JOs: J4s race slalom in Winter Park; J3s face giant slalom and slalom at Mt. Bachelor

The western skiers were hot today (March 20) as sunny skies and warm temperatures made for some fun racing at the Junior Olympics. The Rocky/Central J4s got after it with two slalom races per gender at Winter Park, Colo. while the Western J3s kept things going with a men’s giant slalom and women’s slalom at Mt. Bachelor, Oregon.

It was an all Far West Podium in the men’s giant slalom at the J3 event. Hughtston Norton led the way with a combined time of 1:49.04 down the Thunderbird course. Yesterdays silver medalist in the super G, Squaw Valley’s Max Hall again finished second, .51 seconds behind Norton. Ty Sprock rounded out the podium in third with a combined time of 1:50.51. Erik Arvidsson missed the podium by. 25 seconds in fourth place.

Another Far West skier, Diana Abbot, topped the women’s J3 slalom podium with a combined time of 1:25.89 after two runs. The Intermountain’s Breezy Johnson was .36 seconds back with the silver medal. Julia Cashell from the Far West took the bronze with a combined time of 1:28.40.

Duluth’s Madison Danelski, a sliver medalist in one of yesterday’s giant slalom  races, took both of the J4 women’s one-run slalom races. Holy Hill’s Emma Finfer joined her on both podiums with a pair of second-place finishes. Team Afton’s Kate Hanson (another silver medalist yesterday) finished third in the first race while three-time winner at this event, Ski Club Vail’s Megan McGrew, finished fourth in the fist race and third in the second to come away from the event with three golds and a bronze.

Mt. La Crosse skier Eric Johnson was the fastest J4 down the Lower Hughes course to claim both men’s gold medals. Ski Club Vail’s River Radamus took the silver in the first race and finished fourth in the second. Buck Hill’s Louis Nguyen earned the bronze in the first race and a silver medal in the second go round. Yesterday’s gold and bronze medalist, Tristan Lane of Aspen finished fourth in race 1, then upgraded to third place the second lap.

Today’s races conclude the Rocky/Central J4 event while the J3s continue tomorrow at Mt Bachelor with a women’s giant slalom and a men’s slalom.

Images of Norton and Abbot by Julie Shipman

Click here for complete J4 results.

Click here for complete J3 resutls.