All American x 2

This season has been a season of first. Alyssa started it off by being the 1st member of R.N.R to win a state championship. Now we have our first ALL AMERICAN !

Congratulations to Gavin Hess as he became a TWO TIME ALL AMERICAN this past week at Junior Nationals finishing in 10th place in the Freestyle Sprint as well as the Classic Mass Start. More updates from Junior Nationals to come !

Yea Buddy !

State Champion !

Yahtzee !

Congratulations to Aylssa the NY state champ! Alyssa left no doubt to who the best female skier was this weekend. She won the classic distance race by 19 seconds and followed that up by having the fastest relay split and anchoring the section five team including Margot to the relay state championship!

All in all it was a great weekend for all of the R.N.R athletes they not only represented their high school teams but section 5 in astonishing fashion.

On Tuesday the highlight of the day was Alyssa win! Hanna also had a great race finishing 4th ! Margot backed up her outstanding effort at sectionals to finish 12th ! Emmy also had a good race finishing 20th and rounding out the girls performances. For the boys Reed led the way finishing 4th with Eric continuing his excellent season finishing 5th. Adam just missed the top ten and finished 11th. Langton also had a great race finishing 19th. Gavin was on a way to a great race but was DQ'ed.

This is Gavin's first year ski racing so many athletes would be happy just making it to states, but not Gavin. He is continually pushing his limits and I would of loved to see where he would of finished if he had not been DQ'ed but as we all know their is a learning curve when it comes to Nordic. The most impressive thing about the entire situation is that he did not get down on himself about the situation but only used it as motivation and layed the smack down on Wednesday posting the 2nd fastest relay split !

BOOOOOYAAAAA!

Gavin was not the only one doing work in the relay. Alyssa again posted the fastest time of the day on her section 5 team and led them to victory. Margot was also on the section 5 relay team and skied a great leg to help Alyssa grab the victory for the section 5 team. Hanna and Emmy raced on the HF-L relay team and had great races with Hanna posting the 9th fastest relay split and helping the HF-L team earn a third place finish in the Relay and securing the team state championship. Congratulations the the HF-L girls team on winning the state title!

The Boys were all on the same relay team with the exception of Langton who raced on the HF-L relay. I knew the boys had a chance to win the whole darn shooting match and when Gavin came in with a lead and tagged of to Eric things were looking good. Eric backed up his 5th place from the distance race with the 4th fastest relay split. Eric tagged off to Adam who hung on for as long as he could but tagged off to Reed in second place. Reed was unable to take over the lead and brought the R.N.R relay team home in 2nd. It was pretty cool to have all the boys race on the same relay team as they have put in a lot of hard work together over the summer and fall.

All in all it was a great state meet and congratulations to everyone who worked hard this winter!!!

Next stop Minneapolis for JO's !!!!

Sectionals 2011

(Congratulations to 2011 Sectional Champion Alyssa !)

February is the start of the Championship push here in NY. It started last weekend with Sectionals. For those of you unaware with the term ‘Sectionals” it is the title given to the championship used to name the best team within a predetermined area of the state. The race is also used to qualify individual athletes to the state championship with a finish in the top 12 in the distance race getting you a seat on the bus. The state is divided in to 11 different sections with our section being numbered number 5. Section 5 has a deep tradition in Nordic skiing and also has a great depth of talent, so making the state team is no small feat.

We were blessed to have great conditions for the race and the Rochester Nordic Racing summer athletes showed up in a big way. At this point in the season it has been pretty evident that those athletes who were working hard this summer have been reaping the benefits. Saturday was no different. Leading the way and winner her first Sectional Championship was Alyssa ! She skied a great race and came away with a 42 second victory over Hanna who skied a great race to finish second! The biggest story of the day might have been Margot who finished 3^rd only 22 seconds behind Hanna, coming in 4^th was Emmy to give R.N.R summer athletes places 1-4 ! Kate had a great race as well but was the last one out and finished 13^th missing qualifying for states. She worked hard all summer and my heart goes out to her as I know she was aiming to qualify, I’m sure that she will not forget the result though and will be back at it this coming summer. All in all it was a great day for the girls, going 1-4 at sectional is a pretty impressive result.

(Congratulations to 2011 Sectional Runner-Up Hanna)

On the boys side the summer athletes also had a great day. Leading the way was Reed, finishing behind the strong duo of Kevin and Brad and finishing on the podium in 3^rd. Reed was only 5 seconds out of 2^nd place and 23 seconds out of the win so he had a good race, hot on his heals and challenging Margot for the most impressive race of the day was Gavin. In only his first year of skiing he finished an amazing 4^th place and had many asking who is “Gavin” and where did he come from, right behind Gavin in 5^th place was Langton. Langton is skiing better and better as the season progresses and could really surprise some people at states. Next was Eric in 7^th place and Adam in 8^th giving R.N.R athletes 5 of the top 8 places. As in the girls race we also had another 13^th place finish in Dylan who just missed out on qualifying for states by a mere 4 seconds! As with Kate I know he had worked hard this summer and season and I feel for him as he missed out on qualifying for states. Marco also had a great race finishing in 21^st, right behind him was Emmet in 22^nd, Mike finished 27^th, and Ben was 39^th.

