NY State Championship Recap

The NY State Championship took place on Monday and Tuesday here in Rochester. Monday's classic distance race was held at Harriet Hollister State Park, and Tuesday's relay race was at Bristol Mountains Summit Nordic Center. The venues provided an equal and fair race experience for everyone. 

With Section 5 playing host to the rest of the state it was defiantly a "Protect THIS House" mentality not only for us a club but as a Section as well. It is the one time a year when everyone in NY is at the same race and there is no should of , would of, could of, excuses. You race you look at the results, tally up the score and see what you got. 

(Marco) 

On Monday the Men raced 10k Classic. We had 5 guys in the top 10 with Gavin leading the way in 2nd, Adam 3rd, Langton 6th, Tommy 8th and Marco 9th. Jack was 13th, Josh 19th, Scott 22nd, and Peter in 24th. It was a good start for the guys and my hat is off to Austin Huneck who absolutely killed it and took top honors.  

(Maggie) 

After day 1 the Pittsford boys team had a good lead but Section 2 off the strong result of Austin was leading the sectional competition. 

(Madi) 

In the girls 7.5 Riley led the way with a strong 2nd place finish followed by  Jenna 6th, Colleen 7th,  Katie 15th, Maggie 17th, Madi 27th, and Sara in 24th. It was another good start for the girls with HF-L and Section 5 with a strong lead over the rest of the pack. As with the boys Hanna Cole from HF-L was in another world taking the win on day 1. 

(Top 3 Relay Teams 6 RNR athletes !) 

On Tuesday the 3x3.3k relay took place. The relay is always an exciting event because the outcome would determine the Individual Overall Champion, The Team Champions, and Section Champions. 

(Adam) 

It was a great day for all of the locals ! ! The Pittsford Men and HF-L Women both won the Relay and the Section 5 A teams came in 2nd in both the Men's and Women's races. In addition Gavin had the fastest split on the day and was crowned the STATE CHAMPION along with HF-L's Hanna Cole. 

Gavin, Adam, Peter, and Tommy had the top 4 fastest relay splits on the day  in that order. Josh had the 8th fastest, Langton 10th, Jack 19th, and Scott 31st. In addition to having the 2nd fastest relay split Adam also anchored the Old Forge team to a solid 3rd place ! ! 

(The Section 2 A Team had a good lead over Adam but it was not enough as he had the 2nd fastest split leading Old Forge to 3rd in the Relay) 

Riley led the way for the Women again with the 3rd fastest split, Jenna 7th, Colleen 12th, Maggie 15th, Katie 16th, Sara 20th and Madi 23rd. 

In the overall Gavin continued the streak of an RNR athlete winning the combined state championship.  This is the 3rd year in a row we have had a State Champion. Adam ended up 3rd, Tommy 4th, Langton 6th, Marco 12th, Peter 13th, Josh 14th, Jack 18th, and Scott 24th. Riley ended up 2nd, Jenna 8th, Colleen 9th, Maggie 16th, Katie 17th, Sara 21st, and Madi 22nd. 

(Gavin and Hanna Overall Champions) 

Pretty impressive stuff from all of our athletes. Hopefully down the road NYSSRA can get a schedule together that gets New Yorks top athletes racing against each other more than once a year. The competitiveness, atmosphere, and fun is something that NEEDS to happen more than once a year ! 

(Pittsford Sate Champions and all RNR !)

Up next JUNIOR NATIONALS ! We have 9 athletes headed to Fairbanks making up more than 1/2 of the team ! Those not making the trip to Fairbanks are going to represent NY at the Eastern High-School Championships and the NENSA J2 Festival. 

Link to Results NYS Championship 

State Qualifier Recap

This past weekend we had our Sectional Races. Sectionals are used to crown  Individual and Team Champions for our designated area within NY State (Section 5). The races are also used to qualify individuals and teams for the State Championship. The top 12 overall finishers will move on to the State Championship as well as the top Men's and Women's team. 

Having a single race to determine who makes it to the State championships is always going to be an arena of excitement, nerves, pressure, jubilation, accomplishment, disappointment, and exhilaration. This year was no different. 

Though we are untied through our friendship, training, team and sport RNR athletes compete for almost every school within the section so the level of competition is high. Each year it becomes more and more apparent that if you are not at least thinking about skiing 365 days a year your going to be at a disadvantage. The sport is to demanding physically, technically, and mentally to excel at if your only thinking about it 3 months of the year. 

