Nordic racers earn top-10 finishes
Glacier Nordic Ski Team racer Connor
Gray finished in an impressive 11th place at the first Junior
Olympic sprint qualifier at West Yellowstone last weekend. Gray was
also 22nd overall in the 10K classic with a 33:37.7. He was the
fourth place J1 finisher in the race.
“Connor did awesome,” Glacier coach
Robin Brooks said. “He was fighting against a bunch of college
kids. This course fit him really well.”
Glacier’s Henry Holt finished 10th in
the sprint in the J2 finals. It was his first time getting into the
finals. He added another top-15 finish in the 5k classic race with
a 16:41.
“Our goal was for him to have a
top-10,” Brooks said. “He skied really well.”
Cassidy Grady qualified 18th overall in
the sprints in a tough J2 field. She earned 24th in the 5k classic
race. This was her first Junior Olympic qualifier.
“There’s a lot to learn and this was a
good experience for her,” Brooks said. “You have to learn how to
fight in a group in sprints and that’s not something you can
teach.”
Brooks said conditions were prime in
West Yellowstone.
“The tracks were hard and fast,” she
said. “We haven’t skied in tracks since Thanksgiving.”
The team has been training on Big
Mountain with the lack of snow in town. Brooks is hopeful this
latest storm dumps enough snow to open the golf course and
Stillwater Nordic Center.
“Everyone is in pretty good shape
physically,” Brooks said. “Technically there is always stuff to
work on.”
Glacier next travels to Soldier Hollow
in Utah for the second Junior Olympic qualifier.
Former Glacier team member Jack Steele
competed at West Yellowstone and was sixth overall in the J1/OJ
sprint race. He took second overall in the 10k classic with a
29:19.1. Steele is currently training with the Sun Valley Ski
Education Foundation.
Glacier alumni Stella Holt has already
pre-qualified for Junior Nationals as a member of the Middlebury
Nordic team. However, she may choose to race in the NCAA nationals
if she qualifies.