(Chelsea Update would like to thank Laura Dillmann for the information in this story and Jonwaine Collins for the photos.
The Saline Chelsea Ski Team sends Erik Koseck to the state finals on Feb 24. Koseck qualified for the finals in both slalom (SL) and giant slalom (GS) during Regionals at Alpine Valley on Thursday.
He took 1st place in slalom, and 2nd place in giant slalom, with a 2-run combined time just 0.1 seconds off the first-place spot.
The Regionals event marks the end of the season for the rest of the team.
The girls placed 10th overall, with Nikki Dillmann leading the team in both slalom (38) and giant slalom (22). She was followed by Elizabeth Johnson, 45 in SL and 46 in GS, and Anna Mueller 58 in SL and 62 in GS.
Rounding out the scoring was Chelsea Bachran 59 in SL, and Emily Hornberger 64 in GS. Also racing for the girls team was Sydney Collins and Grace Yoders. As a team, the girls placed 11th of 12 in SL and 10th of 12 in GS.
Racing for the boys’ team alongside Koseck was Caden Faupel, Christian Harrison and Mason Kipley. The team took 11th of 14 teams in GS, with Koseck taking 2nd, Faupel in 38, Kipley in 63, and Harrison in 72. They struggled in slalom, with both Harrison and Faupel disqualifying and were therefore unable to get a team score in that event.
“I’m proud of how our team performed this season,” said coach Laura Dillmann.
“We are only in our third season, comprised of mostly new racers. Teams must have 4 racers finish to get a team score. With only 4 boys on the team, it’s tough to score well in the team results. They managed to beat 3 other larger teams in GS, which is a real challenge,” she said.
On the girls’ side, ”We have a very young team, the coach said, with five freshmen making up the team of 11. They are all new racers, but solid skiers, and I see a lot of promise over the next few years.”
