Hanneman 9th in Swedish Sprint Race

Logan Hanneman (FAST) had the fourth fastest qualifying time of the day. Clocking in at 2:58.45, Hanneman was 3.45 seconds behind the winner, Eivind Heimdal (NOR) in the classic sprint prologue in Örnsköldsvik (SWE) Friday. Hanneman proceeded to win his quarterfinal heat, but he was unable to advance to the -Final after losing a pole tip early in the heat.

In the B-final, Hanneman was third, earning him a respectable ninth place overall, and the top American finish of the day.

The other Americans who qualified for heats were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Annie Liotta, who qualified in 28th place, was sixth in her quarterfinal, while Hannah Boyer and Marion Woods were both fifth in their quarterfinals. They qualified 24th and 25th respectively. Dylan McGarthwaite qualified in 16th place, and was fourth in his quarterfinal heat. Forrest Mahlen was 28th in the qualifier and sixth in his quarterfinal heat.

Additionally, Stella Holt was 32nd in the qualifier, Cambria MCDermott was 36th and Sharmila Ahmed was 42nd. On the men’s side, Patrick Caldwell was 33th, Peter Mamroll was 39th and John Hegman was 44th in the qualifiers.

Hegman dislocated his shoulder in a crash 50 meters from the finish, earning him a trip to the Swedish ER – but not before he completed his race – still only six seconds from qualifying.

Complete results here.

Educational experience-builder

The J1 trip is a long standing tradition, and a joint venture between the US Ski Team and the National Cross Country Ski Education Foundation (NCCSEF).

“This is a trip we’ve been running for at least a dozen years now, in conjunction with the National Cross Country Ski Education Foundation,” US Ski Team Development Head Coach Matt Whitcomb said to FasterSkier in an interview earlier this winter.

Whitcomb points out that the J1 “Scando Cup” trip is significant for a couple of reasons. Obviously, it is an exciting and eye-opening for the individual athlete. Furthermore, the J1 Scando trip is also the first step of the elite development pipeline that includes international racing, he said.

Finally, the American presence at the Scandinavian Cup races also increases the international experience of the local racers. Just like for the American skiers, these races are a step on the Scandinavian teams’ elite development ladder and their initiation into international racing.

“It’s a neat deal if you think about it. We’ve done this trip for so many years because it is so successful. The Scandinavians have always been very welcoming to us and I think us being there adds to the depth of the competition,” said Whitcomb, noting that most of the racers come from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Estonia.

“We’re always chasing podiums on the J1 trip, but the main thing is the international racing experience,” Whitcomb said.

This year, the J1 trip spent a week at Camp Södergren in Österssund, Sweden, before traveling to Örnsköldsvik for the races. The team left on January 26 and will return after the weekend’s races in Örnsköldsvik.

Trip roster

The team consists of 12 athletes, six girls and six boys. The girls are: Annie Liotta (Alaska Winter Stars), Marion Woods (Alaska Winter Stars), Cambria McDermott (Stratton Mountain School), Stella Holt (Glacier Nordic Team), Sharmila Ahmed (GO Training), and Hannah Boyer (FXC). The boys are: Logan Hannemann (FAST), Patrick Caldwell (Stratton Mountain School), Forrest Mahlen (APUNSC), Dylan McGarthwaite (Minneapolis Ski Club), Peter Mamroll (Alaska Winter Stars) and John Hegman (Mansfield Union High School).

Additionally, there are three coaches for the trip: Head coach Matthew Johnson of the Burke Mountain Academy, coach and service tech Peter Leonard of FXC and Kate Barton of the Jackson Hole High School Ski Team.

Follow the J1 trip blog here: