Casper II 2026-02-07/08

TWO NEW SHERIDAN RECORDS HAVE TUMBLED & boys secure 2nd place with only 4 skiers!

Record 1: 2nd place finish for a Varsity Boys individual

Record 2: More top 10 skiers than any other team!

Noteworthy: boys place 3rd overall on day 1 and SECOND on day 2!

The Jacobsen Memorial race in Casper this past weekend was incredible. Temperatures on Friday reached into the 50s on the mountain, and only thanks to a lot of shoveling by the Casper crews was there a sufficient amount of snow on the course. Friday’s race was a 7.5 km, two-lap course. We applied klister to our skis and had good kick around 11:15 a.m., but by race time we had no kick left.

The boys went first. Gabe ended up using an old pair of practice skis without any kick wax, which provided some kick but poor glide. He placed 22nd overall—impressive on those skis and while still recovering from feeling unwell the previous week. Abe double-poled the entire race course, finishing in a phenomenal 2nd place overall. Kade also managed to race very well despite a lack of kick, finishing 9th overall. Andre crushed it as well, coming in 19th on unwaxed, no-kick skis. Luke and Wyatt paid the price for not having their glide zones waxed prior to the race and for lacking good kick.

For the girls’ race, we decided the best solution was to remove all kick wax, which ended up working quite well, allowing Kayley and Macey to finish 2nd and 4th, respectively. For Brynn, the lack of better kick put her a bit farther back than usual, finishing 30th. With Ella staying home, Clara rounded out our girls’ results in 47th.

In the JV race, we stuck with the “no kick wax” approach. Sean finished 15th, followed by Elijah in 13th and Edward in 31st.

Day 2 was super exciting, with three sprint skate races for everyone. Start positions were determined by finish times from Friday. This put Abe in heat 1, Kade in heat 2, Andre in heat 3, Gabe in heat 4, Luke S in heat 9, Wyatt and Sean in heat 10, and Elijah, Edward, and Eric (who did not race Friday) in heat 13.

For Eric, this was not much of a challenge—he won every heat unchallenged. Edward was able to win his second race, finishing the day ahead of three other skiers. Wyatt narrowly missed winning his first heat but won heat two and finished 3rd in his final heat. Sean, who started together with Wyatt in the first heat, managed to stay in the same heat throughout. Luke won his first heat but decided to withdraw from the competition to get much-needed rest.

Gabe truly impressed on Saturday. We always knew he is a good sprinter; however, the way he managed the day was stellar. We were not even sure initially if he had enough energy to complete all three races. His jump skate practice paid off—he dominated his first two races, finishing first, and earned a top-10 overall finish in his final race. What an accomplishment.

Andre also showed his caliber. He stayed in heat 3 for all three rounds, finishing 2nd in his heat each time and 14th overall. It is so fun to see Andre becoming a more accomplished skier. His determination to the task is excellent.

For Abe and Kade, we did a lot of strategizing. We started both on training skis to preserve their race skis for later races. Abe managed to finish 4th in every race. Considering that he skied on entry-level Salomon skis while all his competitors were on much higher-quality skis, this result truly stands out.

Kade’s strategy was to stay in heat 2 for the first race, then place in the top two in his second race to finish the day in heat 1. That plan worked well for the first heat, but he got tripped during his second race and had to work his way back from last to an impressive 4th place. This meant he would finish the day in heat 2. You could see in his eyes the eagerness to settle the score and the willpower to let nothing get in the way. When he raced up the final hill of the course, he accomplished exactly that, finishing his heat unchallenged in 1st.

For the girls, Clara started and finished in heat 8 with a solid performance. Our goal for Brynn was to place first or second in her first two races. We also started her on training skis, which ended up being the wrong choice. She finished 3rd in her first heat, keeping her in heat 5. Once she switched to her race skis and we adjusted her start strategy, everything changed. She dominated her final two races, finishing first both times.

Kayley and Macey had both earned the right to start in the first and fastest heat. Our goal was to shelter Macey and help her stay in the top four, but an unlucky start put her in the back, and she was unable to recover. Her second race was in heat 2, with the goal of returning to heat 1. She got out of the start first but then got tripped by another racer, again finding herself in last place. She worked her way back into 4th position and was closing in on 3rd. The skier in 3rd intentionally obstructed Macey on the relatively narrow trail approaching the finish. The skier ahead took the center of the trail. Macey tried to pass on the left, and the skier moved left to close the gap. Macey dropped back to the right, and the skier moved right, again closing the gap. Macey yelled at the skier, but there was no response. Only after the rule-violating skier caught up to a third skier and passed her could Macey slip through an opening and pass both skiers. Macey finished this heat in 3rd place. Similar to Kade, Macey was extremely disappointed but ready to show what she is made of—and she went on to win her third and final race.

Kayley managed to stay in heat 1 for all three races. We had left her best race skis at home, and she raced on skis that do not perform well in mushy snow, as the tips tend to dive under. For this reason, she was unable to perform up to her own expectations and finished 4th. Of course, that is still a stellar result.

I am incredibly proud of our Broncs crew. I believe Sheridan has accomplished the task of developing skiers who can compete on par with other high schools. For the very first time, Sheridan had three boys in the top 10 and two girls—five out of 20 racers, more than any other team on the day.

What we now need is a culture shift in the Sheridan area to develop more competitive skiers earlier. Among our most competitive skiers, Kayley started the sport only in 8th grade, Abe and Andre in 9th grade, and Luke in 10th grade. Just imagine if Sheridan were able to draw as many kids early into skiing as Lander, Jackson, or Casper….

Day 1 Classic team results:

Varsity Girls

Jackson 93

Lander 71

Pinedale 68

Cody 64

Sheridan 64

Natrona 51

Laramie 28

Kelly Walsh 26

Varsity Boys

Pinedale 89