Ski ch

BY kate Hill Staff Writer

On Sunday, March 12, Charlie Prior, a sophomore at Cazenovia High School, placed first in the U18 New York State Ski Racing Association (NYSSRA) Giant Slalom Championship race at Bristol Mountain. Racing for the Labrador Mountain ski team against around 35 other girls, Prior was named champion after two disappointing days of competition.

On Friday, she decided to opt out of the super giant slalom (Super G) because she experienced an injury in the “super speed” event a few years ago.

During Saturday’s slalom event, she was unable to finish either of her runs.

Upset with herself for what she viewed as a lack of ability or giving up, Prior used her anger to propel her into Sunday’s success.

“Conditions on Friday and Saturday were really difficult racing conditions that required a lot of skill and energy to just make it down the run without falling, so when Sunday’s warmer temperatures rolled around, and we had a hard fresh track to ski down, it felt like a perfect day to really lay down your best skiing,” she said. “Usually, if I think too hard about results and winning during my runs, I get really tense, and in a sport where you have to be able to make adjustments in a split second going 40 miles per hour, being tense can slow you down or, in extreme cases, injure you.”

Prior recalled that her mindset going into