Bolle Age Class Races in Beaver Creek a Test of Commitment-Great Success For Local Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Athletes Ages 8-13

Bolle Age Class Races in Beaver Creek a Test of Commitment-Great Success For Local Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Athletes Ages 8-13

You could feel the excitement mounting over the holiday season as the youngest of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s USSA level racers, ages 8-13 (its U10, U12 and U14 athletes in “race speak”), continued to perfect their skills in anticipation of their first official USSA races of the season, the Bolle Age Class events at Beaver Creek.  Since Golden Peak’s opening on November 2, these young racers have been working on a variety of core fundamentals, including: (i) upper/lower body separation; (ii) pole plants; (iii) edging skills (railroad tracks, edge sets, pure carves back up the hill, etc.); (iv) ankle flexion (staying in the front of the boot); and (v) directed freesking to tie all of these skills together.

This two day alpine race series which took place this past Saturday and Sunday at Beaver Creek consisted of two Giant Slalom races per day and entailed roughly 800 starts for athletes from Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.  It was quite some showing of commitment on the part of the racers, coaches, parents, volunteers and Beaver Creek staff, to not only tolerate, but thrive, amidst the almost 10 inches of new snowfall between 4am and 4pm on Saturday and the high winds, sub-zero wind chill factor and additional new fallen snow on Sunday.

Congratulations go out to not only those youngsters who won their races, but to all the young athletes showing improvements from their first day on snow this season to their first official race.  Those improvements really do matter as was reiterated by an SSCV Head Coach.

At the end of both race days it was quite a sight to see a huge group of athletes, regardless of where they were from and where they ended up in the race, stay for awards.  This added a whole new dimension to what is often thought of as an individual sport-the dimension of teamwork-teamwork among other athletes in their own club and teamwork between clubs.  It is this type of character growth that is encouraged daily among athletes, and it was personified at the end of both long, cold days.

Top 3 Results below.  Complete results can be found at www.live-timing.com.

Boys Race #1–1/4/14

U10

1^st-Sebastian Kohlhofer (SSCV)

2^nd-Nick Kirwood (SSCV)

3^rd-Cole Pattison (SSCV)

U12

1^st-Fletcher Holm (SSCV)

2^nd-Wyatt Hall (SSCV)

3^rd-Phenix Tatge (SSCV)

U14

1^st-Chase Seymour (SSP)

2^nd-Kellen Kinsella (SSCV)

3^rd-Henry Heaydon (SSCV)

Boys Race #2–1/4/14

U10

1^st-Sebastian Kohlhofer (SSCV)

2^nd-Nick Kirwood (SSCV)

3^rd-Cole Pattison (SSCV)

U12

1^st-Fletcher Holm (SSCV)

2^nd-Wyatt Hall (SSCV)

3^rd-Cooper Puckett (SSP)

U14

1^st-Gus LeBlanc (SSCV)

2^nd-Chase Seymour (SSP)

3^rd-Cole Puckett (SSP)

Girls Race #1–1/4/14

U10

1^st-Phoebe Heaydon (SSCV)

2^nd-Kaitlyn Keane (SSCV)

3^rd-Tianna Bruce (SSCV)

U12

1^st-Samantha Trudeau (SSCV)

2^nd-Berit Frischholz (SSCV)

3^rd-Marley Chappel (SSCV)

U14

1^st-Cleo Braun (SSCV)

2^nd-Michaela Strizencova (SSCV)

3^rd-Gretchen Pavelich (SSCV)

Girls Race #2–1/4/14

U10

1^st-Phoebe Heaydon (SSCV)

2^nd-Kaitlyn Keane (SSCV)

3^rd-Tianna Bruce (SSCV)

U12

1^st-Samantha Trudeau (SSCV)

2^nd-Nicola Rountree-Williams (SSCV)

3^rd– Berit Frischholz (SSCV)

U14

1^st-Cleo Braun (SSCV)

2^nd-Gretchen Pavelich (SSCV)

3^rd-Michaela Strizencova (SSCV)

Boys Race #1–1/5/14

U10

1^st-Nick Kirwood (SSCV)

2^nd-Cole Pattison (SSCV)

3^rd-Hunter Salani (SSCV)

U12

1^st-Kai McGuffin (SSCV)

2^nd-Nicholas Richeda (SSP)

3^rd-Cooper Puckett (SSP)

U14

1^st-Gus LeBlanc (SSCV)

2^nd-Bradshaw Underhill (East)

3^rd-Cole Puckett (SSP)

Boys Race #2–1/5/14

U10

1^st-Sebastian Kohlhofer (SSCV)

2^nd-Nick Kirwood (SSCV)

3^rd-Spencer Richeda (SSP)

U12

1^st-Wyatt Hall (SSCV)

2^nd-Cooper Puckett (SSP)

3^rd-Nicholas Richeda (SSP)

U14

1^st-Gus LeBlanc (SSCV)

2^nd-Max Bervy (SSCV)

3^rd-Chase Seymour (SSP)

Girls Race #1–1/5/14

U10

1^st-Phoebe Heaydon (SSCV)

2^nd-Kaitlin Keane (SSCV)

3^rd-Tianna Bruce (SSCV)

U12

1^st-Samantha Trudeau (SSCV)

2^nd-Katie Bervy (SSCV)

3^rd-Berit Frischholz (SSCV)

U14

1^st-Gretchen Pavelich (SSCV)

2^nd– Michaela Strizencova (SSCV)

3^rd-Anneli Holm (SSCV)

Girls Race #2–1/5/14

U10

1^st-Kaitlin Keane (SSCV)

2^nd-Tianna Bruce (SSCV)

3^rd-Phoebe Heaydon (SSCV)

U12

1^st-Samanth Trudeau (SSCV)

2^nd-Berit Frischholz (SSCV)

3^rd-Katie Bervy (SSCV)

U14

1^st-Cleo Braun (SSCV)

2^nd-Michaela Strizencova (SSCV)

3^rd-Gretchen Pavelich (SSCV)