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A RECAP SVSEF SKIERS ACHIEVE RESOUNDING SUCCESS at regional and national events

At a point in the season when many athletes are starting to become weary, their effort and energy fizzling out, SVSEF Alpine skiers were quite contrarian – ramping up, staying on top of their training and hunkering down for the final stretch. Their collective success at regional and national competitions was propelled by sheer grit coupled with sincere discipline and commitment, qualities that were palpable with many of these athletes throughout the 2017-2018 season.

SVSEF dominated at both the U16 and U14 regional levels, and secured multiple national podiums.

Ryder Sarchett (1), Ridley Lindstrom (3), and Buey Grossman (4) on the GS podium

At U16 Western Region Championships in Alyeska, Alaska, SVSEF secured a number of podiums and top-10s throughout the series. Ryder Sarchett was the overall men’s winner, with two overwhelming victories and a third place, to boot. He topped the giant slalom field by two seconds, and won by an even larger margin of three seconds the next day in the slalom.

Ryder’s results were not an isolated success for SVSEF. Three athletes sat in the top five in the GS – with Ryder in first, Ridley Lindstrom finished third with the best finish of his career, and Buey Grossman was close behind in fourth.

Far right: Marit Kaiser (9) and Sage Curtis (10) on the slalom podium

On the same day, women competed in the slalom. SVSEF had two finishers in the top 10, with Marit Kaiser in ninth and Sage Curtis in 10th, meaning SVSEF had five athletes in the top 10 across men and women’s competition for the day.

In the slalom, in which Ryder Sarchett again took the win, Charlie Snyder was fourth overall. In the women’s giant slalom race on the same day, Merumo Ishimaru skied to fifth.

Charlie Snyder (2), Ryder Sarchett (3), Finn Mallinen (8), and Ridley Lindstrom (9)
Ridley Lindstrom tackles the SG course.

The final event of the series was the super G – SVSEF kept the two athletes on the podium. Charlie Snyder had a great race and finished second, and Ryder Sarchett upped his podium count to three with a third place finish. Finn Mallinen was eighth and Ridley Lindstrom ninth, putting four boys in the top 10. On top of that, Josh Blackburn was 11th and Buey Grossman was 15th, meaning SVSEF had six athletes in the top 15 at Regional Championships.

Success across the board at U14 Western Region Championships

At U14 Western Region Championships in Jackson, the women and men as a whole stayed consistently and collectively in the top half of the field throughout the weekend, speaking to the strong grouping this team possesses. SVSEF’s Logan Lindstrom took the women’s overall win. Athletes Jessica Blackburn, Saba Grossman, Logan Lindstrom, Paige DeHart, and Colin Hanna were all top six overall for the weekend, which qualified them for the Whistler Cup in April. An international race series for U14s and first year U16s, this was a big deal and a great opportunity for these athletes. SVSEF had the most athletes of any club qualify.

After seeing athletes from Far West, PSNA, Alaska, and Northern compete, it is pretty clear that Sun Valley and the Intermountain Division are doing something very right in our development.” – Head Coach James Tautkus

Highlights from the weekend:

  • Colin Hanna: 2nd in super G, 6th in the giant slalomNils Galloway: 10th in slalom
  • Super G: four SVSEF athletes in the top 10: Jessica Blackburn - 2nd, Saba Grossman - 3rd, Paige DeHart - 6th, Logan Lindstrom 7th
  • Women's GS: Jessica Blackburn - 2nd, Paige DeHart - 3rd, Logan Lindstrom - 6th
  • Women's slalom: Logan Lindstrom - 1st, Saba Grossman - 2nd, Hannah Ferris - 9th
Coach James Tautkus with Logan Lindstrom

Ryder Sarchett skis his way to a win in the men's GS at U16 Nationals at Mission Ridge, WA.

The SVSEF men’s team showed up at U16 Nationals, with three athletes placing in the top 10 and representing SVSEF extremely well on the national stage. Ryder Sarchett dominated both the giant slalom and slalom, winning both events. In the slalom, Buey Grossman finished fifth, and Ridley Lindstrom eighth.

Men's slalom podium, with Ryder Sarchett (1) and Buey Grossman (5)

Jessica Blackburn in the start gate.

SVSEF athletes posted two victories at the International Children’s races at the Whistler Cup. This event hosted athletes from all over the world – New Zealand, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Canada, and Chile were a few of the countries represented.

U14 skier Jessica Blackburn had an outstanding result, winning the women’s slalom by a whopping 3.5 seconds. This was a substantial, noteworthy achievement for women's U.S. youth skiing.

Jessica was also fifth in the giant slalom. Teammate Saba Grossman skied to eighth in the slalom.

Ryder Sarchett won the U16 giant slalom, was second in the super G, and was a member of the winning USA team (including two other IMD athletes, Mary Bocock of Rowmark, and Justin Bigatel of Park City, along with Dasha Romanov of Loveland) that beat out Switzerland in the team parallel event.

Six SVSEF athletes (Ryder Sarchett, Jessica Blackburn, Saba Grossman, Logan Lindstrom, Paige DeHart, and Colin Hanna) competed in the international race series, with SVSEF holding the distinction of having the highest number of U14 athletes from the Western Region who qualified.

FIS athletes raced to the top of the podium at the Mt Bachelor Spring Speed Series, with Erin Smith taking third in the women’s April 8 super G and first in the April 9 super G. Spencer Wright swept the weekend with wins in both super G events and the April 11 downhill. Hayden Terjeson joined Spencer on both super G podiums in third and second. John Blackburn posted a sixth place in the first super G, and brother Jake Blackburn was 11th in the downhill.

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