Kira Howard, a Middlebrook 7th grader, won the U14 (under 14) Rip Van Winkle Council Slalom ski race at Hunter Mountain on Jan. 23. She races for Wyndham Mountain in NY and competed against 70 girls from CT, NY, and NJ. According to her mom, Kira is extremely focused and dedicated, and trained every weekend, to achieve this goal.