Durango Nordic Ski Club racers Jordan Taylor, Ruby May and Wiley Corra swept away the competition in their respective fields at the Crested Butte Solstice Slam last weekend.
In a meet that brought together eight Colorado teams plus several Rocky Mountain Nordic alumni from the college ranks, Taylor and Corra finished at the top of the podium in their age groups in Sunday’s skate races.
The day before, May took top honors in the classic sprint event. Taylor, in what was the finest overall performance by a DNSC skier during the weekend, also finished second in the sprint races. May took fourth in her skate race.
Several other locals ascended the podium during the two-day competition. Ethan Craig took two silver medals, earning tribute as the best male performance for Durango in the competition. Hannah Peterson continued her climb to dominance this year by seizing two bronze medals. This was her highest classic sprint race finish ever.
In what was the most inspiring race by any competitor during the weekend, first-year skier Anna Faike finished fourth in Sunday’s skate race. Faike, a sophomore who placed seventh in the state cross country meet this fall, comes from Telluride but races for Durango. She also took ninth in the sprints.
Top-10 finishes by Durango came in abundance in these races. For high school-aged skiers, these finishes are particularly important for building credentials for participation in the Junior National competition, which this season will be held at the fabled Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt.
Among those skiers, DNSC’s Haakon Sigurslid captured fifth-place finishes in each race in a competitive field that included four of the six men who traveled to Trondheim, Norway, last year to represent the USA and is by far the most competitive Under 20 field in the nation.
Marit May and Katja Freeburn each took a fifth place and established a firm start to their quest to travel to Stowe. Freeburn also took a seventh in the sprint races.
Charlie Greenburg garnered an eighth, Maggie Wigton an eighth and ninth and Dylan Williamson and Abe Ott 10ths – finishes that place these four definitely in the hunt for berths on the Junior National team.
Younger Durangoans who had top-10 performances include Kiri May with two fifths; Logan Moore, who finished fifth and seventh in the skate and sprint events, respectively; Halle Moore with a fourth and a fifth; and Cobe Freeburn with a ninth and a 10th.
Other locals who competed last weekend include Kevin Lindau who, in addition to serving as a second-year coach for the youngest kids, also took an 11th place in his skate race. Avra Saslow took 15th and 17th, Ceci Compton 17th and 17th, and Carmen Hall 17th and 20th.
Alumni of DNSC also in attendance at these races included Rogan Brown (University of Vermont), Elena Breed (University of Denver) and Cully Brown (Vail and University of Vermont matriculant). Rogan Brown skied in the NCAA Division I National Championships last year and earned All-American honors. Both Browns achieved podium finishes in races last weekend.
The United States Ski Association adopted new age-class nomenclature this year to parallel what is used in international competition. For example, the J1 category now is called U18 (under 18), and age groups run from U8 to U23.
The next competitions for DNSC include Koch/Coke races at the Nordic Center at Purgatory this weekend and then U.S. Senior Nationals in Soldier Hollow in early January. Older DNSC skiers will be competing for places on teams that will travel to Europe to represent the U.S., and Olympic hopeful Tad Elliot will be in attendance, as well.
jeisele@durangoherald.com
