SSCV finds success at Rocky/Central U16 Junior Championships in Vail

After a successful Rocky/Central U16 Junior Championships in Vail last week, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail will send 11 athletes to the U16 Alpine National Championships in Maine at the end of the month.

SSCV claimed multiple podiums and numerous top-10s over the course of the Rocky/Central event, which took place at Golden Peak from March 6-10 and included a super-G, giant slalom and slalom. The scheduled downhill and combined events on March 8 were canceled due to chair 6 being inoperable and the final event of the competition was moved to Beaver Creek.

Maya Maxson won the downhill while Calen White and Mia Eaton raced to runner-up finishes in the downhill and slalom, respectively. Eaton’s result was a season best; the first-year U16 continued the momentum into the GS, where she finished fifth. Eloise Spranger, who has dealt with a collarbone injury this season, put together a season-best fifth-place in the slalom.

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“We are really starting to see the team ski well and ski fast,” stated Ian Dunlop, U16 Alpine head coach. “It’s been a long time coming for Mia, who has had some fast skiing this year. It’s great to see her get a couple runs down to prove it to herself she can be a podium threat each race.”

Team Summit skier Eden DeMino, who also competes for Battle Mountain in cross-country and Alpine skiing, took the overall title, finishing with 240 points. Eaton (125) finished fourth in the standings to lead SSCV athletes while Maxson (100), Anya Chadbourne (91) and Xania Gayer (74) were sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. All four are headed to Sugarloaf, Maine, for U16 Nationals March 31-April 4.

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On the boys side, Summit’s Trevor Palmquist swept all three events to record a perfect 300 points. White (145) was third in the overall standings and Dixon and Wick were seventh and 10th, respectively. Those three will be joined by Marc Drai and Levi Hart as SSCV representatives at nationals.

“We’re looking to send a strong team to Sugarloaf next month,” said Dunlop. “Mari (Renick) rejoins the team after her amazing FESA Cup results. We’ll definitely look to keep that momentum going out East.”

Renick qualified for the Federation of European Ski & Snowboard Associations (FESA) Alpine Ski Cup in Les Menuires, France, where she went up against some of the best athletes from Andorra, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Switzerland from March 6-9.

SSCV U16 national qualifiers

• Mia Eaton
• Anya Chadbourne
• Eloise Spranger
• Xania Gayer
• Tana Dixon
• Calen White
• Aidan Wick
• Marc Drai
• Levi Hart
• Maya Maxson
• Mari Renick

Rocky/Central U16 results (winners and SSCV athletes)

March 7 – Downhill

Boys

• Winner: Trevor Palmquist, Summit – 1:05.45

SSCV athletes

• 2, Calen White – 1:06.07
• 7, Levi Hart – 1:06.74
• 11, Aidan Wick – 1:07.06
• 13, Finnley Hitt – 1:07.28
• 15, Tana Dixon – 1:07.83
• 21, Seger Pomerantz – 1:08.62
• 25, Colin Murchison – 1:09.18
• 28, Marc Drai – 1:09.36
• 36, Shea Cournoyer – 1:11.20

Girls

• Winner: Maya Maxson, SSCV – 1:05.95

SSCV athletes

• 5, Anya Chadbourne – 1:09.33
• 8, Xania Gayer – 1:09.81
• Margaret Gustafson – DNF

March 8 – Super-G and Alpine Combined

March 9 – Slalom

Boys

• Winner: Trevor Palmquist, Summit – 1:23.20

SSCV athletes

• 5, Tana Dixon – 1:26.89
• 6, Aidan Wick – 1:26.96
• 9, Calen White – 1:27.51
• 10, Levi Hart – 1:28.35
• 14, Seger Pomerantz – 1:28.76
• 15, Marc Drai – 1:28.80
• 17, Finnley Hitt – 1:28.98
• 27, Shea Cournoyer – 1:33.88

Girls

• Winner: Eden Demino, Summit – 1:30.16

SSCV athletes

• 2, Mia Eaton – 1:30.87
• 5, Eloise Spranger – 1:32.84
• 13, Anya Chadbourne – 1:34.44
• 19, Xania Gayer – 1:36.09
• 25, Margaret Gusgtafson – 1:37.52

March 10 – Giant slalom

Boys

• Winner: Trevor Palmquist, Summit -2:04.30

SSCV athletes

• 7, Calen White – 2:08.18
• 8, Tana Dixon – 2:08.27
• 13, Aidan Wick – 2:09.40
• 17, Marc Drai – 2:10.52
• 18, Colin Murchison – 2:11.06
• Levi Hart – DNF
• Seger Pomerantz – DNF
• Finnley Hitt – DNF

Girls

• Winner: Anya Leunig, Summit – 2:06.05

SSCV athletes

• 5, Mia Eaton – 2:10.46
• 9, Xania Gayer – 2:11.85
• 10, Anya Chadbourne – 2:12.27
• 38, Margaret Gustafson – 2:20.25
• Eloise Spranger – DNF