(Eric Shredding the dreaded Little Whiteface)

All in all it was a great day for the summer athletes and most of them will continue racing in two weeks at States. Those who did not qualify for states will continue training for JO’s, Eastern High School Championships and the J2 festival.

As with anything it is not a one way street when it comes to an athletes development, and I want to congratulate and thank their respective high school coaches first for letting their athletes work with me over the summer, and secondly for all of the hard work they have put in throughout the winter. Coaching at the high school level is a very difficult task and especially in the public high school system as athletes abilities range from learning to ski to trying to win a state championship. It is not easy and I commend them all at the job they have done this winter with all of their athletes! I can’t wait to see what happens at states and good luck to all of the athletes representing section 5 !!

(Congratulations to Reed on his 3rd place at Sectionals)

Lake Placid Loppet and JOQ

(Start of the 50k Free at the Lake Placid Loppet)

It was a epic weekend for all of the members of R.N.R. The senior team made the trip north to Lake Placid to take part in the Lake Placid Loppet. The junior team headed east to take part in the final Junior Olympic qualifier in Old Forge. After breaking out the new suits at the Super Tour two weeks ago the rest of the state is fully aware of who is hunting them down !

For the senior team Lake Placid has become a second home this winter as we have been in Lake Placid three out of the last four weekends, and are starting to contemplating buying a house to set up winter residency, well maybe not a house but at least a snow fort! Until that happens we have found a home away from home at the High Peaks Guide House ! Brian Delaney the owner of High Peaks is a vital part of the Nordic community not only in Lake Placid but across the state as he has dedicated his shop to being one of the best in the country offering a world class selection of equipment, stone grinds, and information. He also goes out of his way to sponsor all events in the area and now offers lodging at the guide house. Click here to see some pictures and details on the property. http://highpeakscyclery.com/articles/high-peaks-vacation-house-pg101.htm

Having a home away from home helped the senior team gather some impressive results at the Loppet. I was lucky enough to get off to a good start and led the race through about the first 5k I knew that the jacked up old man was behind me as well as last years winner Jake Hollenbach so after getting out to a good position slowed a little to try to get them to take a little pull, as anyone who knows Duncan well knows he is at home out on Porter Mnt and letting him get to the front was probably not the best idea as he took off as if he was shot out of a cannon, I was able to hang on to him and Jake for a little while but they ended up skiing away leaving myself and fellow New Yorker Mike Wynn skiing together for the next 20k, it was nice to have someone to ski with as we had a gap over the rest of the field after the first lap I was able to ski away from Mike and hold on to 3rd place. Chad and Marty were in the chase pack for the entire race with a bunch of other guys and both had strong races. Marty was able to rally over the last 5k to move up a few spots. Chad and Marty went 1,2 in the 25-29 age group and finished 12th, and 13th overall. Derrick decided to skip the 50k and race the 25k race. He was able to hang on to 4th place in his 18-24 year age group which was won by Olympian Wynn Roberts. Congratulations to everyone who raced the 25k and 50k races this weekend. The Lake Placid Loppet course is no joke and anyone who competes is pretty freaking tough! In saying that the toughest man out their had to be 81 year young Lenord Robinson who did the 50k classic, he competed in the 1st loppet 29 years ago and gid willing will compete in the 30th anniversary race next year!

(Jason Getting a feed)

(Chad and Libby with a clean hand-off)

(Marty not looking like he wants a drink this time around)

While the Loppet was taking place the junior team headed to Old Forge to race in the last JOQ of the year. Coratulations to Reed for winning the J1 boys race and having the fastest time of the day! The rest of the crew also had great results with Alyssa and Margot taking 3rd and 4th in the J1 girls race ! Katie and Keena also had good races competing in the J2 race and taking 5th and 8th ! Dylan, Mike and Eric also where in the J1 race and skied to 5th, 12th, and 14th respectively. Dylan had a great race finishing 4th and securing a spot on this years Junior Olympic team. Gavin and Marco were in the J2 race and skied to 4th and 7th place. Gavin and Eric are in a tight fight for most improved skiers this year. Eric has established himself as one of the top skiers in the state while Gavin has come strait of the Alpine hill to be a force not only in the J2 ranks but across all age groups ! It's pretty impressive to have someone skiing so well his first year competing in nordic and with some hard work could become a real forge within the next two years!

(Alyssa striding out of the start)

(Marco getting after it)

(Eric)

(Mike getting ready to unleash some power on those poles)

Not to be forgotten Steve decided to head south to the Art Roscoe Loppet and try to get the elusive victory that has escaped him the last two years. He was closer this year than ever but fell victim to the finishing sprint and finished in 3rd. It's always a hard game to play in a mass start of when to make your move but I think he has learned to drop the hammer a little earlier and lay it on the line instead of leaving it up for a spring. I'm already looking forward to seeing what happens next year as I know he is going to be looking for the win again!

