Steamboat Pilot & Today

Members of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club grow up competing throughout Colorado, the country and the world.

But everyone had to start somewhere.

For the youngest development and J7 and J6 racers at the Winter Sports Club, that was Sunday at Ski Sunlight outside Glenwood Springs.

The J6 racers are 7 and 8 years old. The J7 racers are 5 and 6 years old.

"They've done Steamboat Cups," coach Heather Skinner said. "Going out of town is such a new experience. They are so worried the first run. Then they realize, 'Oh, Howelsen is harder than this.'"

The Winter Sports Club's development and J6 groups compete once out of town and serve more as an introduction to ski racing before the children grow older.

"They had a really fun time," Skinner said. "The other teams commented on how great our attitude was."

Steamboat's Ellese Lupori won two giant slalom races on Joslin's Run at Ski Sunlight. She was the only Steamboat racer to win, but she wasn't the only skier to race well.

"What I tell them at the top is point your skis to the first gate and have fun," said Skinner, who coaches with Maggie McElhinney.

Paula Cooper (J7) and Tristan Arnis (J6) took second in their respective divisions.

Other Steam--boat racers were MacKenzie Ward, Aubrey Rhode, MacKenzie Gans--mann, Kristen Kinzie, Shannon Parks, Madeline Craig-Scheckman, Natalie Wirth, Lesley Wilson and Kestral Johnston, Jett Seymour, Robby Brown, Zack Rosa, Will McConnell, Nick Simon and Asher Rhode.

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