Highlights for Mammoth Mountain Teams Feb. 1-7

February 1, 2013_USSA Grand Prix, Park City, UT

USA Sweep in Sprint Grand Prix, Mammoth’s Mitrani First, Bretz Fourth

PARK CITY, UT (Feb. 1) – Olympic champion Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) led a USA sweep in the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at Park City Mountain Resort. Olympic bronze medalist Scotty Lago (Seabrook, NH) was second and Mammoth Team riders Luke Mitrani (Mammoth Lakes, CA) and Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA) were third and fourth in the FIS World Cup.  Chinese rider Jiayu Liu took the women’s title over FIS World Champion Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, CO) with Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley, ID) third. Mammoth Team rider Kelly Clark (W. Dover, VT) struggled in her two runs, crashing both times. The finishes for Mitrani and Gold were enough to clinch the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix season title, along with the U.S. Championship crown – plus a payday of $20,000 for the series win. After his podium run consisting of a: backside indy, frontside 1080 double cork, cab 1080 double cork, frontside 900 tail grab, and a double Michalchuk, Mitrani was quoted as saying, “I had such a good time today, it’s always great to ride with my friends and have fun at contests. I think we all rode so well today- the weather was perfect, the pipe was awesome it could not have been a better day. We’re all just like neck-and-neck and with Shaun and of course he is still on top, but one day, watch out! Something that no one really ever mentioned is that one of my best friends, Kevin Pearce, got hurt in this halfpipe. There’s a lot of pressure being up there for some reason. I had to do the same trick that he fell on. I just remember kind of stressing out. At the end of the day, just to walk away from this halfpipe and nobody’s hurt, I think that’s a good achievement.” Top riders are heading next to Sochi, Russia for the Olympic test events in the halfpipe Feb. 14-19 with another FIS World Cup.

 

February 1, 2013_CNISSF High School Ski and Snowboard Slalom Races, Mammoth Mountain

Athletes from Mammoth High School completed their first and second slalom races Friday, Feb. 1, with what Janine Porges, MHS Alpine Director, acclaimed as “outstanding success. “ Sierra Gilfoy finished in first place for both races in the women’s ski field, and her teammates Kyra McKee and Becca Albright each walked away with second and third place finishes.  Ryan Foulke took a pair of second place finishes, while Everest Webber also had two consistent finishes in the fifth place slot for the men’s ski field.  According to Porges, “The leader of the women’s snowboard field was once again Fleur Connolly, while Devin Tubbs, Sam Hein, Tyler Searles, and Kenny Schreiber held off the rest of the men’s snowboarding competitors by placing first through fourth in both races!” The high school teams have their final regularly scheduled races, Friday, Feb. 8 at Mammoth Mountain.

 

February 1, 2013_CNISSF High School/Middle School Nordic Races, Tamarack

Two hundred thirty four high school and middle school athletes from Mammoth and Northern California descended on Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center for the CNISSF Mammoth Classic on Friday, Feb. 1. Parents and spectators enjoyed a picnic like atmosphere complete with music, as the skiers raced in weather that Coach Todd Hensley claimed as, “perfect with sunny skies and cool temps.” Hensley acknowledged,  “With lots of help from our wax guru, Claude Fiddler, all our racers had super fast skis.” Two Mammoth racers who may have benefited from Fiddler’s waxing expertise were Trace Calvin who took first for the Middle School men and Calvin Forsythe who celebrated his 15^th birthday with a win in the High School JV men’s division.  Top Mammoth ladies Patty Hensley placed fourth for the High School Varsity Ladies and Kylie LaFramboise was eighth for the High School JV ladies. Hensley went on to note additional strong results by,  “Philip Oxford ninth, Jack Roten 10th, Rand Bourne 10th JV, Katherine Jannise 15th JV, and Gemin Choi 20th JV. Great job Mammoth Nordic!” Fast skis and perfect wax may have helped, but Mammoth Middle School racer, Alexia Craven who improved her result over the last event she competed in, summed up her day by claiming, “I did better this time, because I’m learning how much I can push myself.” Craven went on to philosophize, “There is not a better feeling out there than gliding down the hill with skis on your feet.”

