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