Last weekend was a big one for our junior racers, as the majority of them raced in two separate high-stakes events, both held at the Auburn Ski Club.
Saturday brought the CNISSF high school and middle school state championships, at which ASC athletes really showed their stuff! Then on Monday ASC hosted the President's Cup Freestyle Race, which was attended by 116 racers, from ages 8 to 75+. This race served as the final Junior National qualifier for juniors in the region, so our ASC junior racers really wanted to be on top of their game!
Saturday's race was a classic and freestyle pursuit race for the high school and strictly a skate race for the middle school. In these races, ASC team members represented their respective schools, and turned in a fantastic showing.
Among varsity women, Gabi Rinne placed 5th, followed by her Truckee High School teammate Skyler Flora in 6th. ASC's Melanie Swick, representing Incline High School, took 7th place, while Raylene Chew, representing Presentation High in San Jose, finished 8th among a strong varsity field.
For the men, ASC athletes, representing Truckee High School in these races, swept the podium in the open division, with Eli finishing first, followed by Brandon Flora in 2nd and Aaron Deeter in 3rd. Amazing work! In the highly competitive men's varsity field, ASC's Patrick McElravey, of North Tahoe High School, finished 2nd place to lead his team. Evan Vomund (IHS) placed 6th, followed by Alex Kopytko (THS) in 7th and Branden Deeter (THS) in 8th.
In the middle school races, ASC's devo and comp athletes showed that they have done the best training of anyone their age in this region, posting exceptional results among a very large field. In the 3-km women's race, Hannah Halvorsen took the win, representing Alder Creek Middle School. Bri Parker, also of ACMS, was not far behind in 5th. In the boys' race, ASC's Julien Bordes, Dylan Syben and Brandon Herhusky completed a 1-2-3 sweep, representing North Tahoe Middle School in dominating fashion. Awesome job to all of you!
In Monday's President's Cup Race, ASC athletes again showed they were up to the challenge of racing well against a competitive field, and under pressure. In the 5-km race, which served as the J2 skate qualifier for Junior Nationals, Julien placed 3rd; Dylan 4th; Evan 5th; Eli 6th; Brandon H. 10th; Aaron 11th; and Brandon F. 14th among men, for a very strong showing on behalf of the club. In the women's field, Gabi took 1st place, edging out Hannah in 2nd. Skyler was close behind in 3rd, followed by Bri in 10th, Celia Arnold in 12th and Freya Davis in 15th.
In the 10-kilometer event, which served as the J1/OJ skate qualifier, Patrick McElravey again paced the ASC squad, placing 2nd among men. Alex Kopytko was our next finisher in 11th place, behind a tough group of senior skiers from the Far West Farm Team. Branden was next, finishing 14th. Coach Nancy finished 15th overall, and 2nd among women -- a very strong result. Coach Kara was ASC's next finisher, placing 5th among women, followed by Melanie (7th woman) and Raylene (9th woman).
In the kids' 2-kilometer race, ASC's Sina Arnold placed 8th overall. Way to go Sina!
For the day, the following ASC competitors turned in qualifying times: Melanie, Raylene, Gabi, Skyler, Patrick, Alex, Branden, Julien, Dylan, Evan, Eli, Aaron, and Brandon H. Excellent work to all of you!!
Once all three qualifiers were taken into consideration, and any submitted petitions were reviewed, the following ASC athletes were officially named to the Far West Junior National team for 2012: Gabi, Skyler, Raylene, Melanie (accepted via petition), Dylan, Julien, Evan, Eli, Patrick, Branden and Alex. ASC alumni Annika Taylor (accepted via petition) and Joanne Reid (accepted via automatic qualification) were also named to the team. Far West will head out this coming Saturday to Midway, Utah to race at against the best in the nation at Soldier Hollow next week. Reports to come...!
A BIG thanks to ASC for doing such an awesome job keeping their trails open and in tip-top shape, in order to host these and so many other important races this year. Kudos to Bill and all ASC staff members. THANK YOU!
For a local newspaper article on the CNISSF High School State Championships, click HERE
And for an article on the President's Cup races, click HERE
BIG THANKS TO ASC
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Mammoth JN Qualifier: Allan Bard Classic
After competing in the CNISSF high school/middle school classic races at Tamarack XC Ski Center on Friday, several ASC and other Far West athletes stayed in Mammoth through the weekend to race in the Allan Bard Classic race on Sunday -- Far West's second Junior National qualifier race.
