CVA senior Ben Morse rips through this slalom run during the end of last season. This season, Morse is doing things like proving he's the best in the country in Downhill and Slalom by winning the J2 Junior Olympics. (CVA file photo) ASPEN — Racing against the country's top eighty 15- and 16-year-olds, Ben Morse of Carrabassett Valley earned top finishes in both Downhill and Slalom, two of the four events at J2 Olympics in Aspen last week. A senior at Carrabassett Valley Academy, Morse returned to J2 Olympics with momentum from a thirdplace podium in last year's Slalom.

In the opening event of the race series on Monday, Morse posted the fastest Downhill time on Aspen's World Cup Downhill course. Morse projected confidence. He said he was fortunate to beat a very good field, but got a premonition things might be going well before he got near the finish. "There's a right footer (turn) exiting Spring Pitch and it goes into a triple gate corridor. I was able to grab my tuck (there), which I hadn't been able to do all week (in training). I kind of knew then that I was having a good run."

Sugarloaf Perfect Turn Director Tom Butler (right to left), Sugarloaf General Manager John Diller, Sunday River Rental and Repair Manager Greg Luetje, Sugarloaf Human Resources and Skier Services Director Cathy Witherspoon. After the first Slalom run on Wednesday, Morse was about nine tenths out of the hunt. Always the poised competitor, Morse turned up the volume in the second run. "It was a difficult set and conditions with 15" of new snow the day before were challenging," Morse said. "Some of the turns got a little dished out, but I managed to squeak through."

He did a bit more than squeak through. Morse was 1.28 seconds ahead of the field in the second run and won by about three-tenths.

"Everybody was kind of scrambling," Morse said, adding that some of the course scraped down "to the hard stuff," and parts of it didn't. "I felt I was wild and all over the place, but I guess it was fast."

He said having two gold medals in two races was "surreal. The downhill hadn't really sunk in yet."

CVA Alpine Program Manager, Doug Williams traveled to Aspen with Morse. Reflecting on Morse's success Williams said, "Ben skied great. In the three days of Downhill training his results were 7th, 6th and 3rd. We studied the video to identify areas of improvement and Ben went to work making the corrections on the hill. On race day it all came together. Aerodynamically he skied super and he was right on the line. Known mostly for his tech events, his Downhill victory puts a spotlight on his speed. In Slalom the conditions were challenging but he just put the hammer down, skiing the course with confidence and patience."

Results at the Aspen race series gained Morse an automatic invitation to the U.S. National Alpine Championships in Alyeska, Alaska later this month.

"That's going to be a thrill," said Morse. "It's the best skiers in the country." He said he'd be pleased to break into the top 15, or to earn a junior's podium."

Breaking into the top 15 at U.S. National Alpine Championships is a real possibility for Morse; he placed 17th last year in Slalom when the race was at Sugarloaf.

Also qualifying for the 2009 J2 Olympics were Maine residents and CVA student-athletes Craig Marshall of Carrabassett Valley, Casey Myrick of Auburn, and Kelly Waddle of Harpswell. Myrick posted a 9th place finish in Super G. Qualification to the J2 Olympics requires that athletes be in the top 5 to 10 percent of the 15-16 year olds in the USA.