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Posted by: Luxury Travel Lady
2010 USAA J3 Junior Olympics
The J3 Junior Olympics were held in Vail this year from March 3rd to the 10th, hosted by Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. This level emphasizes techniques in slalom, giant slalom, and super G racing.The contestants were 180 13 to 14 year old skiers who competed in the Golden Peak Competition Arena in Vail and Beaver Creek. Many JO contestants go on to compete in the Olympics, such as Chris Del Bosco, Sarah Schleper and Lindsey Vonn.
Boy's Slalom
The boy's slalom was dominated by Zak Kjos and Alex Leever. Kjos of Apex won the gold with a time of 40.05 seconds, and will be going on to Whistler. Kjos had also earned a bronze medal earlier in the week in the Super G. “It feels awesome,” Kjos told Vail Daily. “I've been waiting for this forever. It's a huge accomplishment. I lost a tiebreaker as a first-year J4, and it's good to be able to finally go.”
Ski and Snowboard Club Vail's own Alex Leever grabbed the silver - an amazing accomplishment, considering he is only six weeks into the recovery of a tibia-plateau fracture, which occurred during a race. He finished sixth in the giant slalom, and didn't quite make it to the Whistler Cup.
Click here for a complete list of results for the 2010 J3 Junior Olympics Boy's Slalom
Girl's Slalom
Montana Marzario took the gold from Vail's three time winner, Danielle Brownelle-Patty, and also took the bronze earlier in the week, finishing third in the downhill. She took it slow at Beaver Creek's Bear Trap since she had been falling a lot during practice, but it paid off and she will be going to Whistler. “It's super-exciting,” Marzario told Vail Daily. “I had a lot of ups and downs, I was not good in GS and fell in super-G.”
Aspen's Julia Mueller-Ristine took second, and had a great week, grabbing a medal in every race - a total of 3 silver medals and a bronze. It was announced at the Junior Olympics closing dinner that she will be able to go to Whistler.
Independent skier Suzanne Lyon out of Steamboat Springs won the bronze with the fasted run of the day on her second attempt. This was her second year racing in the Junior Olympics, and she tallied top fifteen results the entire week with a combined time of 1:26.87.
Click here for a complete list of results for the 2010 J3 Junior Olympics Girl's Slalom
