As an epic day all across the state was occurring for JFBB racers, the U14 group rose to the occasion and started the year off with a bang!
A total of 35 U14 JFBB racers competed in the GS race at Blue Mountain on Sunday, 1/26/25. Not only did they show the strongest in numbers, but they also showed that they are a fierce team of competitors led by their incredible coaching team of Kurt, Adam, Liz, Connor, and Bill.
First up, congratulations to these racers for competing in their first race ever. Arjun S, Emerson Z, Emily C, Olivia C, Jake B, Scott K, Zain H. Each finished with two completed runs on a challenging course.
Conditions were too windy and didn’t allow for a top of Razors Edge start, but temps were perfect for a fast course nonetheless. After the first run, 7 girls and 11 boys made the flip: Mackenzie, Vera, Gabby B, Lizzy, Sophia, Holly, Erin, AJ, Seiji, Jack, Noah, Lucca, Devin, Jude, Evan, Mason, Emraan and Will. Mackenzie clocked the fastest girls time with a 40.96 giving her over a half second lead into run 2. AJ and Seiji were neck and neck in 2nd and 3rd, behind BMR’s Cal with a 40.14 and 40.37 respectively.
The second run, set by Coach Kurt, proved to be equally as fast. Mackenzie was able to hold onto her lead with another winning run at 42.35 and secured first place for the girls. Vera skied strong and held onto her third place spot and a podium medal. Gabby B, Lizzy, Holly, and Sophia laid it down with amazing second runs and moved up into 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th.
A huge congrats goes out to AJ and Seiji who continued to battle it out. With solid second runs, they overtook BMR, to secure first and second place for JFBB. Jack and Noah tied for the 5th place spot, and Lucca skied into 7th. Jude crushed his second run moving him up into 11th, while Devin and Evan secured 12th and 13th. That’s a total of 6 girls and 8 boys in the top 15!
Some special things to note:
Our JFBB racers were yet again the talk of the race with their great sportsmanship and team camaraderie. This was evident for our gate breaker of the week, Addison S. Addison on the second run after flying through the top portion, took a hard crash and broke a panel gate. Coach Adam was able to get the gate, which will now be hung up as evidence of how tough she is! The girls were there waiting ready to greet her at the end, lifting her spirits! The team did that not just for Addison, but for everyone. They were the best cheerleaders for good runs and consoling those not happy with their run. That is what this team is all about!
David R who had an unfortunate DNF in run 1 came back strong and clocked in the fastest 2nd run, allowing him to score some hard earned points for states! Way to go David!
The u14’s will travel to Elk Mountain next Sunday for their first Slalom race of the season. Then they will head to their home mountain Big Boulder and then to Camelback for back to back races on the 8th and 9th. Come watch or volunteer as they chase for the podium at Boulder!
Thanks to the U14 Special Correspondent for the article – Jerry J’s mom.