Training at Lost Valley

Williams Carnival and Cheri Walsh

Lucas at Williams (Lincoln Benedict photo)
After our week-long February break, the team headed down to Prospect Mountain near Bennington, VT for the Williams Carnival. There was plenty of fresh snow and temps in the mid-20s to remind us what winter really feels like. The weekend was a 10/5 km classic on Friday, and a 10/5 km skate on Saturday.
The day was highlighted by Harry's season-best 14th place finish. Cooper had a very solid race and ended up in 20th. Danny Kuzio continued his strong second half of the season with a 32nd. Lucas was only 5 seconds behind in 34th. Behind those finishes, the Men ended up 6th on the day.
On the Women's side, Natalie once again led the day, finishing in 12th. Abby and Gretchen both had strong classic finishes, ending up in 21st and 24th, respectively. Kirsten and Beth weren't far off finishing up the day in 30th and 31st.
For Saturday's Skate race, the Women got the team off to a blazing start. Three women posted career-best freestyle results. Nat was in 7th, Kir in 10th, and Beth in 13th. It wasn't surprising to see those results, that's where the girls have been skiing towards over the last couple of weeks, but it was really exciting to see it all come together on the same day. Abby and Meg also had strong races, finishing in 34th and 35th, only 30 seconds out of the top-15 as well. As a team, the Women ended up 3rd on the day. It was their 3rd podium finish in as many weeks.
The Men had some solid performances, with Lucas leading the team tied for 28th place. Cooper was second for the team again, in 40th. Harry rounded out the scorers in 47th. The times for both races were extremely tight, and 5 seconds meant a difference of several spots. Overall, it was a solid Carnival weekend, and the team is fired up for Middlebury Carnival/Eastern Championships this coming weekend.
On Sunday, a smaller group headed over to Holderness School for the final race of the Eastern Cup season. Sophie, Kelsey, and Sam all raced for the women, posting solid times on the blazing fast course. Corey, Jim, Dan, and Isaac raced on the men's side, skiing well through the mud, slush, and ice that made up the course. The conditions were fast, the times close, and Corey just missed out on Junior Nationals for New England.

Dartmouth Carnival Recap

Corey in the relay (Lincoln Benedict photo)

We just got back yesterday afternoon from the Dartmouth Carnival, held up at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. The team had a strong weekend, with the Women finishing 3rd on Friday and 4th on Saturday.
Nat lead for a big chunk of the race, pulling the top women's group through the middle of the race. She had a great finish as well, ending up 5th. It was the second top-5 of her season, and the third of her career. Abby also skied a great race and ended up 17th. Gretch and Beth skied around her most of the race and finished close behind in 21st and 22nd. Kir and Kelsey also skied strong races for the Bobcats.
For the Men, Lucas and Coop skied pretty much the entire race together. Their combined efforts and energy paid off, as they ended up 22nd and 23rd. Danny Kuzio skied an awesome race and ended up 29th, cracking into the top-30 for the first time in his young Carnival career. Corey also skied well, finishing 38th. Harry lost a ski early on and didn't have his best day, Jim had a solid outing to round out the other Carnival skiers.
On Saturday, it was on to the 3x5 km skate relay. The men skied a strong race, with the team of Harry, Coop, and Lucas scoring. The team of Danny, Corey, and Jim skied a strong race as well, and weren't far off.
For the women, Nat, Beth, and Abby skied to a 4th place team finish. Gretch, Kir, and Kelsey made up the second team, and ended up 12th overall.
After the races, it was Carni Crush time. Always entertaining, and the quartet of Lucas, Danny, Corey, and Jim did a great rendition of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"

Don't let the look fool you, Abby means business (Lincoln Benedict photo)

Showing some love (Lincoln Benedict photo)

Righteous Brothers? (Lincoln Benedict photo)

Dartmouth Carnival and Olympics

Day 1 of the Dartmouth Carnival is in the books. I won't write much right now, but it was a good day to be a Bobcat. Standout performances on both sides. Another podium finish for the Women's team. We're heading to the Kuzio's for dinner tonight. Looking forward to it.
Tonight, the Olympics are kicking off with the Opening Ceremonies. Bates Nordic alum Haley Johnson will be competing in the Biathlon. She was the only pre-qualifier for the U.S. Women's team. Tomorrow the Biathlon events kick-off with the Women's 7.5 km Sprint Event.
You can follow Haley on her Olympic journey at: http://comeskiwithme.blogspot.com/
Best of luck at the Olympics Haley and to the Bobcats tomorrow!

