"Hey, guess what.... we were 5th and 6th today!"

Calvin and Blaine, our seniors. Thanks guys! (photo from Calvin's dad)

First of all, I want to give a shout out to Dana who really wishes she could write this last blog of the season. The blog, as many of you know, is all thanks to her. She took a wicked fall in the 15k and is concussed so can’t write this one.

Friday was a 5k/10k classic race. It was sunny, 50 degree, sloppy, t-shirt kind of skiing. And it was awesome. Results were all over the board, both on our team and in general, but regardless of how people did, everyone was stoked to soak up the sun. There were some amazing performances, but others were left wanting more. So, we resolved to get after it the next day (and enjoyed working on our tans in the meantime). The only hiccup was that we locked the keys in the Transit, so Dana and Jordan were troopers and stayed back to wait for AAA. After that was resolved though, we had a great team dinner, pre-race advice session with the coaches, and senior gift giving.

Results Men | Women

Post AAA smiles! (photo from Jordan)

It was starting to get dark by the time they left! (photo from Jordan)

On Saturday the sun disappeared, and it was misting and foggy. It was still sloppy, but very fast. The boys went off first, and despite Calvin's broken pole and the weather, they persevered! Way back in November in Forêt, the men and women sat down and filled out team goal sheets. This was before we had raced, before we knew what the field would be like, and before we knew anything about how we would stack up. Nevertheless, we put our hopes out there for the whole team to know. On Saturday, the boys accomplished their goals of having a top 5 team finish and 3 in the top 30. It was their last shot, and they took chances to make it happen. SO COOL. The girls went next, and threw down in a complete team effort (despite Dana's broken pole and concussion, she crushed it too). No race has ever made me that happy in my entire life. The team came in, one by one, getting personal best finishes. Seeing Liz running over to us was definitely the high point of the season. The women tied for 6th, and with that, accomplished our goal of being in the top 8 3x.

Results Men | Women | Team!

Post race smiles with Kate, Dana, and Lucy (photo from Kate's mom)

I don’t know what the boys van was like, but the girls in the transit had quite the singing party on the way back (until the flooding and thunder snow made the long drive even longer).  It is hard to think of a time I have been that happy, though even I will admit that I wanted to get out of the van after that crazy drive. So, thank you to everyone that made this season possible. To the team, you are the best. To our families, thank you for supporting us every step of the way. To ETown, Liz, and Bob, we could never have done it without you.

Be sure to check out India’s videos and follow her instagram @blazing pines too!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXa3OEE_QrrdQfVmIlysZNw

Also, thanks to Flying Point Road and River Valley Graphics for some great shots.

http://www.flyingpointroad.com/f120376504

https://rivervalleygraphics.smugmug.com/Skiing/2017-Bates-Carnival

Now, for more photos! The real reason you come to the blog, I am sure.

A muddy parking lot this weekend (photo from Jordan)

Jackie conquering high school hill (photo from Calvin's dad)

Jackie crushing the double pole (photo from Calvin's dad)

Dani powering along (photo from Calvin's dad)

Lucy battling the heat (photo from Calvin's dad)

Calvin striding hard (photo from his dad)

Dana and Calvin, our trusty captains! (photo from Calvin's dad)

The Second to Last: Middlebury Carnival

The end is close..this weekend was the second to last carnival of our season. What a weekend it was. This weekend was our Mid-semester break, however the weekend was no different for us! Breaks are for the weak. We left campus around 10am on Thursday and arrived at Rikert around 2:30. It was snowing and the trails had about 2-3inches of fluffy snow that we had to plow through on our course preview. After, we headed back to our hotel, ate dinner at the Middlebury dining hall (Proctor), had a team meeting and hit the snooze.

Both days were sunny with blue skies. The weekend was beautiful and full of positive vibes. It was a different format with the distance race on the first day, being a 15k/20k skate and a 3 lap classic sprint relay race with a partner the second day. The distance race went really well for our team and yet there was a noticeable lingering tiredness among the field.  This also made the second day a bit challenging for everyone because it was the longer distance race first, people were more tired for Saturday. Women went first both days starting at 10am.

