Ski and Snowboard Club Vail Alpine teams sweep podiums in Steamboat Springs
Mari Renick won all three girls events and the boys team swept the slalom podium on the final day of competition
SSCV/Courtesy photo
Ski and Snowboard Club Vail claimed wins in five of six U16 races and amassed 21 total U16 and U14 podiums at the Colorado SYNC Cup races at Steamboat Springs Jan. 26-28.
The event, which was open to all U16 athletes and select U14 skiers, featured two girl’s slaloms on day one followed by a girl’s and boy’s giant slalom on day two and two boy’s slaloms on day three.
Mari Renick swept all three of the U16 girl’s tech events. Renick was joined by third-placer Anabelle Zurbay on the first slalom podium and runner-up Lauren Hopkins on the second.
“U16 Alpine girls continue to show growth and fast skiing,” said Lisa Perricone, SSCV’s U16 women’s Alpine head coach.
“We are starting to get new athletes on the podium which is great to see the depth in our program grow.”
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Hopkins came back to claim a third-place podium finish in the giant slalom as well as SSCV put four skiers into the top-10 (Shay Armistead finished sixth and Zurbay was seventh).
SSCV also claimed five U14 podiums. Kristina Shamshuryn finished second in the first slalom (seventh overall), Winter Phillips took the win in the second (finishing eighth overall) and Brittany Freudenberger placed third. Shamshuryn and Frudenberger also finished second and third, respectively, for U14 athletes in the giant slalom.
“It is an important part of development to have these younger athletes ski up and gain the experience of what is to come,” Perricone added.
Perricone also noted that the team is sending well wishes to U16 skier Katie McDonald, who is in Folgaria, Italy gearing up for the Alpe Cimbra (FIS Children’s Cup) on Friday.
On the boys side, SSCV claimed seven podiums and two event wins.
“We saw new faces on the podium this week in Steamboat,” Ian Dunlop, head U16 coach, said. “It’s been exciting to see the breakthrough performances.”
Weston Roach and Lasse Gaxiola finished second and third, respectively, in the opening GS. The next day, Grant Studness and Gaxiola went 1-2 in the morning slalom. SSCV swept the podium in the afternoon slalom. Gaxiola and William Erickson shared a two-run combined time of 1 minute 21.92 seconds as Connor Wick rounded out the second slalom podium.
“Grant and Lasse both had a fantastic week of training leading up to this series. They are great examples of how competitive and deep this team is,” Dunlop said.
“All season so far, both have bought into the process while largely chasing their teammates, and yet you never know when it’s going to be your turn to take the top step of the podium.”
Dunlop said both athletes’ first wins of the season were “well-deserved accomplishments.”
“Lasse sharing the top step with William was a great way to celebrate,” he said.
Adam Chadbourne left impressed with the performances of his U14 boys in a field of older athletes.
“It was a learning experience and no doubt will be one of the highlights of the year,” the U14 coach stated in an email. “I am super proud of how our U14s (most of which are still just 12 years old) stepped up and attacked their race runs.”
Balthazar Sachs took second for U14s in the GS (15th overall) and Colin Kanada finished third (19th overall). In the slalom, Aiden Wick finished second (12th overall).
“Our athletes were composed and professional in victory and frustration, and came away with a much better perspective on what it takes to truly be competitive at the next level,” Chadbourne said.
“This is an exciting group of athletes who collectively and individually have very bright futures.”
Full results are available on Live-Timing.com. To watch full race replays, visit SSWSC.org/Events/SyncCup.
