High Country Junior Race Series Kicks Off 29th Season; Over 200 Young Athletes Participating this Year

By Paul T. Choate

Young athletes on the App Ski Mountain team pose for a picture. Photo courtesy of appskimtnteam.org
Young athletes on the App Ski Mountain team pose for a picture. Photo courtesy of appskimtnteam.org

Jan. 8, 2013. The High Country Junior Race Series kicked off its 29th season last Sunday, Jan. 6, at Appalachian Ski Mountain. Started in 1984, the series has become one of the most popular winter events for young people in the area.

Over the years, the series has grown in popularity and approximately 200 to 250 young athletes aged 4 to 18 are participating this season.

The series alternates around to the three ski local ski resorts – App Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain – with each mountain hosting two races. The championship race rotates annually with a different mountain hosting it each year. All three resorts sponsor their own junior race team.

At each of the races, medals are awarded to the top three finishers among boys and girls in each of seven age groups (6 and under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18). Cumulative points are awarded to each athlete and carry over from each race to the championship, where trophies are also awarded to athletes with the most points earned. Also, there is a team trophy – or “mountain trophy” – awarded to the team from the ski resort with the most points for the season.

“Regardless whether or not you’re on the podium [at the end of the season], each of these athletes have the opportunity to earn points for their mountain,” said Thea Young, App Ski team coach. “There is a lot of pride that comes with bringing home the mountain trophy.”

Though certainly competitive, the major focus of the series is to allow the kids and their families to have fun.

“Safety. Fun. Learning. In that order,” Young said. “We’re fortunate to have a lot of involved parent and non-parent volunteers. … From a parents’ perspective, it’s an opportunity to do the sport that your child is interested in with them. You know, you go to soccer practice and you’re sitting on the sidelines — not to pick on soccer, but just an example — but you go to ski team practice and you’re out skiing and your children are out skiing.”

Although the series has already begun, Young said it is not too late to sign kids up. Although it’s not ideal to continue adding athletes throughout the season, kids interested in participating are not going to be turned away. 

A registration fee of $7 for each race will be charged and each racer must have a valid slope ticket or appropriate season pass to participate. An optional NASTAR race fee of $3 is charged at Sugar Mountain. A liability waiver must be signed by a parent or legal guardian prior to a child participating. Additionally, a ski bib will be issued to racers for the season. If the bib is not brought on race day, a $30 deposit on the bib will be requested and a temporary bib can be issued for that day. 

The upcoming races take place on Jan. 13 (Sugar), Jan. 27 (Beech), Feb. 3 (Beech) and Feb. 10 (Sugar), with the championship taking place on Feb. 24 at App Ski Mountain. 

“What a unique opportunity we have in the South to have a racing series with three different mountains,” Young said. “I think the family aspect of it is unique and it’s a team sport but also an individual sport at the same time. So you’re able to appeal to both of those different types of athletes.”

For more information on the series, visit hcjrs.com.

Unofficial Results from Jan. 6 Races

Girls – 6 and under

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
1 Eva Young 33.5740 DNF 33.5740
2 Bella Payne 40.1180 38.3610 38.3610
7 Sarah Grosser 46.5070 46.8780 46.5070
4 Karolina Nosarzewski 46.9940 48.1820 46.9940

Boys – 6 and under

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
11 Connor Hearn 36.1620 35.8110 35.8110
10 Charlie Martyn 36.1820 39.0650 36.1820
12 Andrew Hill 36.9620 37.7670 36.9620
13 Ayden Johnson 43.5090 45.6050 43.5090
15 Cavan Bannon 59.3210 55.0690 55.0690
14 Ayden Crissler 63.7500 56.2870 56.2870

Girls 7 and 8

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
20 Keely Hendricks 33.0590 35.9520 33.0590
24 Sarah Goode 33.6620 35.3370 33.6620
21 Ava Jane Schmidinger 33.9820 35.3160 33.9820
23 Sophie Speckmann 36.1860 41.6010 36.1860
32 Caroline Roach 40.4390 41.2400 40.4390
28 Tatum Mellor 40.6130 43.9720 40.6130
26 Sunny Green DNF 44.4170 44.4170
22 Mercer Long 48.2270 56.5290 48.2270
25 Faye Smalle 49.5010 48.8450 48.8450
27 Catlin Horn DNF DNF DNF

