At last - our first carnival! It's been a long wait, and everyone's been through a lot in the past couple years, so this Colby Carnival felt really good. The folks at Quarry Road had the course in amazing shape as always - a 2.5k loop with tough climbs, technical downhills, and a nice wide open stadium area. On Day 1 we made history with the first ever EISA women's 20k - fantastic! Several of us coaches have been pushing for equal distances for the last couple years, so it was extra rewarding to see everyone racing the longest distance in college skiing. The women's race went out hot, as usual - the exciting thing was that Renae was the one in the lead coming out of the stadium. For the next 18k she was in and out of the lead - she kept pushing the pace, and although the lead pack left most of the field behind, there were 5 others she couldn't quite shake. On the final lap they slipped past her, and she crossed the line in 6th, just 10 seconds from the win. It was a fantastic effort and a great learning experience. Meanwhile, our newcomers were thriving in their first ever collegiate races. Aggie stayed within sight of the leaders for much of the race, despite a long stretch of skiing by herself - she paced it beautifully and picked up a few places in the final kilometers to finish 11th. Morgan took a more extreme version of this strategy, going from 60th place after her first lap to 15th at the finish - just an amazing display of fitness and determination. Ingrid (33) and Ellie (37) were not far from the top 30, and Mia finished 53rd. Just a really impressive showing by the whole team. They were rewarded with a 3rd place team finish - right up there with the best performances in Bowdoin Nordic history.
On the men's side, Elliot skied smoothly but couldn't quite match the pace of the lead group. Like Aggie, he skied by himself for a long time - absolutely brutal in a race of this length when most others are working in packs. He ended up with a respectable 14th - a good step forward in his comeback from a shoulder injury. Carson skied a well-paced race, moving up several places and edging Zach in the final sprint - the two of them finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively. Adam (39) and Silas (51) also acquitted themselves well in their first EISA races - really an impressive showing by all of our newcomers. The men were 7th on the day - a decent finish, and one that we'll hope to better as we ease our way into the season.
On Day 2 - actually, there was no Day 2. Cold temps and high winds led to the cancellation of the classic race, much to everyone's disappointment. It was pretty sad to lose half a carnival after waiting so long for the season to start, but we've got lots more good stuff to come. And as a consolation prize, we did a great little time trial with Colby the next day when the winds had died down. Overall, a fine start to our season. Many thanks to the parents who showed up to support our team - check out these photos courtesy of Tom Bartol. Also, thanks to alumni parent Jim Ahearne, who counted a LOT of laps to keep our skiers on track during the 20k. St. Michael's Carnival in VT up next - can't wait!
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