Here is a short word summary I had fun making about this weekend:

            Many spectators
          dInners at Midd dining hall
15/20k Distance race on Friday
            Determined racers
   sparkLe game strong, guys too!
      RikErt nordic center
            Brendan's Birthday
          sUnny and 50 degrees
            Relay races on Saturday
            Yummy food table

Lucy had a great 15k race finishing in 20th with a time of :42:37.5 and Calvin had a fantastic race finishing in 21st with a time of :49:12.8!  Jackie did well placing 35th with a stellar time of :44:45.6! Dustin wasn't too far behind Calvin in 27th with a time of :49:41.4! Brendan also had a great birthday 20k race while turning 20years old; he placed 43rd with a time of :51:37.5. It was an improvement from where he has been racing, which is fun to see. They all looked like they were in it and racing hard.

Calvin getting his arms tall for another lap PC: Dana

Dustin making moves PC: Dana

Brendan with high arms, looking strong PC: Dana

Brendan making gains on his 20th birthday PC: Dana

Matt skating through the lap PC: Dana

Blaine powering down PC: Dana

Blaine eyeing the finish on his way through another lap PC: Dana

Ryan hammering down PC: Dana

Calvin working with the pack PC: Dana

My favorite picture of the weekend PC: Dana

Waters, don't give me that face! PC: Dana

Woah Dustinnn! PC: Dana

Dustin flying to the finish PC: Dana 

Brendan finishing 20k on his 20th PC: Dana

Cupcakes were to follow the races, thanks to Emily's Aunt who bought the famous Georgetown Cupcakes from Boston! They were sooo good and it was especially nice to be able to celebrate Brendan's Birthday. Again, that night was the same..back to midd dining hall by popular demand and team meetings followed by some much needed sleep! The dining hall was nice because we could eat as much as we needed, fast, for cheap, and it was close by.  We were staying at the Middlebury Inn. It's a very nice, old house feeling place; I would recommend it. Funny/weird side note: I've been placed in the same room every single year: room 117.  Also, after the races on Friday, the girls team hit up Hannahfords and TJmaxx. We bought our Gnome "Lawrence" some SLU colored clothing, so keep an eye out for Lawrence's first real appearance soon..

Lawrence! PC: Lucy

Saturday, the weather heated up fast..it was a balmy 50 degrees. The snow was changing so quickly, especially during the women's race that everyone was struggling to kick up the hills.  It was a stand-up, use those arms kind of day. A lot of the guys opted for double poling..bold move, if I say so myself.  The course was nottt flat.  It started in the normal finish area and went directly down hill into the 3rd loop of the normal 5k race course. There was climb up for a short while, and then it took a sharp left, a cutoff right before the typical top of the hill and came winding back down, where we had to power up the last short steep hill where we tagged our partner. It was short, but that's what made it super hard and fun.  I had a really fun time; I pushed myself and I felt much better than the first day. It was exciting; waiting, looking for your partner to come up that final hill, all the while slowing down your heart rate and getting it back up, ready to go again!

The relay teams consisted of:
Lucy and Jackie (Lucy went first), Kate and Dana (Kate went first)
After this race, there was a 2nd race with all the 3rd relay teams, which was Erin and Emily (Erin scrambled)
Calvin and Blaine (Calvin went first), Dustin and Brendan (Dustin went first)
And same for the men, with Ryan and Matt (Ryan scrambled)

Results:
Women's 15k
Men's 20k

Women's Relay
Men's Relay

India's Videos:
Nordic Day 1  Day 2
Alpine Day 1  Day 2

Thanks again to the parents for their continual support and homemade goods! You all fuel us so well! We can't do it without you. Thanks to the coaches for fast skis all weekend and for putting up with our "we need more wax" or "I'm feelin' pretty tired" selves. Thanks to Rikert Nordic Ski center, Middlebury College, India Harvey, other photographers and those who I forgot who always deserve to be thanked.

Since this was the second to last, it was bittersweet. I can't imagine this season coming to an end, as we've worked so hard for so long and with our best friends. Although sometimes when we get back from the weekend, we do realize just how much we have pushed our bodies and perhaps a break would feel good. There's also another feeling of never wanting to stop, not wanting to break routine, or seeing the snow start to melt.  I sure have mixed feelings; change is hard and it's hard to face the truth that all good things must come to an end. However, not yet! One more weekend- the best for last; we're going back to my home state where the infamous Black Mountain waits for us. I'm looking forward to racing on one of my favorite courses, as I've had some of the greatest racing there.  We hope you come out and watch us take on the fiercest racing of the season where we will be giving every last bit of what we have in the tank.


