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For Ray, it's all downhill from here Photo from Kara Ray Crater High junior Kara Ray will head the local contingent competing today and Friday at Mount Hood. Crater junior hits the slopes in search of state skiing title By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN CENTRAL POINT -- Ski-racer Kara Ray of Crater High says if she can stay on her feet and negotiate Mount Hood with her usual speed and aggressiveness, she can win a girls state championship this week. Ray, 17, a junior at Crater High, is in somewhat of a unique situation. She is without a team -- Crater doesn't field boys or girls squads due to a lack of skiers -- but will go after state individual titles in slalom and giant slalom today and Friday on Mount Hood. The boys and girls state meets start today at 9:30 a.m., with the slalom competition. The giant slalom finals are at 9:30 a.m. Friday. "If I don't fall, I think I have a chance to win state," says Ray, who started skiing with her father, Gary, on Mount Ashland at age 3. "We only have two runs in each event, so that adds pressure to stay up and not fall," says Ray. Steve Wasserman, a teacher at Crater, is the head coach of the Ashland girls and boys teams. He also coaches Ray, who practices with the Ashland teams. Wasserman, too, likes Ray's chances if she can avoid pitfalls. "Kara has burst onto the scene this year as a dominant skier," says Wasserman. "She fell a couple times in races this year because she hadn't totally mastered all the skills of ski racing. "But she's improved her skills, and I think she has a good chance to win state, if she can maintain her concentration and keep her emotions under control. "She has learned you can't always just go for it. You have to deal with the mental pressures of skiing on very slippery surfaces and cope with the mental part." Ray, who recently won the girls Southern League individual title by compiling the best total scores in giant slalom and slalom events, fell in two of six conference races this season, damaging her chances to win the individual title. But she made several strong runs during the balance of the season to win the league title with 147 total points. The giant slalom is more of an open course, with wider turns and larger distances between the gates. The slalom is a shorter race, with less distance between the gates. Tied for second place at 106 points in the girls final conference individual standings were Rachel Karlin of Ashland and Jenni Brunson of South Medford. All three skiers will compete at state. The top two boys and girls teams and the top four individuals represent the Southern League at state. The Southern League is comprised of Ashland, North Medford, South Medford and Lakeview. Ashland High's boys and girls teams and the Lakeview boys and girls squads will be in the state meet. Those going as individuals are, for the boys, J.P Villa of South Medford and Alex Hice of North Medford and, in the girls, Ray and Brunston. The individual boys league champion was Brett Nichols of Lakeview with 108 points. Zach Williams of Ashland was second and Ezra Kemp of Ashland third overall. Ashland's boys team is expected to challenge for a state team title. Wasserman describes his boys team as deep and talented. Other Ashland boys team members are Griffin Loop, Adam MacLaughlin, Ryan Slack and Chris Newton. The Grizzly girls team is made up of Southern League runner-up Rachael Karlin, Shey Yearsley, Megan Hald, Jasna Sindelar, Claire Stephens, Heather Coons and Michelle Blum. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA