The Steamboat Springs high school ski teams are sending 26 athletes to the state competition across the Alpine and Nordic disciplines. 

The Alpine team is heading to Copper with 16 total athletes for the giant slalom race on Thursday, Feb. 16, and the slalom on Friday, Feb. 17. 

The Alpine team has remained atop the team results all season long, including a recent victory from the Steamboat boys in Winter Park on Friday, Feb. 10, along with a second-place finish from the girls. 

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Steamboat Alpine coach Ryan Seyedian is confident his athletes will put up strong times at state and thinks their hard work this season will reflect that. 

“We’re really looking forward to getting down there and we don’t really have major expectations,” Seyedian said. “I just want the kids to ski their absolute best and we’ll see what happens.”

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Steamboat Nordic’s 10 state qualifiers will be competing in Frisco with a skate race on Thursday and the classic on Friday. 

Nordic coach Katie Lindquist says the Frisco Nordic Center is a very hilly course at a high elevation and will pose a challenge for her athletes. 

“We’re fortunate to have a lot of our training at Howelsen Hill to mimic that, but this is the most technical course of all of our races,” Lindquist said. 

Competing for the Nordic team is a healthy mix of younger and more experienced athletes, which Lindquist says is really exciting. Qualifying for state is a major accomplishment for any athlete and Lindquist thinks it is a perfect example of the passion and dedication her athletes have for the sport. 

“My expectations are all over the board,” Lindquist said. “I have some athletes that are really ready for this and a couple others that this is going to be their first experience and they are hitting their stride.”

Steamboat Springs state qualifiers

Giant slalom: Emma McHaffie, Kinsley Jacobson, Audra Gowdy, Colin Kagan, Brooks Overstake, Fisher St. John, Dawson Holmes, Harrison Sherman, Nolan Laird, Erik Sandvik, Tomas Niedermeier.

Slalom: Emma McHaffie, Kinsley Jacobson, Audra Gowdy, Neve Wade, Colin Kagan, Erik Sandvik, Nolan Laird, Tomas Niedermeier, Harrison Sherman, Dawson Holmes, Cameron Daly, Wyatt Graves, Charlie Thompson, Quinn Skinner. 

Nordic skate: Meaghan Maitre, Autumn Oslowski, Wren Capra, Dixie Barnes, Aspen Bennett-Manke, Lucy Capra, Connor Frithsen, Thomas Reilley, Griffin Rillos. 

Nordic classic: Wren Capra, Dixie Barnes, Autumn Oslowski, Novella Light, Connor Frithsen, Thomas Reilley, Griffin Rillos.