 

February 1-3, 2013_ Wild West U16 Giant Slalom Races, Northstar

Mammoth U16 racers headed up to Northstar for three days of competition, Feb. 1-3, 2013.  According to their coach Kerry Brownlie, “Some firm conditions were experienced… for the second qualifier for the U16s. The weather was warm and sunny, and the hill was great. Two Mammoth athletes got in the top 15 over the weekend, Hannah Everson (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was sixth, seventh and 15th and Alex Colby (Malibu, CA) had a fifth and seventh.” Everson felt that, “The Northstar race course was full of terrain. It was really difficult for us since we don’t usually train on terrain, but we were able to get out there and tuck it.” When asked how her season was going after suffering an early season concussion, Everson replied, “My season is going well. After my concussion before Thanksgiving it’s been hard to get back and keep in the top ten.” Everson added, “This year we have the best coaching staff ever. They’ve really helped me get back my competitive edge. The addition of Pete (Korfiatis) has really brought a new focus to the U16 team.” Brownlie continued, “Also finding the top 15 over the weekend were, Justin Wallasch (Mammoth Lakes, CA) and Logan DeAngelis (Mammoth Lakes, CA) Some great results were seen from first years Katherine Brown (Mammoth Lakes, CA) who finished 18th and 19th and from Cody Underkoffler (Crowley Lake, CA) who had a 10th, 13th and 10th, strong results.” The last qualifier, three Super G races, is here in Mammoth, Feb. 22-24, 2013.  Coach Brownlie, concluded by exclaiming, “Game on for some great home race results!”

 

February 2, 2013 USASA Halfpipe, Mammoth Mountain

A dark grey cloud hung over the Mammoth halpipe on Saturday, Feb. 2, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the 42 athletes who were there to compete in the USASA Halfpipe event.  Skiers and snowboarders took their two runs and when all was said and done, a number of Mammoth Team members walked away with the gold. One of those competitors Carly Margulies (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was asked to comment on her outstanding results this season. Margulies, who took first place in the Open Skier Women division, stated, “My season of skiing this year has being going very well. I have taken a podium position in every USASA competition this season. This means a lot to me. I have improved as a skier through out the years, especially this season. On a personal level, I have grown to know my strengths and weaknesses of skiing. My one big goal in life is to have the title of being a professional skier. To accomplish that goal, I have to have the amazing coaches that push me everyday, and the internal confidence that allows me to go as far as I can.” First place results: Snowboard: Open Class Men_1 Hamish Bagley (Mammoth Lakes, CA); Ruggie Boys (7 & under)_1 John Connolly (Mammoth Lakes, CA); Grommet Girls (8-9)_1 Kinsley White (Santa Clarita, CA); Grommet Boys (8-9)_1 Dusty Henricksen (Big Bear City, CA); Menehune Girls (10-11)_ 1 Skye Inn (Pacific Palisades, CA); Menehune Boys (10-11)_1 Judd Henkes V (San Diego, CA); Breaker Girls (12-13)_1 Kai Shafer (Trabuco Canyon, CA); Breaker Boys (12-13)_1 Julian Arregoces (Rancho Ranch Palos Verdes, CA); Youth Women (14-15)_1 Peri King (Mammoth Lakes, CA); Youth Men (14-15)_1 Joshua Bowman (Mammoth Lakes, CA); Junior Women (16-17)_1 Danielle Brodrick (Mammoth Lakes, CA). Skier: Open Skier Women_1 Carly Margulies; Skier Men (13-15)_1Kain Wilmot (June Lake, CA); Skier Boys (10-12)_ 1 Zach Albence (La Jolla, CA).

