Local Skiers Named to Junior World Championship Team

By Megan Harrod/U.S. SKi & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 14 ambitious athletes to the 2019 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships Team to represent the U.S. in Val di Fassa, Italy, in six events Feb. 18-27 and two Vermont skiers are among them.

Waitsfield’s Ben Ritchie, 18, a Green Mountain Valley School skier, recently earned his first NorAm victory in a slalom race at Camp Fortune, Canada and finished 10th last year in slalom at the U.S. Alpine Championships.

Another former GMVS skier, Jimmy Krupka, 20 (now at Dartmouth), earned 6th at the U.S. Junior Championships last year in giant slalom.

The 2019 squad derives from U.S. Ski Team B, C, D teams, and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard National Development Group, as well as top U.S. Ski & Snowboard club program athletes from across the nation. Headlining the team are River Radamus (Vail, Colo.), who will be joined fellow 2016 Youth Olympic Games participant Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.), and frequent Alpine FIS Ski World Cup participants AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif.) and Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash.).

Last year at Junior Worlds in Davos, Switzerland, Radamus was second in super-G, while Hensien was fourth in slalom, Hurt was seventh in downhill and Kyle Negomir (Littleton, Colo.) was seventh in super-G. This season, Radamus scored his first FIS Ski World Cup points in giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy, in just his fifth World Cup start. Radamus, Negomir, Hurt and Cashman have all scored Europa Cup points this season, while Radamus, Ben Ritchie (Waitsfield, Vt.), Hensien and Cashman have each won NorAm races.

“We are excited to bring this accomplished group of 14 athletes to the 2019 World Junior Ski Championships,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “Through the selection period, they have all performed at the top of the NorAm Cup, four have scored Europa Cup points, and one has scored World Cup points. We are also returning one medalist and three other athletes with top-10 results from Davos last year. Going into these Championships, we believe everyone has the potential to win medals and earn top-10 results for the team.”

The 2019 Junior Worlds will include men and women’s downhill, super-G, alpine combined, slalom, giant slalom and a mixed team event. Live timing will be provided by FIS.

2019 FIS ALPINE JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Name, Hometown; Team Affiliation; Club (Birthdate)

Women

• Keely Cashman, Strawberry, Calif; Squaw Valley Ski Team (4/4/1999)
• Katie Hensien, Redmond, Wash.; Rowmark Ski Academy and University of Denver (12/1/1999)
• AJ Hurt, Carnelian Bay, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team (12/5/2000)
• Nellie-Rose Talbot, Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (8/24/1999)
• Claire Thomas, Salt Lake City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard and Dartmouth College (3/11/1998)
• Alix Wilkinson, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team (8/2/2000)

Men

• Cooper Cornelius, Glenwood Springs, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski Club (2/20/1999)
• Jacob Dilling, Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (10/19/1999)
• Bridger Gile, Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (10/15/1999)
• Jimmy Krupka, Waitsfield, Vt.; Green Mountain Valley School and Dartmouth College (7/15/1998)
• Kyle Negomir, Littleton, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (10/03/1998)
• River Radamus, Edwards, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (2/12/1998)
• Ben Ritchie, Waitsfield, Vt.; Green Mountain Valley School (9/5/2000)
• Jett Seymour, Steamboat, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and University of Denver (11/5/1998)

COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Feb. 18 – Men’s downhill training
Feb. 19  – Women’s giant slalom and men’s downhill training
Feb. 20  – Women’s slalom and men’s downhill
Feb. 21  – Men’s super-G
Feb. 22  – Men’s and women’s team event and women’s super-G
Feb. 23  – Men’s alpine combined
Feb. 24  – Women’s alpine combined
Feb. 25  – Men’s giant slalom and women’s downhill training
Feb. 26  – Men’s slalom and women’s downhill training
Feb. 27  – Women’s downhill