Harvard skiers were in action at the NCAA Skiing Championships in Stowe and the Junior Olympics in Minneapolis last week and posted solid results in both. Let’s hear it for post-season racing!
NCAA Championships Alpine Report by Coach Mitchell
Catherine
Harvard Alpine had two representatives competing this past week at the NCAA Skiing Championships, held on the Main Street trail on Spruce Peak at Stowe, VT. Warm weather and snow/rain made the conditions less than ideal as racers were greeted by foot-deep craters next to each gate, or difficult chemical-hardened snow in some spots. Many teams fell victim to the quirky conditions and in the end, finishing two solid, clean runs is what it took to be competitive. In the Giant Slalom, both Rebecca Nadler and Catherine Sheils went down in their first runs, Rebecca a victim of soft, peely snow, and Catherine falling prey to one of the ski-eating holes on the course. Both got back up and battled hard, ending up 32nd and 35th respectively.
Becca
In the Slalom, the difficult conditions continued and took out Catherine Sheils, who was having a blazing-fast first run, certainly on her way to a top-ten result. Rebecca Nadler overcame a tough start number and out-skied everyone that started near her, moving into 18th place after the first run. In the second run, Rebecca was laying it on the line and got shot out of a rut and went way off line, but recovered well and finished 20th on the day, while Catherine Sheils fought through the ruts for 28th place on the day. Thanks for following Harvard Skiing this winter. We’re already excited about next year and are looking to build on the progress of this year!
NCAA Championships and Junior Olympics Report by Coach City
Alena
Alena Tofte represented our nordic squad at NCAAs, which consisted of a 5km individual start skate race and a 15km mass start classic race. The skate race was held in wonderfully sunny weather and fantastic snow conditions at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. The groomers managed to pack 2 feet of fresh snow into a really solid race surface that held up well the whole day. Alena had an early bib placing (2nd), so it was difficult to assess her race as she was skiing. Her early time held up, however, and she finished 31st, beating (among others) several EISA skiers who qualified for NCAAs ahead of her and two skiers from perennial powerhouse Denver University. She was just six seconds out of the top 25. Trapp’s is not the hardest course in the East, but there are a couple of solid climbs including a challenging final uphill where a number of skiers withered and where many finishes were decided. Alena was putting time into a lot of people on that part of the course.
The conditions for the classic mass start race on Friday were more challenging. Stowe received several inches of new snow on Thursday followed by warm temperatures overnight. There was a steady rain – sometimes very heavy – during the women’s race. The wax tents flooded with several inches of ice water. Most of the East teams went with klister, while many of the West teams chose to use a form of waxless ski called “zeros.” In our pre-race testing, the waxed skis performed better than waxless, but there didn’t seem to be a distinct advantage to either in the race itself. Indeed, Colorado skiers won both races with the same pair of zeros. I ended up a touch thick with her klister and while she had excellent kick, her skis proved draggy compared to the skiers around her. It was a very long and tiring race for everyone and a number of the top racers fell when the skied-in new snow met uncompacted portions of the course. Alena (35th) held on well and it was a solid result for her in a very strong field. Her time compared well with other skiers from the East she’s been skiing against all year. I’m proud of the way Alena performed in her first NCAA Championships.
Jen Rolfes and Chris Stock were in Minneapolis last week representing New England with multiple top-10 finishes in the Junior Olympics. (For those of you who may not be familiar, the Junior Olympics are the national championship for skiers aged 19 and younger.) In the skate sprint, Jen and Chris placed 7th and 11th respectively in qualifying. Both made the B final and finished 9th overall. In the classic mass start on Wednesday, Chris took his first podium spot at a JO’s, finishing 3rd in the 15km race and Jen was not far off the podium with an excellent 6th place finish. Neither Chris (16th) nor Jen (20th) had a great day in the skate Friday, but both bounced back to contribute some of the fastest relay legs of the day to their respective teams on Saturday. Both Jen and Chris earned All-American honors for their finishes at JOs.
