More prestigious awards for Mammoth Athletes
Pictured: Tyler Wormhoudt takes 10th place in the downhill during the U18 National Championships./
Text courtesy Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation
Husky skiers win State Championships
On March 2, 2013 ten Mammoth High School Ski Team members, their snowboard teammates, coaches and family members caravanned off to Mt. Shasta for the CNISSF State Championships March 6-7. The skiers had just one season long goal in mind, to bring home the coveted title of State Champions. The team was faced with blizzard like weather conditions for the giant slalom and after several lengthily delays and a revision to make the two-run race a one run event, the race was on. Mammoth had more than the required three women and three men finish the race, with Gilfoy coming in ninth, Chelsea Foulke 13th and Albright 21st for the women and Wolfe seventh, Ryan Foulke eighth and Wallasch 10th. That was enough to put Mammoth in the lead by 1 point over the home team from Shasta. The following day the weather cleared and the racers headed out with instructions from their coach to “ski smart.” After the first run the entire Mammoth team had finished a clean run and all were headed back for their second and final run of the Championships, but not without difficulties. Mammoth’s top woman in the slalom Gilfoy had been disqualified for strattling a gate. With video proof showing Gilfoy making the gate, the Mammoth coaches made a formal protest to the race jury. The challenge was discussed and then it went to a vote. Mammoth prevailed and Gilfoy was cleared to make a second run. On the men’s side Wallasch took a wicked crash right out of the start, but he was able to collect himself, get back in the course and finish in a dismal 74th position, but it was a finish that could ultimately keep the team in the running for the state title. The second run brought its own set of complications. All four lady Huskies took top 15 results, now it was up to the men. When they finished, it appeared all five men had clean runs, placing three racers in the top 15. That was until a phone call brought the news Ryan Foulke had been disqualified for missing the last gate. Until then the team felt they had the Championships in the bag, now the title was in question. But after some quick math calculations by the coaches the team knew they had definitely won the State Championships with 1314 points over Mt. Shasta High School’s 1306 points. Maria Foulke, parent of two team members Chelsea and Ryan, described her experience at the finals saying, “After being to many Far West races which definitely emphasize the performance of the individual skiers, going to Shasta with the high school team was a welcome contrast. The team aspect of the sport was obvious, from the cheering parents to the beaming coaches, and every skier’s performance was important. The range of skiers was much bigger than I had expected, and included several U16 racers that had already qualified for the Junior Championships and even included several top FIS racers. It was incredibly exciting when MHS won first place, and I think Jimmy Morning and Janine Porges were more proud than any parent there. I am very enthusiastic to see how the high school team develops for next year.“ Porges summed up the week noting “we had an incredible series of races at states! It was a true team effort that could not have happened without the dedication of coaches Emma Romo and Jimmy Morning. I am extremely proud to be the director of such a successful program during my first year.” Then she proudly added that the skier’s State Championship title wasn’t the only award taken by the Husky athletes. They also took first in their division in: “Men’s Snowboard, Men’s Ski, and Women’s Ski, and as a result, MHS won the division awards for combined ski.” Athletes making the “2013 CNISSF Top Ten Combined–All State Ski Team were: Women-Gilfoy in seventh and Chelsea Foulke 10th; and Men- Wolfe fifth. Tubbs was second for the men and Connolly was fifth for the women in the 2013 CNISSF Top Ten Combined–All State Snowboard Team.
Teller wins first championship medal for U.S. in skicross
On March 9, 2013 John Teller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) turned 30 years old. The following day he celebrated his birthday by fighting his way onto the podium at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships held in Voss, Norway. Teller’s bronze medal put him in the record books as it was the first ever U.S. skicross medal since the event was added in 2005. For a rare and welcome change in a season that has been marred by constant and consistent weather woes, brilliant sunny skies greeted the ski cross athletes with temperatures just under freezing. As one would expect from the World Championships, the level of competition was incredibly high, as the top ski cross athletes in the world competed for the biggest prize of the season. The course featured some demanding jump-to-turn sections, technical step-up combinations, and one huge negative traverse requiring a full quiver of skicross skills for any athlete looking to take home some hardware. Teller reported that, “It was a good birthday present, third place at World Championships. I’m pretty stoked about that. It’s a little bittersweet because I know I could have done better, but last World Championships (held in 2011 at Park City, Utah) I was fifth so I’m glad to make it onto the final and be on the podium. I’m very proud to put the USA up there again and represent Mammoth and Red Bull and all my sponsors.” Next up, skicross heads to Are, Sweden for World Cup on March 17.
