Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club sent four athletes to the U16 Alpine Junior National Championships earlier this month at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. 

Representing Steamboat were Schuyler Biglow, Molly Fretwell, Pthalo Plomteux and Soren Shepherd. Isabella Konescny qualified for the championships but did not compete. 

Pinned against the best U16 ski racers across the nation, SSWSC athletes competed in super-g, giant slalom, slalom and skills quest races down Narrow Gauge Race Trail — known infamously as one of the most challenging trails on the East Coast. 

The snow-rain mixture proved to be a challenge for competitors as well as race directors who made the decision to postpone some races, leaving the course with an ice-coated racing surface along with frigid temperatures. 

Though all Steamboat racers were unable to complete both runs in the slalom race, it was Fretwell who made the loudest noise on the course on giant slalom day.

After a first run just outside of the top-10, Fretwell picked up the pace on run two and shaved off 1.5 seconds from her previous time. It was good for 9th place in the race. Biglow finished in the top-half of the field in 25th and Plomteux took 51st. 

In the Super-G race, Biglow placed 26th with Shepherd, a first year U16 athlete, in 42nd and Plomteux in 47th. 

In the Skills Quest competition, Shepherd took 13th while Biglow, Plomteux and Fretwell stood 34th, 36th and 39th, respectively.