This news is about two weeks old, but… better late than never! The J4/5 team traveled to Mount Shasta on February 12th and 13th for Slalom and Giant Slalom races.  Top women finishers included Belle Johnson, Emily White, Amanda Pretty, Erica Kennedy, Alyssa Kennedy, and Hannah Laurie.  Top men included Winston Pretti, Nelson Bedient, Michael Hartman, and Casey Delaney.

Sunday’s race for J/4 GS is a go. At this point, we will not be running 2 races on Sunday to compensate for Saturday’s postponement. If you were registered to race Saturday ONLY, and now wish to race on Sunday, we will have your information and will charge you for Sunday only. You do NOT need to register for Sunday.

All racers who are NOT able to participate will will have their entry fees refunded (less processing fee if you used AlpineReg). All pre-purchased tickets through AlpineReg will be reunded. Tickets will be purchased in the normal race day fashion, the morning of Sunday’s race!

The J4/5 GS Race for Saturday has been postponed. Tomorrow, we will assess the possibility of running 2 races on Sunday. Stay tuned to this website or our hotline 775-832-1176 for the latest information. See you Sunday!

Four Diamond Peak Ski Team racers received  invitations from Far West Skiing to attend the J4 Performance Camp at June Mountain.  Congratulations to Amanda Pretti, Alyssa and Erica Kennedy, and Winston Pretti!

The goal of the camp is to bring together J4 athletes from the North, Central and South series and give them the opportunity to improve their skiing skills, and to introduce athletes and coaches to each other. Athletes train and race together over the course of three days and are also invited to attend the J3 Spring Speed Elements Camp.

The camp runs from Feb 25-27th.

Tahoe League raced dual slalom at Sugar Bowl last weekend, and the kids did great. Satchel Hirsch and Aiden Pretti skied into 4th and 5th place, respectively, for the 7-8 boys.  Julia Holm and Rachel Delaney took 8th and 10th, respectively for the 7-8 girls.  For the 9-10 boys, Timothy Novak took 5th place, and Ava Laurie took 9th place for the 9-10 girls.  For the 11-12 girls, Alaina Chen took 5th and Sophia Holm took 10th.  Way to go!

Lila Lapanja, a DPST alumni, is bound for J2 nationals.  Go, Lila!  Julia Bjorkman of DPST will be joining her in Maine as a top alternate for the Western Region Team.

The Diamond Peak Ski Team’s coverage has just gone international.  The January 27th Kerry’s Eye newspaper from County Kerry Ireland featured J5 Michael Hartman!

(Click for a larger image.)

Congratulations to January’s Skiers of the Month, each chosen by the coaches for dedication, sportsmanship and attitude:

• J3 Connor Novak, a first-year J3 who has shown his leadership and dedication in the past month to great success.
• J4s Nelson Bedient and Belle Johnson, who persevere and have a work ethic that is paying off — both of these athletes go “all out” day in and day out.
• Tahoe League’s Jeremy Goldberg whose determination and dedication have been paying off this year with top finishes.
• Adventure Team’s Blake Perry, an enthusiastic skier and natural-born leader.
• Talent Squad’s Zachary Wallpe, who is always willing try new things and help his teammates.

Read about the kids — along with choice quotes from the coaches — in the Tahoe Bonanza.

Props to all the J3s who put in solid Giant Slalom performances this past weekend at Northstar!

The Diamond Peak Ski Team’s Hannah Johnson had three spectacular days of racing. Taking to the podium on Friday with a third-place finish, she followed it up with fourth- and ninth-place finishes over the weekend.

Combined with her fourth place at the Snow Summit Slalom series, Johnson is well on her way to gaining a JO berth.

First-year J3 Lauren Keller also had a great showing with ninth- and 11th-place finishes. Adding her ninth-place slalom finish into mix, Keller also is one to watch out for.

For the men, Gavin Chen came through with 13th- and ninth-place finishes. Chen adds those to his third-place slalom result.

Benjamin Farrar turned in a solid 14th-place finish on Friday, and Zane Bensing skied into an impressive eighth place on Sunday. Both racers also turned in top performances at the slalom series and are in the hunt for JO spots.

Read the full article with box scores in the Tahoe Bonanza.

There’s a nice article about Ullrfest in the Tahoe Bonanza, “The second annual Ullrfest 2011 two weekends ago brought the community together once again, and attendees agreed it was a huge success all around.”

“We are proud to have strong support from the community even from those who don’t have kids on our team. It means a lot to us all,” said Rob Laurie, team president.

Thanks again to all the folks that helped to make Ullrfest happen, and to the community for all your support!