Juneau Ski Club’s Joanna Griggs finished in fourth place on Sunday at the Coca-Cola Holiday Classic U16-U19 slalom 1 race. The freshman at Juneau-Douglas High School finished sixth the day after in the giant slalom at the same event, held at Alyeska Resort.
Griggs and Sophia Caputo were the only two JSC representatives at the four-day Girdwood meet.
Alyeska Ski Club’s Piper Sage won both the aforementioned races. Sage took first in the slalom with a time of 1 minute, 27.30 seconds. Sage clocked a 1:35.46 in the giant slalom.
Griggs finished three seconds slower in the slalom (1:30.18) and seven seconds slower in the giant slalom (1:42.00) than Sage.
Bates said Griggs was one run away from potentially winning the Slalom 2, the second slalom race on Sunday, which started just a few hours after the Slalom 1 wrapped up. Each race consists of two runs and contestants must complete both runs to keep from disqualification.
Griggs skied the second-fastest time in the first run of the Slalom 2 but crashed in her second run.
“She clearly stepped up her game and is more comfortable after two runs,” JSC coach Randy Bates said. “So I look forward to seeing what she can do with a little more training under her belt. I think she’s very competitive with what Anchorage has.”
Bates urged Griggs and Caputo to start out cautiously in Sunday’s races. It was their first races of the season and just the third day they’d skied with the benefit of chairlift service.
Alyeska Resort is strapped for snow like Eaglecrest. However, it had just enough snow at the bottom of the mountain to operate its chairlifts.
“It was beauty in the fact that we were skiing,” Bates said. “And we haven’t had that opportunity much here this year. It was all about experience and joy and remembering what it’s like to get picked up by a lift and taken to the top of the hill.”
The JSC is still looking for more youth to join its “mitey mites” program. Skiers ages six to 10 learn the fundamentals of skiing and receive an introduction to gate training and racing. More information about the program can be found at juneauskiclub.com.
The club also launched its FreeRide Team earlier this month that teaches skiers and snowboarders skills to compete at local and national freeride events. A local freeride competition is tentatively scheduled for March 17.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
Juneau Ski Club’s Joanna Griggs zooms down the mountain in the U16-U19 slalom at the Coca-Cola Holiday Classic at Alyeska Resort, Sunday, Jan. 14. (Bob Eastaugh | Courtesy Photo)
Courtesy Photo | Bob Eastaugh Juneau Ski Club’s Joanna Griggs zooms down the mountain in the U16-U19 slalom at the Coca-Cola Holiday Classic at Alyeska Resort, Sunday.
