In today’s women’s HomeLight Foundation Series NorAm slalom at Copper Mountain, Zoe Zimmerman and Allie Resnick found their way to the podium in second and third place, respectively. They were .25 and .66 seconds off of the winner, Kiara Alexander, of Canada.
“Despite mistakes from Allie first run and Zoe second run, they both showcased some very impressive, race paced slalom,” said coach Coley Oliver. “Today was another step towards our immediate goals of succeeding at the European Cup level and ultimately at the World Cup. I’m really looking forward to the rest of our season because they both have a lot of speed yet to be discovered.”
When asked about her day, Zimmerman said, “I’m really happy with how today went, not only because of the actual result, but because of my skiing. Copper is a difficult hill, so coming down and feeling satisfied with your run is something to be happy about in and of itself. It’s also a confidence booster.”
While there were differences in the first- and second-run sets, her mindset remained similar run to run.
“I didn’t change much from first to second run in terms of focus,” said Zimmerman. “I sometimes feel like I ski second runs conservatively when I have a good first run, because I’m so fixated on making it down the course. Today I tried to approach my second run with the same mindset as my first, and I ended up skiing pretty well, minus a mistake at the very bottom. Overall, I’m really happy with how the day went and I’m excited to get back out there and do it again tomorrow.”
Resnick was also happy with her day, saying, “It is really nice to be back racing NorAms, especially in Colorado. The last time I skied on this hill was two years ago when I was coming back from my ACL injury. A lot has changed since then, and I’m really excited to keep pushing forward onto the rest of the season. We have another race tomorrow, and I can’t wait to give this tough hill another go.”
Canadian Kiki Alexander, of the Alberta Ski Team and Sunshine Alpine Club, claimed her first-ever NorAm win after a scorching first run, which gave her a lead of nearly half a second. Alexander’s next-best NorAm slalom finish was at Osler Bluff in February 2020, when she finished 14th. Canadian Justine Clément, of the Quebec alpine ski team, finished just off the podium in fourth.
Leever leads Americans
On the men’s side, Alex Leever was the fastest American in the HomeLight Foundation Series, finishing in fourth place. More than 50 men DNF’d, upwards of half the field. Leever shed some light on the conditions, saying that “it was very tough course sets and conditions, it was very grippy with tight courses, so it was tough to let it go. People who tried to push the line really hard were fast for a small section and got thrown or DNF’d a lot of the time.
“I was really happy with my skiing because I didn’t feel very good at all both runs,” Leever added. “It was just super grindy, super tough – not a feel-good course. But finishing fourth place with two runs that I feel like could have been a lot faster feels really good because that means I’m competitive and in there with the other guys. That’s all I can hope for. The goal for tomorrow is to … get up on the podium.”
Liam Wallace was not only the top Canadian today, but he also claimed his first NorAm win and podium. “That’s a super sweet race for Liam,” said Nick Cooper, Canadian men’s tech head coach. “I think we left a bit on the table in the GS races but they’ve been training well and we have pace.”
With three Canadian men in the top five in today’s race, Cooper commented that an error in the top section cost Asher Jordan, of Whistler, to slip into fifth position following a narrow first-run lead.
“It’s our goal to perform on the NorAm circuit, I’m not surprised by today’s results and I’m sure he [Asher] is looking forward to tomorrow’s race,” said Cooper.
Tomorrow ‘s slaloms will wrap up this NorAm series. Check back in for the recap.
About the Author: Lexi Hanus
