A Blog by Freshman Kati Christoffel (Clifton Park, NY)

Stowe, VT - Our 3rd Skiing Carnival was hosted by the UVM and was held at the Trapps’ Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. Saturday was a classic race, 5k for the women and 10k for the men, while Sunday was a 10k skate for both.

The weekend began with an epically long drive (nothing new there) leaving from Presque Isle at about 7:30 in the morning, and getting to our hotel, the Commodore’s Inn, in Stowe around 5:00. As always, the drive was full of naps, terrible loud singing, and bathroom breaks. When we arrived, we went to dinner at a local pizza place called Pie-casso’s, then went for a run in the dark with only the blinking light on Alexei’s dog’s collar to light the way.

We woke up early on Saturday, psyched and ready for a fast, competitive race. Along with being a carnival race, this was also an Eastern Cup, which meant a lot of people were racing, from all over New England and also a small but competitive group of my former teammates from NYSEF. It was a beautiful day, sunny and cold, with a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains. The 5k course at Stowe is a lot of fun, with a lot of windy downhills and gradual uphills, so striding the entire race is no problem. My mom was able to come to the race and cheer us on, and also brought some delicious muffins that the whole team enjoyed after the race.

Hannah Shepard (Yarmouth, ME) started first out of the whole race, and worked hard, finishing 139th out of 223 racers. I was off next for UMPI, about 5 minutes after Hannah went out. I like starting early, because the course is less cut up and the pre-race anxiety is over quicker. My wax worked great for the whole race, and as it was only a 5k, my strategy was GO FAST. I think it worked out pretty well as this was my best carnival finish ever. I was only passed by a few girls, and also passed a few myself, which is always a confidence-booster. The girl that started right after me caught up at about 3k, and I stuck to her like klister. She started to pull away on a downhill, but unfortunately slipped and I was able to catch her. Chandra Wisneski (Amherst, NH), Justine Cyr (Fort Kent, ME), and Leah Finnemore (Hartland, ME) went out after me; Chandra had a great race and Justine was a little disappointed but was ready to do better in future races.

On the mens’ side, Justin Fereshetian (Turner, ME) was first for UMPI. Gordie Scanell (North Yarmouth, ME) had a strong race and finished next. Aaron Schmersal (Winthrop, ME), Jake Fillebrown (Stoneham, ME), and Brad Burlock (Caribou, ME) all looked good and skied strongly.

Sunday dawned cold, windy, and snowing, with thoughts of 10k skate races dancing in all of our heads. Alexei’s wax job was spot-on again, and we all had fast skis that flew over the hard-packed snow. Unfortunately, both Chandra and Leah were feeling ill before the start, and dropped out of the race soon after they started. Justine had a strong race that she was happy with, as did Hannah. I have discovered that each race is a learning experience, and while this was not my best race, I still came away with a positive mindset and a new appreciation for warm Powerade at the finish. The men also had some strong races, and Gordie especially enjoyed his new skis.

This was our last carnival with Alexei, because he’s leaving for the Olympics in Whistler, BC, Canada, in a few days to coach the New Zealand Cross Country team. We’ll all miss him, but we’re also really excited to watch for him on the extensive coverage of XC Skiing that there’s sure to be on TV.
Until next time, get out and ski on all of that gorgeous snow, and get pumped for the Dartmouth Carnival and “Carni Crush”! 

See team's full results at: www.eisaskiing.org