With very cold temps and a fairly flat course with little recovery at about 9,000 feet elevation, it was a tough day out there, but ASC athletes did awesome!
In the J2 girls' 5-kilometer race, Hannah Halvorsen ('racing up' as a J3) finished second, just missing the win to SBA's Bria Riggs by less than one second. Super strong performance, Hannah! Gabbi Rinne finished 3rd, about 30 seconds back, easily making the qualification standards for Junior Nationals.
Among J2 boys, Dylan Syben took top honors -- and skied well ahead of the qualifying pace for Junior Nationals -- ahead of North Tahoe High School's Peter Holmes (2nd). Julien Bordes (4th), Brandon Herhusky (5th in the J2 race, as a J3), Evan Vomund (6th), and Eli Yale (8th) all turned in qualifying times as well. Awesome job guys! Other ASC finishers turning in strong performances, but not quite making the Junior National qualifying cut time, were Aaron Deeter (10th) and Andrew Clusserath (12th).
Among J1/OJ girls, Melanie Swick skied to a fifth-place finish in the 5-kilometer race, but just missed the qualifying standard for Junior Nationals in a very strong field. In the men's J1/OJ race, which was 10 kilometers, Patrick McElravey set the pace, winning the race by just a half-second over Jordan McElroy. Branden Deeter and Alex Kopytko finished third and fifth, respectively, to also turn in qualifying times.
All in all, ASC had 10 Junior National qualifiers on the day. The final qualifier takes place on Monday, Feb. 20th up at ASC.
With very cold temps and a fairly flat course with little recovery at about 9,000 feet elevation, it was a tough day out there, but ASC athletes did awesome!
In the J2 girls' 5-kilometer race, Hannah Halvorsen ('racing up' as a J3) finished second, just missing the win to SBA's Bria Riggs by less than one second. Super strong performance, Hannah! Gabbi Rinne finished 3rd, about 30 seconds back, easily making the qualification standards for Junior Nationals.
Among J2 boys, Dylan Syben took top honors -- and skied well ahead of the qualifying pace for Junior Nationals -- ahead of North Tahoe High School's Peter Holmes (2nd). Julien Bordes (4th), Brandon Herhusky (5th in the J2 race, as a J3), Evan Vomund (6th), and Eli Yale (8th) all turned in qualifying times as well. Awesome job guys! Other ASC finishers turning in strong performances, but not quite making the Junior National qualifying cut time, were Aaron Deeter (10th) and Andrew Clusserath (12th).
Among J1/OJ girls, Melanie Swick skied to a fifth-place finish in the 5-kilometer race, but just missed the qualifying standard for Junior Nationals in a very strong field. In the men's J1/OJ race, which was 10 kilometers, Patrick McElravey set the pace, winning the race by just a half-second over Jordan McElroy. Branden Deeter and Alex Kopytko finished third and fifth, respectively, to also turn in qualifying times.
All in all, ASC had 10 Junior National qualifiers on the day. The final qualifier takes place on Monday, Feb. 20th up at ASC.
Soldier Hollow Trip
Many of ASC's comp and devo team members have just recently returned from a trip to Solider Hollow in Midway, Utah, to participate in the "Super JOQ," alongside four other western regions: Intermountain; Rocky Mountain; High Plains; and PNSA. Overall, the trip was a tremendous success!
For this trip, ASC joined up with Far West teammates from other clubs/organizations, including Sugar Bowl Academy, Eastern Sierra, Presentation High and the Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Foundation. Far West has 33 athletes represented in all.
The main purpose of this trip is to enable the Far West athletes to experience the highest level of competition they will find this season prior to Junior Nationals in March. By attending, they become exposed to the elite level at which the top skiers from throughout the west are competing, and learn what they need to do in order to "raise the bar,"so to speak. The trip is also great preparation for Junior Nationals, not only because it gives the athletes a chance to figure out what changes they need to make before the big event, and time to do so, but this year another advantage is that the Super JOQ was held at the same venue where Junior Nationals will take place. This enabled the athletes to familiarize themselves with the venue and the skiing there, as well as the area, travel and accommodations.
