By Frank Rizzo
HIGHMOUNT — February 27, 2001 – Veronika Dlouha of Sullivan West, an exchange student from the Czech Republic, won the Section IX downhill skiing championship last Thursday at Belleayre Mountain in Highmount, Ulster County.
Dlouha took first in both the slalom and giant slalom, and her combined time of 97.10 beat out Lisa DiVenuto of Monroe-Woodbury (99.16).
Colleen Carey of Fallsburg/Tri-Valley, the defending sectional champ, was third with a 99.64.
The top 10 skiers advanced to this week’s state championship, at Bristol Mountain, near Rochester.
Joining Dlouha and Carey among county skiers will be the Monticello trio of Laura Ferranti, Becky Sheerer, and Candice Sheerer.
Trevor Bailey of Onteora won the boys’ title for the second straight year.
Three boys from county teams qualified: Austin Pantel and Blake Levine, both of Fallsburg/Tri-Valley, and Mike Swope of Liberty/Eldred.
Ferranti had been the regular season leader. She came into the sectional championship with a score of 1.0 (her average placement in her best four meets). But her fifth place finish at Thursday’s meet dropped her down to fifth place overall for the season with 16 points. Sectionals count for 75 percent of one’s total score, and so the placement is multiplied by three.
By contrast, Dlouha averaged a 1.75 in the regular season and finished first last Thursday for an additional three points and overcame Ferranti with a total score of 4.75.
“The weather was outstanding and the skiing was very competitive,” said Fallsburg/T-V coach Janet Carey. “The girls have been so close all season, they’ve been pushing each other.”
According to SW coach John McCormack, Dlouha won the last two regular season meets in the absence of Ferranti, “which made them bittersweet.”
Ferranti, he continued, “fell on her first giant slalom run, which opened up the window for Veronika. To her credit, Laura came back to make the state meet, she’s a great skier.”
Belleayre “was a very challenging course. A lot of people wiped out. Veronika told me she really liked the course,” McCormack said.
Through a program at her Czech school Dlouha, 17, skied all over Europe.
“She’s very excited about going to the state meet,” said McCormack.
Dlouha is attending her senior year at the Delaware Valley campus. Her hosts are Jim and Jamie McAteer of Cochecton.
Section IX Alpine Ski
Here are the results of the Section IX alpine skiing championship, held last Thursday at Belleayre Mountain in Highmount. The top 10 finishers, based on a combination of regular season points and sectional championship ski race placement, qualified for the state meet.
Each participant raced two slaloms and two giant slaloms. The best times in each event were then added up. Results, with overall season points in parenthesis:
Girls
1. Veronika Dlouha, Sullivan West 97.10 (4.75); 2. Lisa DiVenuto, Sullivan West 99.16 (7.75); 3. Colleen Carey 99.64 (11.75); 4. Stephanie Kechian, Monroe-Woodbury 1:01.20 (13.50); 5. Laura Ferranti, Monticello 1:01.31 (16.00); 6. Becky Sheerer, Monticello 1:02.17 (22.75); 7. Candice Sheerer, Monticello 1:02.49 (24.75); 8. Alex McDonald, Warwick 1:02.72 (25.500; 9. Angela Tse, Newburgh 1:06.03 (31.50); 10. Jillian Martarano, Newburgh 1:06.39 (35.25); 11. Lauren Brinkerhoff 1:06.42; 14. Sam Tucker, Monticello 1:09.96; 16. Sam Anderman, Fallsburg/Tri-Valley 1:11.10; 21. Tina Castillo, Fallsburg/Tri-Valley 1:16.37; 27. Emily Leidner, Monticello 1:19.49.
Boys
1. Trevor Bailey, Onteora 85.30 (4.00); 2. Brian Perez, Onteora 86.54 (7.75); 3. Austin Pantel, Fallsburg/Tri-Valley 93.26 (11.25); 4. Matt Mainey, Newburgh 94.06 (13.00); 5. Blake Levine, Fallsburg/Tri-Valley 94.89 (19.50); 6. Mike Swope, Liberty/Eldred 96.08 (22.25); 7. Kevin Blaine, Warwick 97.00 (24.75); 8. Ben Kern, Onteora 98.11 (31.75); 9. Andrew DiVenuto, Monroe-Woodbury 98.60 (33.00); 10. Ryan Ballantine, Ellenville 98.70 (37.25); 13. Brendon Pantel, Fallsburg/Tri-Valley 99.76; 16. Vincent Dollard, Monticello 1:00.26; 27. Mike Tedaldi, Monticello 1:05.11