Ski team competes at state tournament

The Outlaws pushed their limits and took risks at the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing 2024 State Championships at Mt. Hood Meadows, Wednesday through Friday, March 6-8. They didn't make top finishes, but they ended their season on a spirited note.

Wednesday was a training day. The snow was dry and cold with sunny skies and calm winds, which made for a fun day and great team bonding.

Thursday brought slalom competition for the boys on a run called Stadium, and giant slalom for the girls on Ram's Head run. On Friday, the venues and events reversed with the boys racing giant slalom and the girls the slalom.

Outlaws girls included Ava Riehle, Tallis and Pia Grummer, Ella Eby, and Presley Adelt.

On Friday, the girls pushed themselves a bit beyond their limits in an attempt for a top finish. They had a number of crashes or missed gates, and were unable to get three finishes on the first run and were disqualified from getting a team score in the slalom event.

The girls came in seventh out of 19 teams in the giant slalom. Riehle was the fastest Outlaw with a 25th-place finish.

Coach Gabe Chladek made note of Riehle and her improvement over the course of the season.

"Ava started the season as a fifth- or sixth-seed racer and moved up incrementally throughout the season," said Chladek.

Central Catholic took first, Lakeridge second, and Summit finished third.

Outlaws on the boys side included Spencer Tisdel, Cooper Merrill, Emerson Backus, John Berg, Spencer Davis, and Ben Hayner. Tisdel was the fastest Outlaw with a combined giant slalom and slalom finish of 20th place.

The boys also pushed hard and encountered some crashes, and had some disqualifications, but were able to pull off a team score in both events. They finished 12th in the Giant Slalom and ninth in the slalom for a combined overall ninth place.

Chladek noted freshman and first year racer Spencer Davis, who was able to pull off a clean run and get a respectable time on the second run of the slalom when it looked as if the Outlaw boys might not have enough finishes to get a team score.

"Spencer came from the fifth seed and his finish completed the score for the Outlaws boys," said Chladek.

Both Tisdel and Grummer were selected from their league scores throughout the season to represent Oregon high schools at the Western Regional Championships, which will be held this week at Mammoth Mountain in California. Assistant Coach Natalie Grummer will represent Oregon as one of the team coaches at the event.

Of the tournament Chladek said, "It was really impressive to watch all of the athletes try their hardest and also demonstrate an amazing sense of camaraderie at the meet."