Bear Valley’s J3s compete in the Jr. Championship Qualifier at Diamond Peak
This season has been anything but normal for the J3 racers. Not a single race has been conducted as schedule due the snow and weather conditions. The Wild West Series GS Jr. Championship Qualifier was no exception. Originally scheduled to be held at Squaw Valley, the race was moved to Diamond Peak because of snow conditions.
Bear Valley J3 racers Kyle Voigtlander, Nolan Johnson, Matthew Smith and Dominic Graziani made the trek to Incline Village to compete the best from the Far West.
On Friday, Dominic put together two good runs to place 24th, Matt and Kyle finished 49th and 50th respectively. Nolan gave it his all but crashed in his second run and put the B netting to the test.Former BV team members Karl Avrvidsson and Jordan Cashman also were DNF with Cooper White placing 28th.
On Saturday,our top finisher was Nolan coming in at 42nd followed by Dominic in 54th. Matt came in at 67th followed by Kyle in 70th. Jordan Cashman came in 6th with Karl Arvidsson hot on his heels in 7th. Cooper put in a solid performance in 37th.
Wrapping up the 3 day event on Sunday, Bear Valley’s top finisher was Nolan Johnson in at 32nd. Matthew Smith was 53rd and Kyle was 57th. Dominic was a DNF on his first run. Based on the excellent training foundation from BV, our former team members dominated the podium on Sunday with Karl taking first place and Jordan in second place. Cooper finished 37th on Sunday.
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************
Rasmussen Classic SL Race Results
The opening race of the Central Series, the “Rasmussen Classic Slalom” ran under crisp, clear skies concluding a successful opening weekend of competitive skiing in the central Sierra. Teams from China Peak (formerly Sierra Summit), Dodge Ridge, Badger Pass and Bear Valley converged on the slopes at Bear Valley Mountain to begin the dash for the “Rasmussen Cup”, the prize awarded to the best team overall at the conclusion of the season.
In J4 Boys Gennedy Sytnik finished first on both days with Christian Davidson in second and John McGrory in 4th on Saturday and John McGrory taking 2nd on Sunday.
For the J4 Girls, Abby Youngblood swept the first place podium with a commanding lead both days.
In J5 Boys, the BV ceded the podium spots on Saturday to quick racers Regan Wallis and Evan Lear from Dodge Ridge and Joshua Salinas from China Peak. On Sunday, Sawyer Alford nabbed 1st place with Danny Youngblood coming in 4th.
The J5 Girls from BV were also kept off the podium on Saturday but Sofia Graziani put in a strong showing in 4th place. But on Sunday, Michelle Morozinski, ripped into 1st place.
For the J3 Boys in a non-scored race, Dominic Graziani, Matt Smith and Kyle Voigtlander took 1st, 3rd and 4th. On Sunday, the same trio took 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
A new perpetual trophy has been created for this race to both honor the Rasmussen ski-racing legacy and establish a new tradition at the Rasmussen Classic Slalom race. This award, tentatively called the “Brass Bell”, will be given to the Central Series’ J4 boy and girl with the fastest combined times from both races. The first winners of the Brass Bell were Bear Valley’s Abby Youngblood and Gennady Sytnik who were presented with an engraved brass cowbell, a nod to both the cowbell’s iconic status cheering in ski racing and to pay homage to the ranching history of the Rasmussen family who continue the tradition today.
