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Bowe Bergdahl Made a Lions Member Page 3
Student Debate Team Goes to Nationals
Wellness Festival for the Kids too…
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Albertsons to Carry More Organics Following Remodel Page 7
read about it on PaGe 13
M a y 3 0 , 2 0 1 2 • Vo l . 5 • N o . 2 2 • w w w.T h e We e k l y S u n . c o m
Knori Perseveres Local Student, jesse knori, chooses living life STORY & PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
I Sun Valley Resort built some gnarly trails on Bald Mountain last year for the 2011 and 2012 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross-Country National Championships. Now it aims to build a network of trails on Bald Mountain that will be geared toward all abilities.
Mountain Bike Trails on Baldy STORY & PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
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un Valley wants to create “a summer ski season” by creating a world-class mountain bike playground on Bald Mountain. The world’s first destination ski resort believes it can convert skiers to mountain bikers as it becomes a destination mountain bike resort with the only dedicated machine-built trail network in the United States, said Julian Tyo, a member of the Sun Valley trail crew that built the course for the 2011 and 2012 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross-Country National Championships on Bald Mountain. “We want to create new mountain bikers by creating safe, accessible trails that will keep users coming back,” he said. The resort unveiled proposals last week for seven new multi-ability mountain bike trails and two remodeled trails before a hundred bike enthusiasts crowded into River Run Lodge. Tyo said the resort wants to create a ski season for summer with a “robust” offering of trails of all abilities that would complement the 435 miles of existing mountain biking trails south of Galena. String a few of the proposed trails together and you’ll have a 9.6-mile downhill flow trail, which would be the longest in the United States, he said. Not too many places could even come close to that, given their terrain, he added. Without question, the new trails would also give the Sun Valley area what it needs to achieve a gold-level ranking under the new tiered recognition system drawn up by IMBA, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, he said. Right now the area would likely merit a silver. The new bicycle trails would be located primarily on the River Run side of Bald Mountain and would be accessible via Sun Valley’s gondola and Christmas chairlift. Seven percent would be geared toward advanced riders, 58 percent toward intermediate and 35 percent toward novice. Even the novice trails would be suitable for intermediate and advanced riders, Tyo said: “We might have three rollers and the beginner would roll over all three, while the intermediate rider would roll over two and jump the third. The advanced
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f she was feeling any pain, Jesse Knori didn’t show it as she climbed onto the podium at Soldier Hollow to claim her silver medal in the Junior Nationals J1 Girls Sprint. That—and a sixth-place finish in the 10k freestyle in March—was nothing short of a miracle for a young woman who sometimes wakes up frozen to her bed, unable to lift her neck or even feel her spine. Knori was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue, at age 12. And, despite medication and a modified diet, her joints sometimes swell to the size of grapefruits. At other times, they’ve become so inflamed she can’t walk upstairs or open jars. And, often, her joints ache so bad she can’t double pole, forcing her to ski with one arm in a sling. “At first, it was just in my neck and knees, which felt as if someone was jabbing 20 needles in my bones. Then it spread to my ankles and elbows. Now, it’s in my spine,” said Knori, who was given the Dave Quinn Award for most inspiration skier by Junior Nationals at the end of the ski season. “What I’m doing with my skiing may seem kind of masochistic. But I love it because I’m out in beautiful country with kids that are so motivated and coaches who want me to achieve.” Wanting to take her skiing up a notch, the Jackson, Wyo., native moved to Sun Valley last summer, enrolling in the new Sun Valley Ski Academy and taking up residence in the Academy’s new dorm at the foot of Baldy. “I had heard such good things about Sun Valley’s head coach Rick Kapala from my Nordic coach. And Jackson had no girls for me to train with at the level I needed to. But I knew the Sun Valley team had a real strong girls’ team—girls like Sloan Storey, Morgan Atkinson, Maranda Stopol, Maggie Williams, Margaret Pope…” Like Morgan Arritola—a Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation alum who went on to compete in the Olympics—Knori did not start cross-country skiing until high school. When she did take it up in her freshman year, she fell frequently, was totally exhausted and never placed above 30th in competition. But she was hooked. She quit the swim team and joined the Jackson Ski Club her sophomore year, competing for track time with the moose that frequented the Nordic tracks. Relocating to Sun Valley was hard
for her as it took her away from her family. But, she says, it got her out of her niche as she bunked with kids from China and Brazil. “I had to get used to a different schedule, with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and study hall from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. And I had to learn to be considerate of my roommates’ needs—it was like living with nine little siblings instead of one,” she said. It was worth it, however, as her Community School teachers assisted her in every way possible to allow her to pursue competitive skiing at a higher level. “The teachers here want to help you achieve your goals— they’re so understanding of your absences,” she said. “When I qualified for Nationals at home, my teachers thought I shouldn’t go because it meant missing so many classes. It hurt me that they couldn’t be happy for me.” Knori says she also relished skiing under Kapala’s tutelage. “Rick is such a great coach to kids. He understands what he needs to do to help them compete at their highest level. He’s the most motivational speaker I’ve ever heard—he knows what you need to hear. At Soldier Hollow he gave each of us a notecard with one word that we needed to focus on. My word was ‘graceful,’ alluding to the fact that I had to finesse things… use as smooth a technique as possible. “In finals I was in sixth place and I heard him yell, ‘C’mon Jesse!’ My adrenalin took charge and I found energy I didn’t think I had. I told myself, ‘I think I can do it,’ and I pushed and got second.” After graduation this coming Sunday, Knori plans to stay in Sun Valley for a year to train with the Ski Education Foundation’s Gold Team to see just how far her skiing can take her. Afterwards, she says, she will likely head to the University of New Hampshire to study environmental science and environmental architecture. Kapala says Knori has every opportunity to do well at the next level. “She’s already one of the best girls in the country. We were lucky enough to have her come train here despite her debilitating joint problems,” he said. “She’s gotta be one of the most positive people I’ve been around. To be good at a high level of athletes, you have to be
over giving up to pain.
Jesse Knori says she hopes she can inspire youngsters with her tale of perseverance.
COURTESY PHOTO
someone who says, ‘Today I GET to be a cross-country skier.’ Jesse’s attitude is infectious and the real difference is her determination. She’s able to say, ‘I can’t run or lift weights. But this is what I can do. I can do the rowing machine or spinning.’ ” For her senior project, Knori spent a month in Boise working with a rheumatologist to create a conference for kids with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and organizing a support group for their parents. But she can’t wait to get back into training. “I figure I’m healthier doing what I love to do than I’d be sitting around,” she said. “I’m probably taking it too far. But it’s what I want to do.” tws
FREE BLUEGRASS & BBQ 3 EVENTS FEATURING
DEWEY, PICKETTE & HOWE AND PAUL’S DELICIOUS BBQ! June 15 • July 20 • August 17 • 6-8:30pm @ Sweetwater Clubhouse, 870 Maple Leaf Dr., Hailey
~ everyone welcome ~ Sweetwater Community Realty • Sue Radford | Karen Province • (208) 788-2164 • www.SweetwaterHailey.com