The hot days of summer running, biking, and roller skiing are long over, and now the long hours of skiing on the local tracks are finally paying off. All have been training hard all throughout the year, and some have been performing this regimen season after season. They are the local Far West Nordic athletes, ready to head to Idaho next week for the Junior Olympic Cross Country Ski Championships in McCall.

The Junior Olympics, or JO’s, are held every March to allow the fastest juniors from across the nation to race head to head. This year the Championships will be held in McCall, Idaho March 4-10. The events will consist of a 1.5 kilometer sprint race, a long classic race, a long skate race and finally a 3 person relay which determines which division has the most depth. Racers compete for age group medals in the J2 (14-15 yrs old,) J1 (16-17,) and the OJ (18-19) categories.

The Far West Division, which includes California and Nevada, will be sending one of the largest teams in recent years to compete at the event. 25 athletes from across the region have qualified to represent the Far West this year, a big increase from the 16 athletes who qualified last year. Athletes have been racing throughout the season to determine which skiers get the coveted points that allow them to attend the Junior Olympics. Far West Nordic and Auburn Ski Club Head Coach Jeff Schloss says "Junior programs from all across the Sierra Nevada and foothills have really stepped up the quality of their ski programs, and so we are seeing many more motivated and talented athletes from our region who can compete with the best at a National level." This year's team has many kids from the Tahoe Basin as well as athletes from the eastern Sierra, the Foothills, and the Bay Area. "The local middle school and high school programs have been consistently training top XC ski racers and many of them are now among the best in the country."

The level of competition is extremely high at the Junior Olympics, with over 200 athletes from 9 different divisions skiing for top honors. Coach Schloss hopes to exceed last years results where Far West brought home 2 individual medals, but stresses that it is not all about the medals. "My goal is for each athlete to go to Idaho and ski their best, to really push themselves, and to enjoy the whole process of skiing at a national level — to me that is success. I feel that this is one of the strongest teams Far West has ever put together and am very excited to see what we can do in McCall."

2002 Far West Junior Olympic Team:

Cindy Apodaca, Mammoth Lakes, CA
Sarah Armstrong, Bishop, CA
Tony Bozzio, Tahoe City, CA
Kati Clark, Soda Springs, CA
Lindsay Collin, Truckee, CA
Steffi Christiana, Mammoth Lakes, CA
Kayla Evans, Truckee, CA
Jessica Ford, Lee Vining, CA
Matt Gelso, Truckee, CA
Joaquin Goodpaster, Truckee, CA
Maisha Goodpaster, Truckee, CA
Nick Grimmer, Soda Springs, CA
Jenna Harlow, Tahoe City, CA
Dominic Henriques, Tahoe City, CA
Scott Hill, Carnelian Bay, CA
Natalie Joffe, Kentfield, CA
Kara Lapoint, Truckee, CA
Jennifer Meyers, Mammoth Lakes, CA
Dana Mosman, Nevada City, CA
Whitney Prosor, Truckee, CA
Garrett Reid, Palo Alto, CA
Nick Sterling, Truckee, CA
Andrew Van Blarigan, Truckee, CA
Phillip Violett, Brownsville, CA
Zach Violett, Brownsville, CA

Coaches:
Jeff Schloss, Truckee, CA
Nancy Fiddler, Crowley Lake, CA
Anna Sterner, Truckee, CA
Bill Sterling, Truckee, CA
Dan Hill, Truckee, CA
Larry Ford, Lee Vining, CA
Lynn Harriman, South Lake Tahoe, CA