The first one is in the books! Not just timetrials or intervals, but real racing with stiff competition and all of the familiar elements of a Nordic weekend took place at Craftsbury over the weekend.
Many of the MNC Juniors, along with some Masters and older BKL skiers, donned the race bibs for a skate sprint and classic distance race on fully manmade snow (some if it the remains of snow from last year, dutifully saved under sawdust by Craftsbury). Saturday was all about braving the rain, as soaking conditions meant everyone went through every pair of gloves they owned.
The “Royals Court” format meant skiers got to race three head-t0-head rounds against competition of similar speed…finishing top 2 in your heat moved you up in the brackets, finishing in spots 3 or 4 kept you in the same bracket, and finishing 5th or 6th dropped you to a different bracket. This meant each heat was tough as you were vying for position among very comparable opponents! The MNC crew got a lot of practice trying different tactics, like leading from the start, or holding back for a late push. While there may not have been a lot of warming-up or cooling-down (aside from sitting in a huddle around the heater in the trailer) in the midst of the racing everyone was only thinking of pushing hard and not the crazy weather.
On Sunday everyone was treated to calm skies and a warming sun for some klister classic skiing. This distance classic race brought even more competition, as skiers from EMXC (formerly CSU) and Ford Sayre joined the likes of MNC, GMVS, Craftsbury, NWVE, UVM, Gunstock, SMC, and more. It was quite a miniature Eastern Cup, you could say.
I am incredibly proud of how all the Juniors handled the day. From arriving and getting themselves situated, to testing wax and making race-time decisions, everything went very smoothly. This entire summer and fall has been a theme of young athletes taking the professionalism and quality of their everyday interactions with the sport to a higher level. Oh, and don’t forget all that training the crew did! Clearly that paid off with some stellar early-season results. Whether a skier had a great result, or a result they weren’t pyched on, they were coming to me with reflections, analysis, and plans rather than just a “yes!” or “shoot…” attitude.
Results via Bullitt Timing:
Can’t wait for Waterville!
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