Sophomore Sarah Kilroy won her division in both Classic and Skate disciplines at Mt. Bachelor
The Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center hosted the first of four Pacific Northwest Ski Association Junior Olympic Qualifiers last weekend, December 16th and 17th. RPA sophomore Sarah Kilroy finished first in both the Classic and Skate disciplines in the girls U16 division.
Kilroy covered Saturday’s five kilometer Classic course in 18:18, winning the race by nearly five seconds. In Sunday’s Skate race, Kilroy again bested her competition by five seconds after flying over the five kilometer course in 15:49.
“My goal for the weekend was to at least podium in one of the races, so I came into Sunday with a predisposition that I wasn’t going to make a huge effort to take the gold again,” Kilroy said. “During my warm up, the physical fatigue and muscle soreness began to catch up with me from the previous training week. I talked to my coaches, who suggested that I ski my race for the purpose of practice, to enjoy the process and ‘just have fun.’ I skied into the start area with a fairly calm mindset, ready for the race to be over with.”
RPA English teacher and assistant cross country ski coach George Hegarty said, “It really is great having Sarah ski for RPA. Beyond being an amazing athlete, she is a really positive presence on the team and on campus. The girls on the team really like each other, and that bond makes being a part of RPA nordic skiing an awesome thing.”
“Within the past year, RPA has been very flexible with my attendance, allowed me to adjust schedules and miss classes,” Kilroy said of her experience as an RPA student-athlete. “Being at RPA has enabled me to participate in skiing opportunities that have enhanced my performance as an athlete.
Kilroy’s next Junior Olympic Qualifier is set for January 13th and 14th at Mt. Spokane in Mead, Washington. Individual scores from the best five of eight races will be used to determine which skiers will go to Junior Nationals at site of the 2002 Olympics in Soldier Hollow, Utah in March 2018.
About Redmond Proficiency Academy
The Redmond Proficiency Academy (RPA) is a public charter school operating in the Redmond School District. In its ninth year of operation, RPA serves nearly 900 students in grades 6-12. Students come to RPA from throughout Central Oregon. Using a proficiency-based instructional model in a personalized school environment, RPA strives to prepare all students for success in college and life.
