Ski champs

Marian ski team wins state championship

By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer

Going into the Division 1 girls skiing state final Feb. 22 at Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs, Bloomfield Hills Marian knew Marquette High and Traverse City Central were viewed as the teams to beat.

After all, Marquette had won the last two state titles with Central in second. On top of that, no team other than Marquette, Central and Traverse City West had won the title since 1995.

But after the morning session in the slalom, it was the Mustangs in first, ahead of Central by two points.

“We were surprised and delighted to go into the afternoon in first place by a couple points. This was the time we had to keep our heads,” Marian assistant coach Mike Thibideau said.
The Mustangs did just that, and in the giant slalom, they again proved to be best on the slopes.

“When (they) announced Traverse City Central was second place, our girls went bananas,” Thibideau remembered. “They were hugging, and I will never forget that scene. They earned a great victory, and the joy in their faces was absolutely fantastic. Winning as underdogs by putting down some personal-best performances was a very sweet victory for them.”

Marian finished with 63.5 points, Central (67.5) and Marquette (111) followed in the standings. The state championship was the first by any D-1 or Class A school south of Traverse City.

Junior Katie Thibideau, Mike Thibideau’s daughter, finished first in both events. In the slalom, she had a two-run time of 1 minute, 29.21 seconds. In the giant slalom, she posted a two-run time of 1:01.23 — a full second ahead of second place.

Other members of the team include Kristin and Kelly Lunghamer, Tara Streng, Stephanie Pieper, Haley Goeckel and Chelsea Bliss.

“We were all freaking out because we were really surprised that we won. We were ecstatic,” said Katie Thibideau of West Bloomfield. “We did a lot of training and hard work, and we all skied our best, which is all we could ask for.”

The Mustangs also skied with heavy hearts. Just days prior to the final, head coach Rob Rhoades was injured while training with the team and was unable to attend the final.

“The girls definitely were very concerned about Rob and wanted to do their best for him,” Mike Thibideau said.

Marian Athletic Director Dave Feldman said March 2 that he had recently visited Rhoades and that he is “slowly recovering” and is expected to make a full recovery.

Mike Thibideau said the girls drew on “mental focus” and “energy management,” which they had been working on for weeks leading up to the final.         

“My advice was to take five minutes prior to the race to get in the zone,” Mike Thibideau said. “Concentrate and focus on skiing, not outcomes. Live in the present and do what you have practiced for all season.”
In other local skiing action:

On the girls side in D-1, Walled Lake Northern finished fifth with 179 points, and Lake Orion High was seventh with 211.

On the boys side in D-1, the Birmingham Seaholm and Groves combined squad placed fourth with 157 points, while Birmingham Brother Rice was sixth with 179. Traverse City Central took the crown with 64.

In D-2, it was Houghton/ Hancock winning the girls championship with 74 points. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep was fifth with 175; Bloomfield Hills Andover seventh with 188; and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood ninth with 235.

Harbor Springs High won the boys D-2 championship with 100.5; Cranbrook was fourth with 157; Andover took seventh with 201.5; and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s eighth with 201. 

You can reach Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1062.