Jan. 22, 2015. The annual High Country Junior Race Series is once again underway. On Jan. 18, Sugar Mountain Resort hosted the latest High Country Junior Race Series race of the season. The race featured boys and girls competing for the fastest time in their categories.
The High Country Junior Race Series first began three decades ago in 1984. What started as a friendly competition between junior skiers became a huge race series that brings together junior athletes, ages 4 to 18, to participate in a series of races held at each ski area, including Appalachian Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain Resort and Sugar Mountain Resort.
The top three finishers in each category are awarded a medal at the end of each race. Placement of racers earns them points which are collected over the season during the multiple races to be added together for a final season score for the championships., where trophies are awarded to the athletes with the most combined points for the season.
When the young athletes race, regardless of their placement, points are earned for their respective teams. At the end of the series, all of the points are totaled up to determine overall rankings for each age group.
Though many of the athletes are local, there are many still who come from off the mountain from as far away as Charlotte and Raleigh to practice and compete.
It’s a great series that brings teams together from all over and helps to build skills in individuals that contribute to a lifelong love of skiing, said Kim Jochl of Sugar Mountain Resort in a previous interview.
“The format of the races helps to maintain the camaraderie as a team and helps these kids to learn and love competition. It’s a fun way to compete as an athlete and introduces them to how sports and their lives can work together. This series has been in place longer than I have been here, and from what I have seen kids will stay in this series for ten years. Now we are seeing kids who raced in it coming back to let their kids race themselves. It’s a series that keeps one generation involved and encourages a second or even a third generation to compete later. It’s a great series,” Jochl said.
The race results for the Jan. 18 race at Sugar Mountain Resort are as follows:
Girls 6 and Under
- Elise Carson – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Emmerson DeCurtins – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Aubrie Carson – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Emmie Hollinger – Ski Beech
- Chloe Brown – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Scarlett DeCurtins – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Lucy Long – Appalachian Ski Mtn.
Boys 6 and Under
- Ansel Westerman – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Bruin Webster – Ski Beech
- Emil Giguere – Ski Beech
- Cooper Parsons – Appalachian Ski Mtn.
- Levi Rogers – Ski Beech
Girls 7 & 8
- Eva Young – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Sarah Grosser – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Hannah Frye – Ski Beech
- Abby Hemp – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Brooke Adams – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Lily Rogers – Ski Beech
- Monica McCabe – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Lillian Hendricks – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Madelyn McCabe – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Keegan Spradling – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Brooke Moehrke – Ski Beech
Boys 7 & 8
- Charlie Martyn – Ski Beech
- Connor Hearn – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Cavan Bannon – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Brendan O’Conner – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Andrew Hill – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Gavin Provencher – Ski Beech
- Jackson Wolter – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Ayden Johnson – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Sam Nystrom – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Eli Williamson – Appalachian Ski Mtn
Girls 9 & 10
- Ava Jane Schmidinger – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Sarah Goode – Ski Beech
- Taylor Moehrke – Ski Beech
- Sophie Speckmann – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Mercer Long – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Ellie Reynolds – Ski Beech
- Iris Westerman – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Gillian Gussert – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Darmody Tausche – Appalachian Ski Mtn
Boys 9 & 10
- Thomas Mennen – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Colin Burts – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Andrew Geouque – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Ian Provencher – Ski Beech
- Timothy Eustice – Ski Beech
- Samuel Campbell – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Luke Milhaupt – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Andrew Jones – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Griffin Dillman – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Will Covington – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Emmit Coffey – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Henri Paris – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Calvin Williamson – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Alex Albu – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Sam Brandon – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Jarrod Rogers – Ski Beech
- Kaden Carson – Appalachian Ski Mtn
Girls 11 & 12
- Hallie Rose Donadio – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Sophie Lehmann – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Alice Knight – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Emiley Geouque – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Jackie Granger – Ski Beech
- Julie Handley – Ski Beech
- Kate Ambler – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Emma Kate McKeown – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Eva Giguere – Ski Beech
- Linnea Mills – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Neely Hicks – Appalachian Ski Mtn
Boys 11 & 12
- Maddox Spires – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Grant McAllister III – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Joshua Grosser – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Ethan Campbell – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- George Young – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Berk Yalcinkaya – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Jackson Hudspeth – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Dennis Schneider – Appalachian Ski mtn
- Corbin Ross – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Ben Avason – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Preston Fairbanks – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Dawson Willis – Ski Beech
- Sam Bauer – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Will Spillman – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Griffin Hayward – Appalachian Ski Mtn
Girls 13 & 14
- Olivia Jochl – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Katie Mac Knight – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Lachlann Currie – Ski Beech
- Katie Goode – Ski Beech
- Emma Hudspeth – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Lila M. Bauer – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Jo Hill – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Isabelle Trew – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Eve Garry – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Cary Gragg – Appalachian Ski Mtn
Boys 13 & 14
- Will Ambler – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Justin N. Simmons – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Karson Pilkenton – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Lee Byington – Ski Beech
- Aiden Bannon – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Will Schneider – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Thomas Paris – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Shannon Collins – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Nick Mills – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- August Carter – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Alexander Brown – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Chris McAdams – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Matthew Kosmala – Sugar Mountain Resort
Girls 15 & 16
- Erin Oliver – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Morgan Paris – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Madison Crissler – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Lauren Matherly – Ski Beech
- Caroline Sprenger – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Hannah Garry – Sugar Mountain Resort
Boys 15 & 16
- Daniel Kosmala – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Martin Smolka – Ski Beech
- Alec Granger – Ski Beech
- Austin Horn – Appalachian Ski Mtn
- Douglas Coley – Sugar Mountain Resort
- Paul Stancil – Sugar Mountain Resort
Girls 17 & 18
- Virginia Currie – Ski Beech
Boys 17 & 18
- D. Lawson Stancil – Sugar Mountain Resort
The next race in the High Country Junior Race Series will take place on Jan. 25 at Beech Mountain Resort. For more information about the High Country Junior Race Series, click here.
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