For more results: http://www.usasa.org/images/stories/results/2013/R13%20C201327_Results.pdf

 

February 1-3, 2013_Rev Tour/Burton US Open Qualifier, Seven Springs, PA

On January 30, 2013 five Mammoth Snowboard Team athletes, Drayden Gardner (Big Bear, CA); Danika Duffy, Jed Sky (Concord, NH); George Scott (Mammoth Lakes, CA); and Jasmin Gallop (Concord, Australia) traveled to Seven Springs, PA for the Rev Tour/Burton US Open Qualifier. The competition began under bluebird skies on Saturday, Feb. 2 with 68 men and 27 women competing to take top honors in the slopestyle competition. Mammoth’s Duffy placed third in the women’s event, while local men, Sky was 31^st, Scott was 39^th and Gardner placed 51^st. Duffy’s third place result got her ticket stamped to head to the semi-finals at the 31st annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships in Vail, CO Feb. 25-Mar. 2. Later on Saturday, Mammoth Junior Snowboard Team wrote on Facebook, “Jed Sky killed it at the ‘Word On The Streets’ rail jam tonight. He was part of the final four and takes home $600 provided by Burton,” this was followed by “Congrats and huge high fives to Danika getting 3rd place in slope today. She takes home 600 bucks and is going to Vail for the US Open semifinals.” In the halfpipe comp on Sunday, Feb. 3, local team members Gallop was 13^th for the women and Gardner took an 18^th place result followed by Scott in 24^th. The U.S. Revolution Tour is a grass roots event featuring slopestyle, halfpipe and snowboardcross with three stops across the U.S. The Seven Springs stop at the U.S. Revolution Tour was a 4Star World Snowboard event.

 

February 2-3, 2013_FIS World Cup Ski Cross, Grasgehren/Allgäu, GER

On Saturday, Feb.2, 2013 John Teller (Mammoth Lakes, CA) and Tyler Wallasch (Mammoth Lakes, CA) were in Grasgehren, GER. For the SX World Cup, but the jury was forced to cancel the event because “heavy rain through the night turned to heavy snow early in the morning, making conditions impossible for racing.“ The fantastic organizing crew and team of volunteers turned their attention to Sunday and were able to at least get one of the weekend’s scheduled two races in.  Unfortunately, neither Teller nor Wallasch qualified for the event. However, the two racers will have another chance when they go to Sochi, Russia Feb. 14-19 to compete at the site of the 2014 Olympics.

 

February 2-3, 2013_U10/U12_North Series_2GS, Squaw Valley, CA

Mammoth’s U10 and U12 athletes traveled to Squaw Valley for two giant slalom races on Feb. 2-3, 2013. After taking a few runs with his friends on Friday, Mammoth’s U12 racer Bruno Amon-Franceschi (Los Angeles, CA) described the conditions as being, “hard and slick.  The mountain that weekend was mostly cat tracks and icy moguls and just a few groomed runs to ski on.” He went on to report, “The first day of racing always seems to be the most competitive race day, because the most people sign up for that day.  At Squaw there were even more kids because kids came from Vail to race. “ In addition to the usual Far West racers, the event had the 29 juniors from Vail, who traveled to Squaw for some better racing conditions than they had at their home resort. When they left, Vail only had a base of 20 inches, with a season total of 125 inches. Amon-Franceschi continued, “Saturday was a long day of racing because each group raced one at a time – U12 girls then boys, U10 girls then boys.  The next day went faster because they raced U10 and U12 at the same time.  The snow on the racecourses held up well both days even though it got very warm on Sunday. The U12 course was fast both days with a lot of different terrain.  The top half started steep and got steeper, and then there was a cat track/road cutting through the middle.  There was a really steep part after the road.  From the road to the finish the course was less steep but it was hard because the hill was also fell off to the side.” When asked about his experience at Squaw, U10 racer Bjorn Karlen (Mammoth Lakes, CA) who took a pair of 10^th place results, related the following, “My dad and I drove to Truckee Thursday after snowboard P.E. We stayed with our friends the Arndell’s. Friday I went free skiing with Quentin and Aiden (LeFrancois) who ski with me on telle Tuesday. We raced GS Saturday and Sunday I finished tenth both days. I think telleing with Jimmy (Morning) is fun.” The challenging conditions at Squaw didn’t seem to slow down Mammoth’s U12 racer Charlie Regelbrugge (Mammoth Lakes, CA), who took second both days, behind Henry Heaydon, a surprise opponent from Vail. (Regelbrugge took first in both of the previous Far West races held at Sugar Bowl three weeks earlier.) Other top Mammoth results are as follows: February 2, 2013_U10 Men_Liam Gooch (Hermosa Beach, CA) 4^th; U10 Ladies_ Jordan Whistler (San Marcos, CA) 4^th, Erica Lynch (Mammoth Lakes, CA) 7^th, Sierra Burror (Bishop, CA) 12^th, Madison Jayne (Mammoth Lakes, CA)13^th, Chaney Szeto  (Culver City,CA)14^th; U12 Ladies_Kendall Lach (Mammoth Lakes,CA) 15^th.  February 3, 2013_ U10 Ladies_Jordan Whistler 6^th; Erica Lynch 12^th; Madison Jayne 13^th; Sierra Burror 16^th; U12 Ladies_Siena Szeto 18^th; U12 Men_Liam Gooch 3^rd.

