It’s hard to be concise when you have a weekend full of amazing performances, breakthroughs, and races where things just all came together. There’s a lot that stood out on the surface and with a quick glance down the results, and there’s a lot more that was also hugely important.
One way I’d sum it up? Over the course of 2 races, there wasn’t one MNC skier out there who I didn’t watch and say “whoa, they are skiing great” at some point…every single one of the crew had some moment(s) of fantastic racing.
For sure, there were racers who had moments and days that were not 100% awesome, but everyone spent some time in the zone where everything was just clicking.
The biggest story of the weekend came in the very first race, when Magda WON the U16 girls 5k classic! We had a feeling this was coming together, and everything seemed to fall right into place. What’s more, Magda’s win led a killer performance by the U16 ladies with Ali in 4th and Ava in 5th, followed by Esther and Sammie just outside the top 10.
Magda putting the hurt on the field as she heads toward VICTORY!
We had skis that were good, and we had cheering and support that was maybe the most intense it’s ever been. But more than that we had confidence in the ability to hammer on a tough course and not be afraid to push the envelope. People were tired going up Screaming Mimi, the course’s “signature” climb, but all of the MNC girls looked great: Magda, Ali, Sammie, Ava, Lily, Rose, Esther…the whole squad was kicking like bosses and rocking turnover and speed that was catching the eye of lots of other coaches and spectators.
Some 2-way radios were a new addition to the coaching toolkit this year, and we really put them to use this weekend. Sara was at the 3k mark and I was near 4k a few hills and corners later. Sara was able to radio me the split that Magda was in the lead by 1 second over Quincy, so I could yell that at her for motivation and to keep the hammer down. In the end it was super close, with Magda winning by 2 seconds over Adrienne Remick and just another 2 seconds ahead of Quincy. Pushing right to the line, even after the big climbs, was super important and Magda held to the pre-race plan of “going Klaebo for the last 2k”.
I think it was a near-perfect day for coach cohesiveness and tech work: from the morning through the last men’s race Sara, Liam, Kate and I were operating with a great rhythm and able to keep the bus driving fast and furious…metaphorically. Really cool to see, and something not always noticed when it goes right (but definitely noticed when it goes wrong!). Magda has put a ton of work into her skiing these past 2 years and seeing that win was I think my most excited moments as a coach ever! The fact that so many other people we pumped by it, and so many others had great races themselves, was really exciting and powerful for our group. There are going to be more moments like that one for sure.
The exciting Eastern Cup adventures of Toads and BunBun…these two tore it up!
In the men’s race, Kai also stuck to the game plan and had a super consistent effort that netted him his best points of the year and some solid cred as he duked it out among the college racers. Resident biathlete Timmy even had himself a sub-200pt classic race and put that fitness to use out there.
The following day, the spirits were riding high as everyone was still pumped from the day prior. Things started out well for the U16 girls with the Pugs making a big bid at the front of the pack, although the pace strung out the field at the 3k mark and not everyone was able to hang on. Ava and Camille hung tough, with Ava crossing the line just a few bootlengths behind Quincy for 3rd place!
This is a mass start scene to be excited about: lots of MNC suits up there!
In the U16 men’s race Aidan fought to 4th in a tough battle. Things started out as chill as they could be, but Aidan hadn’t been feeling well (sitting out the day prior) and didn’t quite have the turnover and fresh legs to hang with the breakaway up Screaming Mimi. Really good to get that effort in though as the mass start race at JNs is in the freestyle technique just like this!
Jenny had a solid Supertour last week but it seems like the stress and travel caught up with her this weekend. M.O. for the next week is to find some de-stress and relaxation time 🙂
For the open women, Jenny, Rose, and Lily battled it out with some of the best Juniors in the country. Rose had a killer race! In skiing of course it’s hard to measure objective success based on things like times for a 5 or 10k. More often than not you’re always comparing yourself to other racers you know and compete with. While it’s not always the best way to gauge performance, I think it showed how strong Rose was this day, as I saw the pack she was skiing with and immediately though “heck yeah!!”
Lily skied with confidence and, after getting that first big mass start in the books at Fort Kent she moved up and ticked up in the results sheet. Lily has great fitness and as she continues to translate that to the snow look for that climbing to continue!
The final race of the weekend was the men’s 15k mass start, and I think that it provided a great close to the weekend. The men’s team is pretty strong in mass start events and I think they had some good confidence. What’s more, we were sort of in “chase” mode with the skis all day, I think about one race behind as we kept reacting to the changing conditions. For this men’s race we really had something that I think brought our skis from “good” to “great” and that always helps!
Right in the first few kilometers, Isaac settled into 2nd place behind Greg, while Timmy had a fast start to shoot up into the top 10 alongside Gaelen. 3 in the top 10 was pretty cool to see! Not to dissimilar from that U16 women’s race earlier in the morning!
Check the MNC connections here…Isaac on the left, Greg and Conor at center, and Gaelen sneaking up behind. Whether they’re summer Pugs, winter Pugs, or both, the dudes are FAST!
As the race progressed, Timmy slid back a little bit but hung on for 19th. On the opposite end of the pacing spectrum, Kai started out very relaxed and was in the 30s or so, steadily climbing up to 20th just behind Timmy. Alternate strategies and racing styles but, as Timmy said after the Supertour where they also finished similarly, “you can tell we train together a lot”. Baxter has been dealing with multiple illnesses this season, and is slowly returning back to the racing scene. He skied 2 great laps before looking a little pale and out-of-it for the last 5k, but we both agreed it was a step in the right direction and even being able to finish was a sign that things are on the mend!
It was an incredibly exciting (and entertaining) battle at the front. Greg strung it out into a lead pack of himself, Isaac, Josh Valentine, and Caleb Streinz. On the start of the last lap, Greg made a move on the rolling sections to open up a slight lead. At the low point, it sounds like Isaac then caught up and made a move to try and break away on the start of the long climbing portion. Greg counterattacked, carrying a devastating V2 into Screaming Mimi that the other 3 couldn’t match.
Isaac took up the charge in 2nd, attempting to bridge the gap, but Greg held fast and he wasn’t going to be caught. Josh and Caleb clung to Isaac and it was a 3-way sprint for 2nd in which Isaac managed to snag 3rd and his first Eastern Cup podium!
Next to cross for the Pugs was Gaelen, who used his experience with bike racing tactics to stay controlled and cover the moves made by others. He crushed it for 9th place! Timmy and Kai skied in not long after for 4 in the top 20.
Kai passing one after another en route to top 20!
Timmy had a great race and proved that he can still kick it with the crew he was at JNs with last year…he and Zander and Griffin (3 of “Da Boiz”) finished right near each other
Hard to know how to end this post, exactly…I’m still amped from the excitement of this weekend, and recapping it all has me hungry for more already! When you think about it, that’s how it should feel now that we’re in the heart of the racing season. We’ve got another Eastern Cup right around the corner to be targeting, and then the EHS/U16 qualifiers right after that which will be another opportunity to showcase how hard this group has worked and what they’re capable of.
Thanks so much to the parents for the amazing food spread and support, and to lots of coaching and wax support from Sara, Kate, Liam, and Rick. Go Pugs! Look for a new VLOG soon!
[All of the photos in this post were taken by Dave, Jenny, and Liam]
Coach Kate and Coach Rick: discussing the latest MNC performance!
Huge win to make the weekend even more memorable; way to go Swags!
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