What a weekend for the Pugs! Despite a daunting 5-hour drive, the MNC juniors were out in force (and were a force to be reckoned with) at Eastern Cup #2 in Waterville, Maine.
Saturday brought the first sprint event of the year for Eastern Cup competitors. An icy, twisty course was no problem for a group that trains all summer and fall on the winding and fast rollerski loops of the Range. In the qualifier we had some seriously fast skiing with both Will and Ali advancing to the Open heats by virtue of their top-30 finishes. For Will it was a well-deserved stamp of approval on a great summer and fall of training, and Ali turned some heads racing and throwing down against college girls as a first-year U16!
As luck would have it Will’s heat was kind of like training at the Range in years past as he lined up on the start alongside Forrest and Greg! (photo by Gary Solow)
Headed to the start line with skis sauced-up. When you’re lining up against Dartmouth, Williams, and Harvard it’s usually a good sign! (photo by Dave Priganc)
After the dust of the Open Heats settled Will and Ali ended up 20th and 21st, respectively, in the overall Eastern Cup. Woohoo! Will was the 3rd U18 male and Ali was the 4th U16 female. Big breakthroughs!
But that wasn’t all, as the U16 heats featured Magda, Sammie, and Timmy who all got in on the head-to-head racing. Timmy took third in the A-Final for an overall 3rd place in the U16 race. Magda led her first heat from start to finish and then battled to finish second in the A-final (9th overall) for U16s. Sammie took 4th in her first heat and then upped that to 2nd in the B-final for 8th in the rounds / 15th for U16s.
Nolan displaying the send and making the case for a Darn Tough sock sponsorship (Gary Solow photo)
Multiple race delays meant the final heats (and awards) were held under the lights. We’ll make sure Tim holds up his Rossi boards next time to fulfill sponsor obligations (photo by Max Cobb)
In the excitement of the heats some other MNC results may have gone unnoticed but they were no less impressive. With technical skill and great fitness nearly everyone had a qualifier that they were happy with, and there was a noticeable wave of excitement among the team from momentum that has been building for a long time.
Some Pugs preparing to cheer on Timmy in the final as the sun goes down (photo by Coach Sara)
In the evening, we were joined by MNC racers Eliza and Eli, as well as MNC alum Amy Bruce (who was manning the starter’s gun all day – thanks Amy!) for some dinner at Mainley Brews. Our orders took a while to arrive but the group was patient and the downtown area of Waterville is now home to a nice collection of MNC bumper stickers if you look carefully.
The gang at dinner flashing their favorite gang signs, because, teenagers
Sunday began with a beautiful sunrise and temperatures that were just warm enough to make klistering for 17 racers feasible without having to amputate fingers (the MNC wax truck is still in the design stage).
This time it was the U16 boys who got to take off first, and the action didn’t disappoint. After prepping himself the day prior and getting ready to rock, Aidan stuck with the plan he and Coach Adam had advised: get off the line FAST and ski at the front of the race. If you hang on? Sweet. If not, you laid it all out there. Fortunately, if you know Aidan Burt you’ll realize that hanging on is one of his specialties…the first time I met him was when Greg, Olivia, Kai, Will and I dragged him around Trapps for about 2 hours when he was a little 6th grader.
The photo says it all: Aidan means business and he is now one to make the moves and not just hang! (photo by Dave)
With a blistering start and a dynamic move up the last hill Aidan secured 5th place in the mass start, and he now has top-5 results to his name in both techniques. Did I mention that he is not even a U16 yet?
With some trouble at the start (read: faceplant) Timmy was held back a bit but rallied for a strong 7th place. He is just out of the frame in the photo of Aidan above. Another rock-solid weekend for Tim after a spring and summer of training at a higher level than ever before.
The U16 ladies were next, and there was a lot to be excited for. The previous day’s results had really given these girls a taste of what they were capable of, and they went out of the blocks hungry. There was a lot of black, blue, green, and white at the front of the race as Camille finished in 6th place to lead 4 Pugs into the top 12. Ali and Magda finished in 9th and 10th places, respectively, while Sammie notched her best result yet in 12th!
Swagda showing some great double pole form and tearing up the course as Will looks on (photo from flyingpointroad.com)
These girls definitely earned their post-race Starbucks trip! I’m sensing that will be a regular occurrence
It was clear by the finish of this race that MNC was generating quite a buzz around the venue…or maybe I am just imagining that because I was so excited at this point. The day was far from over though, and the klister was spread non-stop as the women’s race got underway. After a long stint of biathlon races, Eliza donned the classic boards for a great race while coach Sara even got in on the action.
This photo has “attacking the race” written all over it! (by Gary Solow)
Many Pugs lined up for the Open Men’s race, where chaotic crashes and a furious opening pace rapidly splintered the field. For the second day in a row, Will fought bravely and skied an aggressive-but-smart race to nail 36th place and 7th U18. Not far behind was Charlie Cobb who quietly put together two solid races back-to-back. The first year of college can be a huge change and shift in focus and training, but Charlie has stayed consistent and worked hard and it shows!
Cobb brothers reunited
Working together for much of the race, Ben and Alex navigated the sea of wild crashes and steep hills to some solid performances. This has been an impressive season so far for Ben, who has recovered from numerous injuries and is now able to push himself to better efforts than ever. As I told him after this race, watching his speed and power over the top of the last hill, “I don’t think you could’ve done that last year”.
Gotta love this one that Gary captures. Here’s the great benefit of training on twisty fast rollerski loops!
Alex’s words to live by: “Always go full send, or you’ll crash”
Eli Grossman continues to impress with a ton of energy and power in his return to Nordic skiing after a long absence. He is a true fighter when the gun goes off and with each race he builds confidence. Special shoutout at well to part-time Pug Adam Glueck who threw down the absolute race of a lifetime to finish 6th OVERALL! Dartmouth is lucky to have him next year!
Special shoutout to the athletes that joined us for waxing support, which is a growing group: it was a pleasure to help prep skis for hardworking and friendly athletes like Isaac, Spencer, Cameron, Isabella and Elery. We’ll see you soon at Eastern Cup #3!
Hard to find a way to end this blog post…I could keep discussing how great this weekend was over and over but it’s already time to focus on the upcoming races in Lake Placid. That’s a great thing though, because the momentum that was building before Waterville is now a full-on freight train!
Thanks so much to the parents and supporters who made the long journey to Maine…we were fed with warm food and tasty treats, and all of these amazing photos wouldn’t be here without Gary and Dave behind the lenses. Check out more action shots and results with the links below. Go Pugs!
Photos by Gary (and a few from Adam)
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