Winter may have breezed by, but many Rowmark Academy skiers are still hard at it, competing in numerous race series and championships all over the West.
The first half of the season consisted of great accomplishments and personal bests. It’s been nice to have good powder back in Western U.S. this year, but Rowmark’s U19s in particular have faced the challenge of racing in snow, rain, and fog all year long. This group has a very demanding travel schedule and the level of competition is always top notch. The U16s have a comparatively less demanding travel schedule, but the level of competition on this circuit has also been high. The athletes have stepped up to the plate to perform exceptionally well while keeping current with their schoolwork. As a team, 69% of the Rowmarkers made the Headmaster or Honor Roll list first semester. This is the highest percentage in the program’s history. Congratulations!
U16 Team Roundup
By Head Coach Todd Brickson and Assistant Coach Skip Puckett
The performances by the U16 group have been consistently high—they’ve enjoyed victories and podium results at the season-long Intermountain U16 Qualifier series. Nine skiers qualified for the U16 Western Region Championships in Mammoth, California, including Jake Bleil, Scottie Bocock, Andrei Dan, Greg Olszanskjy, Camryn Glick, Madison Hoffman, Courtney McCabe, Lucy Neill, and Elena Zipp. Standout performers included Scotty Bocock placing 4th in the super G (SG), 3rd in the giant slalom (GS), and 4th in the slalom (SL), while Madison Hoffman placed 3rd in super G, 5th in giant slalom, and 2nd in slalom. Some other impressive Rowmark finishes included Camryn Glick placing 15th in the GS, Courtney McCabe placing 16th in SL, and Lucy Neill placing 17th in the super G. This race series is a qualifier for the U16 National Championships. Congratulations to Scottie Bocock, Madison Hoffman, and Middle School Rowmarker Tommy Hoffman for qualifying for the U16 National Championships at Snowbird and Park City at the end of March.
Three skiers qualified for the Tri-Divisional Championships at Snowbird: Eliza Hodgkins, Addison Beasley, and Carlos Getzelman. Hodgkins won the slalom, placed 2nd in the GS, and won the overall. Beasley showed her consistency with a 7th in the slalom, 3rd in the GS, and 6th in the super G.
The U16s will wind down their season at the last Intermountain Division (IMD) open races scheduled for Snowbird April 6-10.
For past results please visit Rowmark Ski Academy's Facebook page.
U19 Team Round Up
By Girls Head Coach Jim Tschabrun and Assistant Coach Lyndsay Strange; and Boys Head Coach Dave Kerwynn and Assistant Coach Brian Morgan
Arguably the strongest girls U19 team in the country, the young women of Rowmark competed regionally and nationally all year long. The majority of the team competes March 21-23 at the FIS Spring Series in Sugarbowl, California, while Katie Hensien and Sofia Yubero competed at the Nor Am Finals March 21 in Vail, Colorado. Senior Juliette Parke heads to the U.S. Alpine Championships March 23-24 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Jules’ résumé this year includes winning the Overall Title at Jackson Hole’s 2016 Wild West Classic.
Jules Parke, Megan Dingman, Sofia Yubero, Katie Hensien, and Hannah West qualified to the U19 National Championships earlier this year in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Hannah took the gold and silver in the U19 National Championship Downhill races. The podium went to six places at this event, and Sofia Yubero landed there twice with a 6th in the slalom and 6th in the super G. Jules Parke earned a 6th in the GS. Hannah West, Katie Hensien, and Megan Dingman all landed in the top 15 multiple times.
The U19 boys also boast impressive season results. For boys especially, the first years of International Ski Federation (FIS) racing are extremely tough, with top-notch competition from deep fields full of older athletes. Skiers face an ongoing battle every race to move up the start list. Highlights from our men's team at the Mammoth FIS races: Liam Michael with a 36th (4th for 99s) and 32nd (4th for 99s) in GS, and 27th (3rd for 99s) in slalom; Ned Neill with a 45th (7th for 99s) and 38th (5th for 99s) in GS, and 32nd (4th for 99s) and 31st (6th for 99s) in slalom; Nick Fontaine with a 27th and 21st in slalom; and John Whiting finishing 39th in the last slalom after starting 122nd!
The 2016 Western Region U19-21 Junior Championships were held in Schweitzer, Idaho. Despite fog and rain causing the cancellation of the second super G and the boys’ second GS, the skiers stepped up to the plate. The following skiers qualified for this series: Sommer Glasgow, Chloe Fleischer, Riley Whitney (injury), Ellie Martin (injury), Nick Fontaine, Liam Michael, Ned Neill, John Whiting, Cole Morgan, Calen Carron, Daniel Mulligan, and Alex Percy. Congratulations to Nick Fontaine, who ripped to 2nd place in the first slalom; Liz Baer, who had a great series with four top 5s; Sommer Glasgow, with four top 10s; and Liam Michael, with a 7th and a 9th! Plus, John Whiting charged from start numbers in the 80s finishing 15th and 16th!
Congratulations to all!