The last of the last races for 2021/2022! MNC was represented on different sides of the continent for the final two National Championship events of the season, with Ava in Whistler and a large group of racers from the BKL age all the way up to Juniors and Masters (our EABC friends) in Lake Placid.
The Canadian National Championships also doubled as Supertour Finals and the long-distance US Nationals, so a mix of the top skiers from both Canada and the US were present, including a large contingent of recently returned Olympians like Jessie Diggins, Cendrine Browne, Julia Kern, Scott Patterson, and many more. Whistler is an awesome place, and it’s easy to picture an MNC training camp happening there in the future…just saying.
Ava raced an impressive array of events, coming right of a sweep of JNs with a short week of a break before a 5km skate, 10km classic, classic sprint, and 22.5km freestyle mass start! Things got off to a fast start with a quick-but-hilly 5km freestyle where Ava took 19th overall. That got the engines firing after the travel for an amazing 10km classic where Ava finished 10th overall, arguably one of the strongest-ever races of her entire career when you take into account the competition, the course, and the conditions. Rain and slush and fog were the name of the game in Whistler.
Meanwhile, the group back in the East trickled into Lake Placid where just enough snow was sticking around to host some biathlon races. It sounds like slush was the theme for both coasts, and everyone donned their raincoats and rain pants for the final push. Ava and I had a few days off from racing, and it actually cleared up JUST enough to see some big big mountains on an easy recovery ski. A good time to capture a little video!
The classic sprint in Whistler saw Ava qualifying in 10th overall, hitting a narrow 3rd in her heat to snag another top-15 finish. The big finish was on Sunday though, with a 22.5km mass start…no small feat in dense slush and 45 degree temps! Ava played it perfectly though, despite getting a pole ripped-off in the first couple kilometers. Through a few strategic pulls at the front to whittle-down the field, as well as a dynamic push to break away in the final 2.5km, victory belonged to Ava which means she took home the win in her final race with MNC and as a high school athlete. Watch out next year, EISA!
Back home, the MNC and EABC groups were skiing fast and showing impressive ski speed against biathletes from other regions. One highlight was the relay event, in which a Youth, and Junior, and a Senior athlete were paired together on teams. Several of our athletes got to not only race with biathletes a few years older than them, many of them got to compete on a team with World Cup medalists and professionals!
Brady and Taylor with pro biathlete Raleigh from the Green Racing Project
Looking ready for a break at the end of the season?
Now things have really finished up, with many transitioning to gradual running progressions, rest time away from competition, and cleanup of skis and gear. And getting the bike tuned up, the band warmups in, the mental systems reset…right? Hope so, because the next season is bound to be long, stressful, and busy, so if we don’t take time now to relax it’ll all build up just a little too much. Here are some helpful articles and writing about what skiers can be focusing on right now.
Winding down from winter in 5 steps: by Gus Schumacher
Junior spring “off” season training advice and plans: by Adam
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