The 2010 NCAA Nordic Ski Championships are set to begin tomorrow at Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, hosted by the University of Colorado. It is appropriate to be in “Ski Town USA” at this time, and especially at this location. As the oldest ski area in continuous use in Colorado, Howelsen Hill has sent more skiers to international competition than any other area in North America. This ski club takes pride in its rich history of Nordic skiing and the large number of athletes from its programs that have attended Olympic games, among those the recent Nordic Combined Olympic medal winners Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane.
There are 78 collegiate racers representing 21 teams who have qualified for this competition: 15 from the Central Region, 24 from the Eastern Region, and 39 from the Western Region. Thursday’s race will be a 5 and 10 kilometer individual start classic race, and Saturday’s race will be a 15 and 20 kilometer mass start freestyle. All races will be run on a 5 kilometer loop, which is mapped below. The course provides a tough climb out of start, the first kilometer being a series of steep uphills. Then the slope backs off, but keeps climbing steadily uphill until reaching the high point at around 3 kilometers. From there it is downhill, with several uphill blips, to the stadium. The stadium is set around the Romick Rodeo Arena that is adjacent to the Howelsen Hill ski center. The races were meant to start inside the arena, but due to ease of wax tent access they will now start just outside the arena.
As the race courses start at 2044 meters in elevation and climb to 2118 meters, some teams – especially from the central and eastern divisions – have been in town for over a week, trying to get acclimated to the thin air. The temperatures have been warm, climbing into the mid-40’s and mostly sunny the last couple days, with a dusting of snow overnight. There is a solid base of snow, the top of which has been continuously melting in the day and freezing overnight. The snow is granular and wet, and the classic waxing has been mildly difficult. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for a good chance of light snow and temperatures ranging from 29 degrees F at the women’s 9:30am start to 33 degrees F at the men’s 11:30am start.
The field will be small, but very competitive, as the athletes of each region have raced a series of 4-6 weekends in order to be one of the few who qualify for this culminating event.
Here is a look at the top competitors in each region, the schedule of events, and a course map.
First Teams (top 5 ranked individuals after all qualifying races are scored)
Western Region (RMISA) First Team:
Men:
Martin Kaas (UNM) – 389
Matt Gelso (CU) – 374
Jesper Ostensen (CU) – 363
Vegard Kjoelhamar (CU) -362
Harald Lovesnkiold (DU) – 335
Martin Kaas has been a dominant racer for the West, winning 5 out of 8 races and only missing out on the podium once. Matt Gelso won two races and was on the podium 4 out of 8 races.
Women:
Antje Maempel (DU) – 397
Eliska Hajkova (CU) – 380
Maria Graefnings (UNR) – 367
Polina Ermoshina (UNM) – 366
Kate Dolan (DU) – 359
Maeampel was never outside of the podium in any qualification race this year, winning 5 out of 8 races and taking 2nd in the other three. Hajkova was a close competitor, winning one race and taking four second place finishes.
Central Region (CCSA) First Team
Men:
Santiago Ocariz (UWGB) – 221
Oskar Lund (MTU) – 152
George Cartwright (NMU) – 144
Kevin Cutts (NMU) – 111
Jens Brabbit (GAC) – 104
Ocariz is a senior from Spooner, Wisconsin who will be competing in his fourth championships. Last year he placed 27th and 29th and is looking to be a stronger contender this year.
Women:
Christina Gillis (NMU) – 159
Laura DeWitt (NMU) – 157
Aurelia Korthauer (UAF) – 150
Henna Riikonen-Purtsi (MTU) – 133
Carolyn Freeman (UWGB) – 130
Junior Christina Gillis missed qualifying for NCAA’s by one tenth of a point last year, and this year came back with a vengeance in order to be the region’s top qualifier, with teammate and senior DeWitt right behind her.
Eastern Region (EISA) First Team
Men:
Franz Bernstein (UVM) – 380
Nils Koons (DAR) – 340
Patrick Johnson (MID) – 300
Patrick O’Brien (DAR) – 250
Dylan McGuffin (UNH) – 244
A strong racer in the classic technique, Bernstein won 5 of the 10 qualifying races, 4 of which were classic. The rest of the top field was very competitive, and the top 5 was variable in every race.
Women:
Ida Sargent (DAR) – 400
Caitlin Patterson (UVM) – 340
Rosie Brennan (DAR) – 300
Katie Bono (DAR) – 265
Erika Flowers (DAR) – 229
Ida Sargent won all but one race that she entered, often by a sizeable margin, and captured a perfect score for the season. Unlike the men’s division in the east, the women’s division often saw the same three at the top of the charts, Patterson and Brennan rounding out the podium in many races.
2010 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Skiing Championships – Schedule of Events
