Resnick, Rountree-Williams earn spots on junior worlds team
It’s off to Bulgaria for local racers
Haven’t got your fill of world championships yet? Well, there are more on the way.
In addition to naming its team for the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in March, which included locals Kai Owens and Tess Johnson, the U.S. Ski Team announced its squad this week for the 2021 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships in Bansko, Bulgaria, from March 3-10.
Special to the Daily)
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Allie Resnick and Edwards’ Nicola Rountree-Williams are on the squad and preparing to pack their bags.
The FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships can be a stepping stone for athletes working their way through the ranks. SSCV’s River Radamus made a splash at junior worlds in 2019 in Val di Fassa, Italy, winning the super-G and the giant slalom and being a member of silver-medal-winning U.S. squad in the team event.
In the super-G two years ago, Radamus beat Norway’s Lucas Braathen, who ended up winning the season-opening World Cup GS in Soelden last October. Even in years when Radamus didn’t win gold at jr. worlds, he was facing future World Cup competitors.
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In 2017 in Are, Sweden, Radamus earned a silver in the combined behind Switzerland’s Loic Meillard, now a regular on tour. Come 2018 in Davos, Switzerland, Radamus was second in the super-G behind Marco Odermat, who won everything — downhill, combined, super-G and GS — but the slalom on his way to being tour fixture. For good measure, France’s Clement Noel won the slalom.
Odermatt got his first World Cup in December 2019 at the Birds of Prey super-G, while Noel has won seven times in slalom.
Radamus parlayed all those medals into a spot on the B Team and more opportunities on the World Cup. Can Resnick and Rountree-Williams do the same?
Jr. worlds this year will not have downhills or combineds this year, so here is the schedule:
March 3 – Men’s super-G
March 4 – Men’s giant slalom
March 5 – Men’s slalom
March 8 – Women’s super-G
March 9 – Women’s giant slalom
March 10 – Women’s slalom
While the U.S. Ski Team has made no announcement — it’s way too early to name race starters — Resnick seems to be a logical choice in GS and slalom. Rountree-Williams will be making her second junior worlds appearance. She finished 16th in the giant slalom in Narvik, Norway, last year before COVID shut down the event.
Rountree-Williams ended up with the second-fastest GS time for a U18, so she’s clearly poised to make a jump there.
