Local high school skiers competed in the Trouble Creek Cup Feb. 10-11 at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort.

The competitors will wait to find out if their times qualify them to compete in a state event March 5-7 at Mount Hood.

The Trouble Creek Cup included skiers from the Blue Mountain League, which includes Baker, Union, Grant and Umatilla counties, as well as other individuals and teams who are part of the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association.

Leland Bauck, manager of the Anthony Lakes Ski Racing Association, said he was pleased with the team’s results.

Slalom race, Feb. 10

Baker junior Sofie Kaaen placed first with a two-run combined time of 1:07.62.

Two other local racers, Elizabeth Timm and Avery Collier, were next, Timm placing second at 1:24.98, and Collier third at 1:29.60.

In the boys bracket, Baker’s Chase Myatt was first at 1:05.95, two seconds ahead of Walla Walla’s Parker Hand.

Baker’s Ethan Hills was third at 1:09.45. Emerson Thayne of Bluewood Alpine Racing in Washington was fourth at 1:09.69, with three Baker racers following, Caleb Hills in fifth at 1:15.57, Clark Norton sixth at 1:23.78, and Zayne Hills seventh at 1:29.36.

Giant slalom, Feb. 11

Kaaen was the only girls racer to have two qualifying runs, taking first with a combined time of 1:10.05.

Collier and Timm also competed but didn’t have complete times due to missed gates.

In the boys race, Hand of Walla Walla placed first with a combined time of 1:04.02, followed by Myatt at 1:05.40, and Ethan Hills in third at 1:08.53.

Caleb Hills was fourth at 1:10.88, followed by Thayne at 1:11.72, Norton in sixth at 1:15.95 and Zayne Hills in seventh at 1:25.83.

The giant slalom was enlivened by racers receiving cowbells in place of medals, with the largest bell for first, medium for second and the smallest bell for third place. The cowbells recognize a German and Austrian tradition of putting cowbells around the necks of grazing sheep.

State qualifying

The Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association will notify racers by the end of February whose times qualify for the state event.

Bauck hopes he can keep young skiers motivated from the start of their ski career all the way into high school competition level, and says into the next few years he expects ALSRA will be sending a complete women’s team to the state event.

“One of the things we’re working on is keeping the kids, the mighty mites,” Bauck said. “If these kids keep interested we could have a pretty good Blue Mountain League, all those little kids on the list that are gonna be the future of the high school team.”