Turski takes slopestyle showdown in Norway
March 9, 2013 started out with perfect bluebird skies but gradually turned overcast and cold, the penultimate event of the 2013 Voss/Oslo FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships worked to heat things up on the slopes of Myrkdalen. Twelve of the top men’s and ladies’ slopestyle skiers in the world squared off against their competitors and the huge World Championships course that featured two rail sections, a pole-jam-to-air, and three massive jumps to finish things off. While the big course caused several of the top athletes no end of trouble, at the end of the day Mammoth sponsored athlete Kaya Turski (CAN) mastered the Myrkdalen beast to claim World Championship gold. On a course that was gnarly and technical, risks had to be taken. For riders like Turski the risks paid off, while for other favourites – like hometown girl Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen, for instance – this risks lead to crashes and missed opportunities. However, some incredible runs did get thrown down, as Dara Howell (CAN) really got things going on the day by stomping a run that included smooth rail tricks and big invert combinations after the five girls dropping ahead of her struggled through their runs. Howell’s run held up until Turski, fourth-to-last skier of the ladies’ competition, dropped in for her second run. Turski’s rail combinations were similar to Howell’s, but her technical repertoire – in which fully 3/4s of her run was completed switch – put her into a commanding lead with a score of 89.6 to Howell’s 85.6. The last skier down the course was first overall qualifier Grette Eliassen (USA). Eliassen, something of an honourary Norwegian after spending many of her formative years living and going to school in the country, threw down a complete run but just didn’t have the trick list to take the lead from Turski and was forced to settle for bronze. Howell took the silver. After taking the gold Turski reflected, “I think it was a very difficult course this week. I’m just psyched I pulled it together
Kim wins Nokia Rookie Award for 2013 and Junior World invitations extended to local athletes
The Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships were held in Vail, Colo. Feb 25 – Mar. 2, 2013. Burton US Open and Vail hosted over 100 of the world’s best riders like Shaun White, Mark McMorris, Kelly Clark, Torah Bright, Jamie Anderson, Iouri Podladtchikov and more, for four days of progressive Halfpipe and Slopestyle competitions that offered over $340,000 in cash prizes. According to Benjamin Wisner, Director Mammoth Snowboard & Freeski Programs, one of his athletes Chloe Kim placed 12th in the Women’s Halfpipe competition. Wisner said, “Kim had an impressive run of Method Air, Frontside 900, McTwist, Frontside Air, Backside Air, Fronetside 720, Cab 720.” But, more importantly she was awarded the Womens Halfpipe Nokia Rookie Award for 2013.
Wisner also reported that four athletes with Mammoth connections Abigale Hansen, Madeline Riffel, Nicolo Monforte and Tyler Wallasch had received invitations to take part in the 2013 Freestyle Junior Worlds Competition in Valmalenco Italy. This event will be taking place from March 24th-March 31st. Hansen will compete in the halfpipe, while Riffel and Wallasch will race in the skicross.
MMST racers compete in Western Region Junior Championships
Four Mammoth Mountain U18 Ski Team members, Alec Kochis, Casey Haveruk, Alexa Wehsener and Stephanie Thompson and two U21 athletes, Kirk Carlson and Marco Lorico-Rappa, competed in two Super G, two giant slaloms and two slalom events at the Les Schwab Western Region Junior Championships March 5-10, 2013. The Mammoth athletes who were challenged by other top young ski racers in the country and world that had converged upon the Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort for the event had the following results: Women_SG_SG_GS_GS_SL_SL: Thompson 73, 75, 76, 79, 52; Wehsener 58, 65, DNF 1, 52, 36;
Men_SG_SG_SL_SL_GS_GS: Carlson 17, 21, DNF2, DNF1, DNF1, 28; Haveruk DSQ1, 90, 64, DNF1, 89; Kochis 93, 97, 65, 71, 95, 84, DF2; Lorico-Rappa 91, 91, DNF1, 63, DNF1, 80. On paper the majority of the results produced by Mammoth athletes may look less than stellar, but with further investigation it appears that the local racers left Washington with many positive learning experiences that they will carry with them for a lifetime.
Wehsener: “We experienced practically all weather from snow to rain to sunshine. The air in Mammoth is a lot drier than the weather in Mission so everything there was very damp and cold. The toughest obstacle was probably the snow condition. While we are used to training on hard snow in our training before Mission the snow was fairly soft so the hard snow there was a bit of a shift. A key thing I learned was how important it is to simulate training during a race. For instance, every morning in Mammoth we arrive to the mountain 45 minutes early in order to do a warm-up that consists of stretching, agility and mobility. This race I implemented that warm-up into my race day prep and I believe that it paid off. Ski racing is all about looking ahead to the future. Not everyone can have a good run everyday or a good race every series. It is important to forget the past and focus on what you can accomplish at your next race.”
Lorico-Rappa a U21 racer, who is taking a year off from his studies before heading to Notre Dame, explained that for the first couple of days the weather was,”what we racers expect when there is a race: foggy, cold and snowy. Nonetheless, it cleared up for the last few days to give us almost perfect conditions. In Mammoth, we have been training in all sort of conditions, so we were prepared.” He felt his toughest obstacle ”was starting in the back of the pack, because the course gets very rough after more than 80 girls and 120 guys ran it.” His personal goal was to perform at the best of his ability and most importantly to have a great time. Even though he was not able to finish all six races, he reflected, “all in all it was an amazing experience, so my main goal was definitely met. What I learned from this race series was to believe in my preparation and just go out there and bring my A game.” And that he now views obstacles in a new and positive manner, “For me, setbacks are now a chance to bounce back with twice the strength and enthusiasm.”
