Last weekend was a big one for our junior racers, as the majority of them raced in two separate high-stakes events, both held at the Auburn Ski Club.
Saturday brought the CNISSF high school and middle school state championships, at which ASC athletes really showed their stuff! Then on Monday ASC hosted the President's Cup Freestyle Race, which was attended by 116 racers, from ages 8 to 75+. This race served as the final Junior National qualifier for juniors in the region, so our ASC junior racers really wanted to be on top of their game!
Saturday's race was a classic and freestyle pursuit race for the high school and strictly a skate race for the middle school. In these races, ASC team members represented their respective schools, and turned in a fantastic showing.
Among varsity women, Gabi Rinne placed 5th, followed by her Truckee High School teammate Skyler Flora in 6th. ASC's Melanie Swick, representing Incline High School, took 7th place, while Raylene Chew, representing Presentation High in San Jose, finished 8th among a strong varsity field.
For the men, ASC athletes, representing Truckee High School in these races, swept the podium in the open division, with Eli finishing first, followed by Brandon Flora in 2nd and Aaron Deeter in 3rd. Amazing work! In the highly competitive men's varsity field, ASC's Patrick McElravey, of North Tahoe High School, finished 2nd place to lead his team. Evan Vomund (IHS) placed 6th, followed by Alex Kopytko (THS) in 7th and Branden Deeter (THS) in 8th.
In the middle school races, ASC's devo and comp athletes showed that they have done the best training of anyone their age in this region, posting exceptional results among a very large field. In the 3-km women's race, Hannah Halvorsen took the win, representing Alder Creek Middle School. Bri Parker, also of ACMS, was not far behind in 5th. In the boys' race, ASC's Julien Bordes, Dylan Syben and Brandon Herhusky completed a 1-2-3 sweep, representing North Tahoe Middle School in dominating fashion. Awesome job to all of you!
In Monday's President's Cup Race, ASC athletes again showed they were up to the challenge of racing well against a competitive field, and under pressure. In the 5-km race, which served as the J2 skate qualifier for Junior Nationals, Julien placed 3rd; Dylan 4th; Evan 5th; Eli 6th; Brandon H. 10th; Aaron 11th; and Brandon F. 14th among men, for a very strong showing on behalf of the club. In the women's field, Gabi took 1st place, edging out Hannah in 2nd. Skyler was close behind in 3rd, followed by Bri in 10th, Celia Arnold in 12th and Freya Davis in 15th.
In the 10-kilometer event, which served as the J1/OJ skate qualifier, Patrick McElravey again paced the ASC squad, placing 2nd among men. Alex Kopytko was our next finisher in 11th place, behind a tough group of senior skiers from the Far West Farm Team. Branden was next, finishing 14th. Coach Nancy finished 15th overall, and 2nd among women -- a very strong result. Coach Kara was ASC's next finisher, placing 5th among women, followed by Melanie (7th woman) and Raylene (9th woman).
In the kids' 2-kilometer race, ASC's Sina Arnold placed 8th overall. Way to go Sina!
For the day, the following ASC competitors turned in qualifying times: Melanie, Raylene, Gabi, Skyler, Patrick, Alex, Branden, Julien, Dylan, Evan, Eli, Aaron, and Brandon H. Excellent work to all of you!!
Once all three qualifiers were taken into consideration, and any submitted petitions were reviewed, the following ASC athletes were officially named to the Far West Junior National team for 2012: Gabi, Skyler, Raylene, Melanie (accepted via petition), Dylan, Julien, Evan, Eli, Patrick, Branden and Alex. ASC alumni Annika Taylor (accepted via petition) and Joanne Reid (accepted via automatic qualification) were also named to the team. Far West will head out this coming Saturday to Midway, Utah to race at against the best in the nation at Soldier Hollow next week. Reports to come...!
A BIG thanks to ASC for doing such an awesome job keeping their trails open and in tip-top shape, in order to host these and so many other important races this year. Kudos to Bill and all ASC staff members. THANK YOU!
For a local newspaper article on the CNISSF High School State Championships, click HERE
And for an article on the President's Cup races, click HERE
BIG THANKS TO ASC
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Mammoth JN Qualifier: Allan Bard Classic
After competing in the CNISSF high school/middle school classic races at Tamarack XC Ski Center on Friday, several ASC and other Far West athletes stayed in Mammoth through the weekend to race in the Allan Bard Classic race on Sunday -- Far West's second Junior National qualifier race.