Among more than 600 racers at the two-day event, ASC athletes truly showed their stuff, proving they've got what it takes to compete with the best.
The first race day, Friday, was a classic day. In the 2.6-kilometer J3 race, ASC's Hannah Halvorsen topped the women's field by more than 12 seconds to earn her first victory on a western regional stage. In the men’s race, ASC’s Brandon Herhusky finished a strong second place.
He added: "This trip was super motivating, and a learning experience for nearly every single kid, because they’ve learned about top-notch racing and race preparation, and now know what they can still work on before Junior Nationals.”
Patrick McElravey races in the quarterfinals (9th MJ1).
Julien Bordes in the finishing stretch, en route to 9th place MJ2.
Hannah Halvorsen seconds away from her second victory of the weekend.
Brandon Herhusky fights hard on his way to second place.
For this trip, ASC joined up with Far West teammates from other clubs/organizations, including Sugar Bowl Academy, Eastern Sierra, Presentation High and the Tahoe Cross Country Ski Education Foundation. Far West has 33 athletes represented in all.
The main purpose of this trip is to enable the Far West athletes to experience the highest level of competition they will find this season prior to Junior Nationals in March. By attending, they become exposed to the elite level at which the top skiers from throughout the west are competing, and learn what they need to do in order to "raise the bar,"so to speak. The trip is also great preparation for Junior Nationals, not only because it gives the athletes a chance to figure out what changes they need to make before the big event, and time to do so, but this year another advantage is that the Super JOQ was held at the same venue where Junior Nationals will take place. This enabled the athletes to familiarize themselves with the venue and the skiing there, as well as the area, travel and accommodations.
Among more than 600 racers at the two-day event, ASC athletes truly showed their stuff, proving they've got what it takes to compete with the best.
The first race day, Friday, was a classic day. In the 2.6-kilometer J3 race, ASC's Hannah Halvorsen topped the women's field by more than 12 seconds to earn her first victory on a western regional stage. In the men’s race, ASC’s Brandon Herhusky finished a strong second place.
In the older juniors’ 1.3-kilometer classic sprint race, two ASC juniors -- Dylan Syben (10th MJ2) and Patrick McElravey (16th MJ1/OJ) moved on from the preliminary round to the head-to-head heats, by turning in one of the 30 fastest qualifying times in their respective age groups.
Dylan moved through the quarter- and semi-finals, earning a spot in the “B” final to finish 11th among J2 men, while Patrick just missed moving on from his quarterfinal heat, and finished 13th overall, and 9th among J1 men.
ASC's Julien Bordes just missed qualifying for the quarterfinals, finishing a strong 34th place in the MJ2 prelim. Additional ASC results included: Branden Deeter, 58th MJ1; Alex Kopytko, 67th MJ1; Melanie Swick, 9th FOJ; Evan Vomund, 55th MJ2; Eli Yale, 67th MJ2; Aaron Deeter, 72nd MJ2; Brandon Flora, 78th MJ2; Andrew Clusserath, 89th MJ2; Gabi Rinne, 46th FJ2; and Skyler Flora, 58th FJ2.
Saturday brought the mass start distance freestyle events, and saw several skiers improve their results significantly from Friday.
Hannah turned in another dominating performance to earn her second victory for the weekend in the 3-kilometer FJ3 race, while Brandon again finished second among J3 men.
In the 5-kilometer J2 men’s race, Julien turned in a very strong ninth place finish. Dylan was ASC's next finisher, placing 16th. Also in the J2 boys race, Eli finished 47th, Evan 51st, Aaron 65th, Brandon F. 68th, and Andrew 74th.
In the J2 women's race, Gabi led the way for Far West, finishing 32nd, with Skyler close on her heels in 33rd to turn in a strong showing for ASC.
In the 10-km race, Melanie finished as 7th FOJ. And in the MJ1/OJ 15-km event, Patrick was 10th MJ1, Alex 52nd MJ1, and Branden 57th. Awesome job to all!
He added: "This trip was super motivating, and a learning experience for nearly every single kid, because they’ve learned about top-notch racing and race preparation, and now know what they can still work on before Junior Nationals.”
