Six all-league skiers from Rye competed in the Section 1 championships Wednesday at Hunter Mountain. The standout for the Garnets was senior Kiran Gounden-Kobes, who finished ninth in the slalom and 15th in the giant slalom, ending the day as the first alternate for the state championships Feb. 24 at Gore Mountain.
“In ski racing, tenths of a second can be all the difference, and unfortunately he was .29 seconds between two runs (slalom and giant slalom) from getting his ticket punched,” said Rye coach Jeffrey Steinmann. “Kiran capped off a fantastic high school career for the Rye ski team, having skied all four years on varsity. He should be very proud and will be missed.”
Freshman Emma Stark and junior captain Kira Woolsey both cracked the top 25 in the giant slalom, coming in at 20th and 25th, respectively.
“Both girls skied great all season among some very tough competition in our league,” Steinmann said. “We are very lucky to have them both returning next season.”
Senior captain Harrison Gelinas, junior Carsten Steinmann, and eighth-grader Connor Swayne finished the day in the middle of the pack.
“All three skied well all year, having scored points for the team every meet,” Jeffrey Steinmann said. “Harrison will be tough to replace next year, especially coming off his best season after four years skiing for Rye.”
Stark, Woolsey, Swayne, Gounden-Kobes, Gelinas, and Carsten Steinmann all received all-league honors this season.
