Four Vermont Freeskiers Named to Jr. National Team
PARK CITY, UT (Mar. 23, 2017) – U.S. Freeskiing will send a strong team of athletes to compete at the 2017 FIS Junior World Championships, including four up-and-coming Vermont skiers.
Pittsfield, VT’s Mazie Hayden, 16, heads up the skicross team. Hayden earned her first USASA national championship title in 2012 at just 11 years of age, and has won every USASA national title since. Hayden was also the first skicross athlete ever to be named to the Stacey Cook/Sun Valley Ski Tools competition team. Hayden, a student at Killington Mountain School will be joined by another KMS student, McKenna Latt — originally from Venice, CA. They’ll compete in the skicross events at Valmalenco, Italy April 6-7.
Two Stratton Mountain School students were also selected for the team. Caroline Claire, 17, of Manchester and Mac Forehand, 15, of Stratton, will also be traveling to Valmalenco to compete in slopestyle.
All four have already showed their chops. Hayden is a multi-time USASA national champion and Claire has had marked success on the Rev Tour, taking the overall slopestyle title in 2017. Mac Forehand, (featured by VT Ski + Ride last year) has also won his age division in USASA nationals and has already been featured in a number of magazines.
Italy, watch out!
Opening photo: Mazie Hayden, courtesy USSA
2017 U.S. FIS FREESKIING JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Halfpipe
Men
Jaxin Hoerter (Breckenridge, CO; U.S. Freeskiing; 7/17/00)
Cassidy Jarrell (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 8/31/99)
Dylan Ladd (Lakewood, CO; Winter Park Competition Center; 8/29/01)
Sammy Schuiling (Steamboat Springs, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 7/16/00)
Women
Hanna Blackwell (Hailey, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 4/20/00)
Svea Irving (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Competition Center; 2/27/02)
Nikita Rubocki (Boise, ID; Team Park City United; 10/11/99)
Brynn Wedlake (Avon, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 1/2/01)
Skicross
Men
Russell Malm (Mammoth Lakes, CA; Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Club; 1/15/98)
Erik Sparkowski (Simsbury, CT; New York Ski Education Foundation; 5/18/96)
Justin Wallasch (Acton, CA; Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Club; 3/19/97)
Sloan Ruhl (Ridgewood, NJ; New York Ski Education Foundation; 12/2/98)
Women
Mazie Hayden (Pittsfield, VT; Killington Mountain School; 10/2/00)
McKenna Latt (Venice, CA; Killington Mountain School; 3/17/00)
Slopestyle
Men
Mac Forehand (Southport, CT; Stratton Mountain School; 8/4/01)
Ryan Stevenson (Washington, NJ; 3/29/00)
Cody LaPlante (Truckee, CA; U.S. Freeskiing/Squaw Valley Freestyle and Freeride Team; 2/15/02)
Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, ME; 1/18/02)
Women
Marin Hamill (Park City, UT; Team Park City United; 4/5/01)
Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, VT; U.S. Freeskiing/Stratton Mountain School; 2/2/00)
Grace Henderson (Madbury, NH; Waterville Valley BBTS; 4/28/01)
Nikita Rubocki (Boise, ID; Team Park City United; 10/11/99)
EVENT SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)
March 26 – Halfpipe Finals
April 6 – Slopestyle Finals
April 7 – Skicross Finals