Don't believe me? Then just look at the  results they speak for themselves.  

I will start with the boys !  All of the boys skied really, really well. Gavin led the way and won the individual title, but Tommy was hot on his heels only 6 seconds back ! Langton finished strong and rounded out the podium just edging Marco by .9 seconds. Peter was next in 5th place ! We were off to a good start going 1-5 but it only got better. Jack came in 7th followed by Josh in 8th and then with one of his best races EVER Scott was in 9th ! If your keeping track that's 8 skiers in the top 9 ! What a day ! Derrick, Rob, and Chris were just out of it finishing 13th, 14th and 15th. Tim had a great race finishing in 17th with Wes just behind him in 18th Ryan just missed the top 20 finishing 21st. All in all it was a great day for everyone !  14 in the top 21 I will take it ! These results are not only a reflection of our program but also that of the high schools that these guys ski for ! Without the support of those coaches and programs I would not be able to do what I do and I really appreciate that ! 

(Langton, Gavin, and Tommy)

Next up it were the girls ! Not to be outdone Riley was gunning for the win and came up just short finishing 1.7 seconds behind here HF-L teammate Hanna. Jenna had a great race and joined Riley on the podium in 3rd. Colleen was the next one across the finish line in 6th ! 3 in the top 6 another great start ! Then came the real excitement when Katie, Sara, Magie, and Madi went 9, 10, 11, and 12th to secure their spot at the State Championship ! Katie D also had a great race finishing in 21st just missing the top 20 !  Booooom 7 in the top 12 almost matching the boys with 8 making it to states.

When it was all said and done 15 of the 24 athletes qualifying for states were participants in this years summer program ! That's pretty awesome stuff. It was great to see everyone having a good day when it really counted but a few things really stuck out to me. Gavin coming back from a disappointing season last year to Win a sectional title, Tommy absolutely throwing it down to finish 2nd only 5 seconds back from Gavin, Scott having the race of his life and finishing 8th and getting Fairport back in to the big show ! On the girls side it was a great battle between Hanna and Riley one that anyone watching should feel privileged to watch ! Two young ladies just hammering on each other to find out what the other one has ! Jenna making it a clean sweep for HF-L on the podium, Colleen battling back from an injury to have a great race, Sara getting the Webster back to the big show !!! and Katie making it to states after finishing 13th two years in a row ! ! Awesome Stuff

Monday was the relay ! There was not to much excitement after the 1st leg of the boys race. Peter and Josh had great lead-off legs for there respective schools but Tommy dropped the field on the second leg and left nothing to doubt tagging off to Gavin to bring home the relay win as well as the sectional crown to the Pittsford Mendon Boys Team ! 

(Pittsford Boys Sectional Champions)

As with the boys race the HF-L girls did not leave much to chance going 1,2,3 in the relay and securing the sectional crown as well. 

(HF-L Girls Sectional Champion )

Congratulation to all of those athletes who have qualified for the State Championship and also to those who have come to the end of another great season !     

LP Loppet, Trapp EC, and MORE !

It's been a while since I have updated the blog but that's because we have been on the road in search of Snow, Races, Points, and FUN !  

Let's start by rewinding back the the weekend of the Lake Placid Loppet and JNQ's at Old Forge. The Senior Crew packed up and headed to LP to take on the Loppet. I always head to the Loppet with mixed emotions. I'm excited to race and visit with friends new and old, but in the back of my mind I know what I'm in for. 

"Yeah that x 2"

The Loppet is a great event and very well run, I know a lot of people work hard on pulling off a great event but I wish it was bigger and better ! I don't know if people are scared of the course, the lack of prize money, or what but I'm hoping the event keeps growing and starts to pull in some more elite racers from around the country. There is no reason that the Loppet can't be the Berkie of the EAST ! Maybe we should call it the "Beast of the East"©®™ Did I just trademark that? I hope so...

"These guys may have beat me to it, but I will wrestle them for it"

The Loppet went well and I was personally able to have my best result yet 2nd place overall. I skied with JUOM for the entire race until about the final 200m when he somehow found the sprint speed that eluded him for ever ! In all honesty once him and I were able to get rid of everyone else I knew I was in for a fight because when the going get's tough the tough get going, and I'm not sure I know anyone who is tougher than JUOM. He has proved that throughout his skiing career !

