April 3, 2002
Skiers shine at Jr. Olympics
Austin Johnson earns race spot at Whistler Cup in Canada
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
This week, Austin Johnson will be skiing with the best of the best.
The ninth-grade student at Traverse City West Junior High will be racing in the prestigious Whistler Cup in British Columbia, Canada.
This trip comes on the heels of his winning the Slalom event at the Junior Olympics, held March 10-16 in Winter Park Colo. Johnson's father and coach, Ed Johnson, believes that Austin is the first Traverse City skier to participate in the Whistler Cup, and the first Junior Olympic Champion from the area for the past 15-20 years.
Johnson also took third place in the Giant Slalom and fifth place in the Super G and was one of just three skiers out of 104 in his age group to be chosen for the Whistler Cup. He will be one of only nine skiers from the United States competing against skiers from 20 countries.
"This was my fourth year competing, my best year," said Johnson, who skis independently from a club. "It was great, really fun and it was really fun winning. The Slalom is my favorite event because it is really quick and takes a lot of timing to get down."
A number of other area skiers also went to the Junior Olympics. In the J3 division, the one Johnson competed in, other Traverse City entrants were Elizabeth Cornwell and Elizabeth Calcutt.
The Junior Olympics for the J4 division, which included skiers ages 11-12, was held on March 21-24 in Steamboat Springs Colo. Traverse City skiers participating in that event include Jennifer VanWagner, Lauren Lockwood, Janelle Schofield, Kristen Nethercut, Nicholas Browning and Jack Dingman. Kevin Fisher and Brooks Bunbury from Leelanau County also competed.
VanWagner came within approximately five points of winning a spot at the Whistler Cup. She skied her way to a first place in the Slalom, a third in the Giant Slalom (despite blowing out of her bindings on the first run) and a 14th place in the Super G. Her two best scores placed her second overall, a position known as the 'bridesmaid.' This means she would go if the person chosen for some reason could not attend.
"It was fun, really good competition," said VanWagner, a seventh-grade student at East Junior High who advanced to the Junior Olympics in the number one slot in her division.
"The Slalom is my strongest event and my favorite one as well. In my first Slalom run, I played it too safe and then my last run, I was, 'Heck, it doesn't matter anymore,' so I just went out there and did my best."
Both Johnson and VanWagner come from skiing families.
VanWagner's sister is a former state champion and her mother raced in both high school and college. An active athlete in many sports, including soccer, basketball and softball, skiing is her first love.
"Skiing is my favorite sport, it is fast and technically challenging," she said. "It's just fun and I like the people I ski with and the coaches. The Olympics is a goal but I just like to take it one step at a time."
Johnson began skiing when he was 20 months old and, although he could hardly speak, he begged his parents for more. He came up through the Grand Traverse Ski Club, the feeder program locally for young skiers, thriving under the coaching there.
Now under his father's tutelage, he plans to be ski in World Cup competitions by the time he is 20.
Ed Johnson believes that his son's talent, plus an inner drive and high standards, will carry him far. Like this winter at the qualifying races for the Junior Olympics in Marquette, Johnson cut his face and broke a tooth when he hit a gate. His parents took him to an emergency room to be packed with gauze. He made it back to the hill for his second Slalom run and from there qualified for the Junior Olympics.
"He has a real drive to really not accept any lower standard," Ed Johnson said. "Looking back on Marquette, if he had not had the determination to do that, he would have not had the Junior Olympics."