Left to right, Fox Lane’s John Hamilton focuses on his next turn in boys slalom race. Brynn Anthony of Fox Lane heads down the mountain in giant slalom race at Gore Mountain. James Bysshe of John Jay plows through a gate during slalom race. Greg Kaplowitz Photos
By JIM MACLEAN
In a sport where the top finishers are often divided by just fractions of a second after a long run down the mountain, it was an impressive couple of days for local skiers from John Jay and Fox Lane. They earned the chance to compete against the best high school racers in the state at the New York State alpine ski championships Feb. 24-25 at Gore Mountain.
It was a two-day event with the top boys and girls skiers competing in giant slalom on Monday and slalom on Tuesday. Conditions were less than ideal with warm weather creating soft snow and a rainy day on Tuesday, but the skiers made the best of it. With the 64 top boys and girls qualifying to compete, it was a tight race with one little mistake making a big difference, but the skiers representing Section 1 held their own with the 11 girls from the sectional team finishing second overall and the boys finishing third.
John Jay earned the chance to make the trip to states as a boys team as the Wolves claimed the Section 1 team title, and continued their impressive finish with a fourth-place finish in the team standings at the state championships.
“It was a great couple of days for John Jay and we were pleased with our fourth-place finish,” said John Jay coach Paul Crivelli. “While our best-ever team result at states was a second-place finish, this was a strong overall performance. The team really came together at states, pushing and supporting one another throughout the competition.”
The top finish for John Jay over the two days of racing was turned in by Porter Bysshe as he finished seventh in the slalom with a combined time of 1:26.11 for his two runs. James Bysshe was 19th in slalom and 26th in giant slalom. Sean O’Meara was right behind James in slalom in 20th and he was 41st in giant slalom, while Matt Wolfe was 41st in giant slalom for the Wolves.
Fox Lane had two skiers earn the chance to compete in the state championships as part of the Section 1 team, and both of them turned in impressive performances as expected. John Hamilton has been one of the top boys skiers in Section 1, while Brynn Anthony has been one of the top girls skiers all season long.
“It was rough conditions, soft snow for racing, and they both did great,” Fox Lane coach Jessica Anthony said of Hamilton and her daughter Brynn.
Hamilton was determined to finish his high school racing career on a high note back for his third time competing in the state meet. He was consistent as always, earning a 10th place finish in giant slalom the first day with a combined time of 2:01.14. He came back to earn a 10th place finish in slalom on the second day with a time of 1:26.60.
“Very proud of John,” coach Anthony said of Hamilton. “He didn’t have the best state experience last year, he was injured and could not ski his best, and he did great. Both races he moved up from 15th on his first run to finish 10th and that was quite an accomplishment. The growth I’ve seen in him since sophomore year, he went from a timid untrusting athlete to a really strong racer and he became a mentor for other skiers like his brother, Chase. He likes to win and he will definitely be missed a lot at Fox Lane.”
Brynn Anthony started strong with a good day in giant slalom as she finished 12th overall with a combined time of 2:05.41. On the second day she finished 24th in slalom.
As part of the Section 1 girls team she helped the sectional squad earn a second-place team finish trailing only perennial champion Section 2 from the Adirondack region. Brynn is a junior and already thinking about another chance next year.
“Brynn did great, she was happy with her giant slalom performance, disappointed in slalom with rough conditions and it didn’t go her way,” coach Anthony said of her daughter. “As a section the girls came in second and Brynn helped contribute to that finish and it was nice seeing them come together as a team. She really wanted a top 10 finish in giant slalom. Brynn is determined, she’s hungry and motivated to get better for next year.”