Jake Jacobs of Glens Falls New York qualified as the number 18 seed out of 32 for the Saturday finals of the inaugural World Pro Ski Tour race at Sunday River, Maine.
In the first round, Jake dispatched number 15 seed Alec Tarberry to advance to the round of 16, where he was paired with the number 2 seed Gabriel Rivas of France.
In the first run, Jacobs was leading the French ace, and as they were approaching the finish line Jacobs and Rivas each had to make recoveries and both skied out of the course without finishing.
The judges ruled that Jacobs had preceded further down the course than the French rival, which would have given Jacobs a 1.35 second advantage over the French star for the 2nd run.
However Jake, in a gesture of incredible sportsmanship, told his opponent that he may possibly have interfered with Rivas towards the bottom of the run. The two athletes discussed the matter and agreed on a 0 time advantage going into the 2nd run on a handshake. The race Jury accepted the racers’ decision, a development that is unprecedented in the history of Pro ski racing.
In the 2nd run of the Heat the French skier nipped Jake by a mere thirty five hundredths of a second and advanced on to the quarter finals. Jacobs performance against some of the world’s best ski racers earned him $500 for the race.
The World Pro Ski Tour will feature up to 6 events next season. Complete results and information can be found atwww.worldproskitour.com.
Jake Jacobs
Age 23, lives in Glens Falls, NY
Works at Reliable Racing and coaches at West Mountain Racing
Brands: Elan Skis, Dodge Boots, Fizan Poles, Vola Wax