Marcus Talbott and Brian Francis, both of Menlo Park, finished among the top four at the recent Far West giant slalom ski race at Northstar at Tahoe. In a slalom race, skiers zigzag between obstacles as they descend the hill.
Brian and Marcus finished third and fourth respectively on Jan. 12 and then switched podiums on Jan. 13. They beat out approximately 80 other young skiers over the sunny but cold weekend.
Then, on Jan. 26, at a slalom race at Diamond Peak ski resort, Brian placed third after the day’s two runs.
These were the first races of the California and Nevada division of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association 2007-2008 season for skiers age 12 and 13.
Both boys were selected to compete in an upcoming qualifying race to be held in Mammoth on Feb. 23. This race pits the top 15 racers in the state against each other to determine the three skiers that will go on to compete at the Junior Olympics Ski Race in March.
Slalom skiing is a fast and difficult sport, and both boys finished within two and half seconds of the winning time. Their finishes were all the more impressive because the boys were competing against kids from the Tahoe area who can train five days a week, noted Bonnie Matlock, Brian’s mother.
Brian, a La Entrada School seventh-grader, has been traveling to the snow on weekends to train with the Kirkwood Ski Race Team since he was 7, said Ms. Matlock. Brian says he plays soccer in the off-season to stay in shape, but last summer he got the opportunity to ski in New Zealand for a month.
Marcus is a sixth-grader at Woodside Priory School and has been skiing with the Northstar Ski Race Team since he was 6. The boys used to play on the same Little League baseball team, and the families have been good friends for years. Ms. Matlock added.
The regular season ends with the championships at Northstar at Tahoe April 27-30.
