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Junior Awards 2021

Junior Awards 2021

Below are the awards for junior program athletes for the 2020-2021 season.

U14 Junior Program

CMAC U14 Girls Most Improved - Izzy Thompson

This year's Most Improved award goes to Izzy Thompson. Izzy has put a tremendous amount of work and effort into her skiing over the last two years and it shows. She consistently shows up to put her best foot forward and takes feedback in stride. We recognize Izzy not only for her work at summer camps and weekend training but also for her mental attitude and overall work ethic.

This season was a roller coaster for Izzy. She wanted success so badly and it showed in every race she started. She consistently took more risks and pushed harder than any of her other teammates. While this resulted in becoming intimately acquainted with the B-Net, she always got back up and charged. This is not something you can coach; this is something an athlete either has or doesn’t. When these gambles paid off, she showed herself to be in the top group of athletes in CMAC and PNSA. We are all very excited to see Izzy continue to grow in her racing career and believe she has a bright future.

CMAC U14 Boys Most Improved – Charlie Jones

This year's Most Improved award goes to Charlie. Charlie showed up this year very nervous to enter the junior program but that didn’t stop him from trying. In fact, he put a tremendous amount of work and effort into his skiing this year and it shows. He consistently showed up and asked lots of questions and was always looking to improve. We recognize Charlie not only for his positive mindset but also for his overall work ethic.

One example of Charlie’s fortitude was when we set the one ski drill. We asked all athletes to ski the course on one ski. This was challenging for the whole group but was particularly difficult for Charlie. He crashed a lot and ate a fair amount of snow but would not be dissuaded. Even when given the option of taking fewer runs he doubled down and was determined to get better. This determination transferred to all events and hiking the King. By the end of the season, Charlie was charging Super G and was hiking the King quickly.

Charlie has a determination that is contagious to all and helps not only his teammates perform better but his coaches too. We are all very excited to see Charlie continue to grow in his racing career and believe he has a bright future.

CMAC U14 Most Inspirational – Cerridwen Meharg

We would like to honor Cerridwen Meharg with this year's Most Inspirational award. This season Cerridwen has really set herself apart. Throughout the season she always showed early up ready to train and has helped set up the training venue while many of her peers are still putting on their boots. She always showed up with a smile on her face and became an important leader on our girl’s team. She was a key member in encouraging others and leading by example. Every day she gave it her all in training, often staying late to get one more run in. Even when she was having a less than stellar day, she never failed to keep her head up and stay positive, even in spite of what the coaches were throwing at her on any given training day.

We were so pumped to see Cerridwen get a top 10 run at the No Bull. This performance was incredible. The conditions were super tough which is where Cerridwen tends to excel. This result shows not only that all her hard is paying off but that she has a bright future ahead of her. We are excited to see how she improves over the summer with time on snow and in the gym.

CMAC U14 Outstanding Performance – Win Chandler

This year’s outstanding performance award goes to someone who exemplifies not only extraordinary athletic performance but also a high degree of determination. Win, this award goes to you. This is was a tough season but you not only persevered but showed you are one of the best athletes in PNSA.

One of our favorite moments with Win this season was his dominant performance at Mission Ridge with two-second places near hundredths away from first and a dominant victory. After struggling at Mt. Spokane to find his footing Win was again like last year able to dig deep and drive the performances he needed to get to qualify for champs. In fact, he was our only male athlete to qualify for the U14 Championships Camp in Squaw Valley California. We are all very excited to see him continue to grow this summer and into next season where he will be competing as a U16.

CMAC U14 Outstanding Performance – Sammie Wright

We honor Sammie Wright with the award for Outstanding Performance. Sammie has consistently been our top female racer throughout the season. She has proved herself to be a fierce competitor in the sport of ski racing. When challenged by other competitors Sammie is able to find another gear and crush the competition. Sammie placed on the podium 4 times out of 7 of our qualifiers. An astonishing feat.

