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Truckee snowboarder Andy Finch finishes a blazing contest run at the World Heli Challenge in Wanaka, New Zealand, on Sept 5. Halfpipe specialist Finch won the three-discipline contest, besting freeriders from around the world. photo by Tony Harrington/worldhelichallenge.com |
CommentsNorth Tahoe's Summer Superstars
Published: September 19, 2009by Seth Lightcap
North Tahoe’s Karen Rogers stands triumphant on the shore of Incline’s Hyatt Beach having swam the 21.55-mile length of Lake Tahoe on Aug 19. Rogers was the first local and 13th person ever to have accomplished the feat.
photo by Emma Garrard
Click on images for slideshow
As the first rainstorms of fall have begun to open up over North Tahoe, it’s easy to dwell on the upcoming winter, especially since “the child” (el niño) is forecasted to spank the Sierra like a masochistic principal. But before summer is a forgotten memory of BBQs and bike rides, I wanted to celebrate four North Tahoe and Truckee athletes who have recently completed awe-inspiring accomplishments. Read on about these summer superstars and start training now to make the winter list…
Karen Rogers is a long distance open water swimmer and West Shore resident. On August 19, Rogers fulfilled a lifelong dream by being the first local resident to swim the 21.55-mile length of Lake Tahoe. Leaving Camp Richardson at 3:24 a.m., Rogers took to her feet on the sandy shore of Incline’s Hyatt Beach 10 hours and 50 minutes after pushing off from South Lake Tahoe. Rogers became the 13th person of all time and fourth female to have successfully made the crossing.
What makes Rogers feat even more impressive is that she had planned on swimming the length of Lake Tahoe for 30 years. As a child playing with her father at Camp Richardson, she told him of her aspirations to swim across the lake. He told her that there was no doubt in his mind that she would. And she did.
Andy Finch is a professional snowboarder from Truckee who was a member of the U.S. Olympic halfpipe squad at the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Known for his powerful style and stratospheric airs, Finch has won a slew of professional halfpipe competitions in his shred tenure. On Sept. 7 Finch proved he is no one-trick pony by winning the World Heli Challenge in Wanaka, New Zealand. There wasn’t a halfpipe in sight as Finch took second place in all three disciplines in the contest (Freestyle, Big Mountain, and Chinese Downhill) to take the overall win. It should also be noted that two local ladies faired well in the ski competition at the World Heli Challenge – Jackie Paaso took second and Ingrid Backstrom took third.
Mikey Sylvestri is an up-and-coming professional downhill mountain bike racer from the Sierra Valley. In his last six months of racing, Sylvestri has proven to be one of the fastest racers in California, let alone the entire country. On Sept. 5, he took first place in the Pro Downhill race at the California Golden State Mountain Bike Championships in Mammoth, Calif. This win topped off several other amazing results, including a ninth place finish in the Pro Downhill at the U.S. MTB National Championships in July and unofficial first place finishes in all three Northstar Downhill races thus far this summer. As the fastest man on two wheels in Tahoe and beyond, it comes as no surprise that the legendary Santa Cruz Syndicate race team has already chosen Sylvestri for the hot seat of their academy team.
Scott Williamson is a Truckee resident and trail hiker of literally mythical proportions. On the evening of August 12, Williamson, with partner Adam Bradley of Reno, arrived at the border of British Columbia having thru-hiked the 2,700-mile Pacific Crest Trail in 65 days 9 hours 58 minutes and 47 seconds – a new unsupported PCT speed record. The hike was Williamson’s 12th successful PCT thru-hike and his time beat the previous supported record by 21 hours and unsupported record (his own) by six days. Hiking from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day, Williamson and Bradley averaged 40.5 miles a day! The pair carried no stove, ate re-hydrated beans nearly every night for dinner, and refused to ride in any cars on their re-supply days in trailside towns. Since your average PCT thru-hiker takes about 150 days to complete the journey, hikers dumbfounded and inspired by Williamson’s feat began writing “fun facts” about Williamson in the many trail registers that are found along the PCT. Here are a couple “facts” reported to have been seen this year:
Fun Fact #291: Scott Williamson uses trekking poles, you just never see them because they have trouble keeping up.
Fun Fact #102: Scott Williamson doesn’t have to ford streams, he can walk on water, but he considers that cheating.
~ Discuss this article with the author. Email slightcap@moonshineink.com.
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