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Those skiers and riders attempting a mid-morning run down Vagabond ski trail Saturday were greeted with a surprise -- a rare super-G race on the Steamboat Ski Area intermediate run.

Terry DelliQuadri, a J3 level coach with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, said that Vagabond is a "real super-G" course and that the Winter Sports Club was thankful to the ski area for allowing Vagabond to be closed for the race.

More than 80 girls and 90 boys ages 13 to 15 from the Rocky Mountain Region took part in Saturday's Junior Olympic qualifying race. The Winter Sports Club had more than 20 participants in the field for the first of six races to be held in the coming months for racers wanting a trip to this year's Junior Olympics at Beaver Creek.

No Steamboat skier finished among the top three, but many posted good finishes in Saturday's super-G.

"Super-G races are relatively new to this level," DelliQuadri said. "They have some at the J4 level, but they are shorter. Vagabond is a nice, long super-G run. There is some terrain, they caught some air and were skiing at high speeds."

DelliQuadri estimated some racers reached speeds approaching 60 miles per hour Saturday.

Eldora's Will Gregorak won the boys' race in 1 minute, 14.15 seconds. Vail's Hunter Schleper was second, and Vail's Cody Unicume was third. The top male finisher for the Winter Sports Club was Taylor Coe in eighth. Jimmy Hostetler finished ninth, rounding out the top 10 finishes by local skiers.

The top female finisher for the Winter Sports Club was Vikki Brown in 22nd. Cassady Roberts was 26th, and Charlotte Letson was 27th.

Vail's Christa Ghent won the race in 1:16.17, skiing nearly one second faster than runners-up Khyla Burrows of Winter Park and Mary Hostetter of Summit.

It took the race crew three days to install the 85 safety nets lining the Vagabond course, DelliQuadri said. The increased safety precautions needed for Vagabond is one reason races aren't held frequently on the course, but the course was in great shape Saturday, one day after poor visibility cut training short.

"Friday, the girls got to train but had to start lower because of fog," DelliQuadri said. "The boys had no training runs."

Other Winter Sports Club male finishers were: Ryan McConnell (12th), Jace Wirth (13th), Max Marno (16th), Michael Lyon (18th), Jordan Bernard (22nd), Ryan Coe (24th), Hig Roberts (27th), Nelson Kane (28th), Joshua Fix (32nd), Andrew White (34th), Benjamin Paley (47th), Cody Wirth (50th) Tim Scalo (58th), Mark Dennis (72nd) and Jake Supple (77th).

Other female finishers for the Winter Sports Club were: Jorid Halsnes (29th), Monica Nackard (34th), Amanda DeVos (36th) and Sarah Dixson (65th).

The Junior Olympic qualifying will continue today with a second super-G race on Vagabond. The girls are scheduled to start at 9:15 a.m., and the boys will follow at 10:45 a.m. Spectators are welcome to watch the race and can access viewing areas from any of four points off Why Not, a green run on the mountain.

-- To reach Melinda Mawdsley call 871-4208 or e-mail mmawdsley@steamboatpilot.com