Deephaven resident Ankeny to ski for U.S. national title
(Created: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 9:55 PM CDT)
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Michael Ankeny of Deephaven has been selected to represent the United States at the U.S. National Championships March 29 through April 3 at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska.
U.S Nationals is the stage where the best in the world come together on U.S. soil to compete for the highest honors in US ski racing.
Ankeny earned that honor by taking first place in the Slalom event at J2 Nationals held last week in Bend, Ore.
Ankeny competed against the top 64 USSA racers, ages 16 and 17, from all around the country in four events; Slalom, Giant Slalom and Super G and Downhill.
Ankeny started the week strongly by finishing second in the Giant Slalom, only .05 seconds out of first place, behind John Kemp from Crested Butte, Colo., and who is currently ranked No. 5 in the world in Giant Slalom for his age.
Ankeny followed up his strong GS finish with a win in the Slalom the following day, besting Aspen, Colo., resident Wiley Maple by four tenths of a second.
Ankeny is 16-years old and is a sophomore at Blake. He is a member of the Buck Hill Alpine Ski Racing Club in Burnsville and is coached by ski hall of famer Erich Sailer, former Slovenian World Cup star Uros Pavlocich, and two time U.S. Olympian and former World Cup racer Tasha Nelson.
Ankeny won the Minnesota state high school boys individual title in February, and helped lead the Bears to a second straight boys team title.
- Compiled by Nick Clark
Reprinted with permission Sun Newspapers
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