The Durango Nordic Ski club went to the season’s final Junior National Qualifier Feb. 20 and 21 in Vail, and two Durango skiers qualified for the 2016 Junior Nationals in Cable, Wisconsin.
Katja Freeburn and Maggie Wigton will travel to Cable and compete after qualifying in Vail.
“Our kids finished the JNQ circuit with some really strong performances,” Durango Nordic Club head coach Gary Colliander said in an email to The Durango Herald. “The rolling and winding trails didn’t allow for any rest, and the rocket fast conditions had all of the skiers hanging on to their edges through every corner.”
The weekend of racing began with an individual start classic race. Skiers raced without gloves, hats or sleeves because of the unseasonably warm temperatures.
In his 10-kilometer race, Abe Ott finished 20th for the U20 males. Skiing 5K, Freeburn ended with a fifth-place finish for the U18 females. Wigton was sixth. and Marit May was eighth.
For the U16 females, Cecilia Compton was 15th, Carter Reiter was 19th, Alma Wolf was 21st and Carmen Hall was 23rd. Cobe Freeburn finished 15th for the U16 males.
Athletes skied a mass start skate race the next day. Beginning on a weaving and icy course, Ott skied to 12th place for the U20 males in a 7.5K. For the U18 females, Wigton finished eighth while Freeburn and Marit May were 12th and 15th, respectively.
Compton was Durango’s top U16 female finisher in 13th place. Reiter was 16th, Wolf was 21st and Hall took 22nd. Cobe Freeburn took 16th in his 5k for the U16 males.
The younger ranks of Durango Nordic also had a successful weekend of racing.
Ethan Craig finished Saturday’s action with a bronze medal for the U14 males, and Logan Moore finished fifth. For the U14 females, Jordan Taylor finished ninth, while Georgia Mynatt was close behind in 10th, and Ruth Holcomb took 14th.
Halle Moore has been steady all winter and secured another podium finish for the U12 females with a third-place result. Carter Taylor took fourth, Ruby May was sixth and Maggie Holcomb was seventh.
In what has become a weekly regularity, Kiri May finished first in her 2K. Skiing the same distance, Andre Craig finished eighth for the U10 males.
Durango’s youngest competitor, Betty Holcomb, left the field behind and took gold in her 2K race for the U8 females.
Holcomb and Kiri May were on the podium again the next day, this time with silver medals after the 2K races. Craig finished eighth for the second consecutive day.
Moore also earned a silver medal in U12 females group as she was on the podium twice in Vail. Her brother, Logan, took bronze in the U14 skate race. Carter Taylor took bronze in the U12 females while Maggie Holcomb finished eighth and Ruby May 11th.
Durango Nordic also placed fifth in the Colorado Cup Team Series, a competition among the state’s ski teams based both on results and participation in numbers.
“As the season has progressed, I feel the Durango skiers have just gotten better with every weekend,” Colliander said. “Watching them ski and make the necessary transitions on such a technical course was just really fun to watch.”
Rocky Mountain Nordic U14 Championships
The Durango Nordic Ski Club finished its racing season in style Feb. 27-28 in Aspen at the always fun Rocky Mountain Nordic U14 Championships. Hosted by the Aspen Valley Ski Club, the event showcased Colorado’s U14 and younger skiers, offering them a series of race opportunities that were both competitive and fun.
“This weekend of racing is one of my favorite events of the season,” U12 and U14 head coach Paige Elliott wrote in an email to The Herald. “It gives the younger athletes a chance to shine, and the fun courses and costumes help emphasize that, above all else, ski racing should be a good time.”
The weekend began on an “extreme cross county” course that was decorated with an ocean theme throughout the winding trail. Athletes were allowed to skate the nearly 2K course twice in an effort to post the fastest time. Their best time was used to determine results.
For the U14 males, Durango’s Logan Moore took fifth and Ethan Craig was seventh. Georgia Mynatt was seventh and Ruth Holcomb was 10th for the U14 females.
In the U12 female race, Halle Moore received yet another podium finish in second place.
Andre Craig skied to eighth for the U10 males, while U8 Betty Holcomb took silver in her race.
Sunday featured a distance costume race on a winding, mostly downhill course at Carbondale’s Spring Gulch Trail System.
Halle Moore, who raced in a bikini, goggles and fish nets, stole the show for best costume while also earning herself a silver medal in the U12 girls race.
Ethan Craig earned a silver medal for the U14 males. Teammate Logan Moore joined him on the podium with bronze.
Mynatt and Ruth Holcomb turned in impressive finishes at the top of their U14 female field. Mynatt took gold and Holcomb finished close behind in second. Both results were personal bests for the two girls.
For the U10 males, Andre Craig took eighth. Betty Holcomb, like her sister, took home second place for the U8 females.
At the end of the season banquet, two skiers from Durango Nordic were named the season’s Rocky Mountain Nordic class champions. Betty Holcomb finished at the top of her age group for the U8 females, along with Shea Sias from Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Kiri May shared the honor with Cora Wilson from Ski and Snowboard Club Vail for the U10 females.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
