Diamond Peak Ski Team athletes began wrapping up the racing season last week with championship series and finals held both near and far.

Leading off were the Far West J4/5 championships, which were held under mostly sunny and warm conditions at Mammoth Mountain. DPST saw a number of athletes attend the awards ceremony over the three-day race.

On Thursday, March 31, the J4s (ages 11-12) took to the Fascination run for a super G race. In the men's field, DPST's Casey Delaney took 12th place and Winston Pretti 14th. For the ladies, Erica Kennedy recorded a ninth-place finish, followed by Amanda Pretti in 11th and Hannah Laurie in 14th. The J5s (ages 9-10) raced on Terrys run for a giant slalom race. For the men, Michael Hartman finished in 13th. For the ladies, Belle Johnson again landed on top of the podium with first place, while Emily White finished eighth.

Friday, April 1, DPST again showed its strength with a number of athletes at the awards ceremony. The J4s raced giant slalom on Terrys run and Winston Pretti, Nelson Bedient and Casey Delaney skied to fifth-, 12th- and 15th-place finishes, respectively. Not to be outdone by the men, the ladies held court with four top-15 finishes. Amanda Pretti led the DPST ladies with a fourth-place finish and was followed closely by Erica Kennedy in fifth, Aly Kennedy in eighth and Hannah Laurie in 11th.

Incline Village resident Annika Hansen won the ladies' J4 race. She also placed seventh in the super G.

The J5s also competed in giant slalom with the men on Westwall run and the ladies on Fascination. DPST's Michael Hartman brought in a ninth-place finish for the men. Belle Johnson once again commanded the podium with another first-place finish, and Emily White raced into 14th.

Racing continued on Saturday with slalom for all competitors. J4s raced on Andy's Double Gold and J5s on Fascination. Nelson Bedient led the DPST J4 men with a third-place finish. He was followed by Casey Delaney in 10th and Winston Pretti, who fell on his first run and was still able to come back in his second run to take 12th. Amanda Pretti also took to the podium with a third place for the ladies. For the J5s, both Michael Hartman and Emily White raced into 11th place, and both saw three awards in three days.

Approximately 100 racers competed in each division from across the Far West region.

Diamond Peak hosts Tahoe League giant slalom finals

Tahoe League racers finished up their racing season when DPST hosted the giant slalom finals at Diamond Peak on Sunday, April 3. The 10-and-under group raced on Lower Showoff and the 11-and-older athletes on FIS. The predicted rain and snow held off and it turned out to be a beautiful day, with great race conditions.

Once again the 7- and 8-year-olds at DPST showed they are strong group. For the boys, Aidan Pretti raced into sixth and Ethan Chen into ninth. For the girls, Julia Holm stood on the podium with a third-place finish and was followed closely by Rachel Delaney in fourth, Rebecca Waterson in fifth and Mia Rathsack in ninth.

Timothy Novak not only stood on the podium to claim his win in the 9-10 boys category, but he also opened the awards ceremony on that same podium playing the National Anthem on his violin. His time was also the fastest of the day on the course. Noah Cleary also attended the awards ceremony with a fifth-lace finish.

DPST's 11- and 12-year-olds also had a great day. Jeremy Goldberg came in ninth, and for the girls, Jade Erickson was on the podium with a third-place finish, followed closely by Alaina Chen in fourth.

J3s compete in slalom, giant slalom finals

The J3s (ages 13-14) skied two Far West Finals races held at two different Tahoe resorts — the slalom finals at Heavenly and giant slalom finals at Sugar bowl April 1-4.

In the overall results, DPST placed three girls in the top 15 both Friday and Saturday at Sugar Bowl, and two girls in the top 15 both Sunday and Monday at Heavenly. J2 Julia Bjorkman won four J2 races, and took fourth, fifth, ninth and 14th places overall in the four races. Hannah Johnson was second, third, fourth and sixth for the J3s, and Lauren Keller finished in the top 10 among J3s consistently, and recorded two top 15s in the overall.

Among the boys, Gavin Chen's emergence as a true threat was on the forefront. He finished in the top five all four race days, with two second-place finishes in slalom. Chen was a small stumble from winning Monday. Zane Bensing finished sixth and 11th in the giant slalom races and was presented with the “Hard Charger” award both days. Ben Farrar and Ian Reeves showed some great skiing with top-30 results. Farrar finished in the top 10 among J3s as well. Up-and-comer Connor Novak finished in the top 15 for his year of birth, making next year an exciting prospect for him. Hunter Pitts, another “youngin,” also finished with two slalom top 30s for the J3s.

“All-in-all, the Diamond Peak Ski Team finished the technical disciplines of ski racing at Far West Tech Finals with dramatic improvement and skied above themselves,” said head J3 coach Eric Garayoa.

Next up is the Mammoth Speed Finals — super G and downhill — at the end of the month.

Far West racers are awarded through 15th place and Tahoe League through 10th place. To view full results go to fwskiing.us or tahoeleagueraceseries.com.

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