Boys 7 and 8

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
41 Thomas Mennen 30.1090 DNF 30.1090
40 Andrew Geouque 32.6570 34.1070 32.6570
46 Cameron Torman 35.1720 37.9230 35.1720
59 Colin Buets DNF 35.8410 35.8410
42 Andrew Jones 36.0790 37.8270 36.0790
43 Grayson Matney 37.6140 41.6260 37.6140
48 Timothy Eustice 37.6410 37.7040 37.6410
49 Jensen Moretz 38.0590 40.3010 38.0590
54 Grant Helms 38.9790 42.2560 38.9790
50 Will Covington 40.4550 39.6760 39.6760
52 Henri Paris 40.6340 40.9760 40.6340
53 Samuel Campbell 41.1820 41.9370 41.1820
45 Luke Milhaupt 42.1990 41.6020 41.6020
51 Ian Provencher DNF 42.4750 42.4750
60 Justin Barbour 46.0670 47.9390 46.0670

Girls 9 and 10

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
65 Sophia Lehmann 28.4560 28.8720 28.4560
66 Hallie Rose Danadio DNF 30.0840 30.0840
70 Alice Knight 30.5400 33.1080 30.5400
67 Jackie Granger 30.6090 31.3980 30.6090
71 Hanna Kozar Rogers 31.3540 33.5780 31.3540
74 Kate Ambler 31.9850 34.1650 31.9850
68 Magali Turner 32.1000 32.5860 32.1000
69 Emily Geoque 32.6880 33.2110 32.6880
73 Julia Handley 32.6980 34.7360 32.6980
75 Suzannah Gurkin 37.5650 41.8750 37.5650
76 Anna Van Buren 40.4940 38.4020 38.4020
82 Abby Vogel 40.0120 38.6060 38.6060
79 Eva Giguire 41.2520 41.2810 41.2520
83 Madelyn Easterling 44.9980 47.2490 44.9980
78 Payton Walton 49.3340 48.3640 48.3640

Boys 9 and 10

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
92 Wiley Speckmann 26.1650 27.8380 26.1650
94 Maddox Spires 27.4560 28.7840 27.4560
91 Joshua Grosser 28.2350 28.7050 28.2350
90 Will T. Spradling 29.7670 29.8880 29.7670
93 Ethan Campbell 30.4020 31.2910 30.4020
98 George Young 35.1310 34.7080 34.7080
96 Angus Currie 43.7380 35.1870 35.1870
101 Ben Avason 35.4390 37.4480 35.4390
95 William Abernethy 35.9140 36.9940 35.9140
108 Aiden Turner 36.3600 39.4370 36.3600
99 Sam Bauer 36.5930 37.5070 36.5930
102 Alex Helms 37.3680 36.7510 36.7510
100 Dawson Willis 36.9080 37.2630 36.9080
97 Jackson Hudspeth 38.4150 37.7640 37.7640
112 Dennis Schneider 40.3740 38.7930 38.7930
114 George Crumpler 40.5870 51.8980 40.5870
113 Robert Jones 44.8780 45.1900 44.8780
109 Luke Ramsdell 51.4150 47.2830 47.2830

Girls 11 and 12

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
121 Olivia Jochl 25.6660 27.8470 25.6660*
120 Ashley Simione 26.1820 27.1990 26.1820
122 Katie Goode 29.7630 32.1030 29.7630
123 Katie-Mac Knight 29.8460 31.2890 29.8460
126 Lachlann Currie 30.3190 31.7150 30.3190
124 Jennifer Fish 30.3580 30.4760 30.3580
125 Jeannie Sapp 30.7130 45.3050 30.7130
131 Annamarie Eustice 32.5100 31.6970 31.6970
127 Skylar Strange 31.7110 32.0470 31.7110
132 Jo Hill 33.0510 35.2600 33.0510
129 LiLi M. Bauer 34.5440 34.3310 34.3310
134 Emma Hudspeth 36.6520 38.9510 36.6520
135 Isabelle Trew 41.0210 41.1060 41.0210

*Olivia Jochl’s time of 25.6660 was the fastest among all racers on Jan. 6.

