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
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| Brendan tagging off to Calvin |
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| Calvin skating his way to a 13:01 finish |
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| Matt skating to a 13:56 finish |
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| Blaine tagging off to Ryan |
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| Brendan skating to a solid 12:55 finish |
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| 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
 Girls about to sing our Carni Crush song to the Harvard Men | ||
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| Girls team after the races on Friday on the lake- PC: India |
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| Girls team on the lake- PC: India |
Day 1 Results:
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 22nd! 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
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