Eastern Cup Adventures!

Hey folks!

Like Lucy previously mentioned in the Bates blog, there was some SLUSKI representation in some Eastern Cups at Rikert, Dublin and Holderness!

Em making moves on the outside

The Middlebury Carnival was combined with the Rikert Eastern Cup, so that race was the distance 10k classic. You couldn’t have asked for a better day; sunny, blue skies, hard tracks and fast racing! Emily and I pushed each other throughout the whole race, and we finished just about right next to each other. The last time I was at Rikert it was pretty sloppy and warm, so it was nice to have a good race in stellar conditions. Kyle raced the citizen’s race later in the early afternoon and snagged the top spot! Way to go!

Rikert Results

What a cute Rikert crew :)

The following weekend was a whirlwind of racing. Saturday’s race was called the “Dublin Double” in Dublin, NH (GH’s home course!). The first race was one lap of a 3k course, and Emily and Jordi raced strong and finished 44^th and 50^th respectively. Then following that was a 1.5k sprint where Em and Jordi finished 23^rd and 29^th respectively. I didn’t race that day, so I was able to ski around and cheer. Again, we lucked out with the weather with pure sun and no wind!

Dublin Double Results

Emily striding strong

Obligatory puppy photos :)

Something tells me the puppy was the best part

The next day was the 10k Cheri Walsh classic race at Holderness, NH. The weather turned from wet snow to sleet to rain throughout the morning, so the wax was a bit tricky to test out. But by five minutes before the start we were ready to rumble (in tee shirts!). Steph, who had raced both days in the regional championship races at Bates Carnival that Friday and Saturday, drove down with Kyle the day before to race this EC and absolutely killed it! She finished 2^nd for U20 women, and I was 5^th for U20 woman. And Emily finished first for senior women!

Cheri Walsh Memorial Results

Hardworking Holderness crew

Overall, it was a lot of fun to check out some new ski venues and rip up the trails! Shoutout to Jordi’s amazing parents for hosting us at their house before the Dublin EC and Kyle for all of the waxing and taking care of our skis.

Coach Kyle and the ECup contingent

That’s it on my end, stay tuned for Jackie’s epic NCAA journey in Stowe, Vermont!

-Gabby ‘21

Bates Carnival - Sunshine and Smiles

Matt cruising in his last carnival skate race!

Well, it's that time of year again. The end of our carnival season! This always comes with a lot of bittersweet feelings. On the one hand, most of us are feeling the cumulative effects of a season of training with anywhere between 400 and 550 hours (complete with hot and humid summer bounding, windy workouts in Canton, rainy November rollerskis, and Thanksgiving ODs in the numbing cold), missing time with family and friends, sacrificing some of our freedom as we prioritize our workouts, racing for a couple months, being pent up in the van, and having a whole lot of work to catch up on. On the other hand, we get to do what we love, challenge ourselves, see hard work pay off, laugh & bop with awesome teammates, spend time outside, and get to be a part of the amazing community that is the EISA circuit. The Bates Carnival embodied all of this. We had beautiful sunny days (yes, that means sparkle and face tat tans), some ups and downs as people hit their peaks and we had wax troubles, and seniors Erin and Matt racing their last carnival.

Photos from River Valley Graphics
Thanks to Jackie for the rest of the photos!

Ian crushing!

Graham skiing in some West coast weather :) 

The first day was a skate 5k for the women. Jackie got in the top 15, which was great, but not her best. This made a lot more sense once we got back to the hotel and realized she had food poisoning... Stuff like this happens, but it is always extremely disappointing. Jackie was a trooper. Me, Steph, Kate, Jordan, and Erin followed in 31st, 37th, 45th, 55th, and 57th.

Women's 5k Skate Results

The men's team followed the women with a 10k skate. Brian cracked the top 30 again. It is awesome to see such consistently great results from him! He was followed by Tim in 44th, GH in 56th, Matt in 58th, Graham in 59th, and Ian in 61st.

Men's 10k Skate Results

The next day had a 15k classic mass start and some great results from our younger women! Steph led the team and got her first top 30 ever (28th)! Jordan also got her first top 40 (39th)! I was between them, and it was great that we all got to ski together for a few seconds on the first lap :) It was such a team effort, and on a day that wasn't my best, it was great to see all my teammate's hard work finally pay off. Kate was 47th and Erin was 50th. We all stuck around at the finish for a big group hug, and we were all so proud of Erin for what she has accomplished. Skiing for 4 years takes it out of you! She led us well and has left behind a culture of caring that won't be forgotten. We love her :)

