Telemark Event Wraps Up – Schmid-Sommer, Anderson claim championship

Posted: Monday, March 22, 2010 8:46 am | Updated: 9:14 am, Mon Mar 22, 2010.

The Daily Inter Lake
The 2010 U.S. Telemark National Championships concluded Sunday at Whitefish Mountain Resort with Shane Anderson and Kelsey Schmid-Sommer as U.S. National Champions.

Going into Sunday’s races, the points between the top female racers were so close that the slalom race turned out to be the deciding race.

The national championship is determined by taking the points from the three best finishes during the weekend event.

Schmid-Sommer won two of the four races this weekend. She also had a second and a third.

Schmid-Sommer stood atop the podium with her five-month old son Nicholas.

“That Kelsey could return to racing at this high level of competition so soon after giving birth to her son says a lot about her competitiveness and her love of the sport,” said Ross Hobbs, president of the U.S. Telemark Ski Association.

In second place overall was Erika Walters of Steamboat Springs, Colo. with two first place finishes during the event.

Cody McCarthy of Whitefish – and a former member of the U.S. Team – placed third

overall.

Shane Anderson of Cody, Wyo. and Steamboat Springs easily won the men’s national championship with three first place finishes before Sunday’s slalom.

Anderson was followed by former world champion Reid Sabin of Whitefish. Sabin has retired from the U.S. National Team, but can’t resist training and racing at this event on his home hill.

Charlie Dresen of Steamboat Springs was third overall. Dresen had retired from the team for the last six years, but rejoined the team this year.

Sunday’s breakthrough race came from Cory Snyder of Franconia, New Hampshire, who won the slalom.

On Saturday, Kelsey Schmid-Sommer won the Sprint Classic race.

Schmid-Sommer’s time (3:08.65) was nearly six seconds ahead of Cody McCarthy of Whitefish (3:14.43). Madi McKinstry of Steamboat Springs, Colo. had her first Nationals podium, finishing third (3:20.47).

Anderson continued his sweep of the male championships with another first place finish.

Competing in the Men’s Elite division, Anderson turned in a winning time of 2:48.02. Dresen was second. His time was 2:50.67. Jeffrey Gay, also of Steamboat Springs, finished third (2:52.53).

Among local racers, Reid Sabin was fourth, David Hobbs was fifth, Peter McMahon was seventh, Neil Persons was 13rh and Eric Lamb was 14th.