This past week in Houghton, MI really made me think about the scale of things in this sport. It was the longest van trip we’ve done, clocking in at a mind-numbing 24 total drive hours on the way out thanks to a brutal snowstorm hitting the Upper Peninsula.
Although we had to drive through a ton of it to get there…Houghton sure had some snow
Driving halfway across the country makes you appreciate not only how vast America is, but how spread-out the sport of Nordic skiing is. This was the National Championships so of course we also were there alongside skiers from Alaska, California, and Canada. These races also served as qualifiers for several international trips like Junior World Championships in Switzerland, and the U18 Nations Cup trip to Falun, Sweden. Heck, the waxing room we were allotted consisted of Mansfield Nordic Club, Auburn, CSU, and the Mongolian Ski Federation.
But once the drive was over and the bags unpacked, it was a week of laughably small-scale experiences. A fifteen minute drive to the venue or back…which seems short, but when you have 8 athletes and 2 coaches who are assuming the roles of wax tech, trip leaders, van drivers, and chaperones simultaneously it suddenly becomes an oft-repeated 15-minute trip one direction or the other.
Other small scale measures we seldom think about: when preparing for a sprint race, you spend your entire day prior skiing and visualizing the same 1km loop, over and over and over. On a classic day, there is an intense 45-minute period where the only thing athletes and coaches are focused on is applying kickwax and making adjustments to that kickwax. It’s amost like the world around completely blurs away. Forget about being hungry or thirsty, being able to pee, or what racers or coaches from other teams may be saying or doing. For 45 minutes you live in a void of ski bases, kick wax tins, corks, and reactive athlete stress.
That’s comforting in a way when you are in a big race setting. Even Klaebo and Johaug have to test their skis, get stressed about it, and communicate their thoughts with the coaches before their Olympic races.
So when it comes to this US Nationals trip, we did a pretty good job of getting in the routine of both. On the large-scale, we succeeded with the most insane trip drive known to MNC, with our studded snows (sorry Ontario border guard) keeping us on the road even though we had to crawl at 40mph from Flint, Michigan all the way to Houghton. The energy was great and the anticipation was high.
Once we were settled in our nice home (I could NOT imagine spending a week in a hotel out there in Michigan) the small-scale stuff came at us day-after-day. It didn’t matter that we were so far away from home…things like course inspection, team activities, running out of Soy Milk, and fighting over phone chargers and shower order are just a day at the office. Things stay grounded that way.
Home sweet home. SO GLAD that we opted to rent a house and not a hotel for this week…cooking our own food and having space was key!
The racing itself was quite a scene. After a winter of 1- and 2-km loops the abundance of snow was a lot to handle. It weighed down tree branches, buried vehicles, and fluffed-up parking lots all over. And seeing white on the side of the trail instead of dirt was a beautiful change of pace.
Thankfully, it was not freezing cold, as Houghton is sometimes known for. Temps in the 20s and 30s meant fast conditions, and the first event, the skate sprint, is one of our better formats this year for whatever reason. We showed our strengths with Ava hitting 41st and being one of the top qualifiers for the Junior heats.
Rose and Ali also skied strongly and really held it together on a deceptively-tough course. There were no big hills, but 2 laps for 1.5km. This meant a course that “skied long” since the lack of uphills also means a lack of rest on long downhills. Ava got tangled up with another skier, incuding pole breakage, in her quaterfinal so did not advance although all the pieces were there for a great result. It was enough to put her in contention for the U18 Nation’s Cup trip…
It was a quick turnaround for the next day as the group hit a VERY tough 10km skate. This was another example of a course that just didn’t let up. Hills we short and punch, with one very long climb thrown in for good measure. A course that you had no choice but to “grind” on, which was evident by lap splits that had a LOT of the field slowing down considerably after a too-hot first 5km lap.
I’ll come right out and say I don’t think we made super great skis for this race. For sure we weren’t really disadvantaged seriously or anything, but I like to think that when we really hit it we are getting an advantage of sorts. It was two pretty big breakthrough races for Lily and Hanna although with the fields so big and deep it’s hard to always know that without being there to see it. Really good pacing and focus from those two on a serious course.