The Junior National team will be named after the final regional qualifier takes place on Feb. 20th.
To read more about the trip, and see more Far West results, click here.
Patrick McElravey races in the quarterfinals (9th MJ1).
Julien Bordes in the finishing stretch, en route to 9th place MJ2.
Hannah Halvorsen seconds away from her second victory of the weekend.
Brandon Herhusky fights hard on his way to second place.
Brandon and Hannah, along with SBA's Skyler, show off their awards.Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Bend Trip Recap
By Kara LaPoint
Rollerskiing before heading to Bend.
Patrick atop the MJ1 podium.
Melanie tops the FOJ podium.
SBA's Laurel and Joelle on the J1 women's podium.
Dylan accepts his medal in the classic race.
Minute to Win It!
What a fun, beautiful drive to Bend!
Alpine skiing at Boreal before heading to Bend!
If you can’t get the snow to the athletes, then bring the athletes to the snow.
That was the philosophy behind Far West Nordic’s trip to Bend, Ore. last weekend, where juniors got the chance to train in good conditions and race against top athletes from the Pacific Northwest region.
With no skiable snow at any local Nordic areas, this trip was key in keeping the racers on par with the rest of the nation, said Ben Grasseschi, head Far West and Auburn Ski Club coach.
“We were desperate for snow,” he said. “We’ve got big races coming up, and the kids need to feel what it’s like to be on snow consistently.”
Jeff Schloss, head Nordic coach for Sugar Bowl Academy, who co-led the trip along with Grasseschi, echoed that sentiment.
“It’s important physically just to get people on snow,” Schloss said, “but even bigger is just the mental aspect of trying to keep people motivated at this time of year.”
And in that sense, the trip was ideal, he said.
“This helped the kids to remember how fun skiing is,” Schloss said. “(That will) help carry them through the rest of this drought until we get more snow.”
Typically, Far West juniors would have skied in seven to 10 races by this point in the season, Grasseschi said. But as it stands with the current conditions, most have only raced three or four times.
But even without snow, the athletes have remained focused on putting in the work they need to stay in shape, including lots of rollerskiing on the region’s dry roads, as well as strength training and skiwalking. Their continued dedication through adverse conditions was evident this past weekend, as Far West skiers took the Sunnyside Pursuit races at Mt. Bachelor by storm, beating out numerous top racers from the Pacific Northwest Ski Association on their own home course.
Day one of the Sunnyside Pursuit PNSA Master’s Championship and Junior National Qualifier (Saturday) was a freestyle race, with distances ranging from 3 kilometers to 10, depending on age. Among junior age class results, Far West racers won five of the six categories.
In the girls’ J3 race, Auburn Ski Club’s Hannah Halvorsen took top honors, completing the course in 11:42.6. ASC’s Bri Parker finished 15th. Among J3 boys, Sugar Bowl Academy’s Skyler Mullings outsprinted Mt. Bachelor’s Nate Hochman, to win the race by 0.3 seconds.
In the J2 boys race, Auburn Ski Club’s Dylan Syben placed first, completing the 5-kilometer loop in 15:11.0. Six other Far West skiers placed in the top-15, including: SBA’s Sam Zabell (5th); ASC’s Julien Bordes (6th), ASC’s Brandon Herhusky, ‘racing up,’ as a J3 in the J2 race (8th); and ASC’s Evan Vomund, ASC’s Aaron Deeter and SBA’s Peter Carroll, who finished 13th through 15th, respectively.
In the 10-kilometer men’s race, ASC’s Patrick McElravey took second overall, missing out on the win by just 0.2 seconds to XC Oregon’s Jason Adams. But McElravey won his age class, as the first J1 to cross the line. ASC’s Jordan McElroy was fourth J1 male and fifth overall. He was followed by ASC’s Alex Kopytko (8th J1), ASC’s Branden Deeter (15th J1), and SBA’s Joe Piercy (19th J1).
In the women’s 5-kilometer race, SBA’s Laurel Fiddler took top honors as she outkicked Bend’s Muffy Roy to the line by a slim margin of just 0.2 seconds. Teammate Joelle Romo was the third J1 across the line, placing ninth overall. She was followed closely by SBA’s Bria Riggs (11th overall, 6th J2), and ASC’s Melanie Swick (12th overall, 1st OJ). Other Far West finishers included: Presentation High School’s Raylene Chew (8th J1); SBA’s Danielle Nivinski (9th J2); SBA’s Camille Hartley (10th J2); and SBA’s Savannah Blide (14th J2).
