McJames wins National GS title on challenging day

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine–Mondays can be rough for anyone, but this one was especially so for top ski racers who were racing at Sugarloaf Resort in the women’s U.S. National Championship giant slalom on March 27. Wind pelted snow into the faces of athletes and spectators throughout the day, and visibility was extremely low. Not even blue dye could make the race much easier. In the first run alone, nearly half of the field did not finish including a few athletes brought down in ski patrol sleds.

Conditions were so challenging that the start was moved down in the second run into the Meadow section of the course–about eight gates down from the first run start. Independent American athlete Megan McJames was able to walk away with the giant slalom title with a combined time of 2:05.03. This is the first National Championship discipline title for the 29-year-old skier, who has seven other Nationals podium finishes to her name.

“I have had combined (titles), but I’ve never won an event, so today I wanted it and it was really tough conditions, and I think that if there was anything I’ve learned in the last four years of being an independent skier, it’s that perseverance is the name of the game,” McJames shared.

The winner would not let the tough conditions stop her from charging down the Narrow Gauge slope.

“It’s gusting, but I knew the surface on the hill was good, so I was just focusing on that and I knew where in the course I had to be smart and everywhere else I just charged,” she continued.

Chasing her down was Dartmouth’s Foreste Peterson, coming in second place. The former national team member has gone from full-time ski racer to full-time student-athlete recently and impressed even herself with her skiing.

“It’s definitely really satisfying,” Peterson said. “I’ve surprised myself with my results this year just given that I am a full-time student and I’m not training full time, so it definitely feels pretty sweet.”

The result was Peterson’s first appearance on a podium at a U.S National Championships. Rounding out the GS podium was Patricia Mangan of the U.S. Ski Team, who was the top junior athlete of the day. She finished with a combined time of 2:06.85, 1.82 seconds away from the win.

“Crazy weather, super windy, lot of snow, but everybody is kind of in the same spot at the start, so I knew that everybody else was going to step it up, so I had to as well.”

Mangan has earned two other podium finishes at U.S. National Championships–both in 2016 at Sun Valley, Idaho.

At the end of the day, only 24 of the 66 athletes finished the race. Among the athletes brought down in sleds was the U.S. Ski Team’s Laurenne Ross. There is no official diagnosis for Ross yet, but information will be published as it becomes available.

Complete results are available here.