With very cold temps and a fairly flat course with little recovery at about 9,000 feet elevation, it was a tough day out there, but ASC athletes did awesome!
In the J2 girls' 5-kilometer race, Hannah Halvorsen ('racing up' as a J3) finished second, just missing the win to SBA's Bria Riggs by less than one second. Super strong performance, Hannah! Gabbi Rinne finished 3rd, about 30 seconds back, easily making the qualification standards for Junior Nationals.
Among J2 boys, Dylan Syben took top honors -- and skied well ahead of the qualifying pace for Junior Nationals -- ahead of North Tahoe High School's Peter Holmes (2nd). Julien Bordes (4th), Brandon Herhusky (5th in the J2 race, as a J3), Evan Vomund (6th), and Eli Yale (8th) all turned in qualifying times as well. Awesome job guys! Other ASC finishers turning in strong performances, but not quite making the Junior National qualifying cut time, were Aaron Deeter (10th) and Andrew Clusserath (12th).
Among J1/OJ girls, Melanie Swick skied to a fifth-place finish in the 5-kilometer race, but just missed the qualifying standard for Junior Nationals in a very strong field. In the men's J1/OJ race, which was 10 kilometers, Patrick McElravey set the pace, winning the race by just a half-second over Jordan McElroy. Branden Deeter and Alex Kopytko finished third and fifth, respectively, to also turn in qualifying times.
All in all, ASC had 10 Junior National qualifiers on the day. The final qualifier takes place on Monday, Feb. 20th up at ASC.
With very cold temps and a fairly flat course with little recovery at about 9,000 feet elevation, it was a tough day out there, but ASC athletes did awesome!
In the J2 girls' 5-kilometer race, Hannah Halvorsen ('racing up' as a J3) finished second, just missing the win to SBA's Bria Riggs by less than one second. Super strong performance, Hannah! Gabbi Rinne finished 3rd, about 30 seconds back, easily making the qualification standards for Junior Nationals.
Among J2 boys, Dylan Syben took top honors -- and skied well ahead of the qualifying pace for Junior Nationals -- ahead of North Tahoe High School's Peter Holmes (2nd). Julien Bordes (4th), Brandon Herhusky (5th in the J2 race, as a J3), Evan Vomund (6th), and Eli Yale (8th) all turned in qualifying times as well. Awesome job guys! Other ASC finishers turning in strong performances, but not quite making the Junior National qualifying cut time, were Aaron Deeter (10th) and Andrew Clusserath (12th).
Among J1/OJ girls, Melanie Swick skied to a fifth-place finish in the 5-kilometer race, but just missed the qualifying standard for Junior Nationals in a very strong field. In the men's J1/OJ race, which was 10 kilometers, Patrick McElravey set the pace, winning the race by just a half-second over Jordan McElroy. Branden Deeter and Alex Kopytko finished third and fifth, respectively, to also turn in qualifying times.
All in all, ASC had 10 Junior National qualifiers on the day. The final qualifier takes place on Monday, Feb. 20th up at ASC.
Soldier Hollow Trip
Many of ASC's comp and devo team members have just recently returned from a trip to Solider Hollow in Midway, Utah, to participate in the "Super JOQ," alongside four other western regions: Intermountain; Rocky Mountain; High Plains; and PNSA. Overall, the trip was a tremendous success!
For this trip, ASC joined up with Far West teammates from other clubs/organizations, including Sugar Bowl Academy, Eastern Sierra, Presentation High and the Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Foundation. Far West has 33 athletes represented in all.
The main purpose of this trip is to enable the Far West athletes to experience the highest level of competition they will find this season prior to Junior Nationals in March. By attending, they become exposed to the elite level at which the top skiers from throughout the west are competing, and learn what they need to do in order to "raise the bar,"so to speak. The trip is also great preparation for Junior Nationals, not only because it gives the athletes a chance to figure out what changes they need to make before the big event, and time to do so, but this year another advantage is that the Super JOQ was held at the same venue where Junior Nationals will take place. This enabled the athletes to familiarize themselves with the venue and the skiing there, as well as the area, travel and accommodations.
Among more than 600 racers at the two-day event, ASC athletes truly showed their stuff, proving they've got what it takes to compete with the best.
