Slick as ice – the Brandon-Oxford lady skiers took top positions at both divisional competition and the Apple Varsity Invitational.
At divisionals on Feb. 5, the ladies took third place in both slalom and giant slalom. Flushing and Fenton, both top teams in the competition, took the first and second positions.
Karen Offer placed fourth on the slalom with a combined 1:01.15 time. Grace Auchterlonie placed 10th with 1:05.69 and Lauren Bayliss 12th with 1:08.86. On the GS, Offer placed sixth with 0:53.45, Bayliss eighth with 0:55.08 and Auchterlonie ninth with 0:55.18.
The girls now qualify for the Southeast League Meet at Alpine Valley, which can lead to state finals.
At Apply Valley, a smaller hill than the normal Mt. Holly run, the Lady Blackhawks-Cats took first place in both races. Offer took second on the slalom with 0:33.56, following behind Valley Lutherans Erin Humphreys who came in at 0:32.31. Auchterlonie came in fourth with 0:36.44, Casey Nesterwich in fifth with 0:40.81 and Heather Tiffany in sixth with 0:40.87. On the giant slalom, Offer and Auchterlonie tied for first with 0:29.71. Bayliss came in fourth with 0:29.98.
“Congratulations to the girls on a great season,” said Coach Ed Haley. “The girls finished the ski-duel competition season with five wins and two losses. There was great effort.”
The Brandon-Oxford boy’s ski team had a successful individual week on the slope. Overall, the team took sixth place on the slalom and eight place on the GS at divisionals. Tim Smith was the only skier to qualify for the Southeast League Meet by placing ninth on the slalom with 0:55.04.
“Tim has been placing well in duel competition all season and proved that he was a top racer in the Holly Division,” said Haley. “This is a goal that Tim has been striving for.”
At Apple Valley, the boys grabbed a second place finish on the giant slalom, topped only by Heritage, and a third place on the slalom, with Heritage taking first and Novel-Garber taking second. Smith took sixth on the GS with 0:28.88 and Ryan Hotchkiss took seventh with 0:29.03. On the slalom, Smith moved up to third with 0:30.78 and Hotchkiss finished sixth with 0:32.50.
The combined ski team now faces regional competition tonight (Thursday) at Mt. Holly.