Women's 15k Classic Results

The men's team followed with a 20k classic mass start. This started well as Brian got into the front pack! However, the weather warmed and their wax completely stopped working. It was really tough to watch good days be stymied, but it happens in ski racing, and it can happen to any team. The results don't show the determination that we all saw from our men's team! I'm not sure I could have done it. And honestly, learning how to persevere with bad wax, or in Brian's case - how to get to the lead pack of a mass start, are great things to learn that may be more valuable than a great result itself (despite how frustrating and painful it is to not reach your goals for reasons out of your control). Brian finished in 34th (not a bad result, just could have been even better!), followed by Matt in 54th, Tim in 56th, Ian in 57th, Graham in 61st, and GH in 63rd. Shout out to Ian for having his carnival best finish in such terrible conditions! It was so fun/impressive to watch him enjoying himself when it was so hot. Also, thanks to Matt for being a source of never-ending laughter and dependability (he's the only surviving member of his freshman men's class). Things just wouldn't have been the same without him, and we'll miss his dry humor and giant stack of plates at Dana :)

Men's 20k Classic Results
Team Scores

GH working the V2

Tim looking strong

It has been a season of ups and downs. I know as a team, we were hoping for more. However, I know that everyone learned a lot, some struggles were out of our control (like sickness and wax), and I think that we're getting more professional in our commitments to the sport every year. It was also one of the most successful seasons in recent history. JACKIE QUALIFIED FOR NCAAS! She is the first SLUskier to go since 2015, and the first SLUski woman since 2012. That's what I call impressive (and hard work). Keep an eye out for a blog about that, and also a blog about the last two Eastern Cups (Gabby, Emily, and Kyle raced at Middlebury alongside the carnival, and Gabby, Emily, and Steph raced in New Hampshire). Steph was a trooper to go to the last Eastern Cup for a 3rd day of racing after the Bates Carnival. She did that to qualify for New England JNs. Jordan and Jordi will also be going to Anchorage for Mid-A! So, look out for news from there as well. Thanks to everyone for supporting us all season. It's not quite over yet!

Brian hammering "High School Hill"

EISA-itis: The Middlebury Carnival

Catching back up with blog. A couple weeks ago, we had the Middlebury Carnival. It was nice to have a bit shorter drive and mid-semester break. On Thursday, we got to Rikert nice and early and were some of the first out to ski the course. It was sunny and the snow was beautiful. There were also some great fireworks that we could see from the hotel that night! The weekend turned out to be tough, but at least there were lots of personal bests, as it was our first closed carnival (so for freshmen that was there first time in the smaller field).

On Friday, we had a classic 10/15k mass start. Unfortunately, a couple of things did not go as planned. It was a tricky wax day, and no team could get it quite right, so it was a bit of a slippery/sticky/slushy slog for all. Secondly, the whole women's team (except for Jordan who quarantined herself!) had gotten whatever I had gotten at the beginning of the week, a nasty cold and cough. It also appeared to have gone through the whole EISA circuit, hence the diagnosis of EISA-itis. I decided to skip the race that day to cheer and get healthy for Saturday and the Bates carnival. Jackie was pulled out by ETown mid-race when it looked like she was digging herself in a hole. Let's just say, no one was quite at 100%.

Steph, Kate, and Erin battled through their sickness to finish great despite the circumstances, but not where they wanted to be. Jordan actually had a great race, leading the team in 43rd, matching her best finish ever! The other problem was that it was a tricky wax day, and no team could get it right.

Nathaniel gliding by

Brian lapping through

The men's team wasn't sick, which was great, but it wasn't quite anyone's day. Everyone put forward a great effort and battled tough conditions, though. Brian led the team in 37th, followed by Nathaniel in 47th, and GH in 61st. Ian notched a new personal carnival best in 63rd.

Saturday was definitely a bit better without the tough conditions and shorter races (5/10k skate). Steph led the women's team in 32nd, which was a new personal best! Shout out to Erin who also had her best carnival finish ever, coming in 43rd!! This was so impressive considering that neither of them were healthy. Jackie was unfortunately still too sick to race, but she was great moral support.

Erin leading a pack

Ian looking speedy

Jordan thriving in those distance classic races

The men's team also rallied for day two. Brian crushed it, coming in 26th! He was followed by Tim in 51st and GH in 55th. Its great to see when everyone can put together some good races on the same day. I think that is an underestimated skill in this sport. You can have a team of fantastic skiers, but if they are all good at different events or peak at different times the team score will suffer. The women's team has struggled with this a lot this year. I know everyone is wanting more, but we're getting there. EISA-itis certainly didn't help, but there were a lot of bright spots with personal bests and some great performances all around. Thanks for reading, enjoy the pictures (thanks to my dad for those), and check back soon!

Results

Steffi battling the EISA-itis (and winning)