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Best Of The West? They'll Shoot It Out At Dodge Next!
By Warren Alford
The first leg of the 2010 FarWest Central Series, also known as the “White Circus”, rolled through Bear Valley last week with the Rasmussen Classic Slalom, and it didn’t disappoint. The weather was on the balmy side, but the snow conditions were great for racing with a hard, smooth surface prepared for the J4s and J5s from around central California.
On Saturday, the top story was a breakout performance by Noah Cashman, a 2nd year J6 who stormed to the top of the J5 podium by laying down two solid runs that left many other racers wondering if they’d have to resort to hiring Jeff Gillooly as a personal trainer if they ever want to get past him (more on the J5s a bit later).
J4Boys
Jordan Cashman crossed the finish line in the J4 Boys field an astounding 13 seconds ahead of the next closest competitor, clocking in at 130.38 seconds for the combined runs- signaling that the Bear Valley squad is going to continue to dominate the podium in this division even though he DNF’d on Sunday. Cooper White nearly clawed onto the podium, finishing 4th on Saturday and after a short hike, 9th on Sunday. Nick Cooke placed 6th on Saturday and DNF’d Sunday. Granger Hamilton continued his ascent as a ski racer (and will be truly dangerous when he skis two clean runs back to back!) finishing 8th on Saturday and after a blistering first run on Sunday, slogged his way across the bottom of the second run for a 4th place finish. 1st year 4, Kyle Voigtlander managed back-to-back top 10’s finishing 10th on Saturday and 8th on Sunday while Matt Smith finished 13th and 12th respectively.
Nolan Johnson busted out of the starting gate but skidded out at the top of the course on Saturday in the debut race for this hometown boy but rallied for an 11th place finish on Sunday. Team newcomer, Declan Oglerby, placed 15th on Saturday and DNF’d Sunday.
J4 Girls-
The story for Bear Valley in the J4 Girls division is all about Alex Fairman- literally. The sole J4 girl placed 4th on Saturday then landed herself in the second spot on the podium with two solid runs on Sunday. In the process, she garnered much needed points for the team in the overall standings by being competitive in both races.
J5 Boys
I already mentioned Noah’s fantastic finish on Saturday. Sunday involved a bit more hiking and an 11th place finish for the Strawberry Sensation which moved him back into the J6 division for that race. Gennady Sytnik placed 5th on Saturday then stormed back to the top of the podium on Sunday, claiming his spot as one of the most dynamic young Bear Valley racers (and big air specialists). Christian Davidson provided rock-solid back to back races placing 6th on Saturday and shaving 3 seconds off of his second run Sunday to secure the 5th spot. Lucas Relic also provided consistency with an 8th place on Saturday and a 7th place on Sunday. Sawyer Alford, another of the true J6 racers, DNF’d on Saturday (laid down an aggressive second run though) then put together two solid runs for a 6th place finish on Sunday. Newcomer John McGrory put the field on notice with a 7th place finish on Saturday while DNF’ing Sunday. Jonathan McCaslin provided the best crash on Saturday featuring his patented “scorpion” move, where the heel of his ski boots touches the back of his head (and was captured on video)- then rallied for a 12th place finish on Sunday.
J5 Girls
Libby Rimmer staked her claim to the top spot on Saturday with two lightening fast runs in the first duel of the season with cousin Keely who managed to sneak onto the podium after hiking on the first run by laying down the fastest second run of the day. The two then swapped spots on Sunday with Keely back on the top of the podium and Libby placing third with another two consistent runs. Abby Youngblood skied into 5th place on Saturday then hiked for a 14th place finish on Sunday while 1st year five and Bear Valley local, Sarah Pye finished in the top half of the field on Saturday but had a hard crash in the first run on Sunday that knocked her out of competition for the day.
J6 Boys
Grayson Hamilton, a first year J6 had two solid days of skiing placing 7th on Saturday and 8th on Sunday while Noah Cashman took first in the division Sunday.
J6 Girls
We have none… a little help here?
J3 Men
Sean Berry took the top spot for the J3 Men on Saturday and posted the fastest first run of the day on Sunday but appears to have stopped for brunch on the second run and ended up in second place. Adrian Relic meanwhile turned in two workman-like performances, finishing 6th on Saturday and 4th on Sunday.
J3 Women
While the other cats were away, Taylor decided to stay and play- placing 5th on Saturday and 4th on Sunday. The second year racer may be the most improved on the squad and will continue to press for personal success as the season continues.
Over-all, the Bear Valley race was a great effort by the kids. The race for the Rasmussen Cup appears to be a 3-way horse race between BV, Dodge and Sierra Summit (the Yosemite Winter Club just doesn’t have the numbers to be competitive even though they have a number of strong individual competitors). Currently Dodge Ridge is in first place with 298 points; Bear Valley is right on their heels with 291 and Sierra Summit is in 3rd place with 239 points. The next race is a Giant Slalom at Dodge Ridge on February 6th and 7th.