Boys take Second in Regional Classic race! Dimitri and Alice head to NCAA's

We had our best team finish of the season on Saturday, as the men tied Middlebury for second place team score in the 10km classic race. Dimitri Luthi started just behind Keith Kantack in the 30 second interval start and they were able to work together to post their best-ever carnival results at the most competitive weekend of the season. Dimitri took second to UVM's Franz Bernstein, and Keith was 6th. Mark Johnson was the third score, with 28th place, which landed us just behind SLU at the top of the team scores.
It was a wild day on the course, as the temperature was just above freezing, the snow was wet, the tracks were glazed when the snow stopped, and there were sudden flurries of more wet snow. These factors made any kind of wax or klister unusable, as they did not work on the glazed tracks and iced outside the tracks and when the snow flurries hit. But kick was crucial, as the course was all long gradual uphill and subsequent steep downhills.Thank goodness for the new waxless race skis (zeros/multis). Our whole team used them (as did most of the field). Some that did not have them borrowed from parents, friends, and some of the women used the men's skis after their race. The only Williams racer that could not find a zero ski/boot combo was Holly Whitney, and she ended up on my old fish scales, because even though they were heavy and slow they at least kicked up the hills. . . .

Unfortunately for Kirsten and Alice, who were seeded to go out in the last quarter of the field, they were at quite a disadvantage when some heavy snow started just before their start, allowing some of their competitors to finish on faster tracks. As Alice explained, she felt she was having a top-ten performance, and was shocked to see she ended up 22nd. Alice was our top finisher of that race, Kirsten in 31st and Christina Knapp in 33rd.

On Sunday, the women had a better day and the men experienced a brutally tough race in which they had one of their worst team scores of the year.
It was sunny and the course was soft and granular, turning quickly to wet and slow mush by the middle of the ladies race. With 3 and 4 laps of 5.5 kilometer in warm temperatures and slow tracks, the race was tough for all competitors, but even tougher if (as in the case of some of our men) your skis were not running as well as your competitors.
Alice and and Hannah had the top women's scores, with 15th and 26th, while Dimitri and Evan were inside the top 30 with 24th and 29th.

It was a roller-coaster of a weekend, and Sunday was not the best day to end the carnival season on, but we did have some remarkable results over the span of the season. Our best scores as a team and individual racers indicate a consistency not yet obtained - but having a high chance of achievement potential - in the season to come.

Best Team Scores: Women's skate 4^TH (SLU and St Mikes) Womens classic 3^RD (WIL)

Men's skate 3^RD ( WIL) Men's classic 2^ND ( MID)

Best individual results: Women: Alice Nelson 5th (Williams) Dimitri Luthi 2nd (Middlebury)

Alice Nelson ended the carnival season ranked 14th and Dimitri Luthi was ranked 9th. They will be heading to Steamboat, Colorado this weekend to compete at next week's National Nordic Championships (NCAA's).

Rankings
Results
Photos

EvanDethier, Keith Kantack, Coach Fisher, Bob Kantack talk splits during women's race

Dimitri Luthi, Mark Johnson - waiting for awards to start at the alpine hill

Alice Nelson getting a cheer from Keith and Evan

Kirsten - battling the snow

Caleb fights up the last hill toward the finish.

Holly Whitney: using a pair of very old fishscale skis

Keith Kantack

Aubrey, Sarah, Alice, Hannah, Holly, Kirsten, Christina: dressed up for the banquet.

Alex Taylor leads the mass start pack off the start

Evan Dethier

Alice Nelson, Sarah Tory, watching the second run of GS on the alpine hill