Boys 11 and 12

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
151 Will Ambler 27.3030 28.5100 27.3030
145 Noah Sharpe 29.0560 28.9460 28.9460
149 Karson Pilkenton 29.3560 30.0280 29.3560
146 Matthew Kosmala 29.5370 30.6760 29.5370
153 George Mennen 29.7970 DNF 29.7970
150 Justin N. Simmons 29.8220 30.7700 29.8220
154 Julian Nosarzewski 32.2210 32.8580 32.2210
167 Levi Marland 32.2670 33.2090 32.2670
158 Thomas Paris 32.9130 33.2210 32.9130
157 Will Schneider 32.9910 33.9140 32.9910
155 Lee Byington DNF 33.4570 33.4570
156 Zachary Schindler 33.6440 33.8570 33.6440
165 Tate Anagnos 34.7470 33.9870 33.9870
164 M. Kirk Holton 35.9400 35.1150 35.1150
161 J. Will Vestal 39.2830 38.1960 38.1960
160 Mitchell Abernethy 62.8270 38.2670 38.2670
168 Aiden Bannon 57.1600 49.9070 49.9070

Girls 13 and 14

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
178 Pammy Fish 29.9120 28.3630 28.3630
176 Hannah C. Barbour 28.7360 30.8290 28.7360
177 Olivia Handley 28.9600 28.8320 28.8320
179 Jordan Gast 30.3090 30.0660 30.0660
183 Ella Dunn 31.0650 31.9690 31.0650
184 Lauren Matherly 31.5760 33.1560 31.5760
180 Savannah Torman 32.2700 32.1470 32.1470
187 Morgan Paris 33.3120 34.1410 33.3120
190 Holland Currie 33.5680 35.8260 33.5680
193 Madison Crissler 35.0880 35.3300 35.0880
189 Erika Reiger 57.7770 DNF 57.7770

Boys 13 and 14

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
199 C. Spencer Adams 28.8910 29.2470 28.8910
200 Alec Granger 29.0910 30.0870 29.0910
201 Austin Horn 29.7760 31.1650 29.7760
211 Martin Smolka 29.9190 31.2290 29.9190
198 Carter Sharp 31.1730 32.0230 31.1730
197 Mikel Smalle 32.3170 33.9990 32.3170
205 Ryan McSwain 33.2640 32.8220 32.8220
203 Douglas Coley 33.2070 33.5830 33.2070
204 Raleigh Buchanan 33.5520 33.4180 33.4180
209 Luke Steen 34.5050 35.7570 34.5050
207 Baylor Matney 35.0060 36.8080 35.0060
210 Matt Graham 38.0450 36.1910 36.1910

Girls 15 and 16

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
226 Virginia Currie 28.4100 29.8150 28.4100
227 Lauren Hayes 28.7500 29.2390 28.7500
230 Brianna Barbour 31.2570 31.4820 31.2570

Boys 15 and 16

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
233 Chase Palm 26.0030 26.7000 26.0030
235 Christian Struckmeyer 29.9060 DNF 29.9060
236 Mattew Anderson DNF 37.8220 37.8220

Girls 17 and 18

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
242 KC Crissler 27.2650 28.2220 27.2650
240 Nicole Ferren 29.0170 27.5340 27.5340

Boys 17 and 18

Bib Name 1st Run 2nd Run Best
174 Ryan Baker 29.7910 29.9250 29.7910
245 Trevor Gragg DNF 30.6920 30.6920
248 Derek Hilgert 31.2860 32.0380 31.2860
246 Evan Skeen 32.4570 33.0540 32.4570