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60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, May 2, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 27, 2004 Carving her niche St. Mary’s skier Harris returns to the state meet as the Southern Oregon League’s top-ranked girl By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Annaliesa Harris has a unique game plan for the state skiing championships next week. She will try not to be herself. The St. Mary’s senior typically glides down a mountainside with such ease you’d think she was on an escalator, not two thin planks. But the Southern Oregon League overall champion will change her approach when she makes her second straight trip to state March 4-5 at Mount Hood Meadows. "People say I have pretty good form," says Harris. "That’s my strength. But my weakness is, I’m not attacking enough. Next week, I have a big incentive to be aggressive at state. Advertisement "I want to be in control when I’m skiing, and sometimes I worry too much about that. I have to have a balance between being in control and taking the fastest and most aggressive stance and style possible." Harris, whose interests off the slopes are as well-rounded as the grooves she carves, won the overall league title with 470 points, comfortably ahead of Ashland’s Lindsay Warren, who was runner-up with 410 points. The Crusader won two of the three slalom events — a departure from last year, when the giant slalom was her strength — to easily claim that crown. In the giant slalom, Harris placed third. The two races differ in the space between the gates and the speed. The giant slalom is faster, with gates stretched wide apart, calling for big, sweeping turns. Slalom gates are closer together and require quick, sharp turns. A year ago at state, Harris placed fifth in the giant slalom, 13th in the slalom and eighth overall. She isn’t certain why the slalom and giant slalom have flip-flopped on her list of preferences, but, she acknowledges, she’s practiced slalom more this year. "I just don’t feel like I have it in the giant slalom," she says. "I’m just not as solid." St. Mary’s coach Jessie Camp begs to differ. Camp, a certified professional ski instructor for 20 years, says Harris remains strong in the giant slalom. Her slalom has simply caught up, making her a better skier overall. "Her strength is slalom skiing," says Camp, referring to both events. "It shows up in every kind of course we set up for her and every kind of turning radius or difficulty." It could lead to top-five state finishes across the board. An area that shouldn’t be overlooked, says Camp, is the very demeanor Harris intends to tweak. "She has a very calm presence at races," says the coach. "Her emo-tional composure is very steady. If she has a fall, she knows exactly what to do: get up and complete the course in the proper manner. I’ve seen her recover from a fall and be very aggressive to catch up on her time. I’ve seen her do it (ski aggressively), and I’ve seen her do it when it mattered." Her only spill of the season came on the last weekend, yet she regrouped and finished the race at the top of the standings. "Every split second counted," says Camp. "It was really great." Harris, who began ski racing with the Mount Ashland Racing Association at age 8, will encounter a different terrain at Mount Hood Meadows. "It’s a lot flatter and the course is a lot longer," says Harris. "It’s kind of bad because we don’t have that terrain at Mount Ashland. But I’ve been there before, so I know what it’s like." After state, Harris will have something else to keep her occupied. She has applied to a number of top colleges, most of them in the East, and is awaiting word from them. She’s been accepted to the University of Oregon honors college and Goucher College in Baltimore. A Junior National Honor Society member, she belongs to several organizations at St. Mary’s, including the outdoor club and math team. Her academic interests include the arts and art history, science, such as chemistry, and calculus. Wherever Harris goes, she plans to find a ski team to join. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times