Sammie rightfully qualified for the U14 Championship Camp in Squaw Valley. Sammie showed immense focus and drive to learn during this camp and improved immensely. We are very excited to see her bring this intensity and focus into this summer so she can come in strong for next season. We know great things are in store.

U16 Junior Program

CMAC U16 Girls Most Improved - Quinn Dennehy The most improved racer is usually a person that is the dedicated to training and has incredible perseverance. Quinn is getting very close in this category and during the spring she jumped to a new level with her confidence, technique and results. I think her enjoyment of skiing also moved to a new level as she felt more comfortable with her skiing skills. It can be really fun and exciting when a skier starts feeling well balanced. She is improving in all categories every day and you can see her really start to go for it and take some extra risks for speed. Quinn did not qualify for the U16 champs, but at the NW Cup finals, she moved right into the top level of U16’s and the NW cup with 6th place (3rd U16) in GS and 8th place finish in SL. As Quinn keeps improving her skills, improves her quickness and agility, the sky is the limit. A top 15 or even podium position at the U16 champs next season may be in the cards!
CMAC U16 Boys Most Improved - Deeson Patterson Deeson had a very good season as a first year U16. His enthusiasm in training and perseverance on the hill really paid off by the end of the season. His fearless desire for speed and sending it down the hill is another strong suit. Deeson really had a strong performance at the Evergreen Cp finals with and 11th in the SL. Improving his SL ranking points by well over 100 for the season. As Deeson continues his strong desire to improve his technique and train often as he did this past season, we are sure to see some spectacular performances next year. Junior champs may be in the cards. Congrats on a great season Deeson!
CMAC U16 Girls: Outstanding Performance - Zoe Paek We recognize an individual performance, or a collection of outstanding performances. Zoe works to be the best she can be as an athlete in the offseason and it shows when she hits the snow. She is continuing her pursuit of learning ski technique and she always sends it down the hill as fast as she can. She had some spectacular finishes at Crystal in the NW Cup qualifiers with consistent top 3 finishes. The strong results within the PNSA division qualified her near the top of the rankings going in to the U16 regional championships. The Western regional champs were held at Mammoth Mt. California. While Zoe wanted to ski faster, we all do, she did have a strong effort as a first year U16 and scored a top 15 in SG. She gained some invaluable experience and I expect Zoe to be challenging for the podium positions next season at champs.
CMAC U16 Boys: Outstanding Performance - Win Flaggert Win had a great season. He is a very balanced skier and is constantly seeking out ways to improve his skiing. Win has a nice touch on the snow and is very aware of his edging. He really knows when he is carving and feels for the clean turn. This helps him with his ability to seek speed. And that’s the most important part of becoming a fast ski racer. As he develops his fitness and gains more knowledge of technique, Win will do some spectacular things in ski racing. He is planning on attending numerous camps, and in the off-season, we hope he hits the gym, the track, the field etc. with a passion and train to be the best. Win had some very outstanding performances this season. A standout was at the NW Cup SL at Mt. Spokane. He was the top U16 racer that day, but he also scored a 2nd and 4th place overall against all the FIS boys. As Win develops his skiing technique, I expect he will be competing for podiums in all the NW Cup races and will have opportunity to bring his skiing up to the national level in all events. We are rooting for you Win, keep up the good work, and step up to the next level as an athlete!

u19 Race Program

CMAC U19 Girls Most Improved - Ciara McGinnis

Ciara was new to ski racing this season and she fell in love with the sport. She was always looking to get more time on the training course. She dedicated herself to learning the technique and was frustrated at times, but always came back up to the top with determination. Due to the difficult year with Covid and the limitations on the number of racers allowed per event, sometimes she was denied entry. This caused even more frustration, but when she did get in some races she did her best, and as the season went on so did her improvement. She had an incredible year as a rookie and next season it will really begin to show on the scoreboard. Congrats on a great year Ciara.Ollie Loeser

CMAC Boys U19 Most Improved - Ollie Loeser

We want to recognize Ollie as most improved U19 for the 2021 season. Ollie made tremendous strides in his technique, found a better feel for his carving and it lead to much improved skiing and results.

