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STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK Elvis appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” the year the Papoose Club held its first Kindercup race in 1956. Gasoline cost a mere 22 cents a gallon and the average house, $2,280. A couple dozen youngsters took part and a rite of passage was born. More than 200 youngsters between the ages of 3 and 10 showed up at Dollar Mountain on Sunday to ski around 15 slalom gates enroute to a participant medal, soft serve ice cream at Mountain High Creamery and a kid-size pizza from Smoky Mountain.
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Harriet Naugle gets a high-five from her mother at the finish line.
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The race was staged by the 5B Kids Fund, formerly known as the Papoose Club, in partnership with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. Nine-year-old Hailey Stoez and her 6-year-old sister Cora were excited to take part in their first Kindercup after having watched the Winter Olympics with their parents Chad and Vieve Stoez. Hazel watched one of her friends race with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and couldn’t wait to try it for herself. “It’s my first time and it’s scary but fun. But you have to learn to stop before you do it,” said Hazel. “I liked watching the skiing, but I really liked watching the luge and ski jumping and snowboard tricks, too.” Harriet Naugle was a veteran racer, having raced in the Kindercup last year.
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Skiers sported antennas, tails, capes and more as they made their way around the slalom gates.
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“It was really, really fast, but you have to ski fast to win,” she said. “If you want to win, you have to do lots of practice, and you got to get through all the gates. I got through all the gates.” Neither of Naugle’s parents raced in the Kindercup, having moved here as adults. “I’m from Indiana where there are no mountains. But we came here because this is a great place to live, a great place to raise kids,” said Andrew Naugle. “And this Kindercup is awesome. She did really well. She was so confident going through the gates.” Al Stevenson is not so new to the Kindercup. All three of his sons—Matt, Pete and Joey—raced in it. And on Sunday he watched as two of his grandchildren—6-year-old Rooney and 4-year-old Oskar--raced in it.
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There were a few snowboarders amidst the skiers.
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“We have three grandkids who live here so we are blessed,” said Stevenson, who wore a Nordic Junior Olympic hat his won Matt got while racing for Dartmouth College. “And the kids have so many opportunities here--from playing hockey to dancing ballet to racing in the Kindercup.” TOP THREE RESULTS U5 GIRLS Otto Palmer, Lila Thomas, Maybelle Tautkus
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Tyler Hubbard’s 6-year-old son Luca dressed like an eagle in hopes he would fly down the course.
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U5 BOYS Maverick Storey, Brooks Dommert, Keagan Nida U6 GIRLS Jade Vanbragt, Ellie Yeates, Taylor Carley
U6 BOYS Rigby Wilson, William Favrot, Chase McLaughlin U8 GIRLS Jasie Goitiandia, Dorothy Bridwell, Cassidy Carlson
U8 BOYS Onyx Wilson, Luca Gherman, Eddy Weston U6ST GIRLS Silvia Schirf, Penelope Tautkus, Lily Kloster
U6ST BOYS Pierce Burwell, Bennett Brennan, Isaac Kloster U8ST GIRLS Clark Livingston, Anna Kloster, Emilia Eng
U8ST BOYS Harrison Brumbach, Bodhi Zelaya, Banks Rixon U10 BOYS Archer Rivkin, Beau Conover, Isaac Gorman
U10ST GIRLS Palmer Burwell, Margot Paulson, Aveline McMahan U10ST BOYS Huxley Binns, Marcus Smey, Rasec Enoki Thorp
U13 GIRLS Clancy Ravin, Cecily Jacobs, Colae Curtis U13ST GIRLS Ava Klemer U13ST Boys
Bode Smith, Brecken Wadsworth
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