My brain is currently functioning at minimum capacity. Read on to find out why.
Friday: preski Saturdays sprint course. Conditions were fast and icy.
Saturday: Woke up to find it’s been puking snow BC style. At least it wasn’t rain.
Snowfall at 7:00am
Wax skis- [HF White with FC 7 topper and aggressive chevron rill].
The groomer stopped rolling through the race course 10min before the first qualifier. Even then- by the time our athletes went through the course they were skiing through an inch of fresh pow. This dramatically changed the dynamics of the race. I was lucky enough to have brought a team that was prepared to fight through the slow, boggy downhills.
What was once a wicked fast downhill turned into a sand pit
Jenn Jackson absolutely killed the qualifier keeping her tempo quick and light and pushing as hard as she could through the corners and downhills. The effort paid of BIG time as Jenn qualified as the 5th JrW. Eli Hayden-Thomas also had a wicked race- he pushed massively hard and qualified as the 13 JrM [first for his YOB].
Snowy. Like I said.
Sprint heats ran at 11:00. By then the snow had slowed down but the course still had not been re-groomed. This meant passing was almost impossible [or at least VERY ineffective] through 1-2″ of fresh snow. The advantage fell to those with a good starting capacity. The heats were also timed making the position of Lucky Loser determined by the fastest heat time.
Good starts are key
In the end the heats didn’t go quiet as well as they could have. Jenn fell on the climb out of the stadium which put her back in 5th position for her heat. She pushed like a champ to get back into 3rd position for the finish but did not advance as LL. Eli had a great heat but fell in the finishing corridor. Scott, Emily and Ashley were unable to advance as well. But that’s the nature of the sprint day- and overall I was really proud of how well our athletes fought during both their qualifiers and heats. You never give up- not even if you’re last- because hopefully someday it will come down to a sprint for gold. You want to be ready for that day.
AND- I have to send a shout out to Emily and Katherine Stewart Jones who battled for every second in the heats. Both of them ended up being Lucky Looser and advanced to the A Final. It takes a lot of chutzpah to fight that hard and still have jam for a final. But they did. Emily ended up finishing 2nd for a silver medal with Katherine just behind her in 5th. Wicked performance from those two.
heartbreak of Sprints
Stadium in the afternoon.
Sunday:
was our final race- the distance classic. The previous days pow had been groomed into deep tracks and the -11 overnight temperatures had hardened the track. This snow was SQUEEKY. The course for the classic race [10km for Women, 15km for Men] was a combination of Thursday’s courses with a few additional loops [mostly uphills]. The pitches were steep, both up and down with little opportunity for double pole. Many athletes struggled during this race with the fatigue from the previous races. The wax was also surprisingly enough a bit of a challenge. Between the start and finish of the mens race the track warmed considerably and glazed over making the steep hills tough to climb over.
OST athlete Alana Thomas
Another bluebird bomber day
The verdict from Sunday’s race was that conditions were slow and challenging. Our athletes had generally wished for better results for that day- but were satisfied by their efforts and performance.
Pav managed to fulfill her personal goal of getting out for a ski
On an interesting side note- Whitehorse athletes DOMINATED trials with 5 athletes from the Yukon heading to U23′s. AND Peri and Chandra won BRONZE! WOOOOHOOOOOO
http://www.cccski.com/Media/Haywood-Race-Report/Haywood-RACE-Report–NorAm-Live-Timing.aspx
Monday: Disaster Morning.
My flight out of Vancouver departs this afternoon at 4:00pm and officially marks the end of the past 42 days of travel. I was counting on a good sleep in and a relaxed drive from Whistler to Vancouver. That was- until Eli burst into my room this morning at 5:00am declaring that the flight he thought was leaving at 10:00pm was actually leaving at 10:00am.
Eli Hayden-Thomas. Handsom- but a bit scatter brained .
Much muttering under my breath ensued as I stuffed my belongings into a duffel and fled Whistler like one of America’s Most Wanted. Of course it had snowed in Vancouver slowing traffic to a standstill. Eli made his flight- mostly due to my amazing hustle and Boss driving skills.
I am currently listening to this song and feeling completely wrecked and waiting for a plane to take me to the place I pay rent….
Until next time folks, it’s been a trip!