Harry Blackburn, Mammoth Mountain Ski Team Director, emphasized that the weekend was a great experience for all the members of the team that went to Squaw. He noted that each of the racers (even those that didn’t make it on the podium) gained invaluable knowledge of the hill that they can put to use when they return to Squaw for the U10/12 Championships, March 28-31.

The next competition for the U10-U12’s will be a Junior Village Championship race weekend at Mammoth.

 

February 2-4, 2013_SR/U21/18 Divisional FIS, Sugar Bowl, CA

Thirteen Mammoth Mountain U18-U21 racers along with their coaches, Ben Reeder and Guy Bien, traveled to Sugar Bowl. Coach Reeder noted that, “Coming off the heels of the Elite Tech Series in Utah, Mammoth Mountain athletes joined the rest of their teammates at Sugar Bowl for Western Region Junior Championship Qualifiers competing in Slalom and Giant Slalom.” The competition was stiff, but during the series several Mammoth athletes were able to crack the top 15 mark. One of those racers was Alexa Wehsener (Mammoth Lakes, CA) who fought her way to the front page all three days placing 13^th, 8^th and 11th. When contacted, Wehsener reflected, “Sugar Bowl is always a challenging hill simply because of the snow surface. I had stayed home from the race prior to Sugar Bowl and trained with my coaches. The training was amazing and left me feeling very confident going into the race. I had been working on leveling my shoulders going into the top of the turn and at the race I finally started to apply this in my runs’.“ Reeder pointed out that, “Nine out of 13 Mammoth athletes scored results at these races with the biggest gains coming from Lucas Underkoffler (Crowley Lake, CA); Marco Lorico-Rappa (Las Vegas, NV); Alec Kochis (Alta Loma, CA); Jake Mahr (Manhattan Beach, CA) and Wehsener.  Wehsener and Danica Hagen (Mammoth Lakes, CA) ended up in the medal count with fourth and fifth place finishes which will help ensure qualification of Western Region Junior Championships. With U-18 Nationals held at Mammoth this spring, along with Junior Champs, athletes on the Mammoth Mountain Junior Team are gearing up for a successful championship season.” Other racers who had top 15 results were: Natalie Riffel (Crowley Lake, CA) with a 12^th and ninth place; Charlee Kelly (Mammoth Lakes, CA) took a 15^th in the GS; Tyler Wormhoudt  (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was 13^th in the second slalom and Kirk Carlson (Mammoth Lakes, CA) claimed the 13^th place result on the third day in the giant slalom.  Head FIS Coach Kevin Francis noted that the next races for his team would be at Snow King, Wyoming, starting February 19^th.

 

February 4-5, 2013_Hole Shot Tour, Killington, VT

Mammoth Ski Cross Team wrote on Facebook “What’s up from Killington VT? Spent the last two days racing and walked away with a 4, 5, and a pair of 6. Tomorrow we hit the road to Ontario seeking some podiums. Good competition on the circuit right now and we’re just priming the A-Game!” The fourth and fifth place finishes belonged to Madeline Riffel (Crowley Lake, CA), while Shannon Hartman captured the pair of sixth place results in the Hole Shot at Tour, Killington, VT. The two women are now headed to Beaver Valley, Ontario, Canada for a Nor-Am Cup Ski Cross, Feb. 8-9.

(Photos: Susan Morning/Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation)