NCAA 2026 Recap

 Ok, we're a bit behind as usual - it's been a busy championship season! Let's start with a recap of our magical week at the NCAA Championships with our three qualifiers: Jori, Emma, and Gillian. The championships were originally scheduled for Bozeman, Montana, home of Montana State University and the best donut shop in America. Sadly, the West has gotten almost no snow this winter - no one wanted a trail running championship, so the races were moved to Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, where they had a solid 2.5k snowmaking loop. We were lucky to be able to fly out a few days early and start acclimating to altitude, and even luckier to be on Spring Break, so the skiers didn't have a ton of schoolwork like we do at most championships. Our travel went smoothly, and our first few days were pretty peaceful - light workouts and course preview, lots of wax testing, and plenty of time for rest and relaxation (for the skiers, anyway). Colby's house was right down the road from us - they hosted us for dinner one night and we hosted them for dessert and games the next night. We made some great meals, including our now-traditional beet juice cocktails, and Leslie took the skiers house-shopping (ie, they dropped in on an open house for a mega mansion). We had a very nice opening ceremony in Park City, where the skiers represented Bowdoin with an elegant homemade flag. Throughout the week we had lots of sun and super hot temps - it's always a bit bizarre to be skiing on a thin ribbon of snow at 60 degrees, but it was pretty pleasant after a long cold winter. Good times.

Soon enough, it was time to race! First up was the 7.5k classic. The women went second, which meant that their race took place during the mid-morning transition from fast frozen tracks to total slush. This ended up being a significant disadvantage for late starters like Jori and Gillian - the snow slowed down A LOT as the race went on, and by their last lap they were double poling the downhills. Nonetheless, both of them skied great - Gillian was 36th in her NCAA debut, and Jori scored us a point in 30th. This was really quality skiing in tough circumstances - a bit frustrating knowing that the results didn't match up with their performances, but a good day nonetheless. Emma had a different kind of moral victory - with the hot temps and altitude she had some trouble breathing, which spiraled into a bit of a panic attack that took her out of the race for a few minutes. She was able to get back on course and finish the race, which was its own kind of win - of course this isn't the kind of race anyone wants to have, but it means a ton to finish a race after struggling this hard, and we're really proud of her. That night we enjoyed a great reunion/dinner with a group of recent alumni - so good to spend some time with friends after a challenging day of racing. Many thanks to Lauren Barros and Tom Moyer for hosting in their gorgeous home!

After a day to re-set, we had another great dinner hosted by Sarah Crum and her friend Sarah Clow. Then just like that it was time for our last race, the 20k skate. The women were first this time, and they had a nice firm frozen surface - perfect for fast skating! Our skiers started off cautiously, with Emma settling into the mid-pack and Jori and Gillian at the back. Emma started moving up after a lap, and soon enough she ended up in a group consisting of 7th to about 15th. She skied a great tactical race, always near the front but conserving energy and letting others lead, and her pack chewed up the kilometers - soon enough it was the last lap. She powered to the front, strung out the group, and held them off in the final sprint to luck up 7th place - All-American! It was a brilliantly executed race and a great comeback after a disappointing classic race. Meanwhile, Gillian and Jori were skiing strong and steady with a small group at the back. After a few laps, Gillian was feeling strong enough to pull away for a solid 35th place finish. Jori kept battling and eventually ended up in a three-way sprint to the finish - it was super close, but she came out on the back end of this group to settle for 39th. This race marked the end of an era - Jori and Emma have been leading our team for years now, and it was both special and sad to see them finish their last races in a Bowdoin suit. Congratulations to these two for their great careers, and to all three of our qualifiers on a successful championships! It was a fun week and a great experience overall - already looking forward to next year (after a bit of a break, of course). Back soon with a quick report on biathlon Junior Worlds and JNs!

 

Regionals and Chummy Cup!

