SLU Carnival and Rumford Eastern Cups

We kicked off the Carnival season this weekend out in Lake Placid as St. Lawrence hosted the first races at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. On Friday we had the 5/10 km classic race on the former Olympic trails. The conditions were pretty tough out there, with changing weather and some hairy turns on the descent. The women got the Bobcats off to a good start this season with Nat finishing in 8th, Gretchen was 19th, and Abby 20th. The women ended up in 3rd on the day, just two points behind Middlebury for 2nd. On the men's side, Harry and Coop were 26th and 27th, respectively. Lucas, Dan, Danny, and Jim within 25 seconds of each other.
On Saturday, the mass start racing got underway with 15/20 km skate on the biathlon trails. The men went first, racing four laps around the 5 km loop. The men skied well, improving on their finish from Friday. Cooper was leading the race as they came through after 10 km, ultimately ending up in 10th on the day. Lucas skied up into 16th, and Harry finished in 26th again.
On the women's side, Nat had her best skate result, finishing in 9th. Abby was 24th, and Kirsten 27th, to round out the scorers. Everybody had a great day, and all are looking forward to improving their results as the season goes on.
It was a solid first Carnival, especially with a lot of people racing in their first collegiate races.

Lucas leading a train...

The men's start.

Back in Maine, Corey, Nate, and Isaac raced in the Rumford Eastern Cups. The classic sprint on Saturday saw some more tricky waxing conditions and Nate and Corey both advancing to the heats. On Sunday, the three guys skied in the mass start 15 km skate. The men's field got off to a blistering start led by US ski team's Kris Freeman. They skied solid races through less than ideal conditions, and all posted strong finishes.
Also, a HUGE THANKS this weekend to all the parents/families who helped us out! The McClelland Family for putting up most of the women's team, and also for hosting the whole team at dinner Friday night. Thanks to all the parents who provided lunch for the team on Friday and Saturday: Pooles, Knowles', Samuelsons, Tuttles, and everybody else. Also, thanks to Fullers, especially Steve for helping out with waxing for the Eastern Cups!