Mammoth Nordic Teams Bring Home The Medals!
The Mammoth High School and Middle School Nordic Teams competed in the California/ Nevada Interscholastic Ski and Snowboard Federation (CNISSF) State Championships at Auburn Ski Club in Soda Springs, California this past Saturday and had some impressive results. The State Championships are the culmination of a season of competition between schools in the league and are a highlight of the racing season.
Competing against eight other school teams from both California and Nevada, the Mammoth High School Men’s Team landed atop the podium and won the school’s first-ever CNISSF State Championship! The race format was a “Skiathlon” individual start, where competitors skied against the clock combining two nordic disciplines, skiing the first 3.3k circuit on classic skis, then transitioning to freestyle (skate skis) for the second lap of the course. Competitors raced on a course that challenged their skills in climbing steep and gradual hills, descending fast downhills, and grinding flat sections. It took a team effort of individuals skiing their best race to win the Title.
The High School Women’s Team skied to impressive results as well with a second-place overall finish for the Championships. Senior Mia Karch saved the best for last as she posted her personal best performance of the season in her final race with the team. Mia was both exhausted and emotional as she was presented with a flower bouquet by the coaches and
cheered at the finish line by her fellow teammates, waving posters and face cut-outs of her to help celebrate her final moment with the Mammoth team. Ella Walker raced to a top 5 result in the championship after a solid season representing Mammoth High School.
Here are the individual results from the CNISSF State Championships:
Mammoth High School Boys
Dane Karch – 2nd place
Cabot Godoy – 4th place
Wade Perry – 8th place
Davin Wolter – 9th place
Jack Leonard – 15th place
Mammoth High School Girls
Mia Karch – 4th place
Ella Walker – 5th place
The excitement of State Championships was apparent by the glitter on their cheeks and nervous energy. High octane cheering from the Mammoth High School skiers led to a fantastic day of racing. Weeks of training paid off for both the boys and girls teams as they each placed 3rd in the overall team ranking for state championships!
Luken Senior and Olivia Karch led the Mountain Lions, who finished 5th and 4th respectively.
Mammoth Middle School Boys
Luken Senior – 5th
Nat Parker – 17th
Will Parker- 32nd
Noah Pourol – 43rd
Mammoth Middle School Girls
Olivia Karch – 4th
Pearl Johnson -19th
Makenna Smith – 23rd
Kylie Wolter – 28th
The Nordic Team Coaches (Ben Higgins, Jeff Byberg, Kathi Kirkeby, Nancy Fiddler, and Isaac Kreisman) are very proud of these student athletes. We’d like to give a special shout out of appreciation to the supportive parents, volunteers, Eastern Sierra Nordic Ski Association Board members, Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, and a host of others who have contributed to the success of the Mammoth Nordic program! Thank you Team!
Written by the Mammoth Nordic Team coaches
Jesse is a media content creator and film maker from the Eastern Sierra.