 Exciting last couple weeks for our team! Regionals was at Middlebury this year - always fun times at Rikert and the Middlebury Inn. Day 1 was a 7.5k classic - tricky waxing with warming snow just starting to transform. We were only somewhat up to the task, with mixed results on skis - not terrible, not great. Lars made a bold call to accept less perfect kick in exchange for fast skis, and it paid off with his best distance finish ever in 20th. Will got off to a hot start before fading slightly and ending with a still-respectable 25th, and Beckett completed our scoring in 33rd. Michael also notched a nice classic PR in 40th. Emma led the women in 7th, with Jori 24th and Mirra 26th. Not a bad day, but all of us were left wanting more. We closed out the day with a fantastic dinner hosted by the parents, where we honored our seniors on the eve of their final carnival races.

We got some new snow overnight, leaving us with a slightly soft surface that nonetheless packed down well enough for the 20k skate. Ollie put himself in the mix right away, with the rest of the guys settling into the middle of the pack. As the race went on, they formed a Bowdoin train, with Will, Lars, and Henri gradually joining Ollie. Beckett kept it pretty relaxed for the first half before surging with the second fastest third lap to join the other guys. They skied together beautifully and all finished in the top 20 - Ollie 14, Will 15, Beckett 16, Lars 17, and Henri 20. This was the first time we've ever had five skiers in the top 20 - inspiring stuff, especially from a relatively young group of guys! Meanwhile, Michael had started off in the back due to a high bib number; undaunted, he methodically worked his way up, passing people one at a time and ending with a best-ever 31st - a suitable finish to a career marked by hard work and determination. On the women's side, Emma jumped in with the lead group and stayed there; when the top two skiers broke away she was the only skier able to keep it close, finishing third for her fourth podium of the year. Like Michael, Ruth had a higher start position, and she was initially left behind when the lead group broke apart early in the race. She made a gutsy move to bridge the gap and regain contact, and was able to pick off a few places to end in 22nd. Gillian completed our scoring with a solid 25th. Overall, we ended up 5th for the nordic carnival for our third straight weekend of finishing top 5.

Even with the end of the carnival season, there was still more racing in store for us - it was time to defend the Chummy Cup! This year's race was a 10k classic at Quarry Road. The three Maine teams combined forces to test waxes and figure things out on another difficult day - it was nice to be working together and sharing information to ensure that the skis would be comparable so the skiers could sort it out on the course. The women started the action with a couple tangles in the mass start - the snow was sticky and the theme of the day was klister catching, resulting in a lot of stumbles. Emma managed to avoid the worst of this - she eased away from the group, built a huge lead in the first couple kilometers, and came into the finishing stretch far enough ahead to ski across the line with the Bowdoin flag in hand. The action behind her was fast and furious - Gillian made a run at 2nd before settling for 3rd, and Ruth (5th) and Jori (6th) claimed All-State honors as well. Kira finally made a triumphant return to racing after a month of recovering from a concussion - she had a huge smile on her face the whole time and finished an outstanding 12th, just a few seconds from All-State. WOMEN'S RESULTS. The men's race was even more exciting, with a huge group in the lead pack and constant lead changes. With about 3k to go, Henri and Will started pushing the pace, and the group stretched out ever so slightly. Henri broke away up the last hill and held the lead through the long double pole section around the stadium to win the state championship - heady stuff for a first-year! Will was trailing a Colby skier heading into the final stadium, but he put in a great sprint and a well-timed lunge to earn the second step on the podium. Beckett (6th) and Ollie (7th) were close behind, and Michael continued his hot streak with a 10th place finish to lock up All-State honors. MEN'S RESULTS. The combined outcome of all this excitement was our fourth Chummy Cup win: Bowdoin 18, Colby 29, Bates 66. This was such a great team showing, with a bunch of different people stepping up to make our win happen. The energy was amazing, with every team bringing lots of noise and good vibes - just a perfect example of the magic of college skiing. Happy to have this one go our way. We're still trailing Colby (8) and Bates (6) in the all-time Chummy tally, but today we're one step closer. Very proud of this team for bringing so much heart not only to this race, but to this whole season. We've had a lot of ups and downs, but overall this was a good year, with many milestones and goals accomplished and A LOT of fun times. Although most of our skiers are done with racing for the year, it's not over yet - it's championship season, and we're looking forward to a big finish in March!