Splits News From The Northwest

Hello, Fellow Racers! So far my season has been going pretty well, I've qualified for a few Devo/ Western Region races, I've lowered my points both in FIS and USSA by quite a bit, and I've qualified for the Western Region Championships!

My most recent competition was a Downhill and Super G race at Mt.Bachelor, OR. I got 8th and 5th in the Super G's and a 9th and 7th in the Downhill's, scoring in both events. Also, as I was pushing out of the gate, my pole detached itself from the grip, leaving me to ski the downhill with only one pole.

Despite that, I improved my time by almost 2.5 seconds! I'm off to the WR Champs in 6 days, wish me luck and good luck to all in your future competitions!

Also, if you wish to see some of my race runs, my coach Roger Taggart has been uploading them onto Youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/HEATRacingVideos

.)) Stephan Splitstoser

Photos from ISPO and SIA SKi Shows

Check out some pictures from the 2010 SIA and ISPO Ski shows at the SRD Fan Page on Facebook.

Off to Europe!

Hey everyone,

This season has been extremely busy so far. I have recently finished a Colorado Millennium bank cup in Beaver Creek. The first day i had some troubles first run, so I did not end up doing very well. The second day I won first run so I went in to second run feeling confident. I ended up winning the race by over a second. After the race I found out that I was named to the J2 national along with 15 other girls in the Rock/Central Division. Only about 45 girls from the entire country are named to the team and get to compete in the races in Maine.

Two days after the race in Beaver Creek I got on a plane a flew to Munich Germany. I was in Europe for a day before I headed off to the first race of the trip in Pohorje, Slovenia. The weather was so bad that they had to cancel the race so we then had to drive back to Germany/Austria. We trained the for one day, then most of the girls went home, and some other people from the US took the long drive to Bormio, Italy. I was in Bormio for 5 races, I was there for the British Jr. Championship and some FIS races. I hiked and skied out in the Jr. FIS' and I got 4th in the FIS Super G and 3rd in the FIS SL. Our FIS GS was one the Men's World Cup, we even started above where they start the men. The races were a really good experience and I had a lot of fun.

I am now headed off the J2 Nationals! Thanks,

.)) Katharine Irwin

Mikaela off to Topolino Games!

"The little taste of success I've had as a ski racer is usually what motivates me to stay on track with my skiing and I tend to want all the hard work I put into my skiing to translate into periodic success along the way. But this year, some of my excitement and motivation is coming directly from The Vancouver Olympics which have finally taken off. We are witnessing some pretty incredible competition— between Lindsey Vonn who races on men's skis, and Marlies Schild who just came back from a broken leg and has been dominating the women's world cup slaloms, and Maria Riesch and Nicole Hosp who are always competing their best so they might take home the World Cup Globe or an Olympic medal. Of course we can't forget the competition between Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Aksel Svindal, Benni Raich, and all those other amazing male skiers.

Watching all this competition I can't help but think of the future and what my own goals are, and I get so excited thinking someday I just might be able to compete at this international level as well.

Last year at the Eastern J3 Junior Olympics I qualified for an international race in Italy in March— the Topolino Cup. I'll be headed out in a little less than a week and I am starting to feel the excitement as the week gets shorter. Kendall Vanhee, another SRD racer who races out of Vail, Colorado, will also be competing at the Topolino Cup and I am so excited to be racing with her once again. She has been dominating the scene in Colorado so far! Congrats Kendall!

Hopefully Topolino will be just as exciting and fun as I have heard from competitors of previous years— I can't wait to find out!

.)) Mikaela Shiffrin