Salter had an extraordinary finish in the second day of sliding to earn the bronze medal.
“I’m really happy with how everything went. I came off of kind of a rough performance at the North American Cup, so really, for Nationals I was just looking to enjoy myself and not stress about racing,” she said in an email. “I had quite a good third run, and I think that was the highlight of the race.”
After the first day’s competition, Lauri Bausch of Fredonia, Wis., was in third position. Salter claimed the bronze medal with a total time of 3:55.56. Her third slide of 57.41 was the fourth fastest of the competition and only .08 seconds behind the best time.
Annie O’Shea finished first and Savannah Graybill was second. O’Shea has been racing for five years. This was Salter’s third year.
This is Salter’s final race of the 2012-13 season. She plans to spend the spring and summer in Saratoga Springs, New York, preparing for the fall competition, which is the principal basis for the selection of the 2014 Olympic team. Next February, the 22nd Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia.
“I’m exhausted from the season so I’m glad it’s done and I’m glad I ended on a high note!” she said.
