Jr. Nationals for Nordic Combined/Ski Jumping hosted by Park City Ski Club

Park City Ski and Snowboard Jr. Nationals Team for Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping. (L-R) Sport Director/Coach Adam Loomis, Seth Rothchild, Luke Miller, Logan Cadman, Liam Demong, Augie Roepke, Rudger Klug, jack McFawn, Donovan Toly, Sadie McCrank, and Olympic Champion/Coach Billy Demong. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — The Jr. National Championships for USA Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined USA were held in Park City Thurs. to Sat. and attended by boys and girls from Alaska, Michigan, Colorado, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois.

This event kicked off two weeks of four Jr. Nationals occurring in Park City and the Heber Valley including luge, cross country and freestyle skiing.

Billy Demong delivers his gold and silver medal brand of a pep talk at the Opening Ceremony in the video below.

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Not only did Demong welcome families from the microphone in the beginning of the week, but he went on to coach the cross country athletes, announce the ski jumping events during the week, and place medals around all the necks of all the athletes at the end of the week.

Opening Ceremony walk-in. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Seth Rothchild, alongside Augie Roepke, both Park City High School students, read aloud at the Opening Ceremony, a shared statement, the Olympic Oath saying, “I promise that we shall take part in these (Jr. Nationals) respecting and abiding by the rules which govern, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.”

Seth Rothchild and Augie Roepke of the Park City Ski and Snowboard Team Reading the Olympic Athlete's Oath at Jr. National Championships Opening Ceremony at the Utah Olympic Park. — Seth Rothchild of the Park City Ski and Snowboard Team Reading the Olympic Athlete’s Oath at Jr. National Championships Opening Ceremony at the Utah Olympic Park. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Jr. Nationals BBQ at UOP. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Last year this event was held in Alaska where the Nordic Combined Mens winner was Root Roepke from Park City.

Extremely different than the extreme cold weather of last year’s event, this week in Park City had ample sunshine overhead with ample snow underfoot. One pre-comp training session had to be scrapped due to too much sunshine which only provided a wonderful and very rare opportunity. Instead of being on the hill, travel teams got to not merely visit but to have a proper workout session in the state-of-the-science U.S. Ski and Snowboard Headquarters Center Of Excellence, a locale normally off limits to the public.

Christie Hind, Park City Ski and Snowboard (PCSS) President told TownLift, “The club is humbled and excited to bring best-in-class junior national events to the Utah Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow this season.” She continued, “We’re thrilled to host such a big field of national jumpers and we’re thankful to Billy Demong who spoke at the Opening Ceremony about how Jr. Nationals is a seminal event in a competitor’s life.”

Jr. Nationals at the UOP. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

The jump hill size at the Utah Olympic Park was on the 64 meter and the cross country distances at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (SOHO) was an individual 5 k and a team sprint respectively, and the competitions were live streamed.

Jr. Nationals at SoHo. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

The men’s Jr. National Championships for Nordic Combined was won by Arthur Tirone from Steamboat Springs.
The Women’s Jr. National Championships for Nordic Combined was won by Caroline Chor from New Hampshire.
The men’s Jr. National Championships for Ski Jumping was won by Jack Kroll from Lake Placid.
The women’s Jr. National Championships for Ski Jumping was won by Caroline Chor.
The men’s Team Jr. National Championships for Nordic Combined was won by Jack Kroll and Cadel Cox from Lake Placid.
The women’s Team Jr. National Championships for Nordic Combined was won by Mackenzie Maines and Charlotte Flemming from Steamboat Springs.
The men’s Team Jr. National Championships for Ski Jumping was won by Arthur Tirone, Ethan Maines, Nico Bowdre, and Austin Johnson from Steamboat Springs.
The women’s Team Jr. National Championships Ski Jumping was won by Islay Sheil and Caroline Chor from New Hampshire.

Two of the four podium placers from Park City are the children of Olympians: Demong the son of Billy Demong, and Sadie McCrank the daughter of Alpine Skier Tasha McCrank.

PCSS Nordic Combined athlete Luke Miller, third place, jr. Nationals at SoHo. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Park City’s Luke Miller got a third place in this, his first Jr. Nationals.

PCSS's Nordic Combined sthletes Liam Demong (L) and Logan Cadman in third place at Jr. Nationals at SoHo. — PCSS’s Nordic Combined sthletes Liam Demong (L) and Logan Cadman in third place at Jr. Nationals at SoHo. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Logan Cadman of Park City got a second place in the men’s Team Nordic Combined alongside his teammate Liam Demong for whom this was a repeat performance from the same category last year.

PCSS's Nordic Combined athlete Sadie McCrank in third place at Jr. Nationals at SoHo. — PCSS’s Nordic Combined athlete Sadie McCrank in third place at Jr. Nationals at SoHo. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Sadie McCrank of Park City got a third place.

Augie Roepke, a member of the U.S. Ski Team, was the best finisher of the Park City athletes on the Olympic Park’s Elimination Jump day.

At one exciting point in the Elimination Jump brother and sister siblings from Steamboat Springs Ethan and McKenzie Maines went up against each other in one round, brother besting sister, both of whom stood on podiums earlier in the week.

Kaden Graham of Steamboat Springs won the co-ed Elimination Jump.

BINGO Night turned Limbo Night. — BINGO Night turned ski pole Limbo Night. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Parents and younger siblings tagging along on the trip enjoyed a social hour, happy hour, bingo hour at Park City Brewing where prizes won like ski poles were then used as limbo sticks in an impromtu dance-off. That was after many out-of-towners spent the day skiing at Park City Mountain or at Deer Valley Resort.

Medal designed by PC High School students. — Medals designed by PC High School students. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

The event logo, emblazoned on ski hats, tote bags, t-shirts, jackets and these medals was designed by non-athletes in class at the Park City High School.