Chevrolet J2s: Leggett, Kemp pick up GS wins

Kristin Leggett and Julia Ford finished 1-2 to lead a powerful showing by Eastern division girls in the giant slalom at the 2007 Chevrolet J2 Junior Olympics on Tuesday at the Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort in Bend, Oregon.
KRISTIN LEGGETT and Julia Ford finished 1-2 to lead a powerful showing by Eastern division girls in the giant slalom at the 2007 Chevrolet J2 Junior Olympics on Tuesday at the Mount Bachelor Ski Resort in Bend, Oregon.
    Killington Mountain School’s Leggett, second behind Ford after the first run, scorched the course the second time down to pass Ford and the rest of the field to win by well over a second. Leggett’s unofficial two-run time was 2 minutes, 20.92 seconds. Ford, of the Holderness School, clocked just the seventh-fastest time in the second run but easily held on for second in 2:22.35. Felicia Byers from the Western division was well back in third place at 2:24.52. Byers was the only non-Eastern division athlete in the top six, but West racers did occupy four of the next five finishers through 11th place.
    The boys giant slalom was much tighter, with Rocky/Central division racers John Kemp, of Colorado’s Crested Butte Academy (formerly Team Summit), and Buck Hill’s Michael Ankeny finishing 1-2 but separated by just 0.05 seconds, unofficially. Kemp’s winning effort was 2:14.22, Ankeny finished in 2:14.27 and Western division racer Colby Granstrom took the bronze medal in third at 2:14.49.        
    Rocky/Central racers occupied seven of the top nine places, with Granstrom and fellow Western racer Taylor Vest-Burton in fifth place breaking up the string.