Second run spoils skiers great start

The Sisters High School Alpine Ski Team managed a near-perfect first run in the fifth race of the Central Oregon Ski League season.

They were led by Liz Dale’s run-winning time, more than a full second ahead of the Bend and Summit High School girls.

Dale’s time, combined with Whitney Engstrom’s fourth place finish and Annie Hancock in 11th, left the Sisters girls in second place, just 1:17 seconds out of first. Sisters placed six of the top 16 girls and all nine Sisters girls finished the race course.

They were poised to take their second league victory of the season.

Victory was not to be.

During the second run, on a hard, icy race course, the Sisters girls fell victim to a series of mishaps, leaving the team in third place, seven seconds back.

“Sometimes the wheels just fall off,” said Coach Todd Williver after the race. “You’ve got to be able to put together two good runs to compete as a team; today it just didn’t happen. We’ve shown time and again we’ve got what it takes to compete and even win; we just have some trouble putting it all together.”

Even with second-run errors by three of the five varsity girls the girls still managed to place five of the top 13 finishers. Even after a second-run spill, Sisters’ Whitney Engstrom led the Sisters girls finishing in fourth overall (1.37:300) followed by Annie Hancock seventh (1.42:150), Liz Dale eighth (1.44:880), Kelly Morton 12th (1.53:210), Kelsey Newport 13th (1.56:310), Stephanie Yopp 21st (2.14:120), Nicole Veloso 22nd (2.17:870), Katie Taylor 27th (2.27:300) and Joelle Hamilton 29th 2.51:070).

The race-winning time was 1.27:960 posted by Bend High School’s Erica Skatvold.

The Sisters girls continue to hold the third-place position in the league standings, good enough to compete in the State Championship in March.

On the boys’ side, Sisters Michael Cristiano posted a personal best result, breaking the top 10 for a ninth-place finish (1.41:480) behind race-winning Michael Timm of Bend High School (1.25:380).

Cristiano was followed by Nick Anthony in 20th (1.55:560) and Stefan Redfield in 28th (2.10:070). Crashes eliminated Seth Rodriguez and Dominick DeLeone.

With one race left in the league schedule the boys are in fifth place.