February 18, 2021 at 8:29 a.m.
Slalom costs Springers, Hodag skiers at state
Slalom costs Springers, Hodag skiers at state
Ty Springer wound up 62nd in the boys' division and Tommie Jo Springer was 76th in the girls' division of the WIARA Ski & Snowboard Championships, which wrapped up Monday in La Crosse.
They were the leading overall hopes for the Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine Ski team which finished 13th of 20 teams in the boys' division and 17th of 19 in the girls' division.
Both Springers came back later in the competition to medal in individual events. Ty Springer took third in both giant slalom and Super G while Tommie Jo Springer won the girls' Super G, but neither had a shot to contend for overall titles thanks to slalom.
"When you lose one event, that's going to kill you for the overall," Hodag coach Rod Olson said. "That's how it is. That's what's interesting and challenging about ski racing. You're not always going to win the 100-yard dash. There's so much involved in it between technical things and tactical decisions."
Olson said both Springers were caught out in slalom by a difficult set of corners, just beyond the headwall. Ty Springer immediately realized he had straddled a gate, tried the hike, but was still disqualified for missing a gate.
Olson said there was some ambiguity regarding Tommie Jo Springer's mishap. She took a provisional re-run, which was third-fastest in the event, but the run was overturned, and her aborted first run counted, after deliberation from the meet jury.
"We asked for a provisional re-run because she straddled a gate and the gatekeepers were confusing and indecisive, as well as some other officials," he explained. "I was yelling, 'ski off, ski off, ski off,' and she continued and about eight gates down she fell, skied off. We requested a re-run based on the gate judges, but if you go more than three or four gates before you pull out, you've gained an advantage by somewhat practicing the course ... I knew we didn't have much of a chance for that re-run to stick.
"She was the fastest and she backed out of there. That took a lot out of her, mentally. She was in tears."
For Ty Springer, it was his last shot at a state podium after finishing seventh overall as a sophomore. Last year a mishap in giant slalom knocked him out of overall contention.
"Ty's good," Olson said. "He laid down some heaters and did what he could do for himself and the team from there on out. Of course he was hoping for more, but it wasn't to be. He had a good attitude about it."
Another slip in giant slalom left Tommie Jo Springer 41st in that event, roughly three seconds off the pace, but she came back to dominate the Super G competition, winning the event by 1.66 seconds.
"She came back and won the Super G, which was a good indication of what level she was at with those other two runs," Olson said. "You've got to be the best on that day, and manage that speed. She's too fast for the courses here. She's ready for a World Cup, upper-level FIS set, where it's a little bit steeper and a little more open."
Senior Patrick Stemper, despite battling a knee injury, ended up with the best finish on the weekend for the Hodags. He took 36th in slalom, 40th in giant slalom and 45th in Super G to finish 29th overall.
"He came back and he was fluid when he competed this weekend, not 100% but he had a good, consistent day and had a good overall," Olson said.
Riley Zarm was 72nd for the Hodag boys, AJ Gillespie finished 79th, Lucas Bishop was 106th and Mason Durkee finished 108th in a field of 149 skiers.
McKenna Nash led the Hodag girls in 65th overall, Kathryn Borski was 89th, Lily Berger finished 100th and Madelyn Ewan was 103rd in a field of 141 skiers.
The skiers battled subzero temperatures much of the weekend, with a wind chill around minus-30 at the start of competition both days, according to the National Weather Service in La Crosse.
"The theme of the weekend was trying to compete and mentally staying in it. It was just brutal," Olson said. "It all worked out and Mt. La Crosse did as good of a job as they could with the restrictions that were in place. We were fortunate to have the event run. In comparison to some other sports where they have a modified state (tournament) or no state, we were fortunate to be an outside sport and get it pulled of the way it did."
Looking ahead, the Hodags will graduate nine athletes who competed at this weekend's state meet, including Ty Springer, Stemper, Durkee, Borski and Berger in skiing. In snowboarding, Rhinelander will graduate girls' overall state champion Kylee White, along with boys' boarders Bailey Schwab, Joey Sturzl and Joey Durkin.
"We're losing a core. Our performances and placements have definitely been good for the last 2-3 years with the team we had," Olson said. "We're gearing back into a rebuild mode here for a few years. We've got some strong junior high skiers coming."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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