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May 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels March 4, 2004 Snowboarders off to state Ashland High snowboarding team looking for more trophies By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings For prep snowboarding teams in the Metro, Three Rivers and Gorge leagues, the Grizzly snowboarding team is that reclusive cousin the family hears fantastic stories about, but only sees once a year. Consider this weekend's state snowboarding championships. The Grizzlies enter the meet as the top girls' and boys' seeds out of the Southern Oregon League, though that hardly indicates how they will stack up against the 150 best prep boarders in Oregon on Friday and Saturday. Ashland only competes against the Portland-area schools, which produce the majority of high school snowboarding teams, during the season-finale state meet at Mount Hood Meadows. Even though the Grizzlies only see their stiffest competition once a year while racing on a mountain the other teams regularly compete and practice on, the Ashland boarders don't worry about their dark horse status. In fact, they rather enjoy it. "We like that," said Grizz head coach Matt Faurot. "We think that's an advantage. We have a steep mountain down here and our kids are used to riding it. The past few years we've really made a name for ourselves." Yes, quite a name - girls' state team champions, girls' boardercross champions, boys' boardercross champions and a host of individual honors. "We've had good success so far," Faurot said. "Each year we have kids who filling the spots of the recent graduates and each year we get a little bit faster." The team to beat It's no secret that the Grizz girls are talented. As defending state champs, the team finished regular-season action in the SOL with eight of the top-10 ranked snowboarders in the league, including first through fifth. Not only that, this weekend's competition marks the last prep snowboarding event for the top four girls on the team. Three are seniors and the fourth, a junior, plans to graduate early. "They are returning, but they're not really into it for first place, second place, whatever," Faurot said. "They just have so much fun together, competing together. It's just a real team feeling." All together, the girls will send 10 representatives to Mount Hood: Emma Kurtz, Ella Street, Lily McCabe, Steph Elliott, Hallie Beaver, Maddy Wasserman, Adelka Stipkova, Athena Haxton and Cailtin Madigan. "They feel if they get in the top three, they'll be pretty proud of themselves," Faurot said. But Faurot believes the laid-back attitude of his team will actually elevate the girls beyond their expectations. "The girls are just looking to have fun," Faurot said. "It's a way to fend off the pressure." Not having much racing experience against top Portland-area teams like Wilson High, whose girls' team leads the Metro League, doesn't worry the Grizzlies too much. For the most part, the Ashland girls spent the season competing against one another because most other SOL teams didn't field full squads. "I think [the girls] look forward to competing against the unknown variable," Faurot said. "I look forward to some good competition up there (at state)." More good news Though the girls won all the marbles last year, the boys' team should be just as tough as the girls on Friday and Saturday. The top three boarders on the Grizzly boys' team - Evan Campbell, Sam Scheer and Casey Moore - rank No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 in the SOL and tout a combined 11 years experience on Ashland's varsity squad. Though the Grizz boys haven't won an overall state team title, the team has won the SOL five years running and will take 10 boys to state - Campbell, Scheer, Moore, Isaiah Thalmayer, Gabe Gonzales, Rob NcNamara, Eli Otter, Galen Prichard, Koty Lopez and Morgan McKelvey. "I feel like our boys are going to be a very surprising force up there," Faurot said, highlighting Moore's steady improvements that could put in the running for top honors at state. "They're all pretty experienced. Sam, especially, has been progressing in his freestyle ability." Campbell is another Grizzly who people will have to watch out for on Mount Hood. "In the individual boardercross event, a lot of time it's based on luck, but I think he has the skills and the experience to advance very far in that event," Faurot said, adding, "I think he will anchor a very strong team boardercross squad." The boys captured the state title in team boardercross in 2003 and it's expected they will really shine in the event again. "The boys spent a lot of time riding together," Faurot said. "It's been a lot of practice in close quarters going 20 mph down a course. They all have an awareness of where they are. That's crucial for team boardercross." When competing in team boardercross, six members of a squad hurl down the mountain at the same time. Typically, the snowboarders fall into a line, fastest to slowest, and draft off of one another. The four fastest times are added together to make the team mark. "There's no other race like it," Faurot said. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams