Far West juniors Perkins, Murtha awarded grants

The Far West Ski Association (FWSA) has awarded Truckee, Calif., junior racers Jake Perkins and Dylan Murtha grants of $1,000 and $700, respectively, to be used to cover training and competition fees during the 2008-2009 ski racing season.
The Far West Ski Association (FWSA) has awarded Truckee, Calif., junior racers Jake Perkins and Dylan Murtha grants of $1,000 and $700, respectively, to be used to cover training and competition fees during the 2008-2009 ski racing season.
    Perkins, 16, attends Truckee High School and trains with the Squaw Valley Ski Team. In 2007, He won the giant slalom gold medal at the J3 Junior Olympics at Mammoth Mountain. He was named to the Far West Ski Team this year and has qualified for the U.S. Junior Nationals at Aspen, Colo.
    Murtha, 14, is a freshman at the Sugar Bowl Academy. In 2006 he was named to the USSA Far West Development team and was awarded a $2,000 scholarship to participate in a two-week slalom and giant slalom training camp in New Zealand. More recently, he was one of only five first-year J3s to qualify for the Western Regional Junior Olympics.
    Murtha is ranked fifth in the U.S. in downhill among first-year J3 skiers and 21st among all J3s. In addition, Murtha maintains a 3.8 grade-point average at the Sugar Bowl Academy, and the Sugar Bowl Ski Team has awarded him the Gold Academic Excellence award the last two years.
    The Far West Ski Association is a nonprofit, volunteer organization devoted to skier safety, ski travel, ski club programs, recreational ski racing, ski area development and family ski involvement. It is one of the country’s largest ski associations with 11 active councils representing skiers and snowboarders in all the continental states west of the Great Divide with the exception of Montana.
    The FWSA scholarship program was established in 2004 as a means of aiding deserving young alpine ski competitors. This year, seven young racers from Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona will benefit from FWSA grants. The FWSA scholarship program is sponsored by Whitefish Mountain Resort, Grouse Mountain Lodge at Whitefish, and Shure Sports, the maker of Karbon brand ski and snowboard apparel.