National Championships generally begin with the speed events. A typical sequence includes three days of DH, starting with a training day and followed by a FIS race, the Championship DH race and the SG tagged at the end of the series. But the weather at Sugarloaf forced an inversion of the event order, leaving the downhill for last.
The summit
Downhill discipline requires both rigorous mental and technical discipline. It involves the highest speeds in ski racing, thus representing a higher risk of serious injury in the event of an accidental fall.
In speed events like the DH, most coaches pay as much (if not more) attention to the mental preparation of the athlete as they do to technical development. In other words, extreme focus on precision of execution is needed, at speeds reaching 75-79 mph, for time-periods over one minute, with no room for error.
Results had apparently already been printed after the first 60 competitors of the Championship Downhill, only to be re-figured when Thomas & Miles, wearing bibs 70 & 71 respectively sped down to finish 9th and 10th.
At the speed trap they recorded a blistering 77 and 78 mph (not an easy event for spectators to watch... since anything over a minute is too long to hold one's breath)
w/Marty
The combination of results meant the silver for the Overall Title, an important accomplishment at J2 Junior Olympics
Finally, a sincere thanks to Sugarloaf for placing safety as such a high priority and to the Kelly Brush Foundation for the incredible support and leadership it continues to provide in guaranteeing the attention to safety of all athletes taking on this exciting, challenging sport.
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