Regionals Recap

Shamefully late, I know, but here's a recap of a fantastic weekend at Regionals:

Saturday morning (5/10k skate) was cold and windy, with a several inches of new snow on the ground from a storm earlier in the week - tough conditions for racing, but our team stayed focused and positive. They've done a great job of this for the last several weeks - one of the things I'm most proud of them for. Hannah came out strong again, finishing 30th. Times were incredibly tight - 8.4 seconds would have put her in 21st. Lots of fast skiers in that group just ahead of her - a good sign that she's skiing at a high level. She'll be on the right side of those battles next year. Kaitlynn was just a few seconds back in 36th, and Emma skied her best skate race of the year to finish 53rd. On the men's side, Spencer led with a 23rd place finish, followed by James in 30th, his first NCAA points after a few near misses. Times were again tight, with James just 50 seconds from the top 10. Scott rounded out the scoring with one of his best races of the season, finishing 38th. Spencer's finish put him ahead of Walt for the most top-30 finishes of any Bowdoin male skier in history. Here's a photo to commemorate the occasion, courtesy of Andy Shepard:


More fresh snow greeted us for Sunday's 15/20k classic. The final long mass start race of the year has generally been one of our best races, and this one was no exception. Spencer and James got themselves in good position out of the start and gradually started moving up as the race progressed. Entering the final lap, both of them looked like they were starting to fade, with Spencer trying to hang onto the top 20 and James just outside the top 30. Luckily, I was wrong - Spencer held it together and picked off another skier to finish 19th, and James found an inner reserve and blew past several skiers in the last few k to finish 25th. Riley quietly had a great race as well, moving up throughout the race and digging for a couple extra places in the final kilometers - he finished 42nd to close out an outstanding rookie season.

The women's race was equally exciting. In the early going, I saw a few slips and got really nervous, but the skiers pulled it together and got the skis working - they were fast on the downhills, with just enough kick for the climbs. Kaitlynn skied her usual calm, determined race, moving from the 20s into the teens. She finished 14th, ahead of several NCAA qualifiers and close behind a number of great skiers. She's so relaxed and patient in classic races that it's easy to take her results for granted, but this would be a mistake - her achievements have been remarkable this year, well beyond anything we've seen from a Bowdoin first-year woman. Hannah also had a great race, finishing 30th, a career-best for classic. It was a thrill to see her chase down a couple of Williams skiers in the last kilometer to secure a top-30 finish. Emma skied another excellent race, perhaps the best racing I've seen from her, finishing 50th as our 3rd scorer. The women also had their best team finish of the season - they beat Colby, tied Harvard, and were just 2 points behind St. Lawrence and Williams. It's exciting to be in contention with teams that have always been well ahead of us - a great sign of progress.

Overall, it was a great weekend - very satisfying to end the season at our best. I'm extremely proud of how everyone skied, especially in the classic race - the skiers were incredibly determined. I'm not normally one to play up the "pain and suffering" aspect of the sport, but it was impossible to not notice how hard our skiers were working on Sunday - they were absolutely destroying themselves as they fought for every second. If we bring this same focus and desire into next season, we have a lot to look forward to.

On a more sad note, Grace's college ski career came to an end last weekend. It's been a pleasure watching her develop as both an athlete and an individual over the past 4 years. She's been a fantastic captain this year and was largely responsible for turning our women into a super cohesive group. It'll be impossible to replace her leadership next year - we'll miss her dearly, and we'll look forward to seeing what the future holds for her.

And that's the end of our official college season. A few folks will do Rangeley this weekend, and James is headed to Minnesota for JNs. After that, everyone goes their own way for Spring Break and various other race opportunities. I'll keep the updates coming.