(You don't want to see this guy going in to the final 200m of a 50k)

Even if you look like this ! 

(It was a cold one with temps around -16 when we woke up warming to 5 or so during the race)

Chad, Marty, Derrick, and Frencski also raced and had good day's out on the trail. All in all it was a good weekend hanging and racing with some of my closest friends. 

(Chad lapping through the stadium) 

(Derrick grabbing a drink, thanks to Nancy and Libby for the feeds)

On Sunday I loaded up the car and headed to Old Forge for the Final JNQ race of the year. The junior crew was on scene the day before as well, and the were kickin butt ! 

On Saturday Conner and Adam led the way for the boys going 1st and 2nd, Rob got in to the mix finishing 5th making it a good day for the OJ/J1 boys. Ryan led the way for the J2 boys finishing 4th. Madi also made the trip east and finished 7th in the J2 girls race. On Sunday more of the crew came out and they were ready to put the HURT to the rest of the NY scene ! 

	Last/First	Nordic	NYSSRA	USSA	Out	In	Elapsed
	Name	Team	License	Class	Time	Time	Time
49	Luban, Adam	RNR		J1M	00:02:20	00:28:48	00:26:28
45	Hess, Gavin	RNR		J1M	00:02:00	00:28:47	00:26:47
42	Mallery, Peter	RNR		J1M	00:01:45	00:29:21	00:27:36
47	Green, Connor	RNR		J1M	00:02:10	00:30:19	00:28:09
41	Huneck, Austin	HURT		J1M	00:01:40	00:30:05	00:28:25
48	Criss, Colin	Polar Bears		OJM	00:02:15	00:32:21	00:30:06
43	Murn, Tom	Wolverine		J1M	00:01:50	00:33:47	00:31:57
39	Britton, Wesley	RNR	Yes	J1M	00:01:30	00:33:56	00:32:26
44	Straw, Scott	Fairport Nordic		J1M	00:01:55	00:36:08	00:34:13
40	Ruud, Tor	Polar Bear		J1M	00:01:35	00:37:52	00:36:17

The Boys have been skiing well all year long and today was no different ! Sara also had a great race finishing 3rd in the J1 girls race and Madi had another solid day finishing 5th in the J2 girls race.  Griffin made his official RNR debut and had a good day finishing 5th in the J2 boys race with Tim close behind in 8th. 

Here is a short video of the boys on the first lap.

(Taken with my iphone) 

With the Loppet and JNQ behind us the next stop for Trapp for the NENSA EC and UVM Carnival. 

Before the races even went down the weekend was a success due to the fact that there were so many 

Mid-A skiers in one place getting ready to throw down ! We are always overshadowed by our cousins to the East but Mid-A is producing some fast guys and girls all the way from the WC down to the EC ! Our RNR alums are also starting to shine. Steve Mangan who is skiing at Dartmouth is having a great year with the BIG GREEN, Reed and Margot are skiing great for SLU with Reed having some of his best results of the season, and Hanna is improving each week skiing with the Harvard crew ! ! Not to be outdone Gavin, Adam and Conner had great days. On Saturday Gavin led the way finishing as the 6th J1 and on Sunday Adam took over the lead position finishing as the 7th J1. We make the trip east to race against some of the fastest guys and girls in the country with the goal of becoming more and more competitive, things are headed in the right direction but we still have A LOT of work to do ! 

(Gavin skating well this season) 

(Conner continuing to have solid results each weekend)

( As always we are powered by TOKO and MADSHUS) 

Well we were off in Vermont the senior crew headed south to Art Roscoe Loppet. The boys did well during the race but really won the raffle ! 

(Swag from WINNING the Race and the Raffle ! )

(Now you know who is coming for YOU) 

Next up we have our high school sectional championships, followed by the State championship and then we are off to FAIRBANKS.  

Mt.Top Eastern Cup Recap

We had just finished unpacking from Utah when it was time to repack and head to Vermont for the Mt.Top Eastern Cup. With the weather predicted to be in the 60's here in Rochester it was an easy decision to pack up and head East. Though throughout the drive on Friday the temperature continued to rise and I had my doubts of whether they would be able to hold the races ! 