Ollie cracked the top 15 a few times in NW Cup races this season, a 10th in the SL Crystal and 12th in the GS. He had a solid season in his first year as a FIS racer. Its quite challenging for a young 16 year old to go out on the circuit run at the back of the pack against college boys that are mature, strong and have very polished technique. But, as a racer gets humbled, they come home to train with a new determination to learn skills. Ollie is in the midst of this process right now and I expect him to get some moments of discovery during the off-season. He will jump to a new level of skiing next season as his technique develops, which will give him the confidence to execute a more fearless attacking style of skiing and he’ll develop the need for speed.

We look forward to seeing Ollie make it happen next season!

CMAC U19 Girls: Outstanding Performance - Sydney Kraabel

We are recognizing here overall performance as an athlete. Sydney had a challenging year as a first year FIS racer, but her technical skills improved tremendously and will eventually lead her to faster skiing. She had her ups and downs, but always continued to fight on and persevere through the difficulties of the stiff FIS competitions. She did lower her ranking points significantly in all events by the end of the season and it will set her up well for next year. She plans to attend many camps and dedicate herself to improving her technique, fitness and overall athleticism.

Sydney is a great skier and has tremendous potential. We are certain that she will see some incredible results next season. Good Luck Sydney.

CMAC U19 Boys Outstanding Performance - Owen Snyder-Smith

We are recognizing his overall performance as an athlete. Owen had another strong season. He is a consistent top ten and top 5 finisher in the NW Cup events, and improved his point ranking in all events. He scored some top 30 FIS racing results and attended some Elite FIS events. Owen has gained some valuable experience at the upper level he is building toward the Elite level of ski racing. His dedicated work ethic during training is positioning him for a breakthrough next season. He will be attending numerous camps, and plans to be fit, strong and ready for next season. Good Luck!

CMAC Most Outstanding Athletes

CMAC Girls Most Outstanding Skier - Annie Frohlich

Annie had another incredible season! She has been improving her skiing at a consistent rate with good focus during her training sessions. She still has lot’s of work to do with her balance, line and the fine details in her technique, but she is well on her way in becoming an elite level skier.

This was her first season as a FIS racer and she made the most of her opportunity. She had already been winning races at the NW Cup level, and after a few FIS races, she worked her way up to achieving some podiums and top 5 finishes in the development FIS races. Then she earned some top 15 elite level results and it qualified her for the US National Championships in Colorado. At nationals, as a 16 year old she was very respectable across the board. This early experience at the upper level of ski racing will help tremendously as she enters her second season on the FIS circuit.

Annie is planning to attend many camps this summer and continues to pursue ski racing with a passion. You will always see her giving a full effort during training sessions and she is always focused on her technique and how to improve her skills.

Congratulations Annie, you are the most outstanding female ski racer in the CMAC program for a second year in a row!

CMAC Boys Most Outstanding Skier - Graham Barwick

Graham had a very good senior race season. He competed very well at the upper level in the NW Cup series with numerous podium finishes and he completed the season in 2nd position in the overall NW Cup Standings.

Graham is a true 4-event skier. He has been known as a great DH racer, but his results in SL were as good if not better than DH this season. He has an incredible work ethic. The dedication Graham had toward training kept him ahead of many of his peers and was a key component that brought him to the elite level of skiers in the NW Cup series this season. He shows up to training early, skis the full session and he stays to the end and is a huge help to the coaches during set up and take down. The staff will truly miss him out on the hill. He has been a tremendous example for the younger racers.

Graham is not only a great racer, when it snows too much, you can find him out powder skiing all day. His true love of skiing and being out on the mountain on a daily basis in all conditions giving his best effort has led to his well deserved title of CMAC’s most outstanding skier.

Graham is now off to ski race in college for St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Congratulations on your achievement!