Four local racers compete in U18 National Junior Championships at Mammoth
The U18 National Junior Championships were held at Mammoth Mountain, March 5-12, 2013 with four local athletes participating in the event. The Mammoth Mountain Ski Team members represented several foreign countries; Campbell Baster and Charlee Kelly raced on behalf of Australia; Lucas Underkoffler, Great Britain; while Tyler Wormhoudt was part of the Western Region Team. The four were part of over 120 of the top U18 racers who took part on the event. The Men’s and Women’s Slalom events were held on March 5, 2013, while the Men’s and Women’s Parallel Slaloms scheduled for March 6, 2013 were cancelled due to heavy snow and high winds. The series resumed on Thursday, March 7, with the Women’s GS and then the Men’s GS on Friday with both events held while the snow fell, keeping the Mammoth Race Department, volunteers and racers hustling to keep the track visible and clear of new soft snow. Wormhoudt, a Mammoth High School senior who raced in the same event last year, said the various weather conditions weren’t a challenge for him because “coming from Mammoth I am fairly acquainted with a variety of weather changes.” Wormhoudt placed 10th in the downhill, but he confessed he “had a goal to win” and followed that with, “I did not meet it. The reason I did not meet my goal was due to constant mistakes throughout my run, by the time I reached the finish my mistakes had taken too much of a toll on my time.”
Even though he didn’t win a race he acknowledges he “did learn something, every race is going to have a winner no matter what, and its up to you to give it everything you’ve got and push the limits in order to win, because if your not pushing the limits then you shouldn’t even be here.” He said he plans to approach his next race with the same mentality that he approaches every race, “I am out here to ski my race the way I know I can and after the race is over there is nothing I can do because I gave it everything I could.” Although it is very obvious Wormhoudt wanted to do better than he did, he showed exceptional sportsmanship with his final statement, “Congratulations to everyone who won and/or stepped up on the podium at U18 Nationals, you deserve it.” Mammoth results: Kelly_ SL-DSQ1; GS-38th; DH-34th and SG-36th. Baster_SL-DSQ1; GS-DNF1; DH-61th; SG-65th. Underkoffler_SL-DNF1; GS-45th; DH-62dn; SG-61st. Wormhoudt SL-DNF2; GS-47th; DH-10th; and SG-19th. The last award announced at the end of the U18 National Championships is traditionally the overall team trophy, which is presented to the division that has earned the most points. This year Wormhoudt and his teammates from the West prevailed. The team climbed on the podium and the West coaches enthusiastically rang the much sought-after bell trophy.
Local athletes in skicross at Fernie BC
On March 9, 2013 two skicross racers Shannon Hartmann and Nicolo Monforte, who are considered Mammoth “drop in” athletes joined up with Tyler Wallasch to compete in the Nor-Am Cup in Fernie, BC. Two days later Hartmann had earned a first and fourth; Monforte 18th and third; and Wallasch had a 12th and sixth place result. At the same time Wallasch was competing in Canada, Mammoth residents watched him on television competing in the 2013 Sprint U.S. Grand Prix held Mar. 1-2 at Canyons Resort, Utah. Joining Wallasch on the NBC Sports show were local athletes John Teller, Madeline Riffel and Trevor Jacob. The coverage was almost entirely devoted to the Mammoth athletes as Teller won the Men’s Championships title with Wallasch coming in second, Riffel won the Women’s Skicross Championships, and Jacob took the men’s title for the snowboarders.
Participants in the USASA Rail Jam gather for an end of season group photo.
Local USASA season wraps up
Mammoth Unbound hosted the final local USASA event of the season on March 10, 2013. The event coined as Rail Jam #2 lasted most of the day, had plenty of action and was followed by a wild award ceremony. In addition to the first through third place medals there were gifts for all of the contestants including a three foot tall box of fruit chews candy from the event sponsor Hi-Chew and numerous items filled with the candy chews being the crowd to chant, “Beanie full of candy, beanie full of candy…” as winning names were picked from a hat. The next USASA event will be the National Championships to be held at Copper Mountain, Colo., March 30-April 9. First place winners were: Open Class Women Jasmin Gallop (Sydney, NSW); Open Class Men Jedidiah Sky(Mammoth Lakes, Calif.); Snowboard Women (14 & over) Peri King (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.); Snowboard Men (14 & over) Jordan (JJ) Rayward (Richmond, NELSON, New Zealand); Skier Women (14 & over)Clarissa Cervantes (Rancho Palos Verde, Calif.); Skier Men (14 & over) Kain Wilmot (June Lake, Calif.); Skier Boys (10-13) Peter Hensley (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.); Snowboard Boys (10-13) Samuel Christie (Auckland, NZ); Snowboard Boys (9 & under) Evan Langston (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.); Snowboard Girls (10-13) Kai Shafer (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.); and Snowboard Girls (9 & under)Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.).
(Photos: Susan Morning/MMCF)
