By Troy Price, Junior Program Director
As I take time to reflect on the past season, I see so many areas where the Rowmark Junior Program has been successful. I’m very proud of our program. As part of our team values, we focus on the skills of perseverance and determination. This past season has presented its challenges, yet in every case the Rowmark community has persevered. We had to adapt to a new race schedule splitting genders or teams. Parents stepped up to provide transportation and lodging as needed to meet protocols. Coaches have picked up extra hours and created training sessions to meet the needs of every athlete. The athletes continue to thrive as they find balance in pursuing their sport at the highest level and also stay committed to their academic workload.
Our training sessions at the Utah Olympic Park (UOP) and Park City Mountain Resort continue to provide the ideal mix of terrain and course setting, allowing our athletes to develop new skills. We also continue to benefit from our use of the Ikon Pass, as we free-ski our local resorts: Deer Valley, Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, and Brighton.
The return of our Love-to-Ski program for first- and second-grade students was a great success. Thanks to Wendy Hare for leading this group. Big shout-out to our Middle School athletes as they served as mentors, paving the way for the next generation. This was yet another area where the UOP venue provided exactly what we needed.
The month of March was full of championship events. We had Rowmarkers invited to all levels, and several podium finishes. A Rowmarker won the overall award in all three levels of championship events. Congrats to Paxton Cichos, Luke Kanarowski, and Jack Hoffman for winning the overall for their respective championship events.
YSL Finals, UOP, March 13–14
Girls Slalom
- Harper Jensen: 2nd (U10)
- Zoe Rankin: 3rd (U10)
- Dylan Galen: 8th (U12)
Girls Giant Slalom
- Harper Jensen: 4th (U10)
- Zoe Rankin: 6th (U10)
- Addison August: 9th (U12)
- Dylan Galen: 10th (U12)
Boys Slalom
- Asher Williams: WINNER (U10)
- Will Hanlon: 9th (U10)
- Paxton Cichos: WINNER (U12)
- Niklas Tognina: 7th (U12)
- Andrew Wentz: 9th (U12)
Boys Giant Slalom
- Will Hanlon: WINNER (U10)
- Asher Williams: 2nd (U10)
- Andrew Wentz: 7th (U12)
- Niklas Tognina: 10th (U12)
OVERALL WINNER: Paxton Cichos
IMD SS Champs, Snowbasin, March 17–19
March 17
- Lukas Postnieks: 5th (slalom)
- Niklas Tognina: 6th (giant slalom)
March 18
- Zoe Rankin: 7th (giant slalom); 8th (slalom)
- Harper Jensen: 5th (slalom)
March 19
- Luke Kanarowski: 4th (giant slalom); WINNER (slalom)
- Andrew Hanrahan: 5th (giant slalom); 3rd (slalom)
- Rhys Schillinger: 9th (slalom)
- Brynn Copinga: 4th (giant slalom)
- Callie Lipson: 10th (slalom)
OVERALL WINNER: Luke Kanarowski
U14 IMD Champs, Jackson Hole, March 24–28
March 24–26
- Sophia Hijjawi: 7th (super-G); 2nd (giant slalom)
- Jack Hoffman: WINNER (super-G); 2nd (giant slalom); WINNER (slalom)
March 27–28
- Lukas Postnieks: 8th (giant slalom); 3rd (slalom)
OVERALL WINNER: Jack Hoffman
Spring Series, Grand Targhee, April
Girls
- Sophia Hijjawi: WINNER (slalom); 4th (giant slalom); 2nd (Kombi)
- Tallulah Proulx: 3rd (Kombi)
Boys
- Luke Kanarowski: WINNER (slalom); 2nd (giant slalom)
- Teo Shamah: 6th (slalom); 5th (giant slalom); 2nd (Kombi)
- Chase Dennis: 8th (slalom)
- Andrew Hanrahan: 4th (giant slalom)
As I write this article, I’m in Squaw Valley, California. Jack Hoffman and Sophia Hijjawi both qualified to represent the Intermountain Division, as they were selected to attend a special development project hosted by the Western Region as an introduction to the National Development system. Jack and Sophia are joined with the best U14s in the Western US.
This has been a successful season and a true reflection of our core values, where everyone has preserved against the challenges of ski racing during a global pandemic.
Special thanks to our new staff members, Matt Brown, Parker Acosta, Jules Parke, Lucy Doyle, and Tiffany Flygare, for making a positive impact on our program during their first year.
Note regarding banner photo: Due to COVID-19 delays, 2020–2021 Rowmark Junior Programs photos have not yet been released. We will update the above banner image when we receive those photos.
Rowmark