Local alpine skiers race at Junior Olympics

Three Whitefish skiers raced at the United States Ski Association’s Western Region Junior 3 Olympics and Junior 4 Festival at Brundage Ski Resort, near McCall, Idaho, on March 19-22.

About two hundred 11-14 year-old athletes competed in the super-G, giant slalom and slalom for a chance to compete in the international championship series.

Nevada Kramer, Anna Jobe and Erin Tabish represented the Whitefish team by qualifying through their season-long performance. Kramer, 12, competed in the Jr. 4 division of 11-12 year-olds. Tabish and Jobe, each 13, competed in the Jr. 3 division of 13-14 year-olds.

The super-G on Friday concluded with Kramer taking fourth, Jobe 40th and Tabish 48th in their respective groups.

Weather conditions became difficult on Saturday, and the giant slalom was held as a one-run abbreviated version instead of a two-run event.

The difficult snow conditions challenged the competitors, and Jobe toughed out the day to improve her ranking and finish to 29th place.

Tabish and Kramer fell victim to the rough conditions and, with many other competitors, were unable to finish the giant slalom.

The slalom on Sunday was also impacted by inclement weather and snow conditions. Both runs were held as scheduled, and the day ended with Tabish finishing 21st, Jobe 25th and Kramer 11th.

“The organizers did everything they could and the races were run well and fairly, but the weather really made the conditions tough for most of the events,” Whitefish coach Roy Loman said.

“Our group is young and it takes experience to push through a long series with multiple events like this one. I was impressed with the way they handled themselves, and I know they will grow even stronger for next year’s event,” he added.