JENNA ROTHERMEL
Westfield area alpine skiers race for state glory
Bombers’ Rothermel cracks top 40
By PETER FRANCIS
Intern
PRINCETON – It was a packed afternoon at Wachusett Ski Resort Tuesday as the state championship race for girl’s Alpine Skiing took place, a day before the largest snowstorm of the new year. In need of a good team performance, Westfield coach Michelle Piotte was optimistic going in.
“We needed three girls to finish with good times in both slalom and giant slalom,” coach Piotte said, following the race Tuesday. “We really had no room for error, no wiggle room.”
Unfortunately, the Bombers were unable to get the times needed to place as a team, but there were some great days had by members of the Westfield team individually, as Jenna Rothermel finished top 40 in both races, with times of 51.09 and 40.23 in giant slalom and slalom respectively. Teammate Jen Moller finished the GS with a time of 62.34, and 47.35 seconds in slalom.
“The girls did well on two very individualized courses, so I’m proud of their efforts,” Piotte said. “They performed admirably. The slalom race was in the morning, and the course wasn’t very steep. The girls had to really handle it correctly.”
The giant slalom proved to be difficult, as well, but in its own way.
“It was a really good course and they did a good job with it, but a lot of what was left over from the boys race before it (markings and slush) was still there for the girls race, which added another element of difficulty.” Piotte added. “It’s what you expect at states – the cream always rises. If you are a great racer, you’ll prove it on this course.”
Other girls from the area to finish the races were Liz Simonowicz and Caitlyn Bodoh of Gateway Regional, who finished in both slalom and GS. The champions in each event were Jenna Peabody of Nashoba Valley with a time of 48.63 seconds in the giant slalom and Rachael Bateman of Lunenberg with a time of 36.82 seconds.
Peter Francis can be reached at [email protected]
