MIDWAY, Utah — Ruth Krebs of Crafsbury skied her way to a 4th place finish in the freestyle sprint race, March 12, at the U.S. Cross Country Skiing Junior National Championships. This was one of four races over the week taking place at the Soldier Hollow Ski Center, site of the 2002 Olympics and upcoming 2034 Olympics. Krebs started fast, placing 4th in the opening qualifier where every skier goes out every 15 seconds. The top 30 move onto to five quarterfinal rounds made up of six skiers each. These skiers race head to head with the top-two moving on to the semifinals and then onto the finals. Krebs safely placed 2nd in her quarterfinal round, but then in her semifinal placed 4th. She luckily had the 6th fastest ski time between the two semifinal rounds and landed a lucky-loser slot in the finals where she skied to 4th. Trail conditions became softer and softer as the warm sun heated the snow, and by the final round, it was a battle of who could best ski in slushy conditions.
About 500 skiers from nine regions across the country were participating in the national championship. Five Craftsbury Ski Club (CSC) skiers were racing in the Under 18 (U18) women’s division for the 50-person Northeast squad. Claire Serrano skied to a 23rd place in the 7 .5 km classic race and 22nd in the sprint. Sara McGill had a 24th in the sprint and 46 in the 10 km freestyle race. Isabel Linton was 34th in the sprint and 68 in both distance races. Tillie Lange popped a 25th in the 10km skate race for her top finish of the week. Krebs other best finish was 23rd in the 10 km freestyle event. Lena Poduska of Intermountain Division (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) won every race by large margins. She will be one to watch as she enters the college or Supertour level of skiing in the next year or two.
The Northeast crew has won the Alaska Cup (overall team winner of the event) for most of the past 15 years, but this year placed third behind Intermountain and Alaska. The 4th to 9th place teams were Midwest, Rocky Mountain, Far West, Pacific NW, Great Plains, High Plains, and Mid-Atlantic.
Brondyke Wins Opening Classic Race at Eastern High School Championships
RUMFORD, Me. — Craftsbury Ski Club (CSC) had numerous skiers attend the Eastern High School Championships at Black Mountain Ski Area for three days of cross bounty ski racing action. Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont each had 24 boys and 24 girls on their respective teams, while New York sends over a smaller contingent. On March 14, Samuel Brondyke led a Vermont sweep of the top five spots in the boys 5 km freestyle race. Brondyke had a 5th in the 7.5 km classic and a 6th in the freestyle sprint. Sisu Lange had three top 10 finishes including a 4th in the sprint. Asa Lloyd skied to a 6th in the classic race, and Zeb Whitlock had an 18th in the sprint. Oryon Hart, only a ninth-grader, had an 87th in the sprint. On the girls side, Adele Pritchard had a 9th in the sprint race with Anya Moriarity 11th and Katherine Mackenzie 60th. Emily Linton’s best finish was 10th in the 5 km freestyle. Anika Leahy had a 24th in the classic race, where Nora Demaine finished 64th. The final day of racing on Sunday were the team sprints made of two boys and two girls skiing a mix of skate and classic. Vermont put together two A teams for their fastest teams, but then pairs the 5th and 6th placing skiers will ski with the 21st and 22nd, the 7th and 8th fastest skiers with the the 19th and 20th skier. and so on. With this type of pair, Vermont teams tend to fill the middle of the field, and helps integrate skiers at all levels. The top Vermont teams took 1st (44:49) and 2nd (44:56) with Emily Linton on the winning crew and Sam Brondyke on the second team. New Hampshire, Maine, and New York placed 3rd, 4th and 5th among the 51 teams. This relay is definitely a highlight of the weekend for skiers and spectators alike. Vermont took home the team title with 23,302 points followed by New Hampshire (22,415), Maine (20,805), Massachusetts (20,754), and New York (7,226).