Coach Grasseschi said he was “very impressed with how well the kids raced,” especially considering some haven’t been on snow for a few weeks.
Sunday brought day two of the Sunnyside Pursuits -- a classic race -- and a training day for many Far West skiers.
Just a handful of Far West juniors raced the second day, but again posted excellent results. McElroy turned in the third-fastest time of the day in the 10-kilometer classic race, to propel him to third place overall in the pursuit (which uses cumulative times from both the freestyle and classic races). He was followed closely by McElravey, who finished fourth overall. Deeter also skied a strong classic leg to propel himself to 19th place overall.
In the men’s J2 race, Syben held on to his lead to win the 10-kilometer pursuit.
Those who did not race Sunday took advantage of their time on snow, completing a long classic ski workout before hitting the road for the long drive home.
Overall, Schloss said the trip was a definite morale booster. It was exciting to see that the racers are still in great shape, he said.
“The kids are definitely more motivated,” he said. “…This really fired them up.”
Going forward, Grasseschi said, “we’ll keep doing the best we can with what we have,” which will include a lot more rollerskiing, the most ski-specific workout available to the team right now.
Far West Nordic is now focused on preparing for its next big trip. In two weeks, the athletes will head to Utah to race against top juniors from throughout the Western United States, and get more time on snow in preparation for Junior Nationals in March.
Rollerskiing before heading to Bend.
Patrick atop the MJ1 podium.
Melanie tops the FOJ podium.
SBA's Laurel and Joelle on the J1 women's podium.
Dylan accepts his medal in the classic race.
Minute to Win It!
Men's Start
What a fun, beautiful drive to Bend!
Alpine skiing at Boreal before heading to Bend!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Racing Season is Underway!
Despite the region's lack of snow, ASC has kick-started racing in the area over the past few weeks.
The season started off with Paco's "Mini" Fun Race(s) before Christmas up at the club, in which the ASC comp and devo athletes turned in strong performances across the board. Highlights include: Hannah H, Skyler F., Celia A., Bri P. and Freya D. placing 1st, 3rd, 7th, 9th and 10th respectively in the women's 4-km mass start; Sina A. placing 4th overall in the 2-kilometer mass start; Dylan S., Julien B., Eli Y., Brandon H., Evan V., Brandon F. and Andrew C. placing 1st, 3rd, 4th-6th, 8th and 11th, respectively in the men's 4-km mass start; Patrick M., Alex K. and Branden D. taking 3rd,11th and 15th place, respectively in the men's 6-km mass start; and Celia A. placing 5th in the women's combined prologue times.
It was a great way to kick off the season and get the racing legs going! Check out a race recap that I wrote for the Sierra Sun HERE.
Wednesday, Dec 28th brought the first Junior National qualifier race of the year, the classic sprint. A big thanks to the MANY amazing community members who rallied together to shovel snow onto the sprint loop to ensure conditions were prime for our juniors' race!
ASC highlights include: Raylene C. 12th in prologue and 10th in heats, Melanie S. 13th and 13th, Skyler F. 14th and 14th, and Freya D. 24th and 23rd for the women's race; and Patrick M. 5th in prologue and 7th in heats, Dylan S. 15th and 14th; Alex K. 17th and 15th; Branden D. 18th and 18th; Evan V. 21st and 20th; Eli Y. 22nd and 21st; Julien B. 23rd and 22nd; Brandon F. 25th and 27th; Aaron D. 27th and 26th; and Brandon H. 32nd and 28th in the men's race.
ASC alumni, including Russell K., Matt G., Alex H., Alex T. and Kelsey D., also turned in very impressive performances.
The Junior National qualifiers for the day were based on prologue times. Qualifying ASC athletes include Skyler F., Dylan S., Evan V., Eli Y., Julien B., Brandon F., Patrick M., Alex K. and Branden D. Melanie S. and Aaron D. just missed qualifying times, but we're confident they'll make it in the next few races!
A recap of Wednesday's race can be found HERE.
