Sprints and Relays
Part of being an all-around good skier is the ability to adapt to different styles and lengths of racing, sometimes within the same weekend of racing. Skiing a 15/20k and racing in a sprint heat take different technical skills, amounts of speed and power, and race attitudes, but both demand the same amount of effort. So it's important to switch up race formats when possible. Last weekend the Varsity made the 8 hour drive to race at Al Quaal in Marquette, Michigan. Saturday we raced sprints, with a qualifier then semi and final heats. For a few it was a learning experience, and everyone was able to focus on technical or strategic aspects of the races. Nora and Paige both qualified for the heats in 16th and 18th, respectively. Nora raced a tough semi and finished 17th, and Paige made it through to the B final, finishing in 9th. Sprints are a good chance to push your body to the limit and experience speed you normally wouldn't be able to reach in a distance race, ...