Cranbrook Kingswood Skiiers Post Strong Showing at Traverse City Invitational - click here for full story

Traverse City, MI  - -  The Cranbrook Kingswood ski team showed signs of strength when they traveled to the Traverse City Invitational Ski meet at Schuss Mountain held on January 25^th. 

While it can be challenging for self-proclaimed “flatlanders” from Southeastern Michigan to make the transition to racing on the greater pitch in the north, the Cranbrook team fared well on the vertical.  “The kids have been working hard this season. To perform well on the flat and be able to handle a steep pitch is very challenging,” asserts head coach Bruce Rosengren, “But our kids have been working hard to get training whenever they can in all types of conditions.”  In a field of twelve teams, most from Northern Michigan, the boys team took third place overall while the girls’ team took sixth. 

In the Giant Slalom competition, sophomore Jack Briggs placed eleventh, followed closely by teammates Joshua Bernard, Eric Moffett and Christer Aikens with the team finishing in second place behind hometown favorites Traverse City Central.  In the slalom event, the boys took fifth place, with Jay Ghesquiere taking top honors for Cranbrook, with Aikens, Briggs and Bernard clustered closely behind.  “To take third place overall without any of our boys placing in the top ten is pretty incredible,” stated Rosengren, “With a little more experience any one of these racers could break into a top ten finish and then all bets are off.”

In the girls’ competition, sophomore Hannah Strauss took the top slot in both the GS and Slalom, with a top ten finish in GS. Teammates Scarlett Shader, Claire Giampetroni and Allie Murphy also contributed to their sixth place overall finish.

With the noteworthy absence of seniors on either squad, the strong showing at the Traverse City Invitational bodes well for the team’s future, as they prepare to vie for a spot at the state meet to be held in Harbor Springs on February 22.