Chevrolet Western J3s: Perkins, Caston win SG

Jake Perkins and Rose Caston raced to victories over a challenging super G course at Mammoth Mountain on Friday to capture the first gold medals in the 2007 Chevrolet Western Region J3 Junior Olympics.
MAMMOTH LAKES, California — Jake Perkins and Rose Caston raced to victories over a challenging super G course at Mammoth Mountain on Friday to capture the first gold medals in the 2007 Chevrolet Western Region J3 Junior Olympics.
    Joining the J3 champions were J4 Festival super G winners Lena Andrews and Max Hall.
    The best 12- to 14-year-old United States Ski Association racers, boys and girls, from the five Western divisions are competing in Mammoth this week. Competition continues Friday with the J4 and J3 girls racing two runs in the slalom over Mammoth’s Fascination course. The J4 and J3 boys, meanwhile, compete in two runs of giant slalom on a Cornice Bowl/Fascination (Terry’s finish) course with a 261-meter drop.
    Racing under sunny skies with varying winds, Perkins had an outstanding run through the middle of the Cornice/Fascination course. His time of 1:07.20 edged Far West teammate Bryce Bennett by a little more than three-quarters of a second.
    Intermountain’s Caston, meanwhile, won by more than a second over silver medalist Vanessa Berther of PNSA.
    Thursday’s results left Far West, Intermountain and PNSA in the J3 division lead medal count with two each. In J4, Far West raced out to an early lead. In addition to the gold medals of Andrews and Hall, Far West picked up silver medals from Allene Kennedy and Ty Sproke.