|
BATES NORDIC BLOG |
This blog is now located at http://nordic.batesskiing.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://nordic.batesskiing.com/feeds/posts/default.
End of the Season Thank You
Things are pretty quiet on campus these days, with almost everybody currently on April Break. We had our end of the season banquet a few weeks back and it was good to see everybody together again, for a little bit. The annual Lloyd Lux award was handed to our two captains this year, Abby and Harry. Thanks to the whole team for a great season though, and we're already looking forward to next fall.
Becky and I just wanted to thank all the parents as well for all their support and hospitality over the the course of this past season(s).
First off, a huge thanks to the Pooles for what was (I believe) their 7th straight season of providing food and cheering every carnival weekend and plenty of other times as well. Even when they weren't able to make it in person, a batch of Liz's chocolate chip cookies somehow found there way out there.
Also, thanks to the Samuelsons for another great year. Thanks for lots of food and of course, housing us at Sugarloaf. Likewise thanks to the Knowles' for their place at Sugarloaf, and always bringing food, even if some of it did end up with the St. Lawrence team.
A thank you to Kirsten's parents and family for hosting the team at the Jackson Crit back in January. The McClellands for hosting the women during the St. Lawrence carnival, and having the whole team over for dinner. The Smeltzers and Kuzios also hosted team dinners, during the UVM and Dartmouth carnivals, respectively.
The Fullers had us over for lunch back in the Fall and provided great support through the year. Thanks to Steve Fuller for taking great pictures throughout the season and helping out with waxing up at the Rumford Eastern Cups.
Thanks to all the families who gave their support during carnival weekends in food and cheering. The aforementioned families, but also to the Brodhead, Taylor, Ruppertsberger, Hill, Tuttle, Kreisman, Forrest, and Leonard families. Also, great to see the Ruppertsbergers out in Steamboat! It was great to have all of your support this season. It is one of the many reasons that Bates Skiing is among the best programs. Thank you all!
Back from NCAAs
 Mid-morning in Steamboat. Well, the final week of the college racing season is over. We got back from our week in Steamboat Springs on Sunday night. It was a great week all around. Wonderful weather, perfect tracks, plenty of snow, etc. Nat had an awesome attitude all week. The two went race days went smoothly, with Nat posting 18th in the classic, and 32nd in the skate. The Mass Start Skate was a tough day, but Nat skied a strong race and posted a solid result in 32nd. On Friday night, it was great to watch 'Piner Ben Manter post a 10th place finish in the night slalom for an All-American finish. Also, a huge thanks to Abby for being out there cheering on her teammates and providing the coaches with a seemingly endless supply of coffee.  The (Rodeo) Stadium on race morning. Meanwhile, back in Maine, we had Lucas and Kelsey competing up at Junior Olympics. Both had great results up in Presque Isle competing in their final years as Juniors. Lucas finished 8th in the classic sprints, 9th in classic distance, and an 11th in the skate distance. Also, his relay team earned the 4th spot for OJ men. Kelsey ended up 24th in both classic races, and 26th in the skate distance race. She also posted the 9th fastest scramble leg time for OJ women. Congrats to both of them on great JO results. A final shout-out to Kirsten for winning the Ski to the Clouds race up Mt. Washington.  Kir ripping it up. (Great Glen Photo)
Steamboat Springs and NCAAs
Just a quick update from the past several days in Steamboat Springs, CO. We got here last Saturday, after a long day of travel from Maine. The skiing has been great out here! There's plenty of snow, and a few storms this week brought in a few more inches. One of the storms happened to coincide with the classic race. The waxing was a little tricky, but we got Nat on some skis that had solid kick and were pretty fast on the downs. Natalie skied a great race. Really smart, relaxed, and technically strong. The result was an 18th place finish. Top-20 had been her goal going into that race. Mission accomplished. Tomorrow we move to the 15 km skate race. Should be a good one...
Midd Carnival
Last weekend marked the final Carnival of the year, also serving as the Eastern Regional Championships. Due to some unpredictable weather last week, the racing was postponed to Saturday and Sunday. On Friday morning we headed over to Middlebury, stopping to ski at Rikert before settling in. On Friday night, we had our banquet, and everyone was looking pretty classy due to the "business casual" dress code. The Academic All-Americans were announced, with a strong crew from Bates Nordic represented. Nat, Abby, Cooper, Smeltzer, Corey, and Lucas all garnered the honors. Saturday saw the 10/5 km Classic races. The weather conditions were all over the place, and most of our team ended up going on zeroes. They weren' t awesome, but they were the most consistent and predictable. Ultimately, it was a very good day. Beth posted a career-best finish with 9th place on the day, which was awesome to see. Nat continued her strong season with 13th. Kir rounded out the scoring in 23rd. Behind those three, the women skied to a 4th place finish on the day. On the men's side, Senior Cooper lead the way with 17th, besting his 20th place from last weekend's classic race. Captain Harry had a solid race to end up in 27th, and Lucas was our third scorer in 35th.  The Start of the Women's Race (Lincoln Benedict Photo) On Sunday, the weather was warm and the early tracks were fast. The 15 km Women's race started things off. Nat and Beth once again lead the way, finishing in 13th and 14th. Captain Abby had a strong finish to her collegiate career with 24th, fighting the entire race. Gretch and Megan rounded out the team, in 29th and 38th. For the men's team, Lucas lead the way. He picked up spots through the entire race, and finished a career-best 14th place. Cooper wasn't far behind in 16th. Harry had a solid outing, ending up in 33rd. Danny and Corey ended up in 53rd and 55th. It was a solid end to the Carnival season this year. Congrats to our team for a great season. Nat will be heading out to Steamboat to represent Bates at NCAA Championships, hosted by Colorado-Boulder. She is joined by two men from the Alpine Team in forming the Bates contingent. This weekend was the last collegiate racing action for Abby, Harry, Cooper, and Smeltzer. They have all given so much to this program over the last four years, and they will certainly be missed when they graduate in May. A special thanks to Captains Abby and Harry for all their hard work this year.
|
| |
|