Hanna and Julia in the 10km SK
We then had a very welcome off-day from racing, meaning a preview of the classic course and then some adventures down in town. The fresh snow conditions meant that it was unlikely we’d be using klister for what felt like the first time all year. This is actually too bad since I personally love klister and am always looking to embrace it and show those other region some East Coast wax style but…in terms of wax style I think our wax room Tupac poster really said all it needed to.
Now, to say I was nervous for this classic race is putting it as mildly as the lame, discolored, non-Cabot cheddar they have on offer out in Houghton.
With Ava in a bubble spot for the U18 trip and a mass start (with temps approaching 32 and heavy snow, no less) it was tense. I probably slept about 3 hours the night before the race, with very vivid and race-specific dreams haunting those 3 hours. It was a one lap course with over a kilometer of flat and gradual downhill before a LOT of climbing and striding for the next 6km. The big goal with the rapidly-falling snow was getting good kick without having skis that were too slow. In general, it was agreed that we still wanted kick over glide if it came down to it. As folks tested their skis we heard encouraging reports. Some came back for just a bit more, while others thought they were great and said “they’re perfect thanks!”
Then in a moment of coach- and athlete-panic alike Ava ran in with a “help, there’s too much!!” and I don’t think I’ve ever whipped out the putty knife and dug into a kick zone with as much ferocity and artistry in my life. Luckily I splurge for the $12 putty knives and it’s never paid off more.
The gun went off and things were, to be frank, not looking good. Julia and Ali had some great starts and moved up a bit, but in general the front of the race was getting away from us. At the first major climb around 2km Ava was somewhere around 35th, with Rose and Julia together probably in about 60th. Then it was down a long winding hill and onto the big lengthy climbs. No coaches could get down to that part, so with bated breath Kate and I waited alongside Anna (Craftsbury) and Boobar (SMS) at the 6km mark. Sporadic cheering was heard in the woods…first Sydney Palmer-Ledger, skiing alone. Then Sophia Laukli from Middlebury. Then Kendall Kramer from the US Ski Team. Then Nina Seemann from SMS…then a couple more bodies and…Ava! In 11th place and charging hard! Holy cow!
Just your typical run-alongside-and-scream situation
I think my words as I ran and yelled next to her were “I don’t know what the ____ you just did out there but keep doing it! Go go go!!!”
It wasn’t long before Rose emerged, having passed what must have been 20+ skiers in the far reaches of the course and duking it out with some of her fellow Eastern Cup and JN regulars, as well as strong college athletes from schools around the country. Then came Julia who was skiing in the most chaotic and stressful
of races with the best technique and most grace she has ever used. As she put it afterward, “I actually skied with a lot of thought, and didn’t just waste all my energy”.
It was so cool to see, especially after a seriously worrying start. It’s so great to be a part of a team that not only skis well in classic races on tough terrain (where
some of the most “skill” is involved in our sport) but a team that doesn’t give up and can do the best work in the tightest of situations.
And, a very special shoutout to Lily Murnane (Auburn Ski Club) and Elsa Bolinger (Ford Sayre) who joined us for this trip. Both were really kind and quiet, and maybe were a bit shocked and/or terrified by our very loud and energetic team, but they persevered and had some great races and, I hope, a fun experience!
Needless to say Ava crushed the ranking list and earned herself a spot on the U18 trip, even BEFORE two of the skiers on that ranking list (Sydney and Kendall) opted to race up at World Junior since they also qualified for that event. In 2 weeks Ava will head over to Falun, Sweden to compete against other U18 athletes from across the WORLD.
Remember, there was big travel and scope to the races, but a lot of focus on the simplicity of good training, good prep, strong mentality, and fast skiing. The small stuff and the big stuff alike.
When you’re filling out paperwork to hand Bryan Fish and you leave the room with a bag of clothes like jackets, headbands, and a US Ski Team uniform, suddenly the idea of scale comes back into the picture…
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