Top U19 US Men Train and Compete Head-to-Head In Slalom at Golden Peak

Vail – Only a very few U19 men (ages 16-18) have been able to post results and improve FIS point rankings in the Alpine Nor-Am circuit, a vital stepping stone in the national pipeline for rising juniors aspiring to Europa Cup and World Cup competition. While there is an expectation that top U21 alpine racers (ages 18-20) will compete for Nor-Am titles and earn World Cup starts, it has become apparent that even top U19 men need more time along with more opportunities each season to develop both mentally and physically in order to successfully meet this impending expectation. Hence the United States Ski & Snowboard Association (USSA) U19 National Project Series (NPS) was born to provide an opportunity for U19 men to better prepare for what lies ahead.

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) hosted the first of the NPS three-part project on November 18-21 at Golden Peak with slalom training the first two days, a slalom National Junior Race and a slalom FIS race on November 20 and a second slalom National Junior Race on November 21. The NPS is intended to bring the nation’s best sixteen through eighteen-year-old men together on a more regular basis throughout the season in an educational environment for training and head-to-head competition working with USSA as well as club and academy coaches.

The National Performance Series gathers up to twenty qualified U19 men from each of the Eastern, Rocky/ Central and Western regions, as well as ten additional Juniors ranked by FIS points. Considering the twenty-competitor cap for the Rocky/Central Region with up to 10 additional spots nationwide, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail had an impressive total of 12 athletes qualify for the NPS project at Golden Peak:   River Radamus (1998-SSCV and US Ski Team D Team), Jack Keane (1998-SSCV and National Training Group), Tagert Mueller (1997), Logan Martin (1997), Kaison Lavicka (1998), Matthew Macaluso (1999), Bridger Gile (1999), Colby Lange (1999), Jacob Dilling (1999), Kyle Negomir (1998), Brendan Keane (1999) and Patrick Ottley (1999).

A number of additional young FIS racers from around the globe along with an additional group of invited U21 and Senior United States alpine racers participated in the races, making for a very exciting field for all involved. Unofficial results below. For a complete list of official results visit http://www.fis-ski.com/

NJR Slalom Race #1-November 20, 2015 – Top 3 Overall plus SSCV athletes

 

Place First Name Last Name
1 Erik Arvidsson Far West
2 Luke Winters Far West
3 River Radamus SSCV and US Ski Team D Team
11 Florian Szwebel SSCV
13 Colby Lange SSCV
24 Logan Martin SSCV
28 Kyle Negomir SSCV
34 Jack Keane SSCV and National Training Group
36 Jacob Dilling SSCV
39 Colbey Derwin SSCV
44 Kaison Lavicka SSCV
46 Brendan Keane SSCV
50 Matthew Macaluso SSCV
61 Bridger Gile SSCV

FIS Slalom Race-November 20, 2015-Top 3 Overall plus SSCV athletes

Place First Name Last Name
1 Phil Brown Canada
2 Marco Reymond Switzerland
3 Filip Mlinsek Slovenia
6 River Radamus SSCV and US Ski Team D Team
21 Florian Szwebel SSCV
24 Jack Keane SSCV and National Training Group
32 Bridger Gile SSCV
38 Colby Lange SSCV
45 Colbey Derwin SSCV
46 Kaison Lavicka SSCV
48 Tagert Mueller SSCV
49 Jacob Dilling SSCV

NJR Slalom Race #2-November 21, 2015-Top 3 Overall plus SSCV athletes

Place First Name Last Name
1 Jan Kunc Slovenia
2 Erik Arvidsson United States
3 David Frisk Sweden
5 River Radamus SSCV and US D Team Ski Team
8 Florian Szwebel SSCV
24 Logan Martin SSCV
32 Bridger Gile SSCV
34 Colbey Derwin SSCV
35 Kyle Negomir SSCV
36 Kaison Lavicka SSCV
41 Tagert Mueller SSCV
49 Jacob Dilling SSCV
51 Matthew Macaluso SSCV
58 Brendan Keane SSCV
68 Jack Keane SSCV and National Training Group

SSCV Alpine Program Director Karen Ghent shared, “It was truly an honor to host USSA’s first ever National Performance Series project. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the four days at Golden Peak was the project’s intended mission and watching these young men race with intensity. It has further seasoned dozens of U19 racers across the country by providing a learning environment in addition to a race opportunity.”

The NPS will not only serve as a vehicle to season the country’s young racers. It will also provide FIS point scoring opportunities along with the possibility for the most elite of performers to qualify for either the US Ski Team D Team or the National Training Group. The Giant Slalom portion of the series will take place in Stowe, Vermont from January 4-7 and the Super G portion will take place in Mt. Bachelor, Oregon from April 10-12.