Ski Club Vail’s Kathrine Irwin took a huge lead into the first run of the delayed USSA Marriott J2 Junior Championships and took it to the finish line in the second to capture the J2 National GS title Tuesday at Sugarloaf, Maine.

Irwin dispatched Libby Gison down to the silver medal spot while Canadian Candice Crawford clinched third ahead of Anna Mounsey in fourth. Slalom champion Mardene Haskell was fifth and Canadian Devon Clarke sixth.

“I knew it was going to be a little bumpy,” said Irwin of her approach to the second run, “so I just tried to get to the finish line.”

Coach Dan Stripp said it was plain old fashioned smart skiing. “She used her head,” he said.

The race had been scheduled for Monday, but stormy weather and heavy snows forced the delay.

Irwin wasn’t done. Wednesday she took to the infamous Narrow Gauge for the super G and took that race as well by a huge 1.36 second margin over Jordan Schwietzer. Mary Beth Hemphill and Clarke got third and fourth respectively for Canada, Elizabeth Rolfs was fifth and Emily Husson scampered in sixth, a full second ahead of seventh place.

Alec Jones of Mission Ridge, in his first super G of the season, got the men’s win ahead of Austin Dean from Mount Hood Academy. Third went to Gabriel Presseault of Canada with Ronald Berlack in fourth, Jack Auty fifth and Kenny Wilson sixth.

Out west and an age group down, the Rocky/Central J3 championships are underway at Aspen with the speed races first on the agenda.

Home track advantage seemed to be in play at least among the men, with podium sweeps in both the downhill and super G. Aspen skiers went one through three in men’s downhill Tuesday with Benjamin Throm up by .88 on Xon Baker with Travis Lundin in third. Fourth went to Florian Szwebel, fifth to Colby Lane and sixth to Colin Vogel.

Women’s downhill was spread about the field a bit more with Jili Jennerjahn posting the win for the Taos Ski Academy. Second went to Kaitlynn Sockett of Team Breckenridge and third to Grace Merriman of Ski-Snowboard Club Vail. Katy Harris got fourth with Anne Parker and Heidi Livran tied in fifth.

In men’s super G the sweep was six skiers deep. Dean Travers got the win, Lundin was in second and Baker third. Downhill winner Throm notched fourth, Lane was fifth and Andrew Hancock sixth.

Steamboat’s Chandler Sedberry took the women’s SG win with a narrow three-hndredths of a second margin over Vail’s Megan McGrew. Serina Kidd was third, Sockett fourth, Hanson fifth and Jennerjahn sixth.