American U16s podium at 7 Nations Cup in Courchevel

COURCHEVEL, France – A wide-eyed, talented group of USSA U16 National Training Group (NTG) athletes traveled to Courchevel, France, to compete in the 7 Nations Cup last week, grabbing an experience of a lifetime and solid results – including a pair of podiums by Alix Wilkinson (Park City, Utah) and AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team).

Though Mother Nature dumped fresh snow on the eve of both events, sunshine greeted racers on both race days and the course crew had a daunting task on their hands. In an almost World Cup-like fashion, a crew of 40 used a combination of machines and manpower to push all the fresh snow off the track. In the end, they were successful and the whole event went off without a hitch. “It was really first class,” reflected John Cashman, NTG U16 Head Coach.

Highlights included a victory by Wilkinson in the slalom, who bested the field by over a second, a second-place finish by Hurt in the giant slalom, and a seventh-place finish by Ben Ritchie (Waitsfield, Vt.; GMVS) in the slalom. Wilkinson was in fourth after the first run of giant slalom, and Ritchie was in third before both skied out second run.

What was most gratifying for Cashman was to see Wilkinson and Hurt overcome mental challenges to lay down solid results. Hurt was having a great run in slalom before going out eight gates before the finish. That was “a little bit of a heartbreak,” as Cashman described it. But it didn’t seem to slow her down.

One day before Wilkinson crushed the competition in slalom, she had a rough training day, and the day before the giant slalom, Hurt skied out in the slalom.

“To see both athletes really step up to the plate, block all of that out and move forward was very impressive,” said Cashman. “Our athletes did really, really well – especially Alix and AJ. Alix, in slalom, just skied phenomenally. She was solid and balanced. And Ben is happy with his performance in slalom, and knows he can be right there in giant slalom, so he is happy. It was really, really good.”

Prior to the event, the U16s spent some valuable time training in Europe, experiencing just about every kind of weather and snow conditions possible, from full-on rain in Germany to a rock-hard surface in Kitzbuehel. Cashman believes this preparation enabled the group to feel comfortable in varied conditions and ultimately set them up for success in Courchevel.

“The courses held up well here in Courchevel but I think they were just comfortable being here in Europe and it showed,” noted Cashman. “We had several other athletes that were in the flip each day and it was really good. As a whole, the group has some depth and there are some young ’01 birth years that garnered some really great experience being here.” This certainly bodes well for the future of alpine ski racing in the United States.  

Now in its fourth season, the 7 Nations Cup is hosted by a different country in Europe each year. It is an international test for the U.S. U16 racers, with deep competition from the strong central European nations. The U.S. U16s now have five top-five finishes since the event’s inception.

Official Results

Ladies’ Slalom

Men’s Slalom

Ladies’ Giant Slalom

Men’s Giant Slalom

Release and photo courtesy of USSA