Great job to all in these early season races, and a HUGE thank you to our ASC staff and volunteers for helping enable these competitions to happen!
The ski trails have since closed with the lack of cooperation from the weather, and many ASC athletes have headed up to Bend, OR, along with some SBA athletes, to find some skiing and racing. We'll get a full report from the weekend up after they return!
The season started off with Paco's "Mini" Fun Race(s) before Christmas up at the club, in which the ASC comp and devo athletes turned in strong performances across the board. Highlights include: Hannah H, Skyler F., Celia A., Bri P. and Freya D. placing 1st, 3rd, 7th, 9th and 10th respectively in the women's 4-km mass start; Sina A. placing 4th overall in the 2-kilometer mass start; Dylan S., Julien B., Eli Y., Brandon H., Evan V., Brandon F. and Andrew C. placing 1st, 3rd, 4th-6th, 8th and 11th, respectively in the men's 4-km mass start; Patrick M., Alex K. and Branden D. taking 3rd,11th and 15th place, respectively in the men's 6-km mass start; and Celia A. placing 5th in the women's combined prologue times.
It was a great way to kick off the season and get the racing legs going! Check out a race recap that I wrote for the Sierra Sun HERE.
Wednesday, Dec 28th brought the first Junior National qualifier race of the year, the classic sprint. A big thanks to the MANY amazing community members who rallied together to shovel snow onto the sprint loop to ensure conditions were prime for our juniors' race!
ASC highlights include: Raylene C. 12th in prologue and 10th in heats, Melanie S. 13th and 13th, Skyler F. 14th and 14th, and Freya D. 24th and 23rd for the women's race; and Patrick M. 5th in prologue and 7th in heats, Dylan S. 15th and 14th; Alex K. 17th and 15th; Branden D. 18th and 18th; Evan V. 21st and 20th; Eli Y. 22nd and 21st; Julien B. 23rd and 22nd; Brandon F. 25th and 27th; Aaron D. 27th and 26th; and Brandon H. 32nd and 28th in the men's race.
ASC alumni, including Russell K., Matt G., Alex H., Alex T. and Kelsey D., also turned in very impressive performances.
The Junior National qualifiers for the day were based on prologue times. Qualifying ASC athletes include Skyler F., Dylan S., Evan V., Eli Y., Julien B., Brandon F., Patrick M., Alex K. and Branden D. Melanie S. and Aaron D. just missed qualifying times, but we're confident they'll make it in the next few races!
A recap of Wednesday's race can be found HERE.
Great job to all in these early season races, and a HUGE thank you to our ASC staff and volunteers for helping enable these competitions to happen!
The ski trails have since closed with the lack of cooperation from the weather, and many ASC athletes have headed up to Bend, OR, along with some SBA athletes, to find some skiing and racing. We'll get a full report from the weekend up after they return!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Cookie Making Extravaganza!
After practice last Saturday, the ASC girls got together with the Sugar Bowl girls, and we had a cookie making fiesta! It was a ton of fun, and we made some pretty sweet creations, if I may say so myself. The cookies turned out delicious, but making them was truly the best part. It was great to see everyone come together for an afternoon off of the ski trails, and enjoy some laughs while getting into the Christmas spirit. (Not to mention, getting away from the boys, who had a day of their own and saw Sherlock Holmes in the theater!) Thanks for a fun day girls! :)
-- Coach Kara
Coach Kara is stoked on the Christmas cookie making!
Bri in concentration mode.
Celia and Sena show of their creations!
So many beautiful cookies!
Hard at work!
Laurel and Melanie creating their masterpieces!
Nice work girls!
Savannah shows off "Rudolph!"
Happy cookie-makers!
Thanks to SBA's Laurel Fiddler, daughter of the amazing ASC coach and clinician Nancy Fiddler, for these great photos!
-- Coach Kara
Coach Kara is stoked on the Christmas cookie making!
Bri in concentration mode.
Celia and Sena show of their creations!
So many beautiful cookies!
Hard at work!
Laurel and Melanie creating their masterpieces!
Nice work girls!
Savannah shows off "Rudolph!"
Happy cookie-makers!
Thanks to SBA's Laurel Fiddler, daughter of the amazing ASC coach and clinician Nancy Fiddler, for these great photos!
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