STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Elvis appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” the year the Papoose Club held its first Kindercup race in 1956. Gasoline cost a mere 22 cents a gallon and the average house, $2,280.
A couple dozen youngsters took part and a rite of passage was born.
More than 200 youngsters between the ages of 3 and 10 showed up at Dollar Mountain on Sunday to ski around 15 slalom gates enroute to a participant medal, soft serve ice cream at Mountain High Creamery and a kid-size pizza from Smoky Mountain.
Harriet Naugle gets a high-five from her mother at the finish line.
The race was staged by the 5B Kids Fund, formerly known as the Papoose Club, in partnership with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.
Nine-year-old Hailey Stoez and her 6-year-old sister Cora were excited to take part in their first Kindercup after having watched the Winter Olympics with their parents Chad and Vieve Stoez. Hazel watched one of her friends race with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation and couldn’t wait to try it for herself.
“It’s my first time and it’s scary but fun. But you have to learn to stop before you do it,” said Hazel. “I liked watching the skiing, but I really liked watching the luge and ski jumping and snowboard tricks, too.”
Harriet Naugle was a veteran racer, having raced in the Kindercup last year.
Skiers sported antennas, tails, capes and more as they made their way around the slalom gates.
“It was really, really fast, but you have to ski fast to win,” she said. “If you want to win, you have to do lots of practice, and you got to get through all the gates. I got through all the gates.”
Neither of Naugle’s parents raced in the Kindercup, having moved here as adults.
“I’m from Indiana where there are no mountains. But we came here because this is a great place to live, a great place to raise kids,” said Andrew Naugle. “And this Kindercup is awesome. She did really well. She was so confident going through the gates.”
Al Stevenson is not so new to the Kindercup. All three of his sons—Matt, Pete and Joey—raced in it. And on Sunday he watched as two of his grandchildren—6-year-old Rooney and 4-year-old Oskar–raced in it.
There were a few snowboarders amidst the skiers.
“We have three grandkids who live here so we are blessed,” said Stevenson, who wore a Nordic Junior Olympic hat his won Matt got while racing for Dartmouth College. “And the kids have so many opportunities here–from playing hockey to dancing ballet to racing in the Kindercup.”
TOP THREE RESULTS
U5 GIRLS
Otto Palmer, Lila Thomas, Maybelle Tautkus
Tyler Hubbard’s 6-year-old son Luca dressed like an eagle in hopes he would fly down the course.
U5 BOYS
Maverick Storey, Brooks Dommert, Keagan Nida
U6 GIRLS
Jade Vanbragt, Ellie Yeates, Taylor Carley
U6 BOYS
Rigby Wilson, William Favrot, Chase McLaughlin
U8 GIRLS
Jasie Goitiandia, Dorothy Bridwell, Cassidy Carlson
U8 BOYS
Onyx Wilson, Luca Gherman, Eddy Weston
U6ST GIRLS
Silvia Schirf, Penelope Tautkus, Lily Kloster
U6ST BOYS
Pierce Burwell, Bennett Brennan, Isaac Kloster
U8ST GIRLS
Clark Livingston, Anna Kloster, Emilia Eng
U8ST BOYS
Harrison Brumbach, Bodhi Zelaya, Banks Rixon
U10 BOYS
Archer Rivkin, Beau Conover, Isaac Gorman
U10ST GIRLS
Palmer Burwell, Margot Paulson, Aveline McMahan
U10ST BOYS
Huxley Binns, Marcus Smey, Rasec Enoki Thorp
U13 GIRLS
Clancy Ravin, Cecily Jacobs, Colae Curtis
U13ST GIRLS Ava Klemer
U13ST Boys
Bode Smith, Brecken Wadsworth