Chummy Cup 2020

It's been a real pleasure having the Chummy Cup at Bowdoin this past year, and I was sad to pack it up last week for the trip to Rumford.  Would we be able to bring it back?  It's been a great season, and we figured we'd have a decent shot, but we also knew that Bates and Colby would make it tough on us, especially in a skate race.  The big wild card was health - all three teams had been crushed by various cold and flu stuff last week, and it was a question as to which skiers would make it to the start line, and which of those who did would have anything in the tank for the race.

Saturday morning dawned bright and cold - perfect for a ski race.  The women got things going with a clean start, and Gabby and Renae went right to the front with Lily in the lead pack as well.  They stuck together well into the second lap before the pace started to pick up.  Renae took the lead up High School Hill and Gabby followed - they spread the pack a bit but couldn't get away.  Coming into the stadium, Kirsten Miller of Colby slingshotted past them and sprinted to a narrow win, with Gabby 2nd and Renae 3rd.  It was a good learning experience for them both - our skiers don't get many chances to ski a tactical race at the front of the pack, and this was a chance to see how it feels to set the pace and get a sense of when to lead, when to follow, and when to try to break away.  Although it's always disappointing to come out on the wrong end of a close race, this is the kind of experience that will make them better skiers in the future.  Lily hung on for 7th place, earning 2nd Team All-State honors and keeping the team within 2 points of Colby heading into the men's race.

The men weren't messing around - Elliot, Christian, and Peter set a hot pace from the start, and after 3k they'd opened up a small gap on the field that continued to grow as the race progressed.  They hung together for a few more kilometers before Christian broke away and skated to victory, with Elliot close behind and Peter completing the podium sweep in 3rd.  Meanwhile, Russell, Zach, and Cirque battled in the chase pack with a group of Colby and Bates skiers, ultimately finishing 6th, 7th, and 9th, respectively.  This gave us six guys on the All-State team.  More importantly, the men's dominating performance locked up our second ever Chummy Cup victory!  It's pretty sweet to defend our title after so many years of looking up at Bates and Colby - happy to have it decorating my office for another year!

RESULTS

Regardless of the races, it was pretty special to have the Maine college teams come together for a day of our own - many thanks to the Chisholm Ski Club for putting on a great event as always.  All of us coaches have pretty deep ties to Maine skiing, and all of us are proud to be a part of this ski community.  It's fun competing against these guys - we drive each other to be better, and as much as we all want to win, we're also happy for the other teams when they have success.  Looking forward to a great finish for all of us!