Holt is Junior Olympic national ski champ

Whitefish High School sophomore Stella Holt won the 2009 Junior Olympic National Cross Country ski championship in her age group last weekend with a blistering time of 2:24:25 in the sprint race competition.

Hundreds of the best Nordic skiers from all over the country were in Tahoe, Calif., for the week-long event.

The sprint consists of a one-kilometer race over hilly terrain, according to Stella’s mother, Chris Holt. Stella had to race four times in one day to claim her title.

“In the first race, every single kid goes out every 15 seconds, and it’s basically a free-for-all, with poles poking everywhere and kids vying for position,” Chris said. “It’s like a roller derby on skis. It’s grueling. It’s brutal.”

In the second race, those 30 kids are put into groups of six, and only the top-two from each group move on to the third race. Holt won both of the first two races to advance.

After only a short rest, the third race is the semifinals. The top-two from each race compete against each other, and only the top-12 advance to the finals. Holt also won the semis, and then dominated the finals to win the gold medal.

The amazing thing is that Holt’s time was the third fastest time overall, including college-age skiers who were competing in other age divisions.

“The amazing thing is how great of shape everyone is in,” Chris Holt said. “These kids are so fit.”

On Wednesday, Stella will have a chance at another title in the 5K distance race,. Then Friday is the classic distance race, and on Saturday she will compete in the team relay.

Jack Steele, from Whitefish, took 14th place in the boys J2 age-group, while Marshall Opel finished 15th in the boys J1 age-group. Ian Mallams finished 12th in the boys OJ age-group.