Featured Image: Bobbi Jo Griffin getting awarded first place at the NorAm Cup.
The first NorAm Cup races of the season kicked off at Panorama Mountain Resort, British Columbia, with two super-G races for the men and women. The super-G event replaced the NorAm Cup races that got canceled at Copper Mountain Resort earlier this season.
The NorAm Cup is a series of FIS races taking place in Canada and the United States. These competitions serve as a pathway to the World Cup Circuit, so each athlete is going to attempt to secure a spot on the leaderboard.
Panorama Mountain Resort wrapped up last season by hosting the 2024 NorAm Cup Finals. Sadly, the final super-G races got canceled due to bad weather and conditions.
In contrast, this year, the weather conditions allowed for racing to take place with two days of super-G. The tech events are scheduled to start today, December 12th, and run through the 15th.
Day One of Super-G
The athletes geared up for the inaugural NorAm Cup race on December 10th. The super-G track held up well, but the light conditions were variable.
Nevertheless, Bobbi Jo Griffin of the Western Region PG Team and Brodie Seger of Alpine Canada Alpin clinched the victories.
The Women
Bobbi Jo Griffin kicked out of the start gate wearing bib 11. During inspection her coach encouraged her to “leave it all out on the hill,” so she wanted to push as hard as she could from top to bottom.
However, she did not think it was the ‘prettiest run,’ stating, “My skiing was pretty loose and kind of wild, so it didn’t feel like good skiing, but it felt fast.”
The victory didn’t fully dawn on her until she was standing on the podium. This marked the athlete’s first NorAm Cup victory.
Griffin aims to carry this momentum to achieve high goals this season: “I hope to win the NorAm overall title in super-G or downhill. Short-term, I hope to make it to the World Juniors in a couple of months and hopefully make criteria for the U.S. Ski Team.”
Kiki Alexander of Alpine Canada Alpin is returning to snow this season from injury and earned 2nd place, only +0.24 behind Griffin. Annika Hunt, skiing for Burke Mountain Academy, rounded out the podium +0.51 behind the lead.
Notably, Stifel U.S. Ski Team competitor Dasha Romanov began her run wearing bib 24 and impressively advanced 20 spots to finish in 4th place, just missing the podium by a mere +0.04 seconds. After dealing with a back injury last season, this performance marks a strong comeback for Romanov, setting a positive tone for her upcoming races.
The Men
Brodie Seger from Canada started his season at the Beaver Creek World Cup, where he secured a top 10 finish in the downhill, marking his personal best. This accomplishment instilled both confidence and pressure as he approached the NorAm races.
He stated, “It is a whole different challenge coming into a race feeling like the expectation is to win and that is the goal, winning and gaining some points. So, this was definitely a different type of pressure.”
Nevertheless, Seger positively transformed that pressure and laid down a solid run to secure his second win on the NorAm circuit.
Seger stated, “It definitely felt good to get a win on the first day.”
“Last year was definitely a struggle to find the race pace again through the season, and it felt like a comeback season last year. Now, I feel like I am back, and I want to start racking up some good results,” he continued.
Raphaël Lessard, racing for the University of Utah Ski Team, trailed Seger by only +0.17. Impressively, he moved up 26 positions, achieving his second podium result on the NorAm Cup circuit.
Lessard had a strong prep period coming into this NorAm event: “My confidence was pretty good from the prep period. I was able to put in some good work with the Utah Ski Team at Copper and some camps prior, so I came into the race with a solid feeling on my skis.”
Stifel US Ski Team athlete Isaiah Nelson won Junior World Champs on this hill in 2022. He was able to achieve 3rd place, rounding out the podium +0.26 behind the lead.
Day Two of Super-G
The athletes prepared for the second day of super-G. They already felt accustomed to the track and its speeds, so they were ready to go full-throttle.
However, the arrival of day two brought increased speeds, prompting the athletes to adjust their timing accordingly.
Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Dasha Romanov and the Ute, Raphaël Lessard, both finished the day on the top step of the podium.
The Women
Dasha Romanov was the first athlete to kick out of the start gate on day two. After her 4th place finish on the first day, the 21 year-old was eager for a podium finish.
She took advantage of the fresh track and increased speeds, establishing a pace that proved difficult to beat. This marked her first NorAm Cup victory.
Last season, Romanov made her World Cup circuit debut in the Levi slalom. She has exclusively participated in slalom events on the World Cup circuit. Nevertheless, her recent super-G victory surpasses her best NorAm slalom finish, where she achieved an impressive 3rd place in 2023.
Vicktoria Zaytseva, racing for Apex 2100, threw down a solid run to achieve her first NorAm podium. She finished only a tenth behind Romanov’s lead.
The previous day, Zaytseva earned a 5th place result. Over her two seasons on the NorAm circuit, this promising athlete has now notched five top 10 finishes.
Canadian Sarah Bennett rounded out the podium +0.25 behind Romanov, her 11th NorAm podium.
The 23-year-old has participated in multiple World Cups and is eager to compete in additional events to secure her first points on the circuit.
Unfortunately, the winner from day one, Bobby Jo Griffin had a mistake in the middle of the course that cost her time. She finished the day in 16th position.
“I knew there was a delay turn in the course where I needed to give myself some more room on the first gate. But, I dove in a little too early and didn’t stand on my outside ski, so I got sucked low into the soft snow,” Griffin explained.
The Men
Raphaël Lessard secured a podium finish in the season’s opening super-G race, earning valuable NorAm points that allowed him to start earlier on the second day. He took full advantage of the clearer track conditions, ultimately clinching his first NorAm Cup victory.
“My first win was really good and a great step in my NorAm career. It feels really good to be able to apply everything I have been doing from the prep season into these first races,” Lessard explained.
Lessard continued, “This season my goals are to be as competitive as I can in all of the NorAm races in every discipline. I also want to try to get some wins in the college races for University of Utah.”
Isaiah Nelson of the Stifel US Ski Team achieved a 2nd place result, +0.36 off the lead. This is Nelson’s 6th super-G NorAm podium, which continues to build his confidence to aim for points on the World Cup circuit.
Norwegian Johs Braathen Herland, also skiing for the University of Utah, secured a podium finish, finishing +0.42 behind Lessard. This marks the 21-year-old’s debut in the NorAm Cup. After narrowly missing the podium on the first day, he entered the second day determined to climb the ranks.
Brodie Seger, the winner from the first day, fell behind the top 3, concluding +0.73 off the lead.
“I let my focus get away from me on the second day. It was great to get a win on the first day, but to really get a better FIS point score I wanted to win again and win by as much as possible,” Seger explained.
He continued, “I really wanted it and I was really pushing it. So, maybe I was just too focused on the outcome, instead of the process.”
The athletes head into the tech events. With the women racing slalom December 12th and 13th, while the men compete in GS. Stay tuned for more coverage.
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
