The Lake Orion High School boys ski team earned their fourth straight trip to the state finals, while the girls team will appear in their second straight finals and third in four years, as a result of their performance in the MHSAA Class-A State Regional at Pine Knob on Feb. 13.
In the OAA Championship on Feb. 11, the Lake Orion boys team finished second with 41 points, behind Clarkston. The girls team also finished second with 32 points, behind the Clarkston team. For the Lake Orion girls, Kirsten Thulin finished fourth overall with a time of 44.07.
Both teams qualified for the state finals with third place finishes in the regional competition. The top three teams for the boys and girls qualify for the 2003 MHSAA Class-A State Finals, scheduled for Feb. 24 at Marquette Mountain in Marquette.
The Lake Orion boys were led by Alex Faulker, a second-team All-State selection in 2002. Faulker finished third in the slalom and 10th in the giant slalom. Faulker, a four-year starter for the Dragons, will appear in his fourth state finals.
Also scoring for the Dragons were Grant Fodor (13th in the slalom and 17th in the giant slalom), Teddy Tarr (15th in the giant slalom), Joe Bowen (21st in the slalom and 25th in the giant slalom) and James Hubbard (23rd in the slalom).
The girls team was paced by Thulin, also a second-team All-State selection in 2002. Thulin finished 13th in the slalom and eighth in the giant slalom.
Also scoring for the Dragons were Katie Rivers (10th in the giant slalom), Christine Coleman (23rd in the slalom and 15th in the giant slalom), Jessica Hutchinson (16th in the slalom), Paula Marchand (21st in the slalom) and Kristen Fleming (22nd in the giant slalom).
Six Dragon skiers were also named to the All Regional Ski Team, including Thulin, Rivers and Coleman for the Lake Orion girls, and Faulker, Fodor and Tarr for the boys.
In state final appearances, the Dragon boys finished eighth in 2000, fourth in 2001 and second in 2002; while the girls finished eighth in 2000 and fifth in 2002.
Also qualifying for the state finals from the boys regional were Clarkston, finishing first, and Rochester Adams, in second. For the girls, Clarkston took first, and Fenton was second.