenport for conditions on the hill.

"The course was probably as good as it has ever been. Larry groomed the track several times and it made all the difference in the world," Corrock said.

Curtis estimated the top-to-bottom course ran about 1,800 vertical feet and featured the Easter jump on which some racers caught more than 100 feet of air.

"Mike Levy caught the most air – about 125 feet, but he missed the gate," Corrock said. "Junior (Scott Levy) had about the same distance and made it."

For the second straight year, Skip Merrick was the fastest man in the Sammis Camas Cup. In a field of 57, Merrick, the 1990 U.S. National downhill champion, had the two fastest times of the day in both the first downhill and the 10-man "run-off."

Merrick won in 1:30.12 followed by Hailey Ski Team coach Pat Revallier in 1:31.13 and Richard Slabinski in 1:32.56.

The remaining top ten consisted of JJ Hanley, Slater Storey, Scott Levy, Hunter Storey, Jed Smith, Deeder Petersen and Blake Barrymore.

Barbara Brumbaugh was the fastest female in 1:37.16. Joanne Zwingenberg was second in 1:44.92 and Glenn McConkey third in 1:48.06.

The Sammis-Camas Cup is held of memory of Brett Sammis, who died at the age of 31 following a ski accident on Baldy in February of 1997. Sammis was an avid skier, athlete and outdoorsman whose character and personality attracted legions of friends.

Corrock said "around $1,000" was raised to help fund a racer on the Hailey Ski Team.

The downhills staged on Wednesday are part of the 10-race Molecule F Masters Series. The field of 41, including last year’s Molecule F winner Richard Slabinski, as well as racers from Minnesota, Michigan, California, Utah, Montana and Colorado. Ages of the racers spanned from 10 to 78 years.

Class champions were Harold Wescott, Glenn McConkey, Rosemary Moschel, Barbara Brumbaugh, Marvin Melville, Stephen Slivinski, Fitz May, James McLusky, Mike Levy, Scott Levy, David Tengdin, Mike Shanks, DJ Tengdin, Davis Bedient, and Richard Slabinski. Overall, the fastest racers of the day were Scott Levy, Slabinski and Brumbaugh.

"Yesterday was just perfect," Curtis said.

 

Results (1^st race/2^nd race):

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Class 8 women—Glenn McConkey 1/1.

Class 7 women—Rosemary Moschel 1/1; Kim Cathleen Verde 2/2.

Class 4 women—Barbara Brumbaugh 1/1; Joanne Zwingenberg 2/2.

Class 10 men—Harold Wescott 1/1; Gaetano Demattei 2/3; Harry Baxter 3/2; Werner Friedl 4/4.

Class 9 men—Marvin Melville 1/1; Rolf Funk 2/2.

Class 8 men—Stephen Slivinski 1/2; Ned Lumpkin 2/3; Don Smith 3/1.

Class 7 men—Fitz May 1/1; Jim Ruscitto 2/2.

Class 6 men—James McLusky 1/1; William Vernon 2/2; Jackson Allred 3/3.

Class 5 men—Mike Levy 1/dnf; Karl Stingl 2/4; Scott Curtis 3/2; Squeak Melehes 4/3; Dana McKenzie 5/5; Paul Robinson 6/7; Ken Dreyer 7/6; Eddie Mozen 8/8; Douglas Fulton 9/9; Louis Abel 10/10; Mark Masur 11/11; David Tengdin 12/dns.

Class 4 men—Scott Levy 1/3; Richard Slabinski 2/1; Randall Malin 3/2; Deeder Petersen 4/4; Karl Wall 5/5; Eli Morais dsq/6.

Class 3 men—Mike Shanks 1/2; DJ Tengdin 2/1.

Class 0 men—Davis Bedient 1/1; Alexander Fulton 2/2.

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