Tom learns to count at USCSAs




My oh my, apologies on not getting blog posts up for a while! The team has been racing every weekend, and the editor may or may not have had a concussion and couldn't look at screens for a while... oops.

So. Here's the recap of what we missed..
(More blog posts with details later possibly?)

CCSA CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men's Classic 10k
Women's Classic 5k

Men's Skate 20k
Women's Skate 15k

CCSA REGIONALS
Men's Classic 10k
Women's Classic 5k

Men's Skate 15k
Women's Skate 10k

D TEAM MADISON SPRINTS
Classic Qualifier
Skate Sprint

SLUSH RUSH
10k Skate, Classic

BIRKIE
Birkie Results

So. The varsity team is currently racing in Sun Valley, Idaho (possibly one of the most gorgeous places we will ski at in our lifetime) at USCSA Nationals. It's kind of like DIII Nationals, and we go because our alpine team qualifies and we can score together with them as a large team. Plus it's an awesome way to end out the season, racing some championship races, dominating, and having a fun week as a team.

The first day was skate sprints. Everyone qualified for the heats, and Joel finished 6th (2nd Team All-American) for the boys after being sucked into a crash in the semifinals by another skier. Paige took home the win and had time to grab the flag at the finish line, and Elise rounded out the girls final in 5th (1st Team All-American). It was a gorgeous, sunny day and sunburn was rampant. The girls were 2nd and the boys 3rd in team scores.

The second race day was an 8.5k classic race up the side of the mountain for both girls and boys. Take the weather of the Tuesday sprints and do a 180 flip and you have Wednesdays race. It snowed, ohhh, about 6 inches in 3 hours, over the period of our race time. Let's just say it was a scramble for wax that worked, and when conditions are that tough, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and race, knowing full well that the wax is off and it's going to be tough. The Oles showed that we definitely have the greatest mental stamina out here though, with the girls taking 1, 3, 5, AND 8 (Emma, Paige, Elise, Gretchen) and Cole landing a top ten in 6th (2nd Team All-American). Emma won by a landslide, and all the girls were rocking some trucker hats to keep the blizzard out of our eyes. The girls took home the gold, and the boys were 3rd.

Today was the 15k skate race across the road on the golf course. It was a tactical race, but to put it bluntly, the Oles dominated. The girls SWEPT the podium after leading the race, with Paige winning and Emma and Elise close behind. Joel took the win in the men's race, and Cole and Nels were 4th and 6th, respectively. It was a great day to be an Ole, because both teams took the win. Not much can be said, results speak for themselves. Champions.

A short video showing just how great racing can be:


Tomorrow is the team relay (3x5k, Classic/classic/skate). It's been a long tough week, but we're confident and excited to break out the glitter (or blood) and kick some butt. Then we head home Sunday and start the official off-season. GO OLES!

RESULTS
It was a little bit snowy. 
Boys team! Cole, Joel, Nels, Evan
Girls in 1st for the Classic 8.5k 
Girls dominate the 15k Skate!
Suns out, guns out.
the team
Elise and Gretch in a sprint heat 
Joel in a sprint heat 
Racing in t-shirts! 
Everything is better with glitter.
Girls Champions in the 15k Skate! 
Boys podium in 15k skate 
Boys champions in 15k Skate



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