Next up for the juniors is the Section Five race this weekend ! I wish them all the best of luck and can't wait to see what happens!

!

(Some of the Junior Team all smiles after the race!)

Super Tour Weekend Recap

Thanks to the efforts of NYSEF and ORDA New York ski racers were offered the opportunity to race the nations best skiers in a very familiar setting. To say that NY'ers had an unfair advantage may be true but with the level of talent in Lake Placid any advantage was welcome.

(Reed getting after it!)

Their were 4 athletes racing this weekend that will be representing the U.S.A at the World Championships. The opportunity for our juniors to see these athletes up close and personal is priceless.

(Waxing up our boards for the classic race! Toko Green Binder with some White over it worked all day for most of us some liked a little Mint mixed in)

All of the our athletes experienced the high's and low's of racing this weekend. There was not time to waste though as all of the juniors had a high school race back in Rochester Monday morning! The results this winter have proved one thing that many already know. If you want to become a better skier you better be doing something over the summer!

(Happy to be racing)

In the high school race on Monday the boys took 6 of the top 10 spots! The girls were not to be outdone and took 5 of the top 7 sports including going 1st-4th !! Congratulations to all of the R.N.R Juniors this weekend ! One thing about NY is that it is dominated by high school skiing, without the cooperation of the local high school coached the junior program would not exist! To become a better ski nation we need cooperation and I'm glad to know that the Rochester area can see past the lines that divide most and move forward in developing the best student athletes possible

(The old man of the group)

The senior team stuck around Saturday and went out Sunday morning to preview to Loppet course. The skiing was great and we were all sad to leave. I don't think you can beat the Porter Mnt Loop to East Mnt and High Notch anywhere in the country, lots of climbing and absolutely beautiful scenery.

(at the top of high notch)

We revealed our new suits this weekend, so the secret is out now who is racing for R.N.R ! After a great weekend of racing we are happy to welcome our newest member! We are not in to signing out of area skiers in hopes to win point races, as we are more interested in winning THE RACE! But we decided to make an exception for the G.O.A.T !!

(The G.O.A.T)

Great racing by everyone this weekend a big shout out to all of the skiers and clubs from NY who took advantage of the SUPER TOUR on our home turf! As I have always believed if you want to be the best you need to race the best because you will have a choice to make when you are done.

Are you in or are you out ?

U.S XC Nationals Recap

When it comes to skiing, there's a difference between what you think it's going to be like, what it's really like, and what you tell your friends it was like.

When Reed, Adam, and I headed off to Rumford I think we all had different expectations, thoughts, and ideas of what it was going to be like when we arrived. When we returned to Rochester the three of us knew what it WAS like to race against past and future Olympians, Junior National Champions, and if for only one week we were ski racers at the biggest show on snow and dirt !

Adam, and Reed raced in the classic sprint, 15k classic, and 10k skate races while I raced in the 15k classic, and 30k skate. As many of you already know the heat wave that hit New Years weekend greatly effected the courses in Rumford, but like any championship event it did not effect the competition. The negative of the lack of snow was that the volunteers, athletes, and coaches all had to do some shoveling, the positive about skiing 15k, or 30k on a 2.5k loop was that you had a lot of fast skiers to ski behind, ski past, and watch ski away! The opportunity to ski a lap or two or three behind a national champion gives you hope and knowledge that you can do it if only for a minute, you know if you work hard enough you can do it for 1 min, then 2min, 3min, 4min, and then hopefully for 30 minuets.

Here are some pictures and video from the past week. Enjoy and hope to see you all at the Super Tour this weekend in Lake Placid !!

To watch the video in a full size window click here: Nationals Skate Race

Ready to race !

After waiting around for another day the boys and I are ready to race. It looks as though postponing the classic race for a day will enable the organizers to patch together a 2.5k loop for tomorrows 15k. Hopefully I will be able to draw on my past experience running indoor track while at Virginia Tech so that I do not lose track of what lap i'm on. It will be a hamster wheel with skiers going round and round and with somewhere around 120 races it should prove interesting. It should also be a great opportunity to jump on the tails of some world class skiers and hitch a ride for a lap or two!

Yesterday we went to Great Glen trails in New Hampshire to seek out some snow. The trails were in great shape despite the recent thaw. Thanks to Eli Walker and the rest of the staff at Great Glen for getting the trails in shape for everyone. It was also great to see that they only charged each skier $5.oo to ski when they could of charged whatever they wanted ! You don't often see that kind of inhospitality or common sense when it comes to things of that nature and it was a huge relief for many! Thanks Again

Here a some pictures from yesterday and today. Enjoy !

(Waxing the boards up for tomorrow)

(Hanging out at the races)

(Adam racing in the qualification)

(Reed racing in his qualification)

(Our home for the week)