Middlebury Classic

I was right - today was even better.

A few inches fell yesterday, leaving the course in great shape for classic racing. Waxing seemed straightforward - hard wax with a little binder - yet somehow we found ourselves scrambling right up to the gun. There was enough coarse icy stuff under the tracks to make things a bit tricky - we brought out the heavy artillery for Courtney and Sarah (I believe the term is "panic waxing") and prayed that they wouldn't have to stride down the hills. They didn't. Instead, the whole women's team nailed it - 42, 43, and 44 for Sarah, Elissa, and Courtney, and solid races by Maresa and Grace as well - our best overall team performance of the year, even better than last weekend. Elissa was deep into the 30s for a while before a couple falls set her back several places. Frustrating, but a nice reminder of the speed that's been waiting to come out all season. She had a big hole to climb out of after Christmas, and she's done a great job of getting back into racing shape - the season's just ending a bit too soon. This group has made a lot of progress this season, and I'm really proud of them. We'll have all 5 back next year - I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do with another year.

Our men did a nice job of fighting their way up from their seeds in the back of the pack - passing lots of bodies takes a lot of energy, but they made their way into the thick of it and kept moving up throughout the race. Walt led the team in 31st, just seconds from the mid 20s. Faster skis would have gotten him there - perhaps a bit too much binder. John Hall went out in style with his best classic race ever. Early in the race, he got taken out when another skier crashed in front of him, but this just seemed to light the fire - from that point on, he just kept picking people off and ended up in 34th, just a stone's throw from the 20s. Forrest also ended on a good note - 41st in spite of draggy skis. He's overcome his earlier struggles with tensing up in classic races, and he skied smoothly and held his technique together well. We'll miss both of these guys next year, both in terms of results and character. They won't be easily replaced.

So - that's it. No more college racing this year. It's been a good season - many personal victories, some history made, and a few lessons learned. Next year will be even better. For now, though, we'll catch our breath, jump into a couple fun citizen races, and enjoy the last few weeks of winter.

PS - The ECT raced today at the Silver Fox Trot in Hanover. I don't want to say too much in case someone's going to write a more thorough update for us, but for now, here's a link to results. Great work by all of these guys to pull this trip together by themselves, and to Nick for pulling off fast skis in his role as volunteer wax tech. Eastern Cup finals tomorrow at the Cheri Walsh in Holderness - several of the carnival team folks will be there to cheer them on and help with waxing. Right now we're comfortably settled in at Maresa's house in Plymouth - great hospitality from her parents. Tomorrow should be a fun day.