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!
No comments:
Post a Comment