The Medal Stand weekly column, March 12

COVID-19 brought the professional sports world to a halt last night, and it is the overwhelming subject of this week’s Medal Stand. Being on Twitter yesterday when the Rudy Gobert news broke and seeing everything come to a pause was a feeling I will not soon forget.

The Medal Stand: Kauf third at Krasnoyarsk World Cup

Jaelin Kauf made another podium at another FIS moguls World Cup over the weekend.

The Teton Valley native and 2018 U.S. Olympian who now resides in Park City was third in women’s dual moguls at the World Cup in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, reaching Saturday’s small final. Teammate Hannah Soar was right behind her in fourth place. Kauf is currently third in the FIS World Cup women’s moguls standings with 470 World Cup points.

With the cancellation of the World Cup stop in Are, Sweden, this upcoming weekend and the World Championships originally scheduled to begin March 16 in Cortina, Italy, due to corona virus threats in Europe, women’s alpine crystal globes were finalized Wednesday. Victor resident and 2018 U.S. Olympian Breezy Johnson ended up 20th in the women’s downhill standings with 136 points.

Coming up locally

The 38th annual Town Downhill takes place Friday to Sunday at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. It is a non-sanctioned community downhill race that goes from the top of the Crags to Moran trail.

Also this weekend is the International Freeskiers and Snowboarders Association (IFSA) North American Junior Freeskiing Competition at Grand Targhee Resort. It begins Saturday and ends Sunday.

Team USA Update

Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who planned to return to competition this weekend in Are after stepping away for all of February and early March while grieving the loss of her father in February, ended the season No. 2 in the women’s overall standings with 1,225 World Cup points, No. 5 in downhill with 256 points, No. 2 in slalom with 440 points, No. 3 in giant slalom with 314 points and No. 7 in super G with 186 points. She shared a photo on her Twitter and Instagram accounts of a customized ski bib her fellow World Cup skiers made for her leading up to this weekend. The bib, which featured a photograph of her father, Jeff, his years of life, the U.S. flag and the phrase ‘be nice, think first’ on it, was signed by other World Cup skiers.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team defeated Japan 3-1 to win the annual SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday. Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Lindsey Horan each scored for the U.S.

The USA Track and Field Hershey National Youth Indoor Championships originally scheduled for March 20-22 on Staten Island were canceled Wednesday due to growing concerns over corona virus in New York state. The annual New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships, scheduled for this weekend at The Armory in New York, were canceled late Wednesday night by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation. . The NCAA Division I indoor track national championships will take place this weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will take place without spectators. The World Figure Skating Championships that were originally scheduled to begin Sunday in Montreal, Quebec, were also canceled Wednesday.

The Medal Stand weekly column, March 5

Teton Valley winter athletes and 2018 U.S. Olympic teammates Jaelin Kauf and Breezy Johnson both competed over the weekend.

The Medal Stand: Kauf wins first World Cup of season

Jaelin Kauf bested a 220-meter course to win the women’s FIS dual moguls World Cup on Sunday in Shymbulak, Kazakhstan. It is her first World Cup win of the 2019-20 season and seventh of her career.

Originally from Teton Valley and now residing in Park City, the 2018 U.S. Olympian reached the round of 16 with U.S. teammates Hannah Soar and Tess Johnson. Soar ended up ninth while Johnson placed seventh. Kauf is fourth in the FIS women’s moguls World Cup standings with 410 points, five points back of third place Justine Dufour-Lapointe.

Kauf next competes this week at Krasnoyarsk, Russia, in another dual moguls World Cup.

Another Teton Valley 2018 U.S. Olympian, Breezy Johnson of Victor, competed over Leap Day weekend. Johnson finished 30th in Saturday’s women’s super G at the World Cup stop at La Thuile, Italy. Johnson is 38th in the FIS alpine women’s overall standings with 162 points, 20th in downhill with 136 points and 41st in super G with 14 points.

Coming up locally

The next Targhee Cup Adult League race is today at Palmer’s Raceway at Grand Targhee Resort. Proceeds benefit the Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation. Also at the resort this Saturday is the fourth annual Terrain Park Takeover at the Sweetwater Terrain Park. This weekend is also Idaho Falls Ski Club weekend at Grand Targhee.

Team USA Update

Two-time Olympic women’s slopestyle snowboard champion Jamie Anderson added another win to an impressive season, winning her eighth Burton U.S. Open title on Friday. Earlier in February, she won her 11th Winter Dew Tour title.

