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Hovey tradition continues

WILMINGTON – Whiteface Mountain and the New York Ski Educational Foundation hosted the 53rd annual Hovey Memorial giant slalom races Saturday.

By race time, temperatures were in the mid-30s. What started as a firm race track during the morning runs, quickly became much softer, faster and less predictable.

Skiing for NYSEF, Gabrielle Cote of Plattsburgh won the women’s under-14 championship with a combined two-run time of 1 minute, 21.75 seconds. Jaden Klebba came in second with a time of 1:22.52 and Hillary Larsen finished third with a combined time of 1:23.52.

In the men’s U14 division, Hunter Montgomery of West Mountain took the top prize with a combined time of 1:16.43. Nicholas Czarnik came in second with a time of 1:17.26, while Martin McDonough was third in 1:21.89.

There were more than 140 racers competing in age-based brackets – U14, U12 and U10.

The Hovey Memorial was named in memory of a successful local businessman and ski coach – Bill Hovey Jr. The race’s intention is to develop ski racers between the ages of 8 and 13. Over the years has produced several world class athletes, including two-time Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht, of Lake Placid, and Keene’s Tommy Biesemeyer, a member of the U.S. Ski Team.

“The Hovey Memorial championship is a very highly regarded and well-attended annual event that has provided great memories and experiences for generations of young ski racers under 14 years of age, dating back to 1963 following the tragic death of the late Bill Hovey, a legend in New York and US skiing in the 1950s and ’60s, who died in a tragic car accident at the age of 36,” NYSEF executive director Jay Rand said. “We are grateful to the Hovey family for supporting and carrying on this tradition, which is so meaningful to so many aspiring young ski racers.”

The NYSEF team of skiers fared quite well on their home hill. NYSEF racers made up the entire top 10 in the women’s U14 category.

NYSEF head U14 coach Jimbo Johnston said U-14 champion, Gabriel Cote, “executed the game plan well and fought hard in tough conditions.”

The game plan coach Johnston referred to was the pre-race course inspection he takes his racers through. During the inspection, they view the course gate by gate, and he outlines the strategy for attacking each section and each gate.

In its 53rd year, the Hovey Memorial added two more names to the trophy that stands in the base lodge at Whiteface. For additional information about NYSEF, go to www.nysef.org.

Council giant slalom

WILMINGTON – Ski racing continued Sunday at Whiteface Mountain with the U-14 Council giant slalom.

New York Ski Educational Foundation racer Gabrielle Cote captured the girls title in a field of 33 racers after clocking runs of 38.89 and 38.27 seconds for a combined time of 1 minute, 17.16. She bettered runners-up Hillary Larsen (1:18.52), Sonja Toishi (1:18.95) and Madison Kostoss (1:19.06) for the crown.

Martin McDodough took first place in the boys race with a two-run time of 1:17.66. Peter Fogarty was second in 1:19.54, Matt Sisca was third in 1:19.68, Zach Zientko was fourth in 1:19.94 and Andrew Fogarty placed fifth in 1:19.96 to form a tight-knit chase pack.

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