News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Outlaws ski strong at championships

The Sisters High School alpine ski team capped off their racing season with a strong showing at the two-day Oregon School Ski Association (OSSA) state championships at Mt. Bachelor March 1-2.

The Outlaws girls team brought home the third-place trophy, while the Outlaws boys took fourth place in the state races. The Summit boys team placed first ahead of Bend High. For the girls, Bend High outmatched Summit to take the girls title.

Competing in giant slalom on Friday, Cammi Benson shined for the Outlaws girls with a two-run (A & B) combined time of 1:56.02 for sixth place overall. Betsy Ausman posted a solid time of 2:10.35 for 18th place, followed by Danielle Rudinsky at 2:26.56 for 25th place and Emily Ausman at 2:28.74 for 26th place. The Outlaws girls took third place for the day.

Dillon Witt led the Outlaws boys team with a combined time of 1:52.99 for an eighth-place finish for the day, his best giant slalom finish for the season. Kyle Wattenburg raced a strong "A" run of 59.61, but suffered a knee injury taking him out of the remainder of the championship.

Outlaws boys held third place after the "A" run, but slipped to fourth for the day without Wattenburg. Yasha Saldi finished 19th with a time of 2:04.48 and Logan Sherrer took 28th.

"Many racers struggled on the steep GS course on the Thunderbird run, but the Outlaws racers raced very well on the tough GS course," said Coach Greg Ausman.

In Saturday's slalom race, the Outlaws repeated with third- and fourth-place finishes for the girls and boys. Again, the Summit boys and Bend girls took first place in slalom. For the Outlaws, Cammi Benson had another strong day with a seventh-place finish with a time of 1:53.32. Betsy Ausman had a 2:03.89 time for 17th place and Emily Ausman a 2:20.95 for 23rd place.

Dillon Witt raced a strong "A" run of 50:17 for 11th place, but came short of points on the "B" run after straddling a gate. Yasha Saldi finished with a 1:58.88 time and 21st on the day, and Logan Sherrer finished 31st.

At the OSSA championship awards ceremony, Benson and Witt received multiple honors for the individual championship and overall season performances. Benson took season honors of eighth in GS, 12th in slalom and seventh overall. Witt received season honors for 12th place in GS and 13th overall for the 2013 season.

"The OSSA has some of the top ski racers in the state and to race at that level, Cammi and Dillon can be real proud of their overall season awards," said Coach Ausman.

Senior Dillon Witt was also recognized with five other OSSA racer seniors for competing all four years of high school varsity racing in OSSA race competition.

"Dillon was our team leader and set an outstanding example with a positive attitude and competitive spirit each week. I am proud that Dillon reached his peak in the championships to finish his high school racing," said Coach Ausman.

"Our Outlaws alpine ski team really improved this season. The team doubled in size and all of our racers gained excellent race experience. We are still a young team, but we have a strong foundation with lots of potential and I am excited for next year with a larger and stronger team."

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