The NorAm tour comes to a close with Tour De Maryhill WQS in Goldendale, WA, USA THIS WEEKEND! The World-renowned track will provide many firsts for our racers and spectators, while also deciding the 2019 NorAm Champions. You don't want to miss it!
Firsts:
Women’s Streetluge Race
The FIRST-ever internationally recognized Women's Streetluge race goes down at Maryhill Loops Road this weekend; talk about a strong finish to the 2019 season! First, we saw Elchje Minne, BE, chase the European Continental Luge Champion title against male competitors - earning 3rd place in Europe for Streetluge. Then, we saw Jenn Butler, US, SEND IT to Colombia where she earned 2nd place at La Leonera, sharing the podium with men on both sides. If you were impressed by the women Lugers racing with men, wait till you see them battle each other!
E P I C.
Adaptive Race
Adaptive skaters Kassy Jhones, BR, Daniel Edmondson, US, and Derrick Duncan, US, have confirmed their attendance... Are we going to witness the FIRST- ever internationally recognized Adaptive Downhill race at Maryhill this weekend?! WOW, talk about watching history-in-the-making! With this revolution comes event accessibility; wheelchair-accessible bathrooms will be on-site. For other accessibility inquiries, please email CandyDungan@internationaldownhillfederation.org.
Points:
NorAm Open Skate
With a 128-point lead, Dane Hanna, CA, is heavily leading the North American tour; he just has to finish better than 8th this weekend to secure his Continental title. Sounds like an easy task for this year's Gravity Fest, Killington, and World Roller Games Champion... However, Dane is still healing from a sprained ankle AND the Maryhill track is notorious for being anyone’s game. It’s leg-burning length, never-ending corners, and mild speed allow for many exchanges to take place - and sometimes with the most unexpected riders.
Racers who could take the NorAm title from Dane include Daina-Monster Banks, US, Chase Hill-Killer, US, Emily the Prossecutor, US, and Tim Del, US. But they shouldn't be Dane's only worry; veteran-racers like Zak Maytum and Aaron Hampshire will be racing Tour De Maryhill! Will they cause an upset in the rankings? For extra measures, Dane should secure a top qualifying time in case he is bumped out in the quarter-finals round.
NorAm Streetluge
With a 35-point difference, the NorAm Streetluge title is between Tim Koch, CA, and 2018 NorAm & World Champ Kolby Parks, CA. In order to overtake Tim in the rankings, Kolby needs to earn 36 more points than Tim at Tour De Maryhill (that's less than the difference between 1st and 2nd place, BUT more than the difference between 2nd and 3rd!). If Kolby gets 2nd and Tim gets 4th, then they tie for the Continental Champion title. Kolby’s only safe-bet is to win, which will tie him with Abdil Mahdzan, MA, for first place in the overall World rankings. This one event could make or break Kolby's ability to defend both titles.
However, as mentioned, Maryhill is a track known for upsets and there's a good chance we will see veteran-luge racers get into the mix with today's top racers. And, this is on top of the competitive rivalry that Tim and Kolby have had for years on the NorAm tracks; including Maryhill! With both Tim and Kolby on track, you know it's going to be a good show!
NorAm Women's Skate
Emily Pross wins the Continental Women's Champion title for the FIFTH time. She is the ONLY IDF Women's North American Champion... ever. She was the only woman to race 2/2 NorAm events in 2019; with her double firsts place, she doesn't even need to race Maryhill in the women's category in order to win the Continental Champion title for Women. However, there should be a handful of women attending Tour De Maryhill who skipped the East Coast races this year, and we are stoked to see them BATTLE on the race track!
NorAm Junior's Skate
As the only NorAm Junior's racer to have attended 2/2 NorAm IDF events, Matthew Antrum, US, is currently in the lead for the NorAm Juniors Champion title. Will he be attending Maryhill? If not, then the title opens up to both Kai Runes, US, and Nick Broms, US (assuming they race Tour De Maryhill). This title may come down to commitment, which is step #1 to earning IDF champion titles. It is notable to say that Nick Broms missed Gravity Fest due to a shoulder injury.
NorAm Master's Skate
Kyle Martin, CA, leads with over 100 points for the NorAm Champion title. However, both Zak Kinsley, US, and Jeff Molongoski, US, are still in the running! If all are attending Maryhill, then the possibility for upsets is there. We had an impressive show of NorAm Masters racers this year and hope to see the competition continue to grow in 2020.
World Champion Title, Open Skate
Harry Clarke, AU, won La Violenta WQS and secured the last 25 points he needed to meet his full potential of 4,807 points for the 2019 season. However, Daina Banks got what he needed at La Violenta too: 2nd place. Daina now has 4,771 points - only 36 points behind Haz who has already earned three 1st place WQS finishes and therefore can not pick up any more points in WQS races. Daina, however, can still pick up enough points to outrank Haz (and win the World Champion title) by winning a WQS race. He has two more chances to do it: Tour De Maryhill and Yaku Raymi.
Register for Maryhill here:
See you on the race track! #idfracing #idfwqs
