Page 64 - Flathead Beacon // 1.27.16

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JANUARY 27, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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Speech and Debate Teams Ready to Compete at State Meets
The Flathead Valley’s best and bright- est speech and debate competitors are ready to keep a proud tradition alive this weekend.
The Columbia Falls squad is seeking its 11th consecutive state championship in Class A. The state tournament is in Belgrade, Jan. 29-30.
White sh could be the top contender standing in Columbia Falls’ way. The two rivals have boasted top results all season, and last weekend’s divisional tournament came down to the two Flat- head Valley teams. Columbia Falls edged White sh with 232 points to 218. Polson took third with 75.
In the Class AA ranks, Flathead and Glacier are once again two of the best teams in Montana. The Class AA state tournament is in Billings, Jan. 29-30.
Last year Flathead brought home the Class AA trophy, its 22nd overall cham- pionship since statewide competitions were formally organized in 1936 and the team’s rst since 2009. Glacier, the four- time defending AA champ, placed third.
Bigfork will try to bring home hard- ware from the Class B-C meet in Ennis.
Rocky Mountain College Hires Petrino as Football Coach
Jason Petrino, a Flathead High School graduate, accepted the position as head football coach at Rocky Mountain College.
Petrino comes to Rocky after spending the past four years as the defensive coor- dinator and defensive backs coach under head coach Joe Glenn at the University of South Dakota.
The 39-year-old Kalispell native will replace Brian Armstrong, who is now an assistant coach for the Montana State University Bobcats. The Battlin’ Bears, who nished 5-6 last season, were 38-40 during Armstrong’s seven-year stint.
Petrino was selected from a candidate pool of over 90 candidates. Other can- didates who received on-campus inter- views were Matt Hollowell, Mark Samson and Zach Tinker. The nal candidate, for- mer University of Montana head coach, Robin P ugrad, withdrew his name from consideration last week to pursue other opportunities.
White sh’s Voisin Returns to Competition at X Games
Maggie Voisin will make her trium- phant return to action this week at X Games in Aspen, Colorado.
X Games Aspen is Jan. 28-31 at Butter- milk Mountain. Many of the top winter athletes in the world will compete at the annual event, which will be televised live on ESPN and ABC.
The 17-year-old Olympic skier will vie for a spot on the podium in the women’s
slopestyle competition. The nals will air Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Voisin will appear in her rst com- petition since su ering a knee injury at the Dew Tour in December 2014. Voisin claimed silver at X Games in January 2014.
Emma Dahlstrom is the reigning champ in women’s slopestyle. Her top score last year was 90.33. Keri Herman placed second with an 86.66 run and Dara Howell earned third with an 82. Also among the top contenders this year is Norway’s Tiril Sjåstad Christiansen.
Rebecca Farm Event Leads to $4.4 Million in Economic Impact
The largest equestrian triathlon in the country has had a signi cant eco- nomic impact on the valley, according to a study recently completed by the Uni- versity of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. Established as one of the Flathead’s premier destination events, The Event at Rebecca Farm’s 2015 economic impact is estimated at $4.4 million.
“Destination events such as Montana Dragon Boat Festival and The Event at Rebecca Farm have a dual draw and that means a signi cant bene t to the Flat- head,” said Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau. “Event tourism is a great boost to our local economy.”
The Event at Rebecca Farm, held at the end of July every summer, attracted 10,000 attendees. Of these attendees, there were 590 entries in the event.
Bill Johnson, Brash Olympic Downhill Champion, Dies at 55
Bill Johnson, the rst American to capture the Olympic downhill skiing title, died after a long illness, the U.S. ski team announced last week. He was 55.
He died Jan. 21 at an assisted living facility in Gresham, Oregon, where he has been staying since a major stroke a few years ago steadily took away the use of most of his body.
The daredevil skier lived life on the edge, with a swagger and a rebellious attitude that instantly made him a favor- ite among fans. So sure of himself on the slopes, Johnson won Olympic gold at the 1984 Sarajevo Games after telling every- one he was going to do so.
After retiring, he attempted a come- back but su ered a major crash at the U.S. championships at White sh Mountain Resort in 2001. Johnson was speeding down the course at close to 60 mph when he entered a twisting section. He lost his balance, did the splits and slammed face rst into the snow, biting o a chunk of his tongue as he ew through two sets of safety netting.
In the years since the accident, John- son was in and out of medical facilities and never fully recovered.
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