Four Champions Emerged in Giant Slalom and Slalom Events at the NorAm Finals
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Ellie Hartman
Featured Image: Patrick Kenney competing in the GS at NorAm Finals. Credit: Gary Jones
After days of canceled super-G races at the NorAm Finals in Panorama, British Columbia, the event changed to tech races. The conditions and prep on the hill gave the athletes a successful two days to battle it out in giant slalom and slalom. The men went head-to-head in two days of giant slalom while the women attacked the slalom hill.
Surprisingly, there were four different triumphant athletes in the two days of tech races, which finalized the two NorAm Cup title winners. The taste of victory was shared and revealed how tight the NorAm Cup tech fields are.
Men’s Giant Slalom
The men were the first to hit the track on both days of tech races. The early start for the men was an attempt to run the large field before the day heated up and the conditions deteriorated. Unfortunately, the temperature soared above 50 degrees Fahrenheit before noon on both days.
Nevertheless, the athletes persevered and fought for their chance at a leaderboard finish.
First Day of Giant Slalom
Tormis Laine of Estonia was the first to kick out the start gate on day one of the giant slalom. The athlete established a strong pace on the first run, -0.47 ahead of the field. But, on the second run, Laine would have his work cut out for him against the men running earlier on the soft snow.
With the soft and challenging conditions, Patrick Kenney, a SYNC athlete, skiing for Global Racing and a Burke Mountain Academy alumni, explained, “The race is far from over. Anything can happen.”
Sure enough, Patrick Kenney took the opportunity on the second run. After the initial run, Kenney was +1.78 behind Laine’s leading time, so it seemed like a far reach. However, the athlete had the opportunity to start sixth, which propelled him to give it his all on the fresh track.
The independent athlete impressively moved up 23 spots and took the victory, -0.31 ahead of Laine.
Patrick Kenney stated, “It was important to be in the top 30 after the first run due to the soft conditions. I capitalized on a great opportunity in the second run, with the conditions only getting softer. It is important to realize when you have those opportunities in front of you.”
This win was an exciting boost for Kenney. He explained, “My season has been full of high highs and low lows. I had my best result in Palisades, which was a long time coming. However, it took me a while to get to that point,” He continued, “It took me before Palisades to dial in my equipment, which resulted in dialing in my skiing just in time for the back half of the season!”
Tormis Laine achieved 2nd place, and Jamie Casselman, a Canadian racing for Montana State University, finished in 3rd. It marked Casselman’s first time achieving a NorAm Cup podium result.
Men’s Day 1 Giant Slalom Results
Second Day of Giant Slalom
The second day of racing was struck with warmer temperatures, with almost 70 degrees (Fahrenheit) by 11:00 AM. The men faced another challenging day with slushy snow and a grooved track.
Tormis Laine showed his dominance again in the first run, establishing a lead of -0.35 ahead of the field. Laine came into the NorAm Finals on the hunt to achieve another win this season on the NorAm Cup circuit. He took victory in February at the Mont Ste-Marie NorAm Cup race, and his grit showed he was aiming for another.
Starting 30th on the second run was challenging for Laine, but he pushed through the late start both days to achieve a podium result.
However, Stifel US Ski Team athlete Isaiah Nelson threw down a winning second run that moved him into 1st place, just -0.11 ahead of Laine. It was a positive jump from his first day of giant slalom.
After his downhill win, Nelson focused on rest and recovery before the last days of racing at the NorAm Finals. He stated, “I’m still keeping things chill because I know we have six big days ahead. I want to make sure I am fully fired up for the super G and GS race days. Offhill dryland and recovery are my priorities.”
Recovery was a strong move for the U.S. athlete and paid off with another victory.
Patrick Kenney had another solid day of racing, moving from bib-15 to a 3rd-place result. With his fast first run, he started 29th on the second run and had to fight to maintain his podium spot.
He stated, “Lesson learned this year is it’s important to control the controllables and let the rest take care of itself, and the results will come,” He continued, “Also, expect a big year next year.”
Men’s Day 2 Giant Slalom Results
Women’s Slalom
The women’s slalom began at approximately 10:30 AM on both days, presenting them with warm conditions that required them to adapt their technique rather than resist it. Maintaining a light touch on the edges was crucial while ensuring they were aggressive enough to secure a spot on the leaderboard.
First Day of Slalom
Victoria Palla of Great Britain, skiing for S1 Racing, came into the NorAm Finals with three wins and one podium in slalom this season on the circuit. She aimed to further secure her slalom NorAm title. On the first run, she came out of the start, gunning it from top to bottom.
She stated, “I gained confidence winning races and standing on podiums. It makes me hungry for more and gives me a big motivational boost to train even harder to make the next step.”
After the first run, she had established her lead, -0.56 ahead of the field. However, even with a significant lead, she would need to ski hard on the second run as she started bib-30. Palla skied strongly but lost a lot of time, which put her in 3rd place.
Mia Hunt, a University of Denver racer, was sitting in third after the initial run but pushed ahead of Palla in the second run for a 2nd-place result. It marked Hunt’s first podium finish on the NorAm Cup Circuit.
Her University teammate, Amelia Smart, who also skis for Alpine Canada Alpin, had the biggest jump of the day. Starting bib-31, Smart skied a fast first run, which put her in 4th place, +0.77 out from Palla.
She had some time to make up on the second run but had the advantage of already knowing how the conditions felt starting around the 30th racer.
She skied tactically strong and hard on the second run and put down a winning second run time. The second run win moved her into 1st place.
She stated, “The win was great! I came to these NorAms because I needed FIS points, so to get the win was really what I wanted and needed.”
“It has been fun to race at these NorAms, especially since they are at home for me. Having my mom and dad with me on the hill and racing with my sister, Eleri has been a bit more relaxing than the World Cups this year,” Smart explained.
Second Day of Slalom
After the first run, Canadian Arianne Forget was the one to beat, establishing a lead of -0.44 on the initial run. Forget has spent this season coming back from a knee surgery she had last season and was aiming for consistency this winter.
Unfortunately, on the second run, Forget did not finish. However, she still finished the slalom season in second for the NorAm Cup standings, securing her start on the World Cup circuit.
Australian, Madison Hoffman who competed for University of Utah, skied tactically smart on both runs, which paid off with a victorious day.
On the first day of slalom she got caught up in an offset pin and did not finish, so on the second day she came back ready to attack and ease up on herself.
“I was just skiing super tight, with unnecessary pressure on myself. So, going into today, I wanted to have fun with the last race of the year, and just try to make some fun turns,” Hoffman stated.
She further stated, “It was a fun day! It was a relief to put down two solid runs and ski free.”
Hoffman will compete in the giant slaloms, striving to make good turns and have fun with the last.
Victoria Palla positioned herself favorably for a victory in the initial run, securing the 3rd spot, trailing Forget, her S1 Racing teammate, by a mere +0.46 seconds.
Although Palla lost a little time in the second run, she still achieved a 2nd-place finish. This second-place finish secured her NorAm Cup title win in slalom. The athlete was very satisfied with her strong results at the Finals and was excited about her NorAm Cup title victory.
Kaja Norbye of Norway impressively skied from bib-28 into the 3rd-place position, rounding out the podium. Kaja Norbye also raced for the University of Utah this season, winning multiple slaloms on the University circuit.
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