We were all presently surprised when we arrived Saturday and the courses were still in great shape. Now that we knew we were racing the next step was to get in to sprint mode and try to qualify for the heats. Here in NY we do not have the opportunity to compete in many sprint races. They are not a format used in High School racing and we also do not have any of them on the JN qualifying schedule. This was a great opportunity to get some practice in, but first we had to make the heats !

Fortunately we had a great day !  Gavin led the way for the boys qualifying 19th overall and making the open heats. He was unable to advance out of his first heat but still had a great day based on his qualifying. Peter was the next fastest guy and qualified 45th overall but was the 10th junior who did not make the open heats so was able to qualify for the Junior Heats. 

He took advantage of this opportunity and was able to finish 3rd in his first heat moving on to the A final .The A final was super exciting and also matched him against HFL alum Kevin Hoose now at Bowdoin College. Peter had a good gap coming out of the woods and was able to keep a small gap until the base of the final climb when the field put in a push and got on his heels, I thought it was over but Peter thought differently and was able to put the hammer down and take the WIN ! ! It was awesome I was so stoked for him  !

(Peter on the way to the W)

(Peter all smiles after winning the Junior Sprint) 

(Peter on the top step ! )

On the girls side Riley led the way placing 26th in qualifying and making the open heats as a J2 ! ! Like Gavin she was unable to make it out of her first heat but still had a great day. Jenna also had a good qualifier and her HFL teammate Hanna had a good one making the junior heats and made it all the way to the Junior A final placing 4th ! All three girls made the trip with Bernie G who is the head coach at HF-L. He was my highschool coach as well and it was awesome to hear his voice cheering on from the sidelines again !! 

(Riley finishing her heat)

On Sunday the guys had a 10k classic and the girls 5K. Gavin led the way again placing 40th overall. The results were funny in that there were 6 NY'ers within 35 seconds of each other. It is great to see a lot of NY'ers not only racing and doing well but also coaching ! The girls had another good day. Hanna B who is now at Harvard was right behind Hanna C HFL in 25th and 28th overall which was spectacular ! Riley had another good one placing 33rd overall and was the 2nd J2 ! Jenna bounced back from the sprint and finished 79th ! 

All in all it was an awesome weekend not only for RNR but all of NY ! The NYSEF crew had some awesome results both day's as well as the HFL crew and a bunch of other athletes from around the Mid-A scene ! It's exiting to see !

(Things were getting soft Sunday afternoon) 

 Currently we are suffering the same thaw as everyone else went through and had to bust out the roller skis yesterday. I'm hoping that the cold weather that is coming includes some snow but if not hopefully the snow making gets fired up at Bristol. 

(I thought that these were done for the season after we got dumped on before leaving for U.S Nationals, I was WRONG) 

Senior Nationals Recap

We just got back from Senior Nationals in Utah. The trip went very well and we had some very good results. Like anything there are positives and negatives to take away from the event. The best thing about going to Senior Nationals is that you find out RIGHT NOW what YOU GOT ! 

The week defiantly started out on a high note for us. Everyone has there best results of the week right out of the gun in the classic sprint. Maile who was traveling with us from (NYSEF) led the way qualifying for the junior heats and posting the 10th fastest J1 qualifying time. She ended up finishing 3rd in her heat but the 'Lucky Loser" was based on qualification and not heat time so her day was over, but what a great day it was !  Gavin also had a good qualifier posting the 11th fastest J1 time but just missing out on the junior heats. Adam was the 48th J1. 

(Maile getting ready to start here heat)

The next race was the freestyle skate race. Gavin led the way posting the 16th fastest J1 time. Adam was close behind posting the 19th J1 time. The boy's had to race 15k with the big boy's on a big boy course it was a good reminder at just how hard the sport is and the responded with excellent efforts! Maile was the 32nd J1 and fought hard on a day that would of been easy to give up on, sometimes it's not about the result but about the effort.

(Gavin and I after the 15k Skate (Audrey Mangan Photo)

The final race was the Mass Start Classic race. The boy's battled from the back to have good days. Gavin was 35th J1 and Adam was 38th J1. Both of them fought up from there starting positions to battle it out. It's hard to be in the race when your starting in the back, but that's part of the game and the one you need to play to move up. Maile was the 27th J1 and even had a harder time moving up since her race was only 5k. All in all I think the classic races went well even though they were a little disappointed in the result.