See you out there,
Dana and SLUSKI

Dartmouth Carnival with Carni Crush

Well, it is always an adventure!  We just finished up week 4 of our 6 week season.  Far from winding down, it just keeps speeding up.  Our skiing is speeding up, the school weeks seem to be speeding up, my packing time is speeding up, my waxing is speeding up (at least I like to think so, though Liz and ETown might say differently). In all seriousness, I wake up every Monday enjoying the off day. Then, it is Tuesday, and the work starts to set in, but it is already time to go to practice again and think about waxing my race skis.  Before I know it, it’s Wednesday and I am doing a workout on my own, finishing waxing, packing, and rushing around tying up loose ends before Thursday.  Thursday is a crazy morning.  Most of us have two classes before we leave around lunch time.  Finally though, we hop in the van.

            Once we’re in the van we do the opposite of speed up.  This is because we get stuck behind every slow moving car imaginable! Usually, it is frustrating, but doesn’t affect the drive too much. This week though, we had quite a long trip to Craftsbury. I guess ETown is notoriously bad at judging times because we were around 45 minutes late.  I didn’t mind too much though! The van was warm and we always have a fun time chatting, doing homework (sometimes we pretend on that a bit), and finding a new song to listen to (when you spend as much time in the van as we do, it is a constant process).  In fact, I am glad we were late, because my ski was worth the wait.  

            Skiing Thursday afternoon at Craftsbury was bitterly cold.  Although we all know how to dress warm, we have particular trouble with our toes.  You might think that ski boots would be toasty warm, but no.  Our speedy looking, ultralight, super snazzy ski boots are anything but toasty.  Perseverance though!  As Liz would say, “It builds character!”  Besides, the cold was perfect for skiing.  Once I started doing some prerace speeds on the big Craftsbury hills I was all set!  Believe it or not, this was my first time skiing the real Craftsbury 5k course.  Despite racing here all the time, the last time we had a race on the full course was in 2015, and I was sick (I sat alone in my room watching the live stream for hours… so sad).  So, I was super excited to see these infamous hills!  Even better than seeing the hills though, was seeing the beautiful sunset.  That’s why I was happy we were late.  Cresting over the last hill into stadium, the sky was perfectly rosy.  It was cold enough that everything had that sharp look.  Moreover, it was a relief to have more wintry conditions.

            After the ski, we headed to ETown’s parents’ house for dinner.  It was absolutely amazing!  We would like to thank them so much for keeping us well fed and happy for two days.  I probably ate enough brownies and ice cream to hold me over until next year.  But, as we all know, I am sure to spend a lot of time at the food table this week too, regardless of whether it is before or after my race.  I mean I am telling you, prerace brownies are the way to go.

            Day one of the carnival was great.  Good fun all around, and the girls really went all out on the sparkles.  We had to look pretty for Carni Crush weekend!  Relay days are always fun for getting into the team spirit!  Knowing your teammates result, depends on your own, has a way of moving yourself faster.  There were some stellar performances (Dustin had a top 25 relay split!), some solid efforts from those battling sickness, and some who were left feeling a bit down.  Nothing another great Townsend dinner couldn’t fix!  We were left wanting more though, and had a great talk with the coaches about leaving it all out there and not letting ourselves down when it starts to hurt.  That is something we can all afford to remember.

"It was a 5k Skate Relay with teams of 3 people- 3x5k at Craftsbury! Hanover didn't have enough snow to host it, but we were okay with that. The guys raced at 11:30 and the women at 12:15.  The temperature was a high of 4 degrees and the wind chill didn't help.  I warmed up in my puffy jacket and didn't even sweat." - Dana

Brendan tagging off to Calvin

Calvin skating his way to a 13:01 finish

Matt skating to a 13:56 finish

Blaine tagging off to Ryan

Brendan skating to a solid 12:55 finish

Dani scrambling for her leg in the mass start

Luckily Dustin was done with his leg of the relay..

Lucy skating to a 14:26 finish, finishing her relay team in 13th!

Emily skating to a 17:07 finish, finishing her relay team in 22!

Dana skating to a 16:12 finish

Waters back in the game finishing in 17:25 with her relay team of a UNH skier and a Williams skier

Carni Crush:

SLU Women had Harvard

St. Mikes had SLU Women

SLU Men had St. Mikes

Middlebury had SLU Men

Carni Crush Video!! 