The first race day, Friday, was a classic day. In the 2.6-kilometer J3 race, ASC's Hannah Halvorsen topped the women's field by more than 12 seconds to earn her first victory on a western regional stage. In the men’s race, ASC’s Brandon Herhusky finished a strong second place.
He added: "This trip was super motivating, and a learning experience for nearly every single kid, because they’ve learned about top-notch racing and race preparation, and now know what they can still work on before Junior Nationals.”
Patrick McElravey races in the quarterfinals (9th MJ1).
Julien Bordes in the finishing stretch, en route to 9th place MJ2.
Hannah Halvorsen seconds away from her second victory of the weekend.
Brandon Herhusky fights hard on his way to second place.
For this trip, ASC joined up with Far West teammates from other clubs/organizations, including Sugar Bowl Academy, Eastern Sierra, Presentation High and the Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Foundation. Far West has 33 athletes represented in all.
The main purpose of this trip is to enable the Far West athletes to experience the highest level of competition they will find this season prior to Junior Nationals in March. By attending, they become exposed to the elite level at which the top skiers from throughout the west are competing, and learn what they need to do in order to "raise the bar,"so to speak. The trip is also great preparation for Junior Nationals, not only because it gives the athletes a chance to figure out what changes they need to make before the big event, and time to do so, but this year another advantage is that the Super JOQ was held at the same venue where Junior Nationals will take place. This enabled the athletes to familiarize themselves with the venue and the skiing there, as well as the area, travel and accommodations.
Among more than 600 racers at the two-day event, ASC athletes truly showed their stuff, proving they've got what it takes to compete with the best.
The first race day, Friday, was a classic day. In the 2.6-kilometer J3 race, ASC's Hannah Halvorsen topped the women's field by more than 12 seconds to earn her first victory on a western regional stage. In the men’s race, ASC’s Brandon Herhusky finished a strong second place.
In the older juniors’ 1.3-kilometer classic sprint race, two ASC juniors -- Dylan Syben (10th MJ2) and Patrick McElravey (16th MJ1/OJ) moved on from the preliminary round to the head-to-head heats, by turning in one of the 30 fastest qualifying times in their respective age groups.
Dylan moved through the quarter- and semi-finals, earning a spot in the “B” final to finish 11th among J2 men, while Patrick just missed moving on from his quarterfinal heat, and finished 13th overall, and 9th among J1 men.
ASC's Julien Bordes just missed qualifying for the quarterfinals, finishing a strong 34th place in the MJ2 prelim. Additional ASC results included: Branden Deeter, 58th MJ1; Alex Kopytko, 67th MJ1; Melanie Swick, 9th FOJ; Evan Vomund, 55th MJ2; Eli Yale, 67th MJ2; Aaron Deeter, 72nd MJ2; Brandon Flora, 78th MJ2; Andrew Clusserath, 89th MJ2; Gabi Rinne, 46th FJ2; and Skyler Flora, 58th FJ2.
Saturday brought the mass start distance freestyle events, and saw several skiers improve their results significantly from Friday.
Hannah turned in another dominating performance to earn her second victory for the weekend in the 3-kilometer FJ3 race, while Brandon again finished second among J3 men.
In the 5-kilometer J2 men’s race, Julien turned in a very strong ninth place finish. Dylan was ASC's next finisher, placing 16th. Also in the J2 boys race, Eli finished 47th, Evan 51st, Aaron 65th, Brandon F. 68th, and Andrew 74th.
In the J2 women's race, Gabi led the way for Far West, finishing 32nd, with Skyler close on her heels in 33rd to turn in a strong showing for ASC.
In the 10-km race, Melanie finished as 7th FOJ. And in the MJ1/OJ 15-km event, Patrick was 10th MJ1, Alex 52nd MJ1, and Branden 57th. Awesome job to all!
He added: "This trip was super motivating, and a learning experience for nearly every single kid, because they’ve learned about top-notch racing and race preparation, and now know what they can still work on before Junior Nationals.”
The Junior National team will be named after the final regional qualifier takes place on Feb. 20th.
To read more about the trip, and see more Far West results, click here.
Patrick McElravey races in the quarterfinals (9th MJ1).
Julien Bordes in the finishing stretch, en route to 9th place MJ2.
Hannah Halvorsen seconds away from her second victory of the weekend.
Brandon Herhusky fights hard on his way to second place.
Brandon and Hannah, along with SBA's Skyler, show off their awards.
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