It was an all-around good day to wrap up an all-around great weekend for Williams.
The day was colder than predicted, and the forecasted snow held off, so that the classic waxing was not as challenging as it could have been. We were able to race on pure hard wax with a thick binder underneath to protect against the icy downhill tracks.
The women skiied a lap of the 10k followed by the 5k. The men skied two laps of the 10k. Both courses are hard, but the 10 k loop is especially challenging, as it not only features some very long, steep uphill climbs, but then races through a series of S-turns that are notoriously icy.
The one casualty was a bruise-bearing fall had by Kirsten Johnson, several k from the finish. Though the fall cost her some places, she managed to finish within the points, at 29th place. Our top women's result came from Sarah Tory, who had a solid start and stayed tough throughout the race, fighting down the finish line to 19th place. Holly Whitney was our third score on the women's side, coming in at 33rd. Right behind her Christina Knapp and Hannah Hausman finished in 34th and 36th.
The men's team place of 4th did not tell the impressive feat of having all 6 men finish within the top 29!!The mass start was clean, and Dimitri and Keith skiied with the lead pack, a tight 13 skiers, around the first lap. Dimitri ended up right in that pack, finishing in 11th, while Keith was not far behind in 15th. Mojo and Evan sprinted through the stadium past a Bowdoin skier to finish 19th and 20th, while Isaac and Phil were close behind in 22nd and 29th.
The team was fueled well thanks to a fantastic spread of Greek hors d' oevres, Italian pastas, and American Apple-pie (as well as the best homemade baklava) via the kitchen of Tor and Anna Tosteson. What a treat!!
We also saw several ski team alums on the sidelines who cheered us on: Kirsten Froberg-Gleason was there with her two daughters, Una and Madeline, and Tim Stickney was also wearing the purple cow suit in the cheering section.
Of course, the day was not over after the finish of the races. It was the Carnie-Crush weekend, which meant handing out Valentines and reading poetry to the chosen few who were lucky enough to get a hand-made card from an Eph. It was quite a scene, with various teams and individuals regaling their valentines with praises and propositions.
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| Kirsten and Sarah (and Holly in background) charge with the pack up the first set of hills |
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| Former Williams skier, Kirsten Froberg Gleason and Coach Fisher with Kirsten's daughters. |
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| Dimitri and Keith at the front of the pack up the first hills |
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| Keith rounds the corner into the stadium to the finish |
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| Mark and Evan sprint to the finish line |
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| Mark, Isaac, Phil swap battle stories in the finish chute |
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| Kristen, Sarah, Holly, KJ get read a Valentine |
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| Maddy reads a Valentine to Sean Woods of Bates |
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| Eating dinner at the Tosteson's house |
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