U14 Qualifiers – Three local athletes traveled to Mount Spokane for the first of three Qualifier weekends. These athletes are competing for a spot on the 18-member Pacific Northwest championship team that will compete at Big Sky, Montana later this year.

Under the qualifier format each run is scored separately using World Cup points. The top three scores in each event are totaled and used to select the team.

Confused? So are we.

More than 150 athletes from across the Northwest competed. The races were conducted on very firm snow, barely yielding a rut and making for a truly fair competition. Erika Edmundson had a good weekend, winning Bronze in the first race and placing eighth in the second. More importantly, she earned valuable points by placing fourth, fifth and eighth place in individual runs.

Avery Edmundson skied strongly but lost a ski in two of the six runs. She finished 30th in the first Slalom and earned some points on her runs.

Crosby Schmidt had a rough Slalom day, but bounced back with a 22nd place finish in Giant Slalom and most notably was 10th in the final run, scoring good points.

Their next qualifier will be at Schweitzer in February.

Emerald Empire League – The Edge struggles with rosters at the start of each season, and sadly failed to report the strong results of a local athlete last week. U8 racer Elaina Stiller was third on Saturday and fourth on Sunday during Mitey Mite Giant Slalom competition.

Junior Race Series, Week 3 – Three Fridays, three races. We’re on a roll and it looks as though the kids will get a final shot at the gates tomorrow. The scoring is tight, so they’ll be going all out to close the gaps. The fastest boys were: Cadin Billstin (22.83), Austin Billstin (23.91) and James Schriber (25.79). The top three girls were Josie Buoy (24.89), Fiona MacDonald (26.98) and Marlee McCrum (27.13). Team #3, The Rit Monsters, has pulled out to a lead for the medals, so the other guys better find some magic tomorrow! Racing resumes this Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Toyota Day – Drive a Toyota up, show your registration and get a free lift ticket on Friday.

Winter Trails Day – Free access to the Nordic Trails at Schweitzer Saturday, Jan. 26. Contact the Activity Center at (208) 255-3081.

Western Region Speed Series on tap – The top 15-year-old to 21-year-old racers in the west will be coming to Schweitzer for a week of competition starting Tuesday. They’ll be racing Downhill and Super G on upper Cathedral Aisle and lower Zip Down. These athletes are worth watching, and if you want a really good view, come volunteer. Contact SARS at 946-7859 if you’re interested.