Keagys in ski finals

The Austintown teens and their father will see just how fast they really are, in the National Standard Race ski finals in Colorado.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
YOUNGSTOWN -- Some parents sit nervously on the sidelines as their children play youth football or soccer.
Michelle Keagy of Austintown is such a sports parent, but instead of fearing a hard tackle, she has to fear physics as her children compete in high-speed ski racing.
But for all the danger, Keagy's nervousness is worth it because her children, Shaddick, 18, and Courtney, 12, are among the fastest racers in their age groups in the nation.
Shaddick, Courtney, and their father and coach, Mike Keagy, will have a chance to prove how quick they are on Saturday and Sunday, when they will compete at Beaver Creek, Colo., in the National Standard Race ski finals.
Established in 1968 by Ski Magazine, NASTAR is a national competition to measure the performances and abilities of recreational ski racers. This helps racers to gain entrance to ski academies and possibly even the Olympics.
All qualified: All three Keagys have qualified for the national competition based on their racing speeds and number of races completed.
Mike Keagy, 54, has been ski racing most of his life. He has been coaching the Ski Chalet Vipers club race team out of the Niles Ski Chalet, of which his two children are members, for 11 years.
This year the team, which competes at area ski resorts, is ranked 25th of 498 in the nation. The team consists of about 35 to 40 racers.
The team races primarily on weekends at Cockaigne Ski Resort and at Peek 'n' Peak Ski Resort in southwestern New York. The rankings of racers in NASTAR are determined according to the speed of a national standard, the speed of the fastest skier on the U.S. ski team. This year's pace setter is Olympic skier Picabo Street.
First time: Shaddick, who started racing at 8, has been a member of the Vipers for 11 years. This will be the first time he has traveled to the national finals. A senior at Austintown Fitch High School, Shaddick is ranked 10th in the nation and second in Ohio in his age category.
Shaddick squeezes skiing into his busy high school schedule. He is a member of the race crew that sets up ski courses at Cockaigne and he also serves as a ski instructor there. In the fall, Shaddick plans to attend Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., where he will still ski on weekends.
Courtney Keagy is ranked first in both Ohio and the nation in her age group. A seventh-grader at Austintown Middle School, Courtney has been skiing since she was a small child.
"I think I was 3 years old when I started skiing with my dad," Courtney said. "I was about 5 when I started racing."
Academy: Mrs. Keagy said Courtney has been noticed by a Vermont skiing academy, which she could attend at 14. With her talent and additional training, she believes her daughter could someday make the U.S. Olympic team.
"We probably wouldn't want to send her away to school at 14," Mrs. Keagy said. "But she has beaten 16- and 17-year-olds. If she keeps doing this well, there's no telling how far she could go."
"The kids love the speed," she said. "I personally do not like speed very much when I ski. Sometimes it makes me nervous just to watch them at the resorts in New York."
New experience: Although the young competitors rarely get shaken by local competitions, nationals are a whole new experience.
"I am a little bit nervous," Courtney admitted.
Her brother also admits to being nervous and excited.
"It is kind of an unknown," Shaddick said. "I'm going up against new people on new courses. You can't know how it is going to turn out."
Shaddick said he sees the finals as his chance to cap off what he has learned.
"Hopefully, this is the point where my hard work will pay off," he said. "I have been skiing with my dad as long as I can remember. I just want to be able to look back on everything and say that it was worth it."