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LIZZIE SIEBERT AND MILES HONENS WIN DAY TWO OF THE US JUNIOR EXTREME FREESKIING CHAMPIONSHIPS 

Crested Butte, CO—Today, February 18, 2010, the second and final day of the U.S. Junior Extreme Freeskiing Championships was marked with challenging  conditions on Sock-It-To-Me venue.  Despite exposed terrain the young athletes still threw down fast, fluid lines.

“Marginal…difficult conditions,” said Rob Greener, Director of the Junior Tour for International Free Skiers Association, IFSA,  “Smart, strong skiing prevailed.”

The one and only female skier in the 12-14-age bracket, Djemilah Birnie, of Crested Butte, earned an awesome score two days in row, proving she can hang with, if not beat, many of the older girls. Yesterday on Hawk’s Nest venue, Birnie skied a solid score of 29.60, today, on Sock-It-To-Me, she finished with a 27.83, and a total score of 57.43.

The competition among the women in the 15-17-age bracket was high-spirited, and certainly showcased adult level skiing. For the second day in a row, Lizzie Siebert, of Vail, skied the top women’s run with strong, aggressive lines, and an impressive cliff hit on Diving Board at the bottom of Cesspool. Siebert scored a 32.33 yesterday on Hawk’s Nest, and a 36-flat today, bringing her total score to an impressive 68.33, nearly 20 points ahead of the rest of the 15-17 women.

“I like how it’s about how well you ski, being creative and just stomping something out of the ordinary,” said Siebert of her favorite part about skiing in the U.S. Junior Extreme Freeskiing Championships.

Hillary Beah, of Jackson Hole, followed Siebert in second place both days with a 31.43 score on yesterday’s Hawk’s Nest and a 17.17 today, for a total score of 48.60 and behind her in third place was Taylor Merritt, of Winter Park, who skied a 28-flat run yesterday and 15.33 score today, for a total of 43.33.

The men of the 12 -14-age brackets showed off smart, calculated skiing; nipping at the heels of the 15-17-age group throughout the two-day event. Today, Mitch Gilman, of Big Mountain, came out on top, with a 39.83, combined with his third-place score from yesterday, 35.30, for a grand total of 75.13. Behind him and in second both days was Grant Howard, of Alta/Snowbird, with a score of 35.43 yesterday, combining with today’s solid run of 37.17, for a total of 72.60. Austin Stromme, of Crystal Mountain, moved from sixth place yesterday, with a 33.33, up to third place today, with a matching score of 33.33, for a total of 66.67.

The 15-17 men ripped it up both days; with fluid, aggressive lines and calculated stomps. Although Leo Ahrens, of Alta/Snowbird, stellar line choice yesterday had placed him first coming into day two, it was ultimately Miles Honens, of Squaw Valley, who took the top spot on the podium. Ahrens ended up placing fifth, with a combined total score of 75.03.
But, today was Honens’ day. He skied a big double-drop on Hourglass, with fluid, controlled speed into the finish, earning him very high 45-point score. Honens made up nearly eight-points from his fourth place run at yesterday’s Hawk’s Nest. His total score was 82.13, over five points ahead of everyone else.

“All of the big mountain skiing’s the best,” said Honens of what his favorite thing about skiing on the Junior Freeskiing Tour,” This competition gets my adrenaline going.”

Behind him, was Drew Petersen, of Arapahoe Basin, who skied a solid second-place line both days, yesterday he earned a 38.37 and today, a 38.50, for a respectable 76.87 total score. Behind him was Silas Chickering Ayers, of Mad River Glen, who also remained in third-place both days; yesterday, he skied a 37.67-point line, today, another smart, consistent run, with a 39-flat score, and a total score of 76.67.

“Skiing with other amazing juniors is awesome, but the way this comp puts you in the zone is what it’s all about, “ said Chickering Ayers of his favorite thing about the U.S. Junior Extreme Freeskiing Championships.

Big thanks to MSI, IFSA, and Crested Butte ski patrol for making the U.S. Junior Extreme Freeskiing Championships a success.Freeskiing World Tour

Mountain Sport International will again be producing daily videos, photos and stories posted on www.freeskiingworldtour.com. 

Nicole Greener - Athlete Relations and Communication

Mountain Sports International - nicole@mtsports.com 

Estelle Clairoux -  Communications & Media Relations Coordinator?  

Mountain Sports International - office: 801.349.4638 - estelle@mtsports.com

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ABOUT MSI
Mountain Sports International (MSI) is a private company, founded in 1997, to develop and produce action/adventure sports events and programming in North America. MSI owns and produces the U.S. Freeskiing Series, the U.S. Skiercross Series, and the Freeskiing World Tour, in addition to several other properties and concepts.

MSI provides event management services for Burton, Salomon, and Red Bull and has provided infrastructure and expertise for the NBC Gravity Games and ESPN Action Sports Projects, including the Tony Hawk Gigantic Skatepark Tour. MSI specializes in matching clients with events for brand penetration into target demographics, developing product identification and loyalty. MSI matches brand and culture, company and credibility to create sought-after events that help to define the action sports culture.
 

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