SUGARLOAF, ME- Eight Stratton Mountain School alpine J3 athletes traveled to Maine on March 15 through 19 to compete in the J3 Regional Championships, formerly known as Junior Olympics. Eighth-grader Spencer Smith, of Woodstock, NY, had the best finish of the week with his second-place finish in the boys’ slalom on March 18.

“Sugarloaf ski area held a great event, and it was nice to see the top athletes from around the East all competing at the same venue,” said Mike Morin, SMS alpine program director. “The SMS team showed great depth with different athletes winning runs, scoring podiums, and skiing into the top seed. There were also many SMS kids who were successful in cutting their start numbers in half, showing they can really move up and score results in tough conditions. I am proud of the effort of this team and look forward to seeing what the future holds for this very strong group of SMS athletes.”

Also in the boys SL, eighth-grader Joe Gillis, of Brandford, CT, finished 23rd, and eighth-grader Zach Chernin, of Hanover, NH, finished 38. The girls team took to the SL pitch on March 19, and freshman Amanda Steffey, of Lyme, NH, took top position for the girls with her 10th-place finish. Eighth-grader Paige Lorenze, of Guilford, CT, finished 34th. On March 17, the girls competed in Giant Slalom, and Steffey again took top honors with her 13th-place finish, while Lorenze finished 24th. On March 16, the boys competed in GS, and Smith was on top in seventh. Freshman George Steffey, the Vermont States Overall Champion, finished 15th. Gillis finished 19th, freshman Brendan O’Keefe, of Wardsboro, finished 27th, and Chernin finished 37th. On March 15, the boys and girls competed in Super-G. For the boys, George Steffey took top honors with his fifth-place run, while O’Keefe claimed 22nd. for the girls, Amanda Steffey took 32nd, while Lorenze placed 42nd.