Three-time Olympic men’s halfpipe snowboard champion Shaun White shared with the Associated Press over the weekend that he will not pursue a spot on the inaugural U.S. skateboarding team for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Skateboarding is one of four sports making its debut for the Summer Olympics this year. White, the first athlete to win a gold medal at both the Summer and Winter X Games, said he is not ready to walk away from snowboarding, but has yet to fully commit to training for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Galen Rupp, Jacob Riley and Abdi Abdirahman finished first, second and third in the men’s marathon at Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Trials for marathon in Atlanta to qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games while Aliphine Tuliamuk, Molly Seidel and Sally Kipyego claimed the top three spots in the women’s marathon to qualify for Team USA. Rupp, who won the men’s race in 2:09:20, made his second U.S. Olympic team in the marathon and fourth Olympic team of his career, Abdirahman made his fifth Olympic team, Kipyego made her second Olympic team (but first as a U.S. citizen) and Riley, Tuliamuk and Seidel made their first Olympic teams. Tuliamuk won the women’s race in 2:27:23. Saturday was Seidel’s first marathon while Rupp became the first U.S. man to defend his Olympic Trials marathon title since Frank Shorter in 1976 and 43 year-old Abdirahman became the oldest U.S. Olympian in marathon.

The Medal Stand weekly column, Feb. 27

This was probably the most difficult column I’ve written since I wrote about Gabe Grunewald last summer.

I have followed Mikaela Shiffrin’s career since she made her first World Cup podium as a 16 year-old in 2011. Until this month, I had nothing in common with the decorated professional skier and two-time Olympian. I wish we did not share such a tremendous loss in common, and my heart has been hurting for her and her family all month. I haven’t talked about it, much less written about it, until now.

The Medal Stand: Meeting each other in our pain

In between the blur that is district and state tournament coverage that requires most of my time this month, I have been hurting for an athlete and fellow human being I’ve never met.

Upon checking Instagram on Feb. 3, one of the first posts I saw was from U.S. alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin. She informed her followers that her father, Jeff, passed away that weekend at age 65, and to please respect her family’s privacy as they grieve. Reading it shattered me. My first thought was, ‘Mikaela is a little more than a month away from turning 25 and just lost her dad. I was a little more than a month away from turning 25 when I lost my dad.’ Her dad was also almost the same age mine was when he died. My dad, Carl Edward ‘Eddie’ Hereford, died at age 66 in December 2013.

I feel a stab in my heart every time I hear of someone losing their father, and I unfortunately have too many close friends and classmates to name who have suffered the same loss as me. But never before have I been genuinely heartbroken for someone in the public eye like I have been for Mikaela these last three weeks.

The outpouring of condolences to the Shiffrins has also moved me immensely. Mikaela has posted three more times to Instagram since the initial post about Jeff’s death, and numerous professional athletes–not just skiers–have left comments. Beyond that, the love and support from the worldwide ski community has been astounding.

She has not competed since Jan. 26. On Feb. 16 at the World Cup slalom in Slovakia, Slovakian skier Petra Vlhova’s fans held up a large homemade sign adorned with the U.S. and Slovakian flags and the words We Miss You Mikaela. This past weekend after Italy’s Federica Brignone won alpine combined and super G in Crans Montana, Switzerland, a journalist asked how she felt about being the new favorite for the women’s alpine overall crystal globe due to leading Mikaela by 73 World Cup points in the overall standings. U.S. Ski and Snowboard shared Brignone’s response: “I want Mikaela Shiffrin back. I really do hope she will return soon for herself so she can do again what she loves most.” That is the epitome of class, and I am not surprised at all. Mikaela has carried herself so well since making her first World Cup podium at 16 years old, always congratulating the skiers who made the podium regardless of how she did and always giving credit where credit is due. It is only fitting that her fellow skiers are treating her with as much class, respect and kindness as she has given them in her career.

The Medal Stand weekly column, Feb. 13

Breezy Johnson is in the top 25 in the FIS women’s downhill standings thanks to a 17th place finish on Saturday in Germany.

The Medal Stand: Victor’s Johnson leads U.S. skiers in Germany

Visit usskiandsnowboard.org and scroll down and you will see a familiar face listed under ‘Featured Athlete.’

