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85 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 25, 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 March 1, 2004 Judy Allen of Ashland cruises down the slopes of Mount Ashland�s winter ski trail Sunday during the annual Standing Stone Ski Classic. An ageless thrill Longtime racers say competition never gets old at Mount Ashland’s Standing Stone Ski Classic By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Judy Allen has suffered more physical damage on skis than most people would care to think about, but that didn’t stop her from going downhill fast Sunday on Mount Ashland. Allen wears a knee brace from a fracture that happened 20 years ago. In 1992, she broke a femur. She’s dislocated both shoulders in falls, and last winter she broke her pelvis in a hard fall right after racing in the Standing Stone Ski Classic, Mount Ashland’s annual race for skiers age 25 and over. The Ashland woman was back on the course again over the weekend, racing against the clock and her friends. "I’m convinced we go out and do this because it’s something we did years ago," said Allen, 69, "and when we do it, it makes us feel like we did then. "Every time I get in the starting gate it’s not that much different from the way it used to be," said Allen, who skied, raced and taught skiing for years in Idaho. "You look at the whole course and how it unfolds beneath you. It’s just a little slower." Advertisement Allen joined about 50 other skiers in two days of friendly competition. Like many older skiers, she’s unwilling to quit a sport she’s enjoyed for decades. "I’ve spent most of my life on skis," she said. "Skiing takes over your life and it’s hard to get it out of your system." Her husband, Ray Redpath, said his body was slow to answer the call Sunday morning after Saturday’s races. "This morning my knee was bothering me, my hip was bothering me and my elbow was bothering me," said Redpath, at 71 the oldest racer in the field. "And I was asking myself ‘Why do I want to do this?’ " The answer is obvious, said Greg Williams, who helped handle race details. "Why does somebody when they’re 45 go out and buy a sports car and drive too fast? said Williams. "It’s fun." Fun was the only real incentive for racers who marked their 40th birthday sometime in the last century. The only spectators were a few timekeepers and other racers who had already finished their trip through the twisting slalom course. They collected at the finish line, hooting and hollering encouragement for friends as they carved their turns. "What I love is that the women as well as the men get totally jazzed," said Williams, president of the Mount Ashland Association, the volunteer organization that manages the publicly-owned ski area. The urge to do better drives racers of every age, said Gene Landsmann, 62, who helped organize the Mount Ashland race 30 years ago and still competes. "It’s still an enormous thrill," Landsmann said. "Ski racing is one of those things where you have an absolute. You’re racing against the clock, and you can compare yourself to anybody." While every racer strives to ski faster, mature skiers confront the course with a sense of self-preservation conspicuously absent in younger competitors. "You’ll notice the older skiers tend to finish the course," said Lionel Davies, 65, "while the younger skiers tend to crash out." Davies entered his first ski race a year ago, while visiting Mount Ashland after a business trip that brought him to America from Australia. He said racing has made him a better skier. "Last year my time was 1 (minute) 45 (seconds)," he said. "This year I broke 1 minute." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Top ski race finishers Here are the top three male and female finishers in Mount Ashland’s Standing Stone Ski Classic. Results are compiled by adding the time required to complete two runs on a slalom course and two runs on a giant slalom (a course with fewer turns). Women: Melodie Buell, Ashland, (under age 25), 2:44:10; Becky Reitinger, Ashland, (age 45-49) 3:02:86; Kristy Bond, Mount Shasta, (40-44) 3:19:16. Men: Devon Rose, Ashland, (under 25) 2:46:68; Sam Sturgeon, Phoenix, (under 25) 2:51:66; Gene Landsmann, Hilt, (60-64), 2:53:97. 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