The Philomath High School Alpine Ski Team wrapped up its season earlier this month with senior Joe Barnes and junior Ana Candanoza competing in the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association’s state championships.
In the state meet on March 6-7 at Mt. Ashland Ski Area, Barnes placed 12th out of 135 racers in the giant slalom. He then competed in the slalom and giant slalom at the Western U.S. High School Championships March 12-15 at Grand Targhee Resort in Alta, Wyoming.
Candanoza placed 27th in the slalom and 29th in the giant slalom out of 93 entries at the state championships.
The state meet followed the Emerald Ski League’s season, which featured six meets and included skiers from Philomath, Corvallis, Albany, Eugene, Salem, Sisters and Redmond. PHAST, a nonsanctioned club team, also included junior Monty Jones. At least three boys and three girls are needed for a full team so Philomath’s skiers competed as individuals.
More than 350 athletes qualified out the state’s seven regions for the Alpine Ski Racing State Championships at Mt. Ashland, a three-day event that included a warmup day and two days of competition.