MIDWAY, Utah —Sun? Check. Snow? Check. Parking-lot dance party? Check.
After a long winter of focusing on training, battling uncooperative weather and fighting to the top of divisional qualifying races, the wait is over for junior skiers from across the country: the 2012 edition of the U.S. Cross Country Junior National Championships kick off on Monday at 9:00 am MST at Soldier Hollow.
Ten years after Norwegian superstar Thomas Alsgaard brought this stadium to its knees with a spectacular Olympic relay finish, the trails are just as scenic and challenging as ever. FasterSkier will be on-site for the week to cover four days of racing from the best J2s, J1s and OJs in the U.S., plus a few international guests. Whether you’re a seasoned OJ or first-year J2, Junior Nationals are the culmination of the entire winter, perhaps a whole career. National titles and the inter-division Alaska Cup are on the line, not to mention bragging rights for a full year.
A total of 406 skiers are registered to enter Monday’s classic sprint. Start list available here.
After the morning qualifying round, the heats start at 12:00 pm MST beginning with the J1 and OJ boys. The first J2 girls and boys quarterfinals start at 1:35 pm MST. The final series of rounds, the J1 and OJ girls, start their heats at 3:10 pm MST.