The Diamond Peak Ski Team performed well on its home mountain, while Diamond Peak volunteers and staff put on a fine race for the 350-plus athletes who competed in the Tahoe League Dual Combined race this past Sunday.

It was another bluebird day on the mountain, and the Diamond Peak racers were ready to represent.

A cold and icy morning at the start of the race turned into a very warm afternoon. At the end of a successful day of racing, the Diamond Peak Ski Team celebrated first-place finishes from Gino Luchetti (Boys 8), Ethan Chen (Boys U12), Julia Capaldi (Girls U14) and Matt Smallhouse (Boys U14). 

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Smallhouse blistered the course, with a combined time faster than all but one other athlete in all age groups.  

Other top-10 finishers included Aidan Pretti in second and Sean Busse in sixth (Boys U12), Brooke Michael in fourth, Jada Moore in fifth and Fiona Ritchie in seventh (all Girls U12), Carly Weinberger in 10th  (Girls 8), Melanie Davidson in third (Girls 7), and Ridge Gerken in eighth (Boys 7). 

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For the older contingent, Kaci Meyer finished sixth and Katie Fischer was eighth (both Girls U14), Kobe Robinson was ninth (Boys U14), Rachel Meyer second (Girls 14+), Trent Funke second and Tommy Corcoran fourth (both Boys 14+).    

There were also promising results from other male athletes on the Diamond Peak team, including Owen Hickenbottom in 14th  (Boys 7), David Lawrence in 14th, Kaden Winter in 15th and Tanner Winter in 16th, (all Boys 8), and Andrew Busse in 15th (Boys 9). Luke Robinson and Luke Janssen rounded out the U12 boys from Diamond Peak in 37th and 50th. 

Not to be outdone by the boys, the U12 girls also produced 17th- and 20th-place finishes by Taylor Michael and Ainsley Hickenbottom, followed by Lauren Novotny (32nd) and Jasmine Arrison (46th).  Girls 7 class athlete Adelina LaForge finished 12th. 

In addition to the Diamond Peak Ski Team racers, Incline Village residents Whitney and Tea Kiesel, who ski for Squaw Valley, also recorded top-10 finishes. Whitney Kiesel took third place in the Girls 8-year-old race and Tea Kiesel finished eighth in her race.

 

U10s, U12s race GS at Squaw

Squaw Valley hosted a Far West giant slalom race for the Far West U10 and U12 athletes on Saturday and Sunday.

For the U12s, the race was held on Red Dog, a steep, challenging course. Satchel Hirsh finished 21st on Saturday and was followed by Aidan Pretti in 33rd and Sean Busse in 49th.  Pretti and Busse moved over to the DP Tahoe League race on Sunday, while Hirsh stayed at Squaw and finished 26th.

For the U10 boys, Gino Luchetti competed on Saturday, finishing 19th, before moving over to the Tahoe League race on Sunday. Shaine Hirsh finished 20th for the U10 girls on Saturday.