(Gavin and Adam moving up through the pack)

Besides the racing just being at Soldier Hollow was awesome ! The skiing was great, the views priceless, and a great way to get totally STOKED on skiing !!

(The view from our condo) 

(As weird as it may sound it was great to be back in the wax room) 

All in all it was an amazing trip and was an early season reminder at just how great the Nordic Ski community is in the U.S.  Not just as athletes, coaches, sponsors, race organizers, equipment suppliers, and parents but as friends,  family, and support ! !

We are a small team from a small division but the support is LARGE ! ! ! A huge thanks to everyone that made this trip happen ! A special thanks to Lori for opening her doors and making some unbelievable meals and letting us crash before our early morning departure. Also to Bill for letting us use his waxing equipment and lending his local knowledge, and last but not least the parents, coaches and support that make this all happen ! 

www.rochesternordicracing.com 

First Day of Winter !

The first day of winter 2012 ! No for real it is...Winter 2012  I told you !

With that being said I know many of us have been hoping, praying, wishing, dreaming, and cursing about the snow situation. What the average situation should be and what it IS  . 

Despite the lackluster snow totals Bristol Mnt has come to the rescue and created a Frozen Thunder for us to enjoy ! Ooops I meant Frozen Circus !  

( Jenna always has a smile no matter what the conditions !)

( The Circus in it's glory ! ) 

In all seriousness though Bristol Mnt has saved skiing in Rochester with the commitment to snow making and dedicated xc trail system. The weather really has just been to warm and we are lucky that they spread out some snow on the alpine area to get everyone on skis. The snow melts super fast when spread out compared to staying in a pile and as we all know xc is not the money maker a big time alpine ski centers so them accommodating xc skiers is AWESOME ! Thanks ! 

Despite all of the above we did have 3 athletes make it to Craftsbury for the first weekend of EC action.  

All in all I think it was a good start to the season for Adam, Gavin, and Madi. Nothing better to jump in a race to remind your self just how hard this sport is !

Here are a few pictures from Craftsbury 

(Gavin putting the Hurt on a NY Legend) 

(Adam with his new Madshus skis which made him faster but his old suit defiantly slowed him down, just ask the NY Legend)

(Madi getting ready to rock-n-roll sporting her new Komperdell poles and of course Madshus skis !)

A big thanks to the NYSEF coaching staff for helping the boys dial in the wax while at Craftsbury ! 

There is a chance for some snow this weekend which will hopefully help kick start the winter for us. It is only the first day of winter anyway ! 

The first  Mid-A Junior National Qualifier of the season is cancelled !  !  Our next races will be at U.S Nationals at Soldier Hollow in Utah along with the second weekend of JNQ races in Lake Placid for those not traveling to Utah.

Most of the gang that has moved of to college have been able to enjoy snow at there pre-seasons camps. Here are a couple pictures of them in action. It is always exciting to see skiers move on to the next level to see how they stack up and also how they progress as skiers and as individuals. 

(Peter at Mont Sainte-Anne with the Clarkson Team)

(Eric at Mont Sainte-Anne with the Clarkson Team)

(Margot at Foret Montmorency with the SLU Team)

(Reed Styling at an unnamed location with the SLU Team)

(Hanna sporting her new Harvard digs racing at Craftsbury)

I can't wait for winter to get started ! !

On a side note congratulations to NOAH HOFFMAN on an awesome race last weekend ! Everyone at RNR is a huge HOFF fan !! YEAH BUDDY !!!

(Robert Whitney Photo from Noah's new FaceBook Fan Page go over and LIKE it)

Fan Page 

Happy Holidays 

From

Strength Test and Summer Skiing

On Wednesday we completed our second Canadian Strength Test of the summer. We completed our first test on the second day of practice and now almost two months later it was time to look in the mirror again. 

(The group just getting started) 

As a group the results were positive. I have not calculated the scores yet but most of the athletes were comparing there results as soon as they had finished and almost all of them had improved. That's what it's all about ! 

After the strength test we headed out for a ski and some relay races ! For the first time this summer it was not on roller-skis ! 

Also available here : http://youtu.be/8G5F9biRhgo

It is amazing at how much the skiing on grass resembles skiing on snow. It is not perfect but it is a great alternative and makes for some great fun ! 

( The secrets out ! Now we know why you won...)