Victor’s Breezy Johnson led U.S. skiers in Saturday’s women’s downhill at the World Cup stop in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, with a 17th place finish. The 2018 U.S. Olympian followed that up with 18th in Sunday’s super-G. The top-20 finishes follow two top-10 finishes in January. She is 23rd in the FIS women’s downhill standings with 91 points, 41st in the FIS women’s super G standings with 13 points and tied for 49th in the FIS women’s alpine overall standings with 104 points.

Another Teton Valley native and 2018 U.S. Olympian had a good weekend. Jaelin Kauf had two top-five finishes last Thursday and Saturday at the Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort. She placed fifth in moguls and made the podium two days later with third in dual moguls, right behind teammate Hannah Soar. These were Kauf’s first top-five World Cup finishes since December in Thaiwoo, China. The 23 year-old is fifth in the FIS women’s moguls World Cup standings with 295 points.

Coming up locally

The first of four Thursday Targhee Cup adult race league giant slalom and slalom races take place this afternoon at Palmer’s Raceway at Grand Targhee Resort. Proceeds benefit Teton Valley Ski Education Foundation.

Sun Valley Ski Resort is having night skiing Saturday evening on Dollar Mountain as part of President’s Day weekend events. A mini torchlight parade will begin at 8 p.m.

The Medal Stand weekly column, Jan. 23

Shelley graduate Karlie Callahan competed among the nation’s best in the junior women’s race Saturday at the USA Track and Field Cross-Country Championships. Utah State teammate and Snake River graduate James Withers also competed in the senior men’s 10k.

The Medal Stand: Shelley grad competes at USATF XC championships

Shelley graduate Karlie Callahan came away with a medal and a top-10 finish Saturday at the USA Track and Field Cross-Country Championships in San Diego.

Currently a freshman at Utah State, Callahan covered the 6k course in 24:04 to finish eighth in the junior women’s race. She was one of four Utah State runners in the junior women’s race and the second to finish. The junior women’s national title went to Brooke Rauber, a 17 year-old New Yorker who participated in the 2019 Nike Elite Camp and finished seventh at Nike Cross Nationals in December. Rauber won Saturday’s race in 22:11. Another local competed in the senior men’s 10k race Saturday, Snake River graduate and current Utah State runner James Withers, who finished 21st in 32:59.5.

This weekend will be the next competition for Teton Valley native Jaelin Kauf. The 2018 U.S. Olympian who is currently second in the FIS women’s moguls leaderboard with 143 World Cup points will be competing in Tremblant, Canada, on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort released the list of competitors for the third annual Kings and Queen’s of Corbet’s, and a name familiar to eastern Idaho is among them. Rigby’s Jessika Jenson, a 2014 and 2018 U.S. Olympic slopestyle snowboarder, is one of 24 skiers and snowboarders invited to the competition that will take place one day during a February 10-15 weather window in which the resort will close Corbet’s.

Coming up locally

Saturday is Kelly Canyon Resort’s slopestyle event sponsored by Sled Shed. Registration is at 11 a.m. and the competition begins at 1 p.m.

The annual Sun Valley Nordic Festival starts Wednesday, Jan. 29 and continues through the weekend. Events include NordicTown USA Sprints on Wednesday and the 47th annual Boulder Mountain Tour on Feb. 1.

The Medal Stand weekly column, Jan. 16

After two injuries in two consecutive FIS seasons, Breezy Johnson has resumed competition.

The Medal Stand: Victor’s Johnson returns to competition

For the first time since March 2018, Victor alpine skier Breezy Johnson competed in a FIS race. 

Johnson, who turns 24 on Sunday, placed 25th in women’s downhill with a combined time of 1:21.14 last Saturday at the World Cup in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria. She was the top U.S. finisher in women’s downhill and was one of three U.S. skiers in the top 30.

The 2018 U.S. Olympian who calls Jackson Hole Mountain Resort home cut her 2017-18 season short due to a shoulder injury and missed the 2018-19 season due to tearing her ACL in September 2018 while training in Chile and tearing her PCL and MCL in her other leg in June 2019 while training at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. She returned to skis the week of Thanksgiving and rejoined her U.S. teammates in Europe right after New Year’s Day.