UVM Carnival and Eastern Cups

Natalie on her way to 5th (Lincoln Benedict photo)
This past weekend the entire team headed out to Stowe, VT for the combined weekend of Carnival and Eastern Cup racing. The conditions were awesome for the weekend and the classic skiing was beautiful extra blue conditions. The racing kicked off on Saturday with a 5 km classic for women and 10 km for the men. In the Carnival race, Natalie skied to an impressive 5th place finish. Gretchen had a strong 25th place, followed closely by Captain Abby in 28th. Those three lead the Women's team to a 4th place finish in the classic race.
On the Men's side, Lucas had what was probably his best classic finish, ending up 21st. Captain Harry was close behind in 24th, a season-best for him. Corey also had a strong race, coming in 42nd.
On Sunday, both the men and women competed in 10 km skate races. Again the women kicked things off, with Natalie claiming 9th place. Beth showed she is finally getting healthy, with a 17th place finish. Gretchen was right behind in 19th. Abby and Kirsten also finished in the top-30, with 24th and 26th, respectively. The women ended up 3rd on the day, behind only Dartmouth and UVM.
For the men, Lucas once again lead the way with his EuroMullet and a 33rd place finish. Harry and Cooper rounded out the scoring in 44th and 48th.
It was great having Connor helping us out this weekend, as well as former assistant Jordi St. John. The extra help made for quick work of 22+ pairs of skis. It was also cool to run into alumni Andy Hardy and Abbie Harris, both '04. Hardy jumped into the race on Saturday, and looked good doing it. Abbie was up on Sunday with one of the skiers she now coaches.
We're heading back out to Stowe and Trapp Family Lodge this weekend for the Dartmouth Carnival as Oak Hill is a little bare.

Jordi warming his feet between waxing sessions (Lincoln Benedict photo)

Where the magic happens (Lincoln Benedict photo)

Chummy Broomhall Cup

This past Sunday, we headed up to Rumford to compete in the Maine State Collegiate Championships and the Chummy Broomhall Cup. Also in attendance were Colby, Bowdoin, UMPI, Maine-Orono, Maine-Fort Kent, and Maine-Farmington. The men and women both competed in 10 km mass start skate races.
The women went out first, with Bates having a strong showing. Nat finished 2nd, followed closely by Beth in 3rd. Sophie came in 6th, followed by Captain Abby (8th) and Kirsten (9th). Gretchen finished just outside the top-ten, barely missing out on All-State honors. Meg, Kelsey, and Ingrid all finished in the top-20 for the Bobcats as well. In the team scoring, the women narrowly took the lead for Bates.

Early on for the women. (Thanks to Connor Cushman '09 for snapping some pictures)

At noon, the men took off. In the men's race some Maine Winter Sports Center athletes mixed it up with the collegiate skiers. The Bobcats again skied strong, with Captain Harry leading the way with a 3rd place finish. Lucas was close behind in 4th, and Corey rounded out the top-10. Cooper, Dan B, Nate, and Jimmy all finished in the top-20 as well. Ultimately, Colby edged Bates for the overall team title, and the Bobcats had to settle for 2nd. It was a great team effort from everybody, and there were some standout individual efforts. Thanks again to all the parents who brought food and cheering! Now its time for all of us to gear up for the UVM Carnival/Eastern Cup weekend in Stowe, VT!

Lucas leading out the men's field (Steve Fuller Photo)

A belated Happy Birthday sing-a-long for Chummy lead by Coach (Steve Fuller Photo)