We were honored by a great article about our team in Bowdoin Magazine last week - check it out! The best part is that this was written by one of our own, Nat Herz '09. Nat is one of the most colorful characters to come through Bowdoin Nordic. He's spent the last ten years doing fantastic work as a journalist (currently with Alaska Public Media), and I'm so proud of him. He really personifies the team culture described in the article, so it's fitting that he was the one to write it. Thanks Nat, and keep up the great work!
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Friday, March 15, 2019
NCAA 2019
The 2019 NCAA Championships are in the books, and they were glorious! Beautiful weather, tons of snow, and fast skiing by our people - couldn't have asked for more. Here's a recap of how it all went down:
We left campus on Monday evening after classes. The drive to Stowe felt long, but compared to last year's trip to Steamboat it was pretty painless. Next morning we were out on the snow to check out the course - everything was in perfect shape. The skiers had a nice quick course preview and the coaches spent a good while testing and getting things dialed in. After a lovely banquet in which our skiers showed great fashion sense, we were ready to crush the skate race.
Wednesday morning was clear and cold and perfect for ski racing. The atmosphere in the stadium was fun and high-energy, and the scenery was classic Vermont.
Once again we did a ton of testing - as always we cut it close but we found a great combination and got Elliot his skis with at least 30 seconds to spare. Always on time, always under budget. Elliot did his usual Elliot thing with a nice relaxed start - I could tell it was going to be a good day, because his smile in the early going was even bigger than usual. The early splits weren't so encouraging - he had the slowest split of the whole field through 2k - but we knew better. By the 5k mark he was starting to pick up steam, and by 7k he was regaining time on the skiers who had gained on him in the first lap. With 1k to go he was absolutely flying, but times were tight and there was no way to know where he'd finish. After a few tense minutes waiting for the late starters to finish, he was 18th - best ever NCAA finish for a Bowdoin man! It was a ridiculously close race - he was just 9 seconds from All-American and 14 seconds from 5th!
Renae was up next - with only 5k, her race went by in a flash. She looked strong out of the start and skied with great tempo. By the final long climb she was clearly tiring but fought really hard to keep it together until the line. Like the men's race, the times were really tight, and this last great effort kept her ahead of a whole crew of racers. She finished 31st, just 1.1 seconds from scoring points in the top 30. It was interesting watching the women's race unfold - the rolling course and moderately fast conditions really rewarded big strong gliders over smaller tempo skiers like Renae. Something to work on for next year. Nonetheless, this was one of her best 5k skate races ever. Overall a great start to the championships!
We took things pretty easy on Thursday - an exam and a quick ski for the racers and a lot of kick testing for the coaches. That afternoon we got back together for a tour of the Ben and Jerry's factory and a nice dinner. The skiers were pretty mellow - a bit subdued, but also confident and really excited to race. A good sign!
Next morning the sun was out and temps were warming quickly - a bit scary for waxing, especially for a pair of longer races, but luckily it had been cold overnight and things stayed well below freezing for the women's race. It was another perfect day - coaches were testing like crazy and our crew of Bowdoin fans was having fun.
Last time we raced at Stowe, Renae had taken it out aggressively and had been right with the leaders for a couple kilometers, but another skier crashed in front of her and took her out. Today she was determined to try this strategy again to find out what was possible if she pushed hard from the start. Good thing, because the women's race went out HOT! College women's mass starts always start fast, but I don't know if I've ever seen such a fast start as this one. Renae was ready for it, and she stayed right with the pack - no crashes this time. By the end of the first lap she was moving well and had skied her way into 14th with a whole hornet's nest right behind her. As the race went on she slipped back a few places, but she hung on wonderfully, widening the gap between her and the back half of the field. She finally got tired in the final couple kilometers and the mid-teens group slipped away from her, but once again she fought hard on the final climb to hold off the chasers and lock up a fantastic 20th place finish! A really gutsy effort that paid off beautifully.
By Elliot's race, the sun was blazing and things were getting pretty toasty - bad flashbacks to Rumford! This time it was a bit colder, and we felt safe about adding some pre-emptive kick and cover it up without making the skis to sticky or slow. This was the right choice - things got slick in a hurry after the gun went off, and lots of guys were slipping. Elliot stayed calm and skied nice and easy for the first half of the race. He started near the back as usual, but as people got tired and/or started slipping, he picked up places steadily. By the halfway mark he had sneaked into the top 20 and was looking strong and relaxed. By this point things had settled - the people who were going to fade had already faded, and the guys around him were pretty well locked in. The leaders weren't really getting away, and for a while it looked like Elliot might be able to close the gap and make a run at the top 10. But at the start of the final lap, the leaders upped the pace, everyone else followed, and suddenly he was just trying to hang on. He kept fighting and was able to maintain a slight gap on a big group of chasers, finishing in 16th - another fantastic race to close out a wonderfully successful week.
All of us left the championships feeling incredibly happy - what a fun and satisfying week. Renae and Elliot were locked in all week - they did everything right. They saved their best races for when it counted most - of course that's what everyone hopes and plans for, but so often it doesn't work out. They represented our team so well on a national stage - with just 2 skiers, we managed to finish 17th, and I'm pretty positive this was our highest-scoring championships ever with 39 points. As always, we were also lucky to have such great support from parents, friends, and teammates (thanks to Todd Anderson for the great pictures in this post). Friday's cheering group in particular was fantastic - so good to see a bunch of our skiers make the trip up from Maine! Christian served as our volunteer tester, and he was a great help in getting the skis dialed in - we couldn't have gotten good skis without him. I'm really proud of Elliot and Renae and our whole team - already getting fired up for next year! I can't wait. Ok, that's only partially true - I think we're all ready to catch our breath and rest up a bit. But the 2019 season has been fantastic, and the future is bright!
