US takes 5 of 6 podium spots at HomeLight Foundation Series NorAms

By Published On: November 23rd, 2021Comments Off on US takes 5 of 6 podium spots at HomeLight Foundation Series NorAms

In the final day of racing at the HomeLight Foundation Series NorAms at Copper Mountain, the slalom top 10 was dominated by the US with six Americans, three in podium position. Luke Winters, Alex Leever, and Garret Driller finished in first, second and third, while George Steffey finished in fifth, James Ferri in eighth, and Cooper Puckett in 10th.

Winters is already looking ahead to the next races. “[It] was good to get a win under my belt, but more importantly I enjoyed getting into race mode, adding some pressure, and being forced to ski a groove on a tough hill. I think I left a lot out there this weekend, but also many positives to take into the World Cup season. I have some good momentum to work with and looking forward to Val d’Isere.”

After yesterday’s race, Leever said, “The goal for tomorrow is to … get up on the podium,” and he did just that. Not only did he claim second place, he was only .16 off Winters in first. Leever is also set to race Val d’Isere.

“Today’s race was a fun one,” said Driller. “The tech venue offers one of the most challenging race venues in North America, and for it to be the season opener really tests our endurance. My first run today was awesome all the way until the last five gates, took a quick stop and barely made the finish. Second run I found my grove, I was skiing in the fall line and risking quite a bit down the main pitch, late, backseat and very dynamic. My game plan was to do whatever I could to keep my skis in the fall-line regardless of what happened and I feel like that worked. Supper happy with the results and excited for the next NorAms in Panorama.”

The top Canadian, Liam Wallace was just off the podium in fourth, while his teammate, Declan McCormack, finished in ninth. Willhelm Normannseth of Norway and Tormis Laine of Estonia were the only two athletes that were not from North America to break into the top 10.

MEN’S RESULTS

Lila Lapanja won the final slalom at Copper Mountain Tuesday. It was also her only start in this NorAm series.

“I decided to race even though I’m fresh off a very long travel day from Levi because I like this hill and wanted more slalom racing before I focus on training days.” She also reflected on how she felt on her skis, saying, “Colorado snow can be challenging; typically dry, aggressive snow where you don’t need a lot of edge. I felt more connected with my feet second run.”

Despite coming straight from some World Cup races, this win meant a lot to her. “This NorAm win was actually very meaningful for me, I had a difficult summer with very little time on snow, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to race right now.”

Allie Resnick, the previous day’s third-place finisher, was .18 seconds behind Lapanja in second place. Resnick’s coach, Coley Oliver, commented on her ability to be consistent, saying “Allie once again proved her consistency, never having a run ranked lower than 5th across the four runs contested. Not only was she consistent, she’s consistently fast. The importance of that skill at the highest levels of our sport cannot be overstated.”

Resnick’s teammate, Zoe Zimmerman, won the first run, but DNF’d on the second. “Even though Zoe fell second run, I would still call today a great day. She showed some tremendous speed and skiing in the first run, making a statement by taking that run by over a one-second margin,” her coach said. Zimmerman earned a spot in the Killington World Cup GS this coming weekend, based on her results earlier in the series.

Resnick earned spots in the Killington World Cup slalom and GS based on her results over the past several days. She says, “I am really happy with my skiing during this race series and I’m even more excited for my first slalom and GS World Cup start in Killington. After Killington, we are heading to Europe for the Europa cup races. I hope we can carry this momentum to Killington, and through the rest of the season.”

Oliver echoed her statement, saying “While [this] is a large step from the NorAm circuit, I’m very confident in their skiing and cannot wait to see how they stack up with the best in the world. They raced this past week with the knowledge of the World Cup start qualifying criteria on their shoulders on addition to the normal stress of a NorAm and both excelled under that pressure. That ability to perform under pressure will be critical for them as they race more and more Europa Cup and World Cup races.”

Two other Americans broke into the top 10, Teagan Wold in seventh and Caroline Jones in tenth. This was Wold’s first top 10 in a NorAm.

Kiara Alexander, Monday’s winner, was the top Canadian in third place. Eleri Smart was the second fastest Canadian, finishing in eighth place.

WOMEN’S RESULTS

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About the Author: Lexi Hanus

Raised on the east coast, Lexi grew up ski racing for Burke Mountain Academy. She later went on to race for Colby College's Division I alpine ski team while pursuing a B.A. with a major in Sociology. She began her role as content coordinator for Ski Racing Media in July, 2021, and is currently based in Boston, Massachusetts.