The J3 Marriott Junior Championships for the Western Region of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association were held March 17-19 at Squaw Valley. Athletes ages 13 and 14 from five Western divisions from Utah to California and up to Alaska were invited to compete based on race performances during the season.

A total of four Far West skiers from the Lake Tahoe area qualified with top finishes to compete in the 23rd annual Whistler Cup next month. They include Incline Village resident Marie Johnson of the Squaw Valley Ski Team, as well as James “Scotty” Lebel from Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley racers Cody Wilson and Garrett Driller.

The long weekend started off with sunny and brisk weather on Thursday, when Marie Johnson finished runner-up to Breezy Johnson of Victor, Idaho and the Rowmark Ski Academy in the women's super G. The Diamond Peak Ski Team's J3 ladies also took advantage of the conditions in the super G. Hannah Johnson and Lauren Keller both had excellent showings and placed in ninth and 14th, respectively, in a field of 80 racers.

The weather took a turn in the following days when this latest winter storm barreled in and left tremendous amounts of snow, making for poor racing conditions. The schedule changed by the day, hour and sometimes by the minute due to weather. Each run by all competitors seemed to be a roll of the dice.

In the end only super G, GS and slalom for the men and a super G and slalom only for the women were held. DPST racers persevered and gave it their all over the weekend when they had the opportunity to race, and each was honored for the chance to compete with the best racers in the West.

Aside from Hannah Johnson and Keller, other DPST racers who competed include Benjamin Farrar, Gavin Chen, Zane Bensing and Ian Reeves.

“They all worked extremely hard, exhibited some incredible talent and put some impressive individual runs down,” said Diamond Peak Head J3 Coach Eric Garayoa. “All in all it was a great experience for all of the athletes and their families, and we look forward to their futures.”

Marie Johnson also finished runner-up in the women's combined, as she was second to Isabella Wright from Jackson Hole, Wyo., who also qualified for the Whistler Cup. The Whistler Cup is scheduled for April 8-10.

The J3s continue racing through the month of April. Far West racers are awarded through 15th place. See the results and times for all DPST skiers in the accompanying box scores. For more information about DPST programs, athletes and coaches, go to www.dpsef.org.

Come out and cheer on Incline's hometown skiers when Diamond Peak hosts the Tahoe League Championships this Saturday and Sunday, March 26-27. Visit tahoeleagueraceseries.com for more information on Tahoe League races.

— This article was submitted by the Diamond Peak Ski Team to Sports Editor Sylas Wright at swright@tahoebonanza.com.

Results U.S. SKI AND SNOWBOARD ASSOCIATION - Far West USSA WR MARRIOTT J3 JR CHAMPS SQUAW VALLEY Women's super G — March 17 1 Johnson, Breezy N IMD 1:11.11 2 Johnson, Marie FW 1:11.30 3 Lebby, Stephanie FW 1:11.99 9 Johnson, Hannah FW 1:14.00 14 Keller, Lauren FW 1:14.63 Men's super G — March 17 1 Lebel, James FW 1:09.65 2 Driller, Garret FW 1:10.58 3 Dvoracek, Addison FW 1:10.80 28 Farrar, Benjamin FW 1:15.22 29 Chen, Gavin FW 1:15.50 59 Bensing, Zane FW 1:19.22 Women's slalom — March 18 1 Wright, Isabella IMD 48.95 50.44 1:39.39 2 Ryder, Sierra FW 51.37 50.78 1:42.15 3 Christian, Erica ND 51.25 51.36 1:42.61 47 Keller, Lauren FW 58.87 57.91 1:56.78 Men's giant slalom — March 18 1 Lebel, James FW 1:06.22 1:05.36 2:11.58 2 Driller, Garret FW 1:06.49 1:05.93 2:12.42 3 Arvidsson, Erik FW 1:07.60 1:05.10 2:12.70 39 Reeves, Ian FW 1:12.43 1:09.77 2:22.20 46 Chen, Gavin FW 1:09.49 1:13.83 2:23.32 65 Bensing, Zane FW 1:19.16 1:09.59 2:28.75 Men's slalom — March 19 1 Wilson, Cody FW 37.28 41.49 1:18.77 2 Driller, Garret FW 37.97 41.76 1:19.73 3 Astle, Chris IMD 38.71 41.72 1:20.43 54 Farrar, Benjamin FW 44.92 47.83 1:32.75 56 Reeves, Ian FW 46.27 47.88 1:34.15