Author Archive | Adam Terko

What a whirlwind week at Junior Nationals. Things went very well for MNC and Team New England! I have been impressed by MNC skiers all year, and this race week proved no different. That’s not just accounting for on-track performances and race efforts…this is a group that supports and cares for one another in big ways.

The highlights on paper are numerous…and certainly something to celebrate:

• Ava swept all of the races, the first athlete to do so since Jessie Diggins in 2011
• Ava and Hattie shared the podium in the 5km skate race, with 1st and 3rd
• Anders finished 5th in the classic sprint, for another MNC All-American
• MNC alum Julia Oliver was All-American in the classic sprint as well
• Julia Thurston scored a 10th in the classic mass start, making it FOUR individual All-American skiers from MNC!
• Ava and Hattie teamed up with SMS skiers Fin and Jack to WIN the mixed relay for New England

And overall, the team scoring says a lot…MNC was the 3rd best women’s team in the nation, and 6th overall. Following the sweep of all four Eastern Cup weekends, MNC was also the top team from New England in the club rankings.

BUT there is far more than just ski racing to be proud of with this group. JNs is a busy week with a lot of ownership placed on athletes. It is interesting to see what kind of traits this brings out each year, and I came home from this trip so humbled by our collection of skiers and teammates.

Not every race was amazing for every MNC skier, and that’s ok.

Some of our skiers grew about 3 years older in the course of a week, it seemed. From struggling through pre- and post-race anxiety, to handling target events that didn’t go as planned, there seemed to be a friend and teammate waiting in the wings to jump in for support. Coaches and wax techs are present, but the business of this week for all the adults involved lends itself to self-discovery for all the athletes involved. I can’t say enough positive things about how MNC athletes and alums took time to look after one another through the good AND tough moments. Nothing could make me more proud as a coach, even amidst a week full of banner performances and medals.

MNC has come a long way, but we are always striving to reach new heights!

All results

Junior Nationals continued yesterday with a classic sprint, and New England extended their lead in the Alaska Cup (the award for top region) by a big margin with some great performances. MNC played a role with some more standout performances, showing the depth of our program and our competitive abilities in any distance and technique!

The first big highlight for MNC was Anders skiing to a 3rd place in the U16 men’s qualifier, and following it up with some dominant heat performances to work his way up to the A-final with Quarry Road skier and NE teammate Ellis Slover. After a tough start which saw Anders and Ellis at the back of the pack near the top of the course, they both skied aggressive and powerfully back into the stadium to climb to 3rd (Ellis) and 5th (Anders) to mark an amazing race!

L-R Tabor (7th), Ellis (3rd), Anders (5th)…strong U16 boys gang!

Ava topped the women’s qualifier, and skied away from all of her heats to take her 2nd national title in as many races. Also qualifying for the heats were Hattie and Virginia, who scored top-30 finishes thanks to some battles in the quarterfinals.

The course featured two challenging climbs, icy tracks (perfect for New England) and some rolling mountain bike-style bumps on the descent back into the stadium.

Special shoutout to MNC alum Julia Oliver who had an All-American (top 10) performance in the U20 classic sprint! But the day featured many more racers and age classes.

In the U16 girls race, Julia Thurston pumped some motivating music, focused on getting herself in the best headspace for racing, and totally crusher her qualifier. She got caught up in a crash on the big climb and missed advancing to the semis, but hearing about all of these heats reminds me of how much of a learning experience this all is. Going head-to-head against the other regions can make Eastern Cups seem pretty relaxing…something about knowing all your competitors versus being in a totally unknown situation. There’s a LOT to be learned at a championship event, from racing itself to the prep and physical/mental aspects away from the race trail.

All the results can be found on Superior Timing.

Racing continues tomorrow (Friday) with mass start classic races and relays on Saturday. Be sure to follow along with all the action!

Junior Nationals kicked off yesterday with an individual start freestyle race. MNC is excited to have 6 athletes representing the club: Anders Linseisen, Ava Thurston, Emma Page, Hattie Barker, Julia Thurston, and Virginia Cobb are all out in Minnesota to compete against the best in the country.

Things started off with a bang, with Ava winning her first Junior National Championship by almost a full minute in the U18 5km freestyle! Hattie laid down an amazing race to take 3rd and make it a double MNC podium!

Every MNC athlete scored a top-30 finish, with Emma just outside of the top-10 (All-American) awards in 13th. Julia and Anders claimed a 19th and 25th, respectively, in their first-ever JNs races at U16s. Virginia was inside the club points for her first-ever JNs race in 30th, and all the athletes are now preparing for a classic sprint on Wednesday.

You can follow along with results, livestreams, and more on the official Junior Nationals website here!