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He survived: Taylor student returns from ski meet
Steve LaHaye had never skied a Super G before the last week's Junior Olympics in New Hampshire.
In fact, the 14-year-old Taylor Middle School student does not even own the right skis for the grueling race. Super G is a downhill-slalom combination race where racers can reach incredible speeds — so there are some inherent dangers.
Earlier this month, Austrian skier Matthias Lanzinger had his leg amputated after injuries suffered in a Super G crash at skiing's World Cup.
LaHaye is a competitor, though. So when one of the Junior Olympics coaches told him to take the Super G easy, he chose not to listen.
“I was in the gate just thinking 'Go for it, you've got all summer to heal,'” LaHaye said. “Break a leg, break an arm, whatever. I'd rather crash than take it easy and get dead last.”
Thanks to (or perhaps, in spite of) that skier mentality, LaHaye survived the Super G. He placed 63rd out of 88 racers, finishing a time of 1 minute, 10 seconds. On the 1,310-meter course, that is an average of 42 miles per hour.
LaHaye also posted a 60th place finish in the giant slalom, but recorded a DQ in the slalom.
Still, the trip to Junior Olympics was an incredible experience for LaHaye. From March 9-12, LaHaye competed against some of the Northeast's and Mid-Atlantic's best young skiing talent, and came away with plenty of memories.
“I'm glad that I went up to J.O.s (Junior Olympics),” he said. “Thirty years from now, I can say 'I went to the Junior Olympics and put all I could into it.'”
The future Fauquier Falcon received a bid to the Junior Olympics through his efforts with the Southern Alpine Racing Association (SARA). Competing for the Wintergreen Resort team, LaHaye ranked second in this year's J3 (13-14 year old) category.
He chose to compete in New Hampshire instead of venturing to less-challenging meets. “If I had gone to the other races, looking back I'm sure I'd be saying 'Why didn't I go to J.O.s?'” LaHaye said.
While his final placements were not what he dreamed of, LaHaye remained upbeat about his performance. Only the DQ in the slalom provided any real disappointment.
“If I could take it back, I absolutely would,” LaHaye said of the slalom race. “I know I put it all out on the (giant slalom) and I definitely on the Super G.”
Mallory Crandall, another member of SARA, placed 22nd in the girls slalom race.
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