Teton Valley’s Jaelin Kauf also recently competed. The 23-year-old 2018 U.S. Olympian now living and training in Salt Lake City placed second at the U.S. Selections singles moguls finals at Steamboat Resort on Jan. 9 and second in the second final of women’s moguls last Saturday at Steamboat Springs, Colo. 

Coming up locally

The annual Kelly Canyon Race Series at Kelly Canyon Resort begins Saturday with slalom. It is the first of three race events that will take place on consecutive Saturdays.

The seventh annual Baldy Banked Slalom is this weekend at Sun Valley Resort’s Bald Mountain. Racing starts at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The Medal Stand weekly column, Oct. 3

Chari Hawkins is in Doha competing in her first world championships. She is in 11th place through four events of the heptathlon.

The Medal Stand: Hawkins in 11th after day 1 of Worlds

Professional heptathlete and 2010 Madison High School graduate Chari Hawkins completed day one of heptathlon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, with 3,702 points. That total puts her in 11th place through four events on Wednesday evening.

Hawkins placed sixth in 100-meter hurdles in 13.23 seconds, tied for eighth in high jump upon clearing 1.77 meters, placed 12th in shot put with a personal-best mark of 13.59 meters and placed 14th in the 200 in 24.81. Team USA’s Kendell Williams, who won 100 hurdles and placed second in the 200, is in third place after day one with 3,855. Two other U.S. athletes–Erica Bougard and Annie Kunz–are right behind Williams in fourth and fifth place with 3,853 and 3,840 points, respectively. Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who won high jump and the 200 and placed second in shot put, leads after day one with 4,138 points while Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam is in second with 4,042.

Heptathlon resumes today with long jump and will conclude with javelin and the 800. NBC Sports Network will have live coverage at 9:15 a.m. Mountain Time.

Coming up locally

Run for the Cure, organized by Live Forward Performance, is Saturday at Freeman Park. Announcements and survivor recognition will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the race will begin at 9 a.m.

The Medal Stand weekly column, Sept. 19

An eastern Idaho cyclist claimed the men’s category 5 1300s title in Saturday’s annual LoToJa (Logan to Jackson) Classic, which also happened to be his first sanctioned road race.

The Medal Stand: Nelson reflects on LoToJa win

Three and a half years ago, Brandon Nelson got his first road bicycle. On September 7, competing in his second Logan to Jackson, Nelson won men’s category 5 1300s in 9:39:05, a result that didn’t sink in for him right away.

The result was significantly faster than his first LoToJa in 2018, which he finished in 10:16 for eighth in Licensed Race 15 Men’s Category 5. LoToJa, which is nation’s the longest single-day USA Cycling sanctioned road race, is the only sanctioned road race Nelson has competed in.

“Not only was I able to improve my time, but my goal was to go faster than 10 hours. I shattered my time from last year,” Nelson said by phone a week after the race. “The first thought was, I came across the finish line and I knew I had gotten first place. I never ever even thought that was a possibility. I would honestly say this was the furthest thing on my mind.”

Nelson, an Idaho Falls resident, had ridden bikes his entire life but did not get into road cycling until three and a half years ago upon recommendation from his boss, who is an avid cyclist. Nelson had a desk job and wanted to get active. He also was motivated to lose weight by cycling, and he said he has lost 55 pounds since then. Along the way, Nelson began riding with friends who were training for LoToJa. Although he did not enter LoToJa his first year of riding a road bike, he chose to sign up and train for LoToJa in 2018. Competing in the race gave him some perspective.

“I would say it was a lot harder than I expected,” Nelson said. “You look at road cyclists and you don’t really understand until you’ve done it. You can prepare all summer long and you can train but the fact of the matter is, if you haven’t done it, it’s a grueling day.”

Upon finishing LoToJa in 2018, Nelson aimed to return in 2019 with the lone motive of beating his time. He participates in an evening group ride one day a week and spends the other days riding an hour and a half to two hours in the mornings. His biggest point of emphasis for this year’s LoToJa was working on climbing.

“The first year in LoToJa, I got dropped on the first climb,” Nelson said. “I had my strength in the flats, but my climbing just needed to improve. I constantly worked on that. I try to always ride with people that are stronger than me.”

The end result was a much more enjoyable and fun day compared to his first LoToJa. Nelson said he was in much better shape for his second LoToJa, and more ideal racing conditions also made for a better experience.

The Medal Stand weekly column, Sept. 12

The annual LoToJA (Logan to Jackson) Classic–the nation’s longest single-day USA Cycling sanctioned road race–took place Saturday.

