Erin Carpenter, a Welches resident and freshman at Sandy High School,
started skiing in the first grade and took up freestyle skiing – performing
tricks and jumps – just two years ago.

And this month, as a member of the school’s new freestyle ski team,
Carpenter will take part in the state competition along with the school’s
downhill ski and snowboarding teams held March 6 through 8 at Skibowl and
Mt. Hood Meadows and hosted by the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Race
Association.

“It just looked way more fun to me,” said Carpenter, 15, about why he took
up freestyle skiing.

Carpenter, one of approximately 60 total freestyle student athletes and four
from SHS expected to compete, noted he’s working on tricks including the
Lincoln (a sideways flip), 540 (a rotation of 540 degrees in the air) and 450 (a
rotation of 450 degrees) off of a rail.

“I just try to make them cleaner,” he said, adding that he’ll put together a
series of tricks when he’s at the competition. “I don’t really plan that much for
it.”

Since the freestyle skiing is a new program, all athletes can participate at the
events, held at both Skibowl and Mt. Hood Meadows. On the downhill side,
Sandy’s was in third place in the Mt. Hood League, with the top two teams
going to the state competition, held exclusively at Skibowl.

Luckily, the top three individual skiers not on teams going to state also get an
invite, and Sandy Ski Team Coach Josh Kanable reported Kim Smith, Holly
Duewiger and Liam Beckman will compete.

Kanable, who teaches at Cedar Ridge Middle School, noted SHS’s ski program
has a deep history of success (including state titles), but is currently in a
building phase. At the conclusion of this season, six of his 14 racers will
graduate.

“A lot of teams in league are low in numbers, everyone looking for younger
kids to come up and fill the spots,” said Kanable, adding that he can do a bit of
recruiting with the middle school students thanks to his job.

“It’s kind of a cyclical type sport. The kids who do really really well at it start
at 8 or 9 years of age.”

Ski team members practice at Skibowl every Tuesday and Thursday, do dry
land exercises three times a week and race on Saturdays during the season.
Kanable sees the team’s familiarity with the terrain as an edge on the
competition.

“They’ve skied these hills twice a week,” he said. “They have a huge
advantage over other teams that train at Meadows or southern Oregon.”
Kanable added that spectators are welcome to cheer on the racers.

“Skibowl is very accommodating for fans, which is really nice,” he said. “A lot
do walk the side of the course and cheer on, or down at bottom, watch times
as racers come in.”

SHS representatives
Downhill: Holly Duewiger, Kim Smith and Liam Beckman
Freestyle: Erin Carpenter, Andrew Galloway, Geoffrey Banford and Jax
Mardock

Schedule of events
Wednesday, March 6: training day, racer social
Thursday, March 7: boys giant slalom on Reynolds slope, girls slalom on
Cascade run.
Friday, March 8: girls giant slalom on Reynolds slope, girls slalom on Cascade
run. Awards reception in evening at Skibowl east.