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HIGH SCHOOL SKIING: MCI, Rangeley skiers enjoy slalom wins
By DAVID McLAUGHLIN, Correspondent Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 01/31/2008

FARMINGTON -- Maine Central Institute's Rebekah Kallgren had a breakthrough afternoon while Rangeley Regional High School's Luke Hammond continued to dominate the boys competition on a slalom course soaked by rain, then warmed by sunshine.

Kallgren, who has been showing marked improvement during the season, put together two solid runs on Titcomb Mountain's Otter Slide to knock off previously unbeaten Kyle Cyr of Mt. Blue, who finished eighth in the slalom event. Mt. Abram's Noelle Lake claimed second place.

"I feel like this is the best I've skied this year," Kallgren said. "My second run was a lot different because the temperature dropped and changed the conditions."

A steady drizzle turned to snow during the first run with temperatures hovering in the high 30s. As the rain stopped, temperatures began to drop creating an icy course. Volunteers quickly spread salt through the gates giving competitors an excellent opportunity to race.

Kallgren blistered the slalom course with a two-run time of 1 minute, 5.98 seconds, laying down the fastest run of the afternoon in the girls competition on her first run with a 32.16. It was her third win this week after earning two wins in a Kents Hill Ski Club night-time, two-race event. "I have been skiing conservatively and trying to finish," Kallgren said. "I have been focusing on straight lines and getting close to the gates."

Mt. Blue edged Mt. Abram for first place in the girls race, 33-44 in a seven-team field, placing three skiers in the top 10. Joining Cyr was Amanda Hall (9th) and Emily Deane (10th). Mt. Abram's Emily Luce added a fourth to help the Roadrunners stay close.

In a 10-team boys field, Mt. Blue claimed first place, outdistancing Maranacook 47-58. Peter Smith paced the Cougars' effort with a third place, followed by the Black Bears' Sean Vallant in fourth.

Camden Hills' Nolan Steele and Andrew Baxter finished second and fifth, respectively, moving the Windjammers into a third-place tie with Skowhegan. Andy Calder's streak of successful runs came to a conclusion for the Indians when he fell briefly on his first run. He recovered nicely to finish 13th.

"A lot of the top competitors were in this race today," Vallant said. "It was nice to compete against them, it made for a good day of skiing."

Hammond turned a number of heads after his first run, when he clocked a 29.87 -- the only sub-30 second run of the race. Smith polished off the course in 30.49, followed by Vallant's 30.85 and Steele's 30.88, all coming on the first run.

Second-run times were slightly slower as conditions changed, with Hammond still firing down the course in 31.65 to record the best second-run time of the race. "This was a pretty weird day, but after they salted the course it was pretty firm," Hammond said. "I felt really good, it was an open course, so I could let it go but didn't want to get out of control."

Skiing as an independent, Messalonskee's Ben Roy got a top-10 finish by landing in the sixth spot.

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