Gabriel Deschamp, 15, and his sister, Camille, 13, along with Tyler Bernstein, 13, will represent the Bottineau Ski Club at the event in early March.

Gabriel Deschamp is making his fourth trip to the championships, having qualified each year of eligibility. This is his last year at the youth level as he competes in the U16 Junior Championships March 2-8 in Winter Park, Colo. Events are Downhill, Super-G, Alpine, Combined Giant Slalom and Slalom.

Considered the premiere Alpine event of the season, racers from 19 states will compete.

Camille and Tyler will compete for a second year in the U14 Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colo., from March 9-14. The event features the fastest 12- and 13-year-old skiers from 18 states who qualified through their divisional championships. Racers compete in Super G, Giant Slalom, Slalom and Duals.

Submitted Photo Camille and Gabriel Deschamp hold their certificates after qualifying for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Rocky/Central Junior Championships.

The area youths qualified at an 11-state divisional event in Michigan. Gabriel Deschamp finished third in the U16 boys category, while Camille finished first in the U14 girls category. Tyler also finished in the top 15 in the U14 boys category. There were 48 male and 42 female skiers selected from the elite crop of athletes competing at the divisional level to move on to the Rocky/Central event, where top finishers will qualify for nationals.

“I am excited,” Gabriel Deschamp said. “I am just going to have some fun. It’s going to be the last time so I want to go and just give it my all and see the place I can end up.”

Coach Boyd Sivertson said he has hopes for strong finishes by his Bottineau skiers at Rocky/Central, even with the expected tough competition. Just getting to the event as top racers in the divisional shows the dedication, hard work and competitive nature of the teens, who might be considered at a bit of a disadvantage in coming from North Dakota.

Mountain skiing, especially the elevation adjustment, is something skiers can’t train for in North Dakota.

Sivertson said Bottineau Winter Park has an advantage in that it’s only a 20-second tow-rope ride back up the hill, creating opportunity for a lot more runs in a practice period. The nearly 40-member ski club also makes use of the Manitoba Alpine Program, which is not only close but offers a fun competition atmosphere with a less crowded pack of skiers, he said.

Still, any competition for the North Dakota ski club generally means lots of travel time.

Lucie Deschamp, Gabriel’s and Camille’s mother, said the nearest U.S. races are eight hours away. The associated time and financial sacrifices limit the number of U.S. races her children can attend. At Gabriel’s level, that’s a handicap because racers are ranked by points gained at these events, she said. Higher ranked skiers have an edge in getting the first crack at the slopes at Rocky/Central.

Many youth skiers at Rocky/Central also come out of high school ski programs, which don’t exist in North Dakota. Bottineau had the only ski club in the state until this year, when a new club formed in the Bismarck area. The lack of nearby ski clubs also means more travel is required to find competition. To be allowed to miss as much school as her children have, they must maintain A averages, Lucie Deschamp said.

None of these hurdles have deterred the teens, though.

“They are very competitive and very much love the sport,” Deschamp said. “This has been the biggest year for them and the best year for them.”

That’s despite Gabriel breaking an ankle playing football in October, just weeks before a major training in Sweden, which he ended up missing. That put his training more than three months behind.

“He started right after Christmas being able to train again,” his mother said.

Gabriel Deschamp, whose father also was a ski racer in his youth, has been skiing since he was 3 and racing since he was 5.

“A lot of it is just the fun of learning new stuff, feeling the speed when you are learning new techniques- how fast it can make you,” he said.

Because competitive skiing is a niche sport in North Dakota, most people don’t understand the dedication it takes to compete at his level, or the challenges involved in keeping up with both school and training, Gabriel said.

Because of the challenges he faces coming from North Dakota, he doesn’t take any learning opportunities or time spent at ski camps for granted. The sport has taught him responsibility, independence and self discipline.

“I feel like there’s a lot of lessons in it,” he said. Besides, he added, “It definitely makes winter go by a lot faster.”