Quite an unusual weekend we just had! The Dartmouth Carnival (moved to Craftsbury) was scheduled to be a one-day affair (15/20k classic), which is unusual by itself, but for a while it looked like it would be a zero-day affair. The forecast for Saturday was grim - super cold temps and very high winds - and we spent the whole week wondering if we would actually get to race. We drove over to Vermont on Friday afternoon and went through the process of preparing for a race, but the whole time the weather warnings became more and more apocalyptic, and it was hard to shake the feeling that it wasn't going to happen. On Saturday morning, it was indeed very cold, but the winds were minimal, and that made all the difference. With temps just above the FIS legal limit, the jury decided to go for it, and off we went. The men's field stayed close throughout the race - a lead group got away, with a couple people eventually going off the front, but the various chase packs weren't far back. Sean hovered in the 20s before moving to the front of his group late in the race - he made the final sprint look easy and locked up 18th for the third straight classic race. Mac and Jake skied together the whole race - they made a big move to get to the front of their pack and finished in 29th and 31st, respectively - Mac's first NCAA points ever, and a PR for Jake. The men finished 6th overall - I'm pretty sure this is our best men's finish in several years! The women's race was even colder, as temps dropped steadily throughout the day, but fortunately still legal at the start. With several elite skiers (including Kaitlynn) in the race, the pace was brisk - a group of 10 or 12 quickly went off the front, and the rest of the field strung out behind them. Still recovering from being sick the week before, H. Miller didn't have her usual snap, but she skied smoothly and hung in there for 41st. Ellie was feisty out there and really battled on the hills to set a classic PR of 45th. Overall, a very courageous effort by everyone - a 15/20k race is tough enough by itself, and with these extreme conditions it was really a daunting task.
Here are some photos from Everett Marshall:
After the race it was time for the annual tradition of Carni Crush - much loved by the skiers and tolerated by the coaches. Despite the cold, the skiers milled around in the stadium doing their Crush presentations - reading poems, doing dances, and generally having a good old time. As far as I can tell our skiers showed off their talents in a creative and generally appropriate manner, which is good. A fun and successful weekend for all. Thanks to Tara Whiton for joining us as a volunteer assistant this weekend - she did great work helping us with waxing and feeds. Extra thanks to the parents this week - in these conditions, it's extra tough to stand around and cheer, take photos, and set up food tables. These are also the conditions where the skiers need extra support, so thanks to all of you!
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