While most people were bemoaning the fact that Old Man Winter dumped a foot of snow across the Lehigh Valley on the first full day of spring, Kate Yadush was excited to take advantage of some late-season skiing.

“I love the powder,” said Yadush about the chance to ski on the newly-fallen snow.

And as people dug out from the fourth Nor-Easter, Kate and her family hit the slopes, a place where the Whitehall middle schooler feels at home.

That affinity for the sport recently landed her a state championship, claiming the U12 title at Tussey Mountain in Boalsburg on March 2-4. Kate competed in the Slalom and Giant Slalom, taking first in the Slalom in her age group, and second in the Giant Slalom. Those top two finishes pushed her over the finish line for the championship.

The sixth-grader emerged from a field of approximately 200 competitors in the U12 division. Kate, who raced three times in each event, said that capturing the title was somewhat unexpected.

“I was surprised,” said Kate who’s been a competitive racer for four years.

The state championship falls under the umbrella of the Pennsylvania Alpine Racing Association (PARA) whose affiliates include racing teams from the various regions across the state. Kate competes as part of the Blue Mountain team. That win opened the door to the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Eastern Regional Championships at Gunstock Mountain Resort in New Hampshire last weekend. Kate also qualified last year, and although she had familiarity with the mountain, the course always changes with each competition.

Kate said that while she didn’t do too well in her initial visit last year, she was actually surprised about where she placed.

That confidence of having been in the environment and knowing what to expect, helped fuel this year’s strong showing at Gunstock. She finished 16th in the Giant Slalom and 22nd in the Slalom.

“She did really well to finish sixteenth out of about ninety-one girls,” said her father, Michael Yadush. “It’s really, really tough at that level.”

The Eastern championships encompass the entire Eastern Seaboard, and as far west as Louisiana and Arkansas. USSA also holds championships in the Midwest/Rocky and Western Regions.

PARA, which also includes qualifiers from Delaware, Maryland, and Washington D.C., took 11 girls to the championships in the U12 division at Gunstock.

Yadush, who also serves as the defensive coordinator on the Zephyr football team, said that competing at the Eastern Regionals gets turned up a notch since many of the skiers are from academies where skiing is a year-round pursuit.

Kate gets to hit the slopes in the winter, and while sometimes that may be as frequently as four or five times a week, it’s still a far cry from the kids in New England who have better opportunities on more challenging mountains.

Her first introduction to skiing was with her family, but racing wasn’t something she warmed to at first. She was part of Blue Mountain’s youth program the Mountaineers, but lost interest because she was ahead of everyone else in the group. Once she moved up to PARA, everything changed.

“I liked it a lot,” said Kate.

Once Kate got bit by the racing bug, she became part of Blue Mountain’s racing team which competes against other PARA teams in Pennsylvania. Every race is an opportunity to get better on the mountain.

“I attack it,” said Kate. “If I fall, I just want to make sure I try my hardest, rather than finish and say it was a bad run.”

Yadush said that skiing involves a lot of mental toughness because it’s an individual sport. It’s just the skier versus the mountain.

Kate actually likes skiing because it allows her to hang out with her friends.

“That’s the most fun part,” she said.

The middle schooler also plays soccer and softball, the latter as a member of the Lehigh Valley Flames.

Kate said that her favorite skiers are Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn. While she doesn’t compete in the downhill or Super-G yet, those races may be in her future.

“I’m going to stick with it and try to improve,” said Kate.