NCAA's Post #2

NCAA's from Coach Hatton

Coach Hatton here, providing my short take from NCAA’s. I’m so grateful we had the opportunity to compete this year and with a full team, nonetheless. With everything that has been going on and with so many unknowns this season, it was a bit of a miracle this all came together and went so smoothly. Many thanks to UNH and all of the other coaches. Very fortunate and proud to have led such a great group of skiers and had the opportunity to support them. Not only are they determined and hard working skiers, they are incredible individuals and I couldn’t have asked for a better time at NCAA’s. 

Here are some photos from the week that show just how awesome they are!

So rad

YEAH!

Yippeee!

Hello, Charlie!

PC: Gabby'21

We arrived on Sunday on a beautiful and sunny day. We were lucky enough to be Covid tested and get in some exercise before settling into our rooms. It was incredibly nice to have stayed right at the venue all week. It was great being able to get to our trailer and the trails whenever us coaches needed to without the extra time of driving or burdening the athletes. With the warming temps before the classic race, it meant some extra time waxing and preparing a lot of skis! I think ETown said it was the most skis he’s waxed at NCAA’s...We wanted to be the most prepared on race day; can’t ever be overly prepared, anything could happen on race morning and not having a course of action A-D shows how much or little you care.

Coach ETown preparing skis
PC: Coach Hatton

Both race days proved to have their own ups and downs for each athlete, but they sure represented our team and school well. It was a lot of fun to see them battling against some of the best college skiers out there. It definitely felt like a normal race season and environment on the trails with all of the western teams, despite there being no spectators. I can ensure that this opportunity, one that may not have come normally for this SLU group, has provided a lot of experience that will lead them to grow into better racers in the coming years! Thanks to all of the parents and alumni support from afar this season! I’m excited to continue to watch the team build, grow, and kick butt! 

Formal anyone?

L-R: Charlie, Tim, George, Gabby, Jordan, Steph

Until next time, all the best, Coach Hatton

NCAA Championships: Post #1

 Hi everyone, Gabby here!

To cap off a truly unusual racing season, SLUSKI was fortunate enough to send a full team (3 men and 3 women) to nationals at Jackson, NH the week of March 8^th. We stayed at the Eagle Mountain Hotel which overlooks the stadium of the race course, which completely eliminated drive time to the race venue! (In the two previous races at Jackson this season, we had a 1.5-hour drive time from the hotel in St. Johnsbury, VT to Jackson, NH).

Our home for the week, The Eagle Mountain House

PC: Coach Hatton

The “training” days leading up to the races followed a very 'lax schedule: get up early, eat our scheduled breakfast at 7:00 AM, sit in rocking chairs on the front porch, ski, eat lunch, hang out, eat our scheduled dinner at 5:50PM (M-W-F), hang out before bed, and then go to bed early. Compared to the constant bustle of life on campus, the quietness of the hotel life was really nice. We used some of the down time for all six skiers to get eyebrow notches and temporary tattoos. Jordan and I full sent it. We dyed some of our hair pink, for that full Kikkan Randall inspirational look! It was both a physical and mental break for us to get ready for the races.

 

Here we are getting ready for our first day of training at Great Glen Ski area!

 L-R: Steph, Charlie, Gabby (Me!) 

PC: Coach Hatton

Thursday’s classic race was quite possibly the hottest race I’ve ever experienced. It was super fun to be in that head-down-and-grind, but the combination of thawed snow and sun made for mushy conditions and sunburns. It was really great to see some strong performances on our team! It cooled down by Saturday for the skate races, which felt soooo much better. Again, we had some great finishes on the team, and I am super proud of everyone who raced their hearts out.

The melt out...
PC: Coach Hatton

To the readers who tuned into the races, I want to say thank you for all of your support! I was able to talk with Peter Graves, the announcer, after the races on Saturday and he said that was the most amount of people that tuned in to watch the races both days.  Also, thank you to our coaches, ETown and Dana for making that week smooth sailing and for getting our skis ready to rip!

I am so proud of this team, both the ones that raced at NCAA’s and the ones who finished their seasons earlier. They have worked through highs and lows, and it has been so much fun training and ripping up races together! As an official retired SLUSkier, I am confident when I say that this team will continue to excel next season and for years to come. Watch out EISA!

L-R: Coach Hatton, Charlie, Gabby (Me!), Steph, and Jordan
Missing from photo: Tim, Charlie, and Coach ETown
PC: flyingpointrd.com; thanks Steve!

Look for more blog posts in the coming days from the others who also experienced NCAA's alongside me!

Peace out,

Gabby W '21

SLUSKI at Sleepy: Regionals Carnival

 Hello readers,

Our favorite Nordies were able to travel to Sleepy Hollow, Vermont to race this past Friday at Regionals! Typically for regionals, the races land on Middlebury's Carnival at Rikert in Ripton, Vermont, but they are not hosting any races this year due to COVID-19. A big thank you to the St. Michael's College Ski Team and coaches for opening up your home course for us and making this race happen! 

When we arrived Thursday evening, we were lucky enough to have enough daylight to preview the course. Parts of the course were marked and others parts were not, so some of the women's team, Dana and I had a nice tour of some of the back trails that we thought was part of the course. Conditions were icy and fast, but the views were amazing and we were able to catch a glimpse of the almost-full moon. 

