Eve named Men's Super Combined YSL Champ

Blacktail youth skier Jacques Eve beat out over 215 skiers at the Northern Division YSL State Championships and earned the title of Men’s Super Combined YSL Champion for the 2013 season.

The small Blacktail Mountain Alpine race team of eight athletes proved they were strong contenders in the championships, taking home four first-place trophies, a second-place trophy and nine medals.

The three-day event was held at Bozeman’s Big Sky resort, with over 215 youth skiers from Montana and the Dakotas competing in giant slalom, slalom and kombi races.

“It was a crazy weekend with every snow condition — from slush on Friday, bullet proof ice on Saturday and then fresh powder and 30 degrees colder on Sunday,” Blacktail skier LJ Stringer said. “It was my favorite race.”

Under sunny, warm skies, in Friday’s 200-meter vertical drop giant slalom course, Camas Rinehart attacked the slopes to beat out the men’s U12, ages 10 and 11, competitors by six seconds with his first-place trophy win.

Teammate Rayce Neill was close behind him with a seventh-place medal position.

In the U14 men’s, ages 12 and 13, Eve medaled in fourth and Dawson Rinehart took another medal with his fifth-place finish. LJ Stringer skied well to finish his race.

For the women’s U12 group, Blacktail’s Savannah Metzler completed her first race since her January injury. For the women’s 8-9-year-olds, Kegan Stringer stormed the course to medal in fifth.

In Saturday’s icy slalom run, Camas Rinehart’s winning streak continued with another first-place win by six seconds over the next competitor and Neill completed the race in 12th.

Heating up the course in the U14 men’s was Eve, taking first place in both his age group and first place over the entire field of over 215 athletes.

Stringer moved up to 15th place on Saturday as well.

For the Blacktail women’s competition, Savannah Metzler finished in 14th, with her younger sister Audrey winning a second-place trophy in the 6 and 7-year-old age group.

Kegan Stringer medaled for seventh.

Extreme weather changed Sunday’s race with cold temperatures under 20 degrees, blowing wind gusts and several inches of powdery snow.

In the one-race kombi, an alternating slalom and giant slalom course, Neill skied hard to medal in fifth place, with Rinehart placing 12th in their division.

In the highly competitive U14 race, Eve once again showed who was master of the mountain, with a first-place win in his age division, and taking first overall, which earned him the men’s Super Combined YSL Championship title for 2013.

Rinehart finished strongly to win a fourth-place medal. Also completing the course was Stringer.

Audrey Metzler medaled in fifth place for her kombi run. Kegan Stringer, placing seventh, took home her third medal of the weekend. Savannah Metzler placed 14th.