"We're eatin', skiin' and racin' everyday!" (Flannel game, trucker hat's, and boots strong)

Girls about to sing our Carni Crush song to the Harvard Men

Girls team after the races on Friday on the lake-  PC: India

Girls team on the lake-  PC: India

Day 1 Results:

Women

Men 

India's Video

Day two dawned with some fresh snow, another reminder that winter is still a season the East Coast experiences.  Yay!  Conditions were phenomenal out on course yet again, and it was relatively simple hard wax (Thanks Coaches).  There was so much snow and it was less cold!  Also, thanks to Dana for being a great driver all weekend.  We are all really getting to know those back roads to the Townsends’.  I think the races went well, and people took the message to leave it all out there to heart.  Classic is not our strong suit, but some big improvements are being made.  I think pretty much everyone felt that even if their race did not go quite the way they wanted to, they were more powerful and in control of their stride.  Nevertheless, this course was definitely a tough one! Lots of ups.  Even with only racing 10/15k in total this week, we felt beat crossing the finish line. Calvin and I (Lucy) both had a top 25 finish, which was awesome. Calvin crushed it, coming in 22^nd!  He has been putting together those classic races the past couple weeks for sure.  It was great to have Erin Perryman ’16 there to cheer as well.

            By the end of the day, the vans were packed up and the trailer loaded, and we headed out.  A whirlwind weekend was finished up, and a whirlwind week was about to start.  Nothing makes me happier than our expeditions each weekend to various snowy little towns across New England.  It is surely hard to balance travel, pre-race anxiety, race face pain, post-race emotions, and schoolwork, but our team makes it more than worth it.  It all moves so fast it barely gives us time to think, but skiing in the dark last Thursday I got to remember just what makes it so beautiful.  Trying to pick off spots in the relay for the team last Friday, I got to remember how much I love the people who make it so wonderful.  Gasping for breath at the top of the hill at 4K last Saturday, I got to remember just how special it is to be able to push ourselves to the breaking point and make it to the finish line anyway.  We do an incredible sport, and so although things may be speeding up, and the end may be approaching, it is important to remember to give it everything we have in the meantime.  We owe ourselves nothing less.

            Thank you to the parents, friends, family, and fans that come out every week to support us both on the course and on the blog! We are indebted to you for your constant support.  Also, a special thanks to the Townsend's and their amazing neighbor for putting us up for the weekend, cheering us on, and feeding us (no easy task, that’s for sure).  We would never be able to do it without all of you! Make sure to check out India's videos!

-Lucy

Day 2 Results:

Men Collegiate and Overall w/ EC

Women Collegiate and Overall w/ EC

India's Video

UVM Carnival

Photo by India Harvey '18

What a weekend! After an admittedly tough classic day at UNH last week, the team resolved to turn things around.  We managed to get some positive momentum last Saturday and built on that this week to do some big things!

            On Thursday we hopped in the trusty Transit and van to head to Stowe. It took a little longer than expected, and so we got right to skiing when we arrived. Dusk was setting in, but we were excited nonetheless.  The snow was perfectly groomed and very cold.  Many of us felt nostalgic for either the last time we got to ski at Trapps (a few years ago as they could not host last year due to low snow) or for the winters when perfect conditions were the norm.  The team put aside the nostalgia though to get through our pre-race routines, get back in the van, and head to dinner.

Dinner was at The Best Western where we had an incredibly nice server. According to him, Lucy put down more of the turkey potpie than anyone he had ever seen… apparently he hasn’t met many skiers.  After that it was motivational talks with ETown, Liz, and Bob.  Then, it was bedtime.

Sprint Race Day

RESULTS: Men  Women

Sprint days are long.  This is true for athletes, but even more so for coaches. I (Lucy) got up at 6:30, but the coaches were up even earlier, heading out to prep and test skis.  Thanks to them, we had a fantastic day.  The girls got ready for the race by covering their faces in sparkles (a new team tradition, YAY!!) and putting on face tats.  The boys apparently have some sort of secret that makes them fast other than sparkles (though we would be happy to share if they want some!).  Whatever it is, it worked.

Emily Sprinting - Photo by India

Kate sprinting hard - Photo by India

The sprint course at Trapps starts with a swooping downhill turn, a quick hill, a little down-up-down, a long straightaway, and then a monster climb.  The saints worked their way up though, both on the hill and the results page.  Both Lucy ’20 and Dustin ’19 qualified for heats.

In case you didn’t know, this is the thought process of making heats.  “I made heats!”  You are so excited, so happy to have proved that despite feeling a little awkward and crazy on your skis, you somehow moved your arms and legs fast enough to make it into the top 30.  Then, “Oh gosh… That means I have to do that AGAIN?”  You have to put on a good face because you really are so excited and you love ski racing, but wow, that hill is REALLY big.  Later, you convince yourself that you are just going to go out there and tear it up.  So, off you go to warm up again.