The Medal Stand: Several from east Idaho complete LOTOJA Classic

East Idaho, particularly Idaho Falls, was well represented in the 37th annual LoToJa (Logan to Jackson) Classic on Saturday.

Fourteen individual cyclists, two tandems and three relay teams from east Idaho completed the licensed race of LoToJA, which is the nation’s longest single-day USA Cycling sanctioned road race. Mark Rodel of Idaho Falls was the top local finisher and the third Idahoan, completing the race in 9:10:45 to place eighth in men masters 45+A and place 52nd overall among men. Paula Hahn of Idaho Falls was the top local woman to finish, completing the licensed race in 11:31:21 to place 11th in women’s Cat 5.

Last year’s top local finisher, Brandon Nelson of Idaho Falls, completed the licensed race in 9:39:05 to place eighth in men’s Cat 5. Aaron Sautter, also of Idaho Falls, led local finishers in men’s master 35+ B, completing the licensed race in 9:57:15 while Idaho Falls cyclists Winn Oakey and Dave Wilding led local finishers in men’s master 55+ open and men’s master 45+ with respective times of 10:18:39 and 10:19:16.

J&J Speirs Tandem from Idaho Falls took first place in race tandem with a time of 9:52.06. Saddle Sistas Am of Idaho Falls took third in women’s two-person race relay in 11:14:05 while B & T of Idaho Falls placed third in mix two-person race relay in 11:15:06. Tandem Johnsons of Idaho Falls placed first in ride tandem, finishing in 12:27:04. Idaho Avengers from Rexburg finished 14th in men’s 3-5 person race relay in 10:46:19.

Other Idaho Falls LoToJa licensed race finishers were: Christopher Maughan (11:11:42, 117th in men’s master 35+B), Lane Blake (11:46:29, 56th in men’s Cat 5), Mitchell Plummer (12:01:21, 32nd in men’s master 55+ open), Christian Utley and Bret Moss (12:33:27, tie for 37th in men’s master 55+ open) and Tamara Beck (12:34:54, 14th in women’s Cat 5).

Other Rexburg LoToJa licensed race finishers were: Bruce Baxter (11:22:15, 58th in men’s master 45+B) and Aaron Miller (11:46:15, 136th in men’s master 35+B).

Burley’s Kolby Carpenter was the top Idaho finisher, completing the licensed race in 9:04:41 and placing second in in men’s Cat 4 while Kuna’s Jenniffer Halladay was the top Idaho woman finisher (9:57:22, fifth woman to finish and third in women’s pro Cat 1-2-3).

The Medal Stand weekly column, Aug. 8

Firth’s Kurtis Downs concluded his third consecutive X Games Minneapolis appearance with a sixth place finish.

The 2010 Firth High School graduate and member of Nitro Circus Live placed sixth in last Friday’s BMX Big Air with a best score of 79 out of four runs. He received that score in his third run to put him in fifth place, but could not better it in his final run. Pocatello native Colton Satterfield, BMX Big Air champion at X Games Austin in 2014 and 2015, was seventh with a best score of 78.33. Satterfield completed three of his four runs. Downs placed third in BMX Big Air at X Games Minneapolis in 2017, his first year competing there, and crashed last year before the finals.

Team USA Update

The U.S. women’s volleyball team qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics on Sunday upon defeating Argentina, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan in group play of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament over the weekend in Louisiana. They are the sixth U.S. team to qualify for 2020.

Team USA leads the medal count at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, with 169 total medals (67 gold) through Wednesday evening. Competition continues through Sunday.

Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles and Sam Mikulak are pursuing a sixth national all-around title this weekend at the U.S. championships, which begin today in Kansas City. One U.S. woman, Clara Schroth Lomady, has won six national all-around titles (1945, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952). Mikulak enters this weekend having most recently taken second at the American Cup behind Yul Molduaer, who concluded his college gymnastics career this spring at the University of Oklahoma.

Sara Hall shared this week that she will be competing in both the Berlin Marathon and New York City Marathon, which are 36 days apart. Des Linden, 2018 Boston Marathon winner and two-time Olympian, and 2016 Olympian Jared Ward also confirmed they will compete in New York as has Daniel Romanchuk, defending men’s wheelchair division champion who won at 20 years old last year and has since won two marathons and a half marathon.