A pair of top-10 finishes by Emily Loerch helped the Lake Orion girls? ski squad to a third place finish at regionals last Thursday, qualifying the team for the state competition next week.
‘It’s a great feeling,? Coach Derek Delzer said of the team making it to states. ‘They’ve had a great season. We did what we needed to do.?
Delzer said he wasn’t too worried about the team’s wins and losses during the season. He just wanted them to improve every time out.
‘It was just a matter of keeping our heads high,? he said. ?(We get) the reward of the one meet that really counts.?
Loerch placed third in the giant slalom (39.56) and seventh in the slalom (51.28).
‘She’s been finishing in the top-10 all year,? Delzer said. ‘It’s pretty important to have one or two top performers and have them be consistent.?
The team had four girls place in the top-22 in the slalom event. Their 145 team total was behind only Clarkston (23) and Rochester Adams (102).
The boys, meanwhile, started strong, sitting in second after the morning slalom, but finished fifth overall, narrowly missing on a chance to return to states.
‘The giant slalom courses were faster courses and bigger skiers have a big advantage,? Delzer said, noting his team is a bit younger.
Still, Stephen Sims and Jake Phillips managed to qualify as individuals for the Dragons.
Those skiing in next Monday’s finals will head up north for some training on Saturday.
Delzer noted that Lake Orion has built a strong tradition of the past few years.
‘This is the seventh or eighth year we’ve had a team represent us at states,? he said. ‘That’s a pretty good tradition to have.