Hard to tell, but the moon was so bright! (PC: Gabby '21)

Some of the ladies previewing what we thought was the course (PC: Gabby '21)

We stayed at the Best Western Plus Windjammer Inn in South Burlington, Vermont Thursday night. Our dinner was conveniently ordered from the adjoining restaurant and eaten in our rooms, and it was nice to eat with metal utensils and real napkins for once! Normally when we order dinner food, everything is in plastic takeout containers with plastic utensils. After a Zoom team meeting, we tucked in and prepared for another exciting day ahead of us.

On Friday, we woke up to bright sunshine and blue skies. Both men and women raced 10k classic on the 5k course with the men at 10:00 AM and the women at 11:30 AM. The course started in Molly's Meadow and looped through the back woods, which consisted of a long gradual climb and rolling hills that circled back to the stadium. The downhill going past the lodge was wicked fast, and that brought the skiers back into two long gradual climbs (the second climb was the longest climb in the course, it didn't seem to end!). Right before the skiers lapped through the meadow, there was a sharp climb with a quick "S"-turn downhill that finished at the start of the meadow. This version of the course was both parts fun and physically demanding; it seems as though every time we race here, it changes based on the weather and how much snow they have. Luckily for us, they had a solid base and it was a beautiful day to race.

Steph '22 (PC's: Cam '23)

Gabby '21

Claire '24

Sydney '24

Sammie '24

Jordan '24

Lizi '24

Jaden '23

Tim, Charlie, Gabby, George, and Jordan

Men's results: Here

Women's results: Here

Off for a team cool down! (PC: Cam '23)

That's some speedy lads and ladies right there (PC: Dana)

For the majority, I think our skiers had a good race and had some fun on the course. Classic skiing always produces variant results based on the wax and snow conditions, but most everyone was pleased with their efforts. A big thank you to Dana and ETown for the speedy skis and having to deal with klister all day. When the races finished up, all of the teams gathered for an awards ceremony right outside the lodge. Our very own Steph Nichols '22 earned 5th in the First-Team All-East! We are very proud of her, and of all of our skiers who completed this unusual season with such gusto and determination. As an (emotional) senior, I can confidently say that this team will bring the fire next season. From not knowing if a season was even possible to racing almost every Friday at EISA races, I witnessed my teammates step up and give it their full efforts. (To be honest, if they completed a race season through a pandemic, that's a sure sign they are capable of anything!). They continue to amaze me and it has been an honor to race with them for my last season on the team.

We are headed down to Paul Smith's College this Saturday for a skate time trial against the Paul Smith's and Clarkson teams. We haven't raced at their facility yet, and it should be exciting to race somewhere new! On Sunday, our NCAA skiers, (Tim '21, Charlie '23, George '23, Jordan '21, Steph '22, and I) as well as Dana and Etown, are headed out to Jackson, New Hampshire for the week. We race on Thursday (5k/10k classic, individual starts) and Saturday (15k/20k skate, individual starts). Live streaming can be found here.

Here we go, Saints! 

-Gabby W. '21

Jackson Take 2!

Hello fellow blog readers, Tim here!

The Saints returned to Jackson for the third “EISA” race of the year! That is, we returned over 10 days ago. Sorry for the promptness. Been busy doing online school from…school? That doesn’t make… We skied at Jackson!

And it was awesome!

We left on Thursday at noon, and drove the entire afternoon to St. Johnsbury VT, where we would stay the night. After a good night of order-out room service (Enchiladas with sweet potato fries never fails for me), we left at early hours to drive from the hotel in St. Johnsbury for the 90-minute drive to the racecourse. Compared to the last time we raced at Jackson, this race was exceptional. The area got enough snow to open the full 5K loop, which the women and men both skied three times for their 15K races. Additionally, the UVM team was able to join us, making it feel even more like a true carnival than the UNH vs SLU dual carnival we had the last time we raced at Jackson.

The women’s team started first, and they absolutely ripped up the course. Steph Nicols was our top finisher, placing fifth in a close three way run against two UNH skiers for the third podium spot. Our next finisher was Co-Captain Jordan Schuster, finishing close with a few UNH skiers as well. Close behind was the rest of the saint’s skiers: some of them still able to smile after giving it a hard run on the course for 40 minutes.

Women's results

Claire Wagner '24 crushing V1!

Gabby Wangler '21 going super fast and stuff!

                                                                    PC's: Coach DHatton

Next, the men went off on the same course. Last time we were here the men struggled, but this time, we came back prepared and ready for what this unique east coast course had to give us. Tim Cunningham (me!) was the first men's finisher for the SLU team, leading a tight pack of the rest of the men's team coming in hard to the finish line. Not to cut the reading short, but overall we were all happy with the effort we put in, but we are still very hungry for more racing and eager to hunt down those spots further up the results sheet.

Men's results

Tim Cunningham '21 skiing fast for Coach Dana!

                                                                           PC: Jaden

Men's team glittered AND masked up!

Up next, stay tuned for a recap of regionals held in Sleepy Hollow VT, our last regular race of the year! Follow along for the prequel to the grand finale of the year!

Thanks for following along~

Tim!