St. Lawrence University Nordic Ski Team: Dartmouth Carnival (Carni-Crush Weekend)

Carni-Crush Weekend

Dartmouth Carnival

Hi everyone!

Gabby Wangler here. This past weekend the Saints traveled up to Hanover, New Hampshire for some woodsy skiing. It was my first time being in such a cute town with a great race course and it proved to be a really fun weekend.

Driving up to the course on Thursday was more of a race against the sun; the course for the first day was a 10k loop that wound through the woods and eventually made its way back to the stadium, and it was around 5:00 pm when we arrived. No lights, no problems…right?? Well, not really. I was constantly reminded of a quote by Henry David Thoreau that reads, “These woods are lovely, dark and deep…” as the disappearing light gave way to a shadowed forest. By the time we were done, the stars were out, and our vans were basically the only ones left in the parking lot. At least our classic skiing made for some really good agility practice when we hit the “S” turns!

Then we hopped in the vans and drove to Tim’s house, where his family graciously hosted us for dinner with lots of yummy food. (Thank you again, Cunningham’s!)

The first day was a 10k classic individual start for both the men and women, and the men started first. The course consisted of rolling uphills for about 8k, and then descended the final 2k with some “S” turns thrown in. And for most of the woods part, it’s just you, your equipment, and your determination. As compared to our skate races, our classic races didn’t seem to be as strong for both the men and women’s teams, but we took this in stride the following day.

GH '21- 116th place Skate Race

On Saturday, it was the final EISA/Eastern Cup race so there were a lot of other skiers present. The men raced first in a skate 10k individual start that looped into a field and connected back into the first day’s course. It was warm, so some hills turned into mashed potatoes, but we had some great performances. Highlights include Timothy Cunningham (’21) who made a powerful performance for 55^th place, Jackie Garso (’20) who had a stellar day by finishing 25^th, and Lucy Hochschartner who blazed her way to 36^th place. It’s safe to say that both teams finished higher than the previous day, and everyone had improved! (Plus it’s always a fun day when you can race in a tee shirt).

Kate '20- 60th place

And by keeping tradition, we also participated in Carni Crush. The boys made a poem for the Laval women, and the SLU women may or may not go down in history for the greatest Carni Crush for the UVM men. Just saying.

…and that’s it on my end! Stay tuned as the Saints travel to Prospect (fingers crossed!) for the Williams Carnival this weekend!

-Gabby Wangler (’21)

Friday:
Women Classic RESULTS
Men Classic RESULTS

Saturday:
Women Skate RESULTS
Men Skate RESULTS

5K/10K Skate Race Pictures from Bob Townsend: