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.
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| Hard to tell, but the moon was so bright! (PC: Gabby '21) |
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| 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.
Men's results: Here
Women's results: Here
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| Off for a team cool down! (PC: Cam '23) |
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| 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
