SLU Carnival 2013

We're back from a weekend in Lake Placid for the first carnival of 2013 - what a great start to the season!  Friday's race was a 15/20k individual start skate - a long grind made more challenging by the big climbs and very cold temps.  The men got us off to a great start, with Kevin, James, and Jackson all scoring NCAA points!  Despite a large number of racers skiing 4 laps each, Jackson somehow ended up skiing alone for most of the race, which was tough - still, he managed a big PR with a 33rd place finish (he scored an NCAA point because 3 of the skiers ahead of him were non-carnival team skiers).  James and Kevin both were able to catch rides from fast skiers who'd started behind them, and both took advantage by hanging on for a long time.  Kevin rode the draft for several kilometers before passing the other skier and cruising to the finish for an impressive PR of 21st.  James was equally tenacious but a bit unlucky - with 3 or 4k to go, he tripped and broke a pole.  He had to ski for a kilometer or two with one pole before getting a replacement from a fellow racer (a Middlebury skier was bonking, and when James passed him he thoughtfully offered James his pole - a very classy gesture).  James still pulled off a strong 28th place finish - judging by the splits prior to his fall, we're pretty sure he would have finished right with Kevin had he not broken a pole.  Still, a fantastic day for the men.  The big highlight came in the women's race, though - 5th place for Kaitlynn!  Absolutely shocking.  She got off to a strong start, skiing powerfully and smoothly.  Several kilometers in, she was passed by the skier who'd started one bib behind her - like Kevin and James, she caught a ride and hung on until close to the finish - an outstanding effort.  Her finish ties the best result in Bowdoin Nordic history (a pair of 5ths by Walt Shepard in 2008).  It was especially gratifying to see her come back so strongly after last season's challenges and frustrations - a really special moment.  It was a great day for our team - everyone skied hard and left their best race on the course.  We ended up 6th for combined men's and women's nordic - our best team result in a long time.

Saturday was originally supposed to be a classic sprint, but thin snow coverage made it impossible to set track or set up a suitable start finish area.  Instead, we did a 3.2k skate "epilogue" - a short, fast, and fun race that was unlike anything we usually do on the EISA circuit.  Results weren't quite as amazing as on Friday, but still solid.  Hannah had the race of the day, finishing 32nd for EISA skiers - another big step forward in her impressive comeback from ACL surgery last year.  Kaitlynn (15th EISA) led the team again, with James (39th) and Kevin (41st) as the top men.  This performance seemed a bit anticlimactic after Friday's fireworks, but in fact it was pretty good - we would have been pretty thrilled with these results any other time.  Overall, a fun carnival and an encouraging start to the season that has everyone feeling excited for the next few weeks.

I should also note that we had several parents who braved the cold to set up a tailgate for the skiers.  Bowdoin Nordic has always been lucky to have an incredibly supportive group of team parents, and this year is no exception.  Thanks to all of you!