BY HEATHER FOSTER

Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Alpine U14’s brought home multiple podium and top ten finishes amongst the best at Tri-Divisionals this past week.

While some members of the team were at the Western Region U14 Junior Championship held March 21-24 at Grand Targhee Resort in Alta, Wyo., fellow teammates were competing on the same days at the U14-U16 Tri-Divisional Championships at Big Sky Resort and Bridger Bowl, Mont.

The Junior Championships bring together the best 60 athletes from each gender to represent their respective divisions in Super G, Giant Slalom, and Slalom. The Tri-Divisional Championships welcomes U14-U16 qualified athletes from Northern, Intermountain, and Alaska Divisions.

Sun Valley is part of the Intermountain Division, which includes Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. 

WESTERN REGION U14 JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND TARGHEE RESORT, WY:

For the Western Region U14 Junior Championship, the Intermountain Division invites the best 17 boys and 19 girls from Idaho, Wyoming and Utah to compete. Seven SVSEF U14 athletes were invited: Bianca Smith, Jasmine Smiley, Alex Heidel, Wyatt Limburg, Henry Questad, Henry Flynn and Declan O'Toole.

This event presents the opportunity for athletes to compete against the best in the region, and meet new coaches and athletes from across the West to build connections beyond their small communities back home. 

This year’s Western Region event took place on the Big Thunder venue at Grand Targhee, with the Super G finals on Friday, Giant Slalom on Saturday and Slalom on Sunday. The kids were able to familiarize themselves with the course terrain during a training day on Thursday, but less than ideal conditions lined up for the competition days, with heavy winds and firm snow on Friday for the Super G.

The athletes stepped up to the plate, battling through the conditions and some particularly challenging course sets. The weekend set the stage for opportunities to improve and for teammates to encourage each other, with plenty of personal growth and friendships made in a short period of time. 

SVSEF Alpine U14 Travel Team Head Coach Charlotte Gourlay was impressed with the team’s output: “Each of the athletes had at least one really solid run, and the stoke was high by the end of the series! They really embraced the goal of getting to know new teammates and coaches from around the division and built some friendships they can take into their ski racing futures.” 

Bianca Smith cracked the top ten in GS for the girls, where her second run impressively brought her from 11th to sixth place. While Smith was the only athlete from SVSEF to take home a top ten spot, the Intermountain Division swept the top three overall for the boys and took the top podium spot in the overall for girls. 

Gourlay was pleased with the team’s experience: “Our SVSEF athletes had a great opportunity to compete against the best of the best from their age class, and make new lasting friendships within our Intermountain Division! They truly stepped up to the challenge and made the most of the experience.” 

TRI-DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, BIG SKY RESORT AND BRIDGER BOWL, Mont.:

Athletes from the Northern, Intermountain, and Alaska Divisions qualify to compete at the Tri-Divisional Championships each spring. U14 and U16 teams test their speed in Super G, Giant Slalom, and Slalom. This year’s Super G races were held at Big Sky Resort, while the Giant Slalom and Slalom races were contested at Bridger Bowl.

Nineteen SVSEF athletes made the trip to Montana to compete in the Tri-Divisionals—mostly U14 and a handful of teammates from the U16 team. 

The teams came home with nearly 20 top ten finishes, including more than a handful of top three podium spots. In the girls U14 Super G, Piper Spengler took second and Collette Duke eighth. For the boys U14 Super G, three landed in the top ten with Corbin Flood second, Kai Sammis fourth and Cameron Beck sixth. Reid Holman came in ninth for the boys U16 Super G.

In Giant Slalom, Liv Harrington took second place and Piper Spengler sixth for the U14 girls, and Cameron Beck, Kai Sammis, and Corbin Flood all landed in the top five in first, second, and fourth respectively.

On the final day in Slalom, the U14 girls brought home four top ten finishes with Taylor Rundell in first, Piper Spengler third, Carolyn Fleming fourth, and Collette Duke tenth. For the U14 boys, Corbin Flood took seventh, Kai Sammis eighth, and Thijs Lloyd tenth.