Article by Matt Holman, Ski Coach

Saturday was a picturesque day at Swain. Cold, sunny and partly cloudy. A perfect day for ski racing. The racecourse was all but bulletproof on Wheels Run after a large amount of natural snowfall followed by a few days of cold temperatures.

One Run of Giant Slalom:
Sophomore Lily Wagner had her best finish of her young career. She finished in 13th place in the morning giant slalom race. Lily has been training hard all season and we are finally seeing the results. This is her second top 15 finish this season. Sophia Minuto was 21st, Abby Bestine was 26th and Quinn Woeller was 29th. The Girls finished 6th. Boys competitors Ben Stone was 18th and Ethan Bradley was 24th. 

Two Runs of Slalom:
Lily Wagner finished 18th, Sophia Minuto 22nd, Abby Bestine 23rd, Quinn Woeller 24th.  Ben Stone 20th 

Quinn's second run time was an improvement of a full second and finished 3rd on the team. This team's improvement this year has been phenomenal, The team is looking forward to Monday's training session with a two-run Slalom Race on Wednesday 1/26

Photo submitted by Matt Holman. Lily Wagner, Sophia Minuto, Abby Bestine, and Quinn Woeller

Photos and information submitted by Coach Matt Holman.

SWAIN -- The Batavia Ski Team and Southern Tier Race League began their race season Saturday at Swain Resort with a double race.

Two runs of Giant Slalom in the morning, followed by a single run of slalom in the afternoon.

It was an above-average temperature day for ski racing, spring-like conditions and morning mist turned to sleet and back to rain that making the top layer of snow soft and lumpy like mashed potatoes and also exposed the hard-packed ice base in spots of Wheels Run at Swain.

The Batavia Alpine Ski Team had a successful day, senior Aubrey Towner had the best finish of her career and led the way in fourth place in the giant slalom, and sixth in slalom. Junior Lily Whiting came in ninth in giant slalom and 13th in the slolam. Junior Zack Wagner finished in 11th in giant slalom and 12th in the slalom on the boys' side.

Modified skiers Lily Wagner (11th/13th), Ethan Bradley (12th/12th), Ben Stone (16th/18th), Elijah Abdella (18th/15th), Brody Swinehart (23rd/20th) and Abby Bestine (24th/23rd) all had strong first races.

The ski team will next compete at Swain on Wednesday, in a two-run Giant Slalom race at 5:30 p.m.

Team photo: Aubrey Towner, Lily Wagner, Lily Whiting, Elijah Abdella, Abby Bestine, Zack Wagner, Ben Stone, Ethan Bradley, and Brody Swinehart.

Zack Wagner

Aubrey Towner

On Wednesday, February 25, 2009, veterans with disabilities will be treated to a day of skiing hosted by the Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program at Holiday Valley Ski Resort in Ellicottville, New York.   Several local veterans will use this opportunity to warm up for the 23rd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, taking place March 29 – April 3, 2009 at Snowmass, Colorado.

At the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, veterans who have spinal cord injuries, amputations, are visually impaired, or have other physical disabilities are given instruction in adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing, and introduced to a number of other adaptive recreational activities and sports. For many newly injured Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom military service men and women, the Clinic offers their first experience in winter sports and gives them the inspiration to take their rehabilitation to a higher level.

Each year, The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) sponsors six national events for U.S. military veterans served by VA medical facilities nationwide. Each program enhances the physical, social, and emotional well-being of the veterans who participate. Other events include the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, National Veterans Golden Age Games, and National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, National Veterans Tee Tournament and National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic.  Anyone interested in donating to this worthy cause for our nation’s local heroes should contact the Voluntary Service Office at VA Western New York Healthcare System at 862-8667.