Big Sky Ski Team

BSSEF Athletes Finish Strong at Junior Olympics

Madison Bildahl, Bridget French, and Chase Ryan saved their best for last in the final races of the Western Region J3 Junior Olympics/J4 Festival at Mammoth Mountain today.  Madison placed 6th among the J4 girls in GS; Bridget was 26th among 75 starters in the J3 GS; and Chase finished 22nd in a slalom in which a third of the starters failed to complete both runs cleanly.  Unfortunately, BSSEF's Graham Foster and Andrew Kircher both DQ'd the first run.

Sam Brelsford Places in Top Third at YSL Giant Slalom Championship

Sam Brelsford posted a 25th place finish out of 86 starters in GS at the YSL Championships at Big Sky on March 18th.  Other BSSEF athletes who finished the race were:

29 - Coulter Tate
37 - Ashley Ruddick
60 - Sean Bayless
67 - Finn Vaughn
68 - Derek Hetherington
70 - Weston Persons
79 - Tanner Klatt

Two BSSEF Girls in Top 10 in SL at YSL Championships

Madison Bildahl and Silver Brelsford posted overall finishes of 2nd and 9th, respectively, out of 39 racers in the slalom at the YSL Championships at Big Sky on March 19th.  Other BSSEF finishers included Sylvie Henry (22), Alexa Coyle (25), Caitlin Klatt (35), and Cameron Tate (36).

Madison Bildahl Takes 2nd in YSL Giant Slalom

Madison Bildahl had the fastest second run in the GS race at the YSL Championships on March 18th to claim 2nd place overall out of 55 finishers.  Other BSSEF finishers included:

15 - Silver Brelsford
22 - Sylvie Henry
31 - Caitlin Klatt
36 - Hayden Persons
39 - Alexa Coyle
47 - Cameron Tate
48 - Valerie Hetherington

Sam Brelsford Top BSSEF Finisher in YSL Slalom Race

In a race marked by 15 DNFs and DSQs, Sam Brelsford placed 25th out of 58 finishers in SL at the YSL Championships hosted by Big Sky on March 19th.  Other BSSEF finishers were Derek Hetherington (42), Sean Bayless (44), Finn Vaughn (51), Ashlay Ruddick (52), and Tanner Klatt (56).

Coulter Tate Leads BSSEF Boys in SG Race

Coulter Tate (J4) placed 31st out of 87 starters in SG at the YSL Championships at Big Sky on March 17th to lead the BSSEF boys.  Other BSSEF finishers were:

35 - Sam Brelsford (J4)
53 - Ashlay Ruddick (J5)
58 - Finn Vaughn (J6)
63 - Sean Bayless (J5)
69 - Derek Hetherington (J5)
80 - Weston Persons (J6)
86 - Tanner Klatt (J7)

Caitlin Klatt Shines in SG at YSL Championships

Caitlin Klatt (J6) finished 25th overall out of 56 starters in the Super-G at the YSL Championships hosted by Big Sky on March 17th.  Other BSSEF finishers included:

16 - Sylvie Henry (J4)
17 - Silver Brelsford (J5)
18 - Madison Bildahl (J4)
36 - Hayden Persons (J5)
47 - Alexa Coyle (J6)
48 - Cameron Tate (J5)
49 - Valerie Hetherington (J6)

Andrew Kircher Leads Big Sky Contingent at Junior Olympics

Andrew Kircher finished 3rd in GS and 5th in SG out of 94 starters at the Western Region J3 Junior Olympics/J4 Festival at Mammoth Mountain, California.  The boys' slalom  and girls GS races will be run today.

The Junior Olympics host the top 12 to 14 year olds from Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.  The Northern Division sent 23 competitors, including five athletes from BSSEF: Madison Bildahl (J4), Bridget French (J3), Chase Ryan (J3), Graham Foster (J3), and Kircher (J3).  Big Sky's Jeremy Ueland and Scott Foster were named to the Northern Division team's staff.

Madison Bildahl (pictured at left) finished 10th of 15 in Friday's SG and 9th in yesterday's SL.  Bridget French placed 46th in the SG and a solid 30th of 75 starters in the slalom.

Chase Ryan and Graham Foster finished 51st and 79th, respectively, in the SG.  The strength of their technical training was reflected in their 46th and 44th place finishes, respectively, in the giant slalom.

Congratulations, too, to Bridger Ski Foundation's Eric Haferman (J4).  So far, Eric has been on the podium twice with a 3rd place finish in SG and a 2nd place in GS.