Racers spread out over the course at the Ski Rodeo last week.
The Methow Valley Nordic Team (MVNT) wrapped up the holidays with a flurry of races, beginning with the Ski Rodeo on Dec. 30 over the Sean McCabe Trail at Liberty Bell High School under bright blue skies.
Nearly 100 racers competed in a variety of races. Highlights included:
Novie McCabe took first place in a 5-kilometer race at Bend, Oregon.
• Emil Schkrohowsky, Malloch DeSalvo and Ale’a Colin took the first three spots in the 1-kilometer race, followed by many other MVNT members.
• In the 2.5K, Walker Hall led the way, with Travis Grialou in third, Lindsay Worrell in fourth, Ian Delong in fifth, Liv Aspholm in sixth, Keeley Brooks in seventh, Dashe McCabe in ninth, Lena Nelson in 10th and Mariah Lucy in 12th.
• In the 5K event, Novie McCabe led the field followed by Peter Aspholm in second, Emerson Worrell in third and Gretta Scholz in fourth.
• The 10K event covered two laps around the hilly course, and U.S. Biathlon Team member and former MVNT member Casey Smith showed everyone how it should be done by handily winning the event. MVNT coach Laura McCabe finished first in the women’s event and fifth overall.
Complete results can be found at www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=59418.
On Dec. 31, most of the team members headed to Mt. Bachelor at Bend, Oregon, for the first Junior National Qualifier of the season and their first competition against many of the Pacific Northwest’s regional racers.
Saturday featured a 3K classic race for the U14 racers. Walker Hall won that event, followed by Ian Delong in third, Zane Strome in fourth and Travis Grialou in sixth. On the U14 girls’ side, Lindsay Worrell won and Liv Aspholm placed third.
The older skiers (14-18) who are following the regional circuit and hoping to make the Junior National team went next, with the ladies skiing 5K and the boys 10K. In the U16 category, Novie McCabe won for the girls, and Gretta Scholz finished 11th. In the older girls’ race (16-19), Claire Waichler came straight from the grueling Alaskan biathlon trials — where she was named to the World Junior Biathlon Team heading to Romania at the end of January — and finished third in that age category.
The 14-15-year-old boys also skied a 5K classic race with Emerson Worrell finishing fourth, Peter Aspholm in fifth and Michael Mott in 18th in a competitive field. In the 10K race, Eli Nielsen — also coming direct from Anchorage, where he was named to the Youth Olympic Games Team for biathlon that will compete in Lillehammer, Norway, in February — placed a strong fifth with all the 16-19-year-olds. Geza Sukovaty placed 22nd. Master skier Scott Waichler also competed and won his age category in the master’s competition. Complete results from the classic races can be found at www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=59513.
The youngest skiers lined up for the 1-kilometer race during the Ski Rodeo last week at Liberty Bell High School.
Sunday brought warmer temperatures and a bit of snow. Competition featured mass starts combining many age groups. The day started with the 3K skating mass start for the 10-13-year-olds. Walker Hall won that race, followed by Travis Grialou in third, Zane Strome in fifth and Ian Delong in seventh for the boys. Lindsay Worrell won for the girls and Liv Aspholm finished with a strong third.
Next up was the ladies’ 5K with girls aged 14-60 all starting together. Novie McCabe quickly skied to the front and left the rest of the skiers in her wake with an impressive win. Gretta Scholz was sixth, also good for third place in the U16 category. Claire Waichler opted out of her potential fifth race of the week.
The men’s race was even more challenging, with all men aged 14-60-plus skiing one 5K loop with a mass start. Eli Nielsen felt a bit tired and still finished eighth among all the men, with Scott Waichler finishing 26th Emerson Worrell struggled with the crowds, finishing 28th in the men’s field and fifth for U16 boys, followed by Peter Aspholm in 32nd (seventh in U16 boys), Geza Sukovaty 41st overall and ninth in his age category, and Michael Mott was 49th (16th in U16). Complete results can be found at www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=59545.
Meanwhile, MVNT skier Ella Hall has been competing at U.S. National Championships in Houghton, Michigan, this week. The 10K classic event was on Sunday (Jan. 3). Hall placed 91st overall and among the top 50 for all junior skiers.
Monday (Jan. 4) featured a skate sprint. Hall did not advance to the heats (where the top 30 move on), again placing in the top 50 for junior skiers. She competes in one more event, a 5K freestyle mass start on Thursday (Jan. 7). Results can be found at nordicchampionship.org/results; follow links to Superior Timing.
The next event for MVNT is a BC Cup at Sovereign Lake, British Columbia, on Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 9 – 10). A large contingent of local skiers will compete.
The local Race of the Methow is set for Martin Luther King weekend (Jan. 16 – 17). That is the next Pacific Northwest regional qualifier race.
