RUMFORD — Competing in the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships is not exactly a way to ease into the ski season.
That’s what members of the Bates College ski team are trying to do. With the start of their regular season ski schedule still a few weeks away, the Bobcats are using this week’s racing at Black Mountain as the ultimate tuneup.
“It’s a great warmup for the season,” said Megan McClelland, of Keene Valley, N.Y. “It’s great practice and great to have all these Westerners here and be able to have some serious racing.”
The racing this week features an abundance of colleges from the Northeast. There are also some potent competition from the West. That not only makes for a great test for the Bates skiers but also a challenging one, especially considering the team has had relatively little preparation.
“It’s really some of our first races,” said Kirsten Gill, of Jackson, N.H. “A lot of the girls have been racing for a few months already. We went to Canada for a week in November. Then I was on skis on and off over the Christmas break, but the snow as a little iffy obviously. So this is great racing but also great practice.”
The women had some fine results Thursday in the 20k race. Gill finished 22nd overall while Beth Taylor was 33rd followed by McClelland in 34th. Gretchen Sellegren was 49th followed by Ingrid Knowles in 50th.
That’s an improvement on the results from Wednesday’s 10k. Natalie Ruppertsberger was the top finisher for Bates in 55th. McClelland was 78th followed by Taylor in 84th. Other finishers included Gill (90th), Sellegren (124th), Knowles (140th) and Samanatha Forrest (145th).
“It’s more of a mental challenge, but its been good to have races like this,” said McClelland. “We’ve just been racing with practice races with our team, time trials. So, it’s good to have actual competition.”
Jim Burnham was the lone racer in the men’s 30k race Thursday. He finished 77th. In Wednesday’s 15k, Jordan Buetow was the top finisher in 114th. Alex Hamilton was 127th while Burnham took 144th. Other finishers were Peter Cowan (163), Sean Woods (176), Daniel Kuzio (192) and Nate Fuller (196).
“I think we’re looking good,” said Gill. “Our expectations have been pretty high. It’s been difficult in the first races because it such a competitive field. So we haven’t quite worked up to our potential, yet. We’re not disappointed, but we have to realize what the competition is and that it’s our first races.”
The Bates women’s team has a veteran group returning with high expectations while the men’s team is a little younger. The Bobcats begin the collegiate racing season in Lake Placid, N.Y. the weekend of Jan. 14th and 15th. The Eastern circuit finishes with the NCAA East Regional Championships. Bates will be hosting that event at Sunday River and Black Mountain. The season ends with the NCAA National Championships, hosted this season by the University of Vermont at Stowe, Vt.
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