We left campus on Monday evening after classes. The drive to Stowe felt long, but compared to last year's trip to Steamboat it was pretty painless. Next morning we were out on the snow to check out the course - everything was in perfect shape. The skiers had a nice quick course preview and the coaches spent a good while testing and getting things dialed in. After a lovely banquet in which our skiers showed great fashion sense, we were ready to crush the skate race.
(photo courtesy of Nich Hall)
Wednesday morning was clear and cold and perfect for ski racing. The atmosphere in the stadium was fun and high-energy, and the scenery was classic Vermont.
Once again we did a ton of testing - as always we cut it close but we found a great combination and got Elliot his skis with at least 30 seconds to spare. Always on time, always under budget. Elliot did his usual Elliot thing with a nice relaxed start - I could tell it was going to be a good day, because his smile in the early going was even bigger than usual. The early splits weren't so encouraging - he had the slowest split of the whole field through 2k - but we knew better. By the 5k mark he was starting to pick up steam, and by 7k he was regaining time on the skiers who had gained on him in the first lap. With 1k to go he was absolutely flying, but times were tight and there was no way to know where he'd finish. After a few tense minutes waiting for the late starters to finish, he was 18th - best ever NCAA finish for a Bowdoin man! It was a ridiculously close race - he was just 9 seconds from All-American and 14 seconds from 5th!
Renae was up next - with only 5k, her race went by in a flash. She looked strong out of the start and skied with great tempo. By the final long climb she was clearly tiring but fought really hard to keep it together until the line. Like the men's race, the times were really tight, and this last great effort kept her ahead of a whole crew of racers. She finished 31st, just 1.1 seconds from scoring points in the top 30. It was interesting watching the women's race unfold - the rolling course and moderately fast conditions really rewarded big strong gliders over smaller tempo skiers like Renae. Something to work on for next year. Nonetheless, this was one of her best 5k skate races ever. Overall a great start to the championships!
We took things pretty easy on Thursday - an exam and a quick ski for the racers and a lot of kick testing for the coaches. That afternoon we got back together for a tour of the Ben and Jerry's factory and a nice dinner. The skiers were pretty mellow - a bit subdued, but also confident and really excited to race. A good sign!
Next morning the sun was out and temps were warming quickly - a bit scary for waxing, especially for a pair of longer races, but luckily it had been cold overnight and things stayed well below freezing for the women's race. It was another perfect day - coaches were testing like crazy and our crew of Bowdoin fans was having fun.
Last time we raced at Stowe, Renae had taken it out aggressively and had been right with the leaders for a couple kilometers, but another skier crashed in front of her and took her out. Today she was determined to try this strategy again to find out what was possible if she pushed hard from the start. Good thing, because the women's race went out HOT! College women's mass starts always start fast, but I don't know if I've ever seen such a fast start as this one. Renae was ready for it, and she stayed right with the pack - no crashes this time. By the end of the first lap she was moving well and had skied her way into 14th with a whole hornet's nest right behind her. As the race went on she slipped back a few places, but she hung on wonderfully, widening the gap between her and the back half of the field. She finally got tired in the final couple kilometers and the mid-teens group slipped away from her, but once again she fought hard on the final climb to hold off the chasers and lock up a fantastic 20th place finish! A really gutsy effort that paid off beautifully.
By Elliot's race, the sun was blazing and things were getting pretty toasty - bad flashbacks to Rumford! This time it was a bit colder, and we felt safe about adding some pre-emptive kick and cover it up without making the skis to sticky or slow. This was the right choice - things got slick in a hurry after the gun went off, and lots of guys were slipping. Elliot stayed calm and skied nice and easy for the first half of the race. He started near the back as usual, but as people got tired and/or started slipping, he picked up places steadily. By the halfway mark he had sneaked into the top 20 and was looking strong and relaxed. By this point things had settled - the people who were going to fade had already faded, and the guys around him were pretty well locked in. The leaders weren't really getting away, and for a while it looked like Elliot might be able to close the gap and make a run at the top 10. But at the start of the final lap, the leaders upped the pace, everyone else followed, and suddenly he was just trying to hang on. He kept fighting and was able to maintain a slight gap on a big group of chasers, finishing in 16th - another fantastic race to close out a wonderfully successful week.
All of us left the championships feeling incredibly happy - what a fun and satisfying week. Renae and Elliot were locked in all week - they did everything right. They saved their best races for when it counted most - of course that's what everyone hopes and plans for, but so often it doesn't work out. They represented our team so well on a national stage - with just 2 skiers, we managed to finish 17th, and I'm pretty positive this was our highest-scoring championships ever with 39 points. As always, we were also lucky to have such great support from parents, friends, and teammates (thanks to Todd Anderson for the great pictures in this post). Friday's cheering group in particular was fantastic - so good to see a bunch of our skiers make the trip up from Maine! Christian served as our volunteer tester, and he was a great help in getting the skis dialed in - we couldn't have gotten good skis without him. I'm really proud of Elliot and Renae and our whole team - already getting fired up for next year! I can't wait. Ok, that's only partially true - I think we're all ready to catch our breath and rest up a bit. But the 2019 season has been fantastic, and the future is bright!
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