Skiers from the Nederland Alpine ski team are celebrating the end of their season with the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) Skiing State Championships. The races took place on Thursday, February 17, and Friday, February 18, 2022, in Winter Park.

For the Alpine championships, 19 athletes competed in two different races across two different days – the Giant Slalom (GS) on February 17, in Meadows and Hughes and the Slalom on February 18 in Lower Hughes. The team left for the championships on Wednesday, February 16, and came home on Friday night after a team banquet.

The team members showed off their skills in one race or the other or both races, and they proved their commitment to the sport in the end results. For the girls’ GS race on February 17, Marley Farrior earned 9th place, Trinity LeBlanc 18th, Mazlan Finch 21st, Nella Bieger 23rd, Bella Lynch 32nd, Hattie Fuller 34th, Lily Waldman 39th, and Cielle Burnett 44th. The girls’ team earned 5th overall. For the boys’ GS race on February 17, Matthew Younce earned 25th place and Evan Elmendorf 28th, with the boys earning 10th place overall.

For the girls’ Slalom race on February 18, Haley Knierim earned 13th place, Bella Lynch 17th, Mazlan Finch 21st, Ava Eissenger 28th, Charlotte Marriott 31st, Lydia Serbinin 36th, Nella Bieger 40th, and Lily Waldman 44th. For the boys’ Slalom race on February 18, Nick Norris earned 19th place, Harry Rogers 27th, and Townes Bakke 31st.

According to head coach Krista Crabtree, the team would participate in three practices a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays leading up to each race, along with getting in their own skiing hours during winter break to prepare for a race that occurred right after winter break ended. She is proud of her athletes for seeing how much they are able to improve over the course of the season, especially while balancing schoolwork. She appreciates the camaraderie that has formed between the team members, especially those from different schools.

Assistant coach Arthur Nelson was unable to attend the ski races inperson but was able to catch the team racing through a livestream. He says that he loved being able to watch how the athletes had improved over the course of the season, and he thinks it’s great to see new kids taking on the challenge of skiing for the first time and progressing along the way.

Assistant coach Josh Lynch loved to see all of the kids come together and enjoy the races as a team, and agrees with Crabtree that balancing schoolwork with alpine ski training will help the kids learn skills that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. The alpine ski team has come a long way from the beginning of the season, improving their skills and continuing to learn how to better themselves as skiers. They should all be proud of the results of the races that have come from their dedication, passion, and love for the sport.

Head Coaches: Krista Crabtree and Seth Waldman

Assistant Coaches: Josh Lynch and Arthur Nelson

Athletic Trainer: Edien Fernandini

Team Members: Townes Bakke, Caroline Bennan, Claire Bennan, Conner Bergeson, Nella Bieger, Nicholas Bigelow, Sydney Biggs, Ellie Boye, Joseph Brzostowicz, Cielle Burnett, Devi Burnett, Mason Dube, Ava Eissinger, Evan Elmendorf, Wyatt Falborn, Marley Farrior, Amelia Fay, Mazlan Finch, Hattie Fuller, Keenan Fuller, Abagail Gaudet, Cole Gjertson, Taro Ishihara, Isla Jones, Delia Knierim, Hayley Knierim, Sadie Konrgold- Finkelstein, Glen Kress, Trinity LeBlanc, Bella Lynch, Charlotte Marriott, Sydney Mei-Dan, Heather Middleton, Benjamin Nelson, Nicolas Norris, Aric Olson, Henry Rogers, Conor Ryan, Chayton Sampson, Lydia Serbinin, Nina Serbinin, Cedar Shupe, Grayson Shurr, Jesse Siegal Gane, Caroline Sieper, James Simmons, Shaiann Stover-Winter, Lauritz Stranzenbach, Jolie Turner, Lily Waldman, Sophie Waldman, Ruby Walker, Jack Wixson, Matthew Younce, and Linda Zatloukal

State Qualifiers: Townes Bakke, Nella Bieger, Cielle Burnett, Charlotte Marriott, Ava Eissenger, Evan Elmendorf, Marley Farrior, Mazlan Finch, Hattie Fuller, Haley Knierim, Trinity LeBlanc, Bella Lynch, Nick Norris, Harry Rogers, Lydia Serbinin, Lily Waldman, and Matthew Younce