Press Release-SSCV Athletes Have Strong Showing at U18 Nationals-March 6, 2015

 Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Qualifies 14 Alpine Racers to Prestigious U18 Nationals

Vail, CO-March 6, 2015 – The top U18 alpine racers in the United States (1997 and 1998 birth years) qualified to compete in U18 National Championships, a week long United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) sanctioned event which just ended at Copper Mountain Ski Resort.  Of the 35 athletes from the Rocky/Central region who qualified for U18 Nationals, the following 14 athletes, nearly half of the field, were from Ski & Snowboard Club Vail:

Women

Lucia Bailey

Skylar Chaney

Heidi Livran

Abigail Murer

Men

Ryan Collins

Jack Keane-also National Training Group member

Riley Kilgore

Kaison Lavicka

Logan Martin

Tagert Mueller

Kyle Negomir

River Radamus-also National Training Group member

Ryan Schmidt

Luke Vickerman

“The athletes and coaches have been dedicated over the years and really worked hard this year.  It is great to see this commitment paying off.  We are so happy for them that they are achieving their goals!  Copper Mt.’s race hill is difficult; it requires skill and focus to perform well there.  We congratulate all of our athletes putting it out there every day! “ said Karen Ghent, SSCV Alpine Program Director.

The races started off with Slalom on Friday, February 27, followed by Giant Slalom, two days of Downhill training, a National Junior Race (NJR) Downhill added amidst the U18 Nationals events, a Downhill and a Super G on the final day.

Nate Bryant, SSCV men’s coach at U18 Nationals, commented, “This elite group of U18 athletes from around the country created a very stacked and competitive field.  The event provides a great opportunity for SSCV athletes to see what they need to accomplish to be competitive with top racers in their age group from across the US.   They have put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform this past week, after having worked so hard to earn a spot here.  Whether they realize it or not right now, they will emerge from this experience better equipped to perform the rest of the season.  I am very proud of each and every one of them.”

Among the outstanding SSCV performances this past week, Lucia Bailey, a first year U18 making her among the youngest of competitors, took 4^th in the Slalom.   “Her steady, focused approach throughout the series landed her the U18 National Championships Women’s Second Place Overall title.  This is a testament to the hard work she has put in throughout the season”, shared SSCV U18 Women’s Coach Doug Elsey.

For the men, Bryant noted, “Kyle Negomir took the 6^th place podium spot in Friday’s Super G, a fantastic accomplishment for a first year U18 athlete!  Another notable accomplishment is that of SSCV’s Logan Martin who just returned to competition this week after being sidelined by an injury for several months earlier this season.  He charged hard to a 4^th place finish at the NJR Downhill on Wednesday on the same course used the following day for U18 Nationals, and took an impressive 9^th place finish in Thursday’s U18 Nationals Downhill and Friday’s U18 Nationals Super G.”

“I am also very proud of SSCV first year U18 athletes Jack Keane and River Radamus for their outstanding finishes this week.  River took 1^st in Salom, 5^th in the Giant Slalom and 6^th in the NJR and U18 Nationals Downhill.  Jack took 4^th in the Slalom and 7^th in the Giant Slalom this week.”  According to Bryant, “Both of these athletes qualified for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association National Training Group (NTG).  When they are not training with the NTG group, they are in Vail training with the SSCV U18 team.”

Ski racing is truly a journey.  “That is why it is so important”, said Bryant, for athletes to dwell on the positive as they head into the rest of the season, as there is still quite a bit of it to go.  Many of them scored FIS points during the week which will help them achieve their longer term objectives and many of them saw some great speed and technical advancements in sections of their runs, even if the overall run did not amount to a top finish.”

Athletes worked hard throughout the week to prep the courses in cold, snowy, windy conditions.

According to Elsey, “There was some really tough ski racing to be had here for this very competitive field of athletes.  They will all benefit from this great experience, whether or not they achieved a top result.”

Top three results for each competition along with all Ski & Snowboard Club Vail athlete results follow.  For a complete list of results go to www.live-timing.com.