SSWSC U20 skier takes first day of Winter Start, sets sights on Junior World Championship qualification

SSWSC U20 skier Arthur Tirone was first to admit he had some nerves at the top of Howelsen Hill for his first competition jump of the season Saturday morning. For Tirone, it was not just early season jitters; this jump had an impact on the rest of the year. Fortunately, it was a very familiar site for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club skier. Howelsen Hill played host to the Winter Start competition this weekend, which acted as both a U.S. Cup and Junior World Championship qualifier for Nordic combined and ski jumping athletes.

With just four Junior World qualifying days—two of which were on Saturday and Sunday—every moment counts, and Tirone made the most of it. Following a trial jump that was not up to his standard, the U20 skier took time to clear his mind leading up to the first competition jump. He managed to reach a calming state and soared 94 meters down Howelsen’s HS100 ski jump to score 119 points. He led all Nordic combined U20 men.

The jump points gave Tirone a 1 minute, 20 second lead over the second place competitor in the 10-kilometer cross country race later in the day, held at the Howelsen rodeo grounds. The lead was not entirely necessary for Tirone, who managed the best jump result and the fastest cross country ski race of the day in his category. He finished the race in 30:57, crossing the line 2:19 ahead of the second place finisher.

Tirone was alone for the duration of the race but said that never has a huge impact on his pace. "I almost picture someone is right behind me," he said. "You have to really get in that zone and you’re talking to yourself with motivation throughout the whole race. Sometimes it gets a little down on yourself, like on steep hills where you’re going slow. You have to find that flow state, relax, find what pace works for you and then ski your race."

What did impact his pace was the snow, which he said dried up considerably after completing his second of four laps. "As the conditions changed throughout the race, the wax was wearing off the skis a bit and the snow was drying up so there was less moisture in the snow—which is what the wax repels. The skis definitely slowed down a bit throughout the race, which made it quite difficult to keep the mental game up as well because you know you are losing time."

Other SSWSC Nordic combined champions from Saturday’s event included U16 female McKenzie Maines, U20 female Ella Wilson, and U16 male Langdon Devin. Tirone is focused on reaching the Junior World Championships and qualifying for Continental Cups later in the season. Saturday’s victory was the first step toward those goals.

“I’m really happy with the finish, and it shows that I have to keep working hard for the rest of the season…” Tirone said. "Just have to keep it up, and we’ll see how it goes for the rest of the season. Today went well, and I’ll try to keep the same results going throughout."