Delaney, Wunsch best the elements and the field at Eastern J3 JOs

Delaney, Wunsch best the elements and the field at Eastern J3 JOs{mosimage}Whiteface/Gore, New York The Eastern region’s best J3’s braved torrential rains and ugly snow surfaces when they congregated for the Junior Olympics in New York state March 11-14. By week’s end, Taylor Wunsch and Devin Delaney, a pair of Vermont racers, proved too strong to be slowed by the soggy conditions and were crowned the overall champions of this year’s series.

Gore Mountain played host to the super G events, and because of the conditions and the weather forecast, race organizers moved the races – originally scheduled for March 12 – up a day. New York’s Everett Keller won the boys’ race, while Linsey Wright, a young first-year J3 from Mount Snow, Vermont, surprised the ladies’ field and stole a victory.

Both Wunsch and Delaney had inauspicious starts to the week; Delaney survived a pair of hip-checks before finishing sixth in super G, while Wunsch landed in tenth on the boys’ side. These two, however, would take control when the series moved to Whiteface Mountain for the technical events.

The March 13 giant slalom races were, naturally, supposed to feature two runs, but unrelenting rain ultimately made champions out of a one-run race. Delaney was far and away the class of the girls’ field, skiing smart on the steep, upper section of the course and winning the run/race by almost 1.3 seconds. Wunsch also skied very well, and though he finished just three- hundredths ahead of Matt McKenna, another Vermont racer, the two were well ahead of the rest of the field.

Wunsch would win again the next day in the boys’ slalom, and Delaney followed her GS victory up with a strong silver medal performance in the girls’ slalom, finishing just behind New Hampshire’s Kara Shaw.

Boys’ super G
Eastern J3 Junior Olympics
Gore Mountain, New York
March 11, 2006
Top 5
1. Everett Keller NY 1:06.43
2. L.J. Lubow VT 1:06.60
3. Ben Morse ME 1:06.63
4. David Simon NY 1:07.08
5. Geoffrey Bonewald NH 1:07.19

Girls’ super G
Eastern J3 Junior Olympics
Gore Mountain, New York
March 11, 2006
Top 5
1. Linsey Wright VT 1:08.85
2. Sarah Kartluke VT 1:09.15
3. Jenna Kantor VT 1:09.47
4. Abigail Fucigna NH 1:09.53
5. Makayla Brown ME 1:09.54

Boys’ giant slalom
Eastern J3 Junior Olympics
Whiteface Mountain, New York
March 13, 2006
Top 5
1. Taylor Wunsch VT 1:07.69
2. Matthew McKenna VT 1:07.72
3. Liam Mulhern VT 1:08.40
4. Bobby Farrell VT 1:08.68
5. Ben Morse ME 1:08.68

Girls’ giant slalom
Easterm J3 Junior Olympics
Whiteface Mountain, New York
March 13, 2006
Top 5
1. Devin Delaney VT 1:07.57
2. Zoe Livingston VT 1:08.84
3. Linsey Wright VT 1:09.30
4. Jenna Kantor VT 109.35
5. Bridget Gilroy NH 1:09.81

Boys’ slalom
Eastern J3 Junior Olympics
Whiteface Mountain, New York
March 14, 2006
Top 5
1. Taylor Wunsch VT 1:28.19
2. Evan Diamond VT 1:28.86
3. John Arnold NH 1:28.97
4. L.J. Lubow VT 1:30.70
5. Geoffrey Bonewald 1:31.46

Girls’ J3 SL
Eastern J3 Junior Olympics
Whiteface Mountain, New York
March 14, 2006
Top 5
1. Kara Shaw NH 1:28.81
2. Devin Delaney VT 1:29.73
3. Abigail Fucigna NH 1:30.60
4. Jenna Kantor VT 1:33.69
5. Amelia Rowland ME 1:34.66