Nearly a dozen kids competed in the timed race before the teams head to Bristol Mountain in the Finger Lakes region later this month for the NYSPHSAA championships.

Lake Placid’s Gunnar Anthony was the fastest on the hill, clocking a combined-run time of 1 minute, 16.03 seconds. Saranac Lake’s Andrew Fogarty (1:20.41) was second and Lake Placid’s Parker Anthony was third with a time of 1:24.98.

Lake Placid skiers Tim Kelleher (1:28.66) and Devon Ellinger (1:46.93) were fourth and fifth. Saranac Lake’s TJ Latour (2:01.12) and Justin Duprey (2:02.46) rounded out the boy’s field.

On the girls’ side, Barrett Smith, of Lake Placid, put down the fastest time with a 1:26.84. AuSable Valley’s Giselle Munson was second in 1:36.59, with Saranac Lake’s Audrey Bartlett only two seconds slower with a time of 1:38.89.

Saranac Lake’s Audrey Bartlett approaches a gate near the finish of Tuesday’s dual slalom meet with Lake Placid at Mount Pisgah. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

Gunnar Anthony, who also topped the podium in last week’s giant slalom race at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, won his age group for ski cross last weekend during the Empire State Winter Games. Ski cross is a timed event in which several racers tackle the same course at the same time.

“I like the faster events, I like GS [giant slalom] and I started doing skier cross too,” the Lake Placid sophomore said. “I’ve been a little rough in the slalom so far, but it’s never been my best event. I think I don’t like it just because I’m not that good at it.

“I think I’ve raced well overall the past few weeks. The GS was definitely some of the best GS skiing I’ve done in a little while, but I’m just having a pretty decent year so far.

“I’m just having fun. There’s no point in doing it if you’re not having fun.”

Anthony said he’s looking forward to competing in more ski cross events, as well as the state championships the last weekend in February.

Gunnar Anthony, a Lake Placid sophomore, knocks down a gate Tuesday during his first slalom run at Mount Pisgah in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

“I’m looking forward to more skier cross, that’s my favorite,” he said. “This coming week … I’m going to Sunday River [in Maine] to do a training camp there and do a race on Wednesday.”

Ski cross can be a physical sport, with several skiers on what is often a narrow course with jumps and other features. Skiers can and do make contact with each other during the race, but Anthony said it’s not mean-spirited.

“Not necessarily throwing elbows, but there’s definitely some legal contact,” he said. “I’ve never had someone shoulder me off the course or anything, but it’s a contact sport for sure.

“But we try to keep it classy.”

—

Saranac Lake’s Andrew Fogarty nears the finish line on his way to a second-place finish in the slalom meet at Mount Pisgah on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

NORDIC SKIING

SARANAC LAKE — The Lake Placid and Saranac Lake nordic ski teams gathered Tuesday evening at Dewey Mountain Recreation Center for a 5-kilometer classic ski race.

Lake Placid’s Scott Schulz, who just returned from racing in Finland after a stellar showing at a national competition in Alaska in January, was the fastest boy Tuesday, crossing the line with a time of 16 minutes, 3 seconds. Saranac Lake claimed the next three slots, with Jacob Alberga (16:10), Nick Kelting (16:11) and Lauchlan Cheney-Seymour (16:42) going 2-3-4. Lake Placid sophomore Mike Skutt rounded out the top five with a time of 16:43.

On the girls side, the teams alternated finishers, with Saranac Lake’s Sylvie Linck taking first in 21:52. She was followed by Lake Placid’s Lily Flanigan (21:50) and Saranac Lake eighth-grader Evelyn Eller (22:04) placed third. Lake Placid eighth-grader Annie Rose-McCandish (22:52) was fourth and the Red Storm’s Dellice Chase (24:20) was fifth.