Back-to-back wins keeps team on track [ by Than Acuff ] Every game counts for the Titan boys’ ba

Racking up results

The Crested Butte Mountain Sports Team (CBMST) athletes are charging from Crested Butte Mountain to Washington State.

On the big mountain skiing front, CBMST junior big mountain competitor Djemila Birnie headed to Washington State January 30-31 to compete in the Cowboy Up freeride junior event at Stevens Pass.
Birnie continues to step it up on the big mountain circuit with a fearless attitude and composed demeanor.
“She’s unafraid to take risks and undaunted by any terrain before her,” says CBMST big mountain coach Louise Lintilhac. “That’s a huge attribute of a big mountain performer.”
Birnie skied to a fourth place finish at Stevens Pass and will continue her effort on the big mountain circuit right here at home in the junior division of the 2010 Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Championships February 17-21.
Meanwhile, CBMST skier Josie Byron was busy at Copper Mountain battling her opponents to a second place finish in the skiercross age group 13-16 years old.
Last Sunday, the CBMST age class alpine racers headed over to Beaver Creek for two slalom races on Sunday, February 7. CBMST J3 (ages 13-14 years old) alpine racer and Lake City resident Solon Gray led the team in Beaver Creek with two trips to the podium taking first and third place in his two races.
Derek Schomler posted a 15th place finish in the J4 class (ages 11-12 years old) and Summit Wallace rebounded from a DNF in his first race to take fifth place in the second race.
“There were some of the bigger ski teams there and those results show the level that our athletes are skiing at,” says CBMST director and head alpine coach Drew Cesati.
Maddie Redden led the charge for the CBMST young ladies breaking the top 10 in her first race with a ninth place finish and then placing 11th in the second race.
“It’s really good to be top 10 in that group of skiers,” says Cesati. “It was a good day for her, a huge result.”
Back here at home CBMST freeride head coach Woody Lindenmeyr was overseeing his athletes at a USSA event held on Crested Butte Mountain Saturday and Sunday.
The weekend opened with a slopestyle that was somewhat hampered by the weather and followed by a halfpipe on Sunday.
“They were battling slow speeds with the fresh snow,” says Lindenmeyr.
In addition, the CBMST athletes were dealing with an influx of talent from around the state on hand for the sanctioned event.
“It was a little higher competition level, the top guys were really strong,” says Lindenmeyr.
Nolan Blunck took eighth place in the J2 age class in the slopestyle and second place in the halfpipe.
Younger brother Aaron Blunck skied to a fourth place in the slopestyle and first place in the halfpipe in the J3 class and Matt Evans took sixth and second place respectively.
“They’re all definitely progressing,” says Lindenmeyr of his athletes. “They compete well and hold their heads high no matter what the conditions.”
Evans and Aaron Blunck are spending this week in Aspen preparing for the prestigious Aspen Open on February 11-14, four days of halfpipe and slopestyle at the X Games venue.
“They’re there training all week,” says Lindenmeyr. “It’s such a step up and we just want them to get comfortable.”