From the second you hear the gun go off, you have to be ready.  To do this on a sprint day, you need to convince yourself of two things that cannot both be true. 1) You will make it to the final and win!  2) You don’t ever need to ski up this big hill again. 

It was an exciting time out on the course for heats.  Quarterfinals went off and Lucy advanced.  Dustin hammered up the hill and had a truly incredible sprint to the line that ended in a photo finish.  He ended up 4^th in his heat to end the day in 18^th, his best finish ever!  Lucy’s semifinal was a real struggle as she kept finding herself boxed in.  Well, that’s part of sprint racing, and you have to make the best of it.  So, she tried to put in a big burst of speed on the hill, and thanks to the insanely loud and motivational cheering of parents and teammates, she made it to the final where she placed 4^th.  It was a complete team effort that made the day happen, from the superb wax and advice from coaches, the excellent snacks from parents, the best cheering squad, and awesome performances all around.  These stellar races proved how deep our team can be and earned the women a 6^th place finish and the men a 9^th place finish.  Here we go Saints!

Jackie and Dani - Photo by India 

Coach Liz contemplating life - Photo by India

Emily, Jackie, and Dani - Photo by India

After a long day, we made our way to dinner.  It may have been an interesting parking spot, but we didn’t get towed!  I thought dinner was great at the restaurant in Waterbury called “The Reservoir”, but the décor was especially fitting.  I’m not superstitious about most things, but with skiing I might have a few quirks.  I mean what would I do without sparkles, ribbon hair ties, and my favorite race shirt? Anyway, what could be better luck than these license plates up on the wall?!

License Plates on the wall- Photo by Lucy

Distance Day

RESULTS: Men   Women

The coaches once again were up really early, but this time they found that the wax was… could it be?... really?... NOT KLISTER!  Trapps amazed us with mountain views as gorgeous as the wind was freezing.  It was definitely a chilly day to stand in the start gate.

Once out of the start gate, things actually seemed to look up.  That would be because the first kilometer is all downhill… You think, “Hey, I’m racing, and it’s not that hard!”  Then you hit the uphill.  The course at Stowe is very well designed, with numerous tough but stride-able ups and wide roller-coaster downhills. Both the men and the women did two laps, and I think everyone finished the first one thinking, “Really? Again?”  We gutted it out though.  The women strung together some of our best classic races ever to keep the momentum going, but the real excitement came from the men’s side.

Since there was a long break between races, the women were able to get out and cheer.  Sadly, on our cool down we saw that our once perfect tracks were going to be full of windblown snow for the men.  The skiing Saints made the best of it though!  It was inspiring to watch the guys absolutely leave it all out on the course. Calvin ‘17 had a crazy double pole sprint finish where he earned 18^th place, his best result ever!  That was so cool to see, since we all know how hard he has worked for so long.  The team packed up, tired from some long days in biting cold and wind, but happy with a solid weekend of racing.  As someone this weekend said, the UNH Carnival is the Voldemort of ski racing (He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named).  We have all moved on as a team though, gotten back into the right tracks, and are headed up the hill.  Of course, there are always some disappointments out on the course, but everyone this weekend, regardless of their own result made something amazing happen.  Those of us who had some of our best races ever know just how many people it took to get us there, and are ready to wait at the finish line cheering, when those of us who might be a little disappointed right now will get out there and crush it next week at the Dartmouth carnival!

Dana - Photo by India

Finally, although the team obviously deserves some thanking for being made up of wonderful (very speedy) people; there are plenty of others who deserve thanks as well!  Thank you to the Trapp Family Lodge, UVM, and Barttiming for putting together a flawless weekend.  Thank you to the parents, friends, and casual readers of the blog who support us physically (when we are too tired to stand up after races) mentally (when it gets hard to balance life and skiing- or are they the same?), emotionally (when we get down after some tough races), and gastronomically (honestly the food table might be the best part of collegiate racing).  Thank you to the coaches for doing everything and more each day to get us to the finish.

Jackie and her Dad - Photo by India

P.S. Keep an eye out for more blog, Facebook, and Instagram posts as we head into the second half of the season. Also, India ’18 has been using her pro videographer skills this season to make video recaps of all the EISA carnivals! Check out her channel here and the most recent video here!

-Lucy H. '20 and SLUSKI

Girl's Team - Photo by India
Back L-R: Liz P, Dani, Lucy, Dana, Emily, and Kate
Front: Jackie and Jordan

Team Photo taken at the SLU carnival: