Glacier Nordic racers complete busy weekend
Maeve Ingelfinger, right, won the 5K Saturday during the Skiesta Youth Freestyle Races in Seeley Lake. For more photos, visit www.whitefishpilot.com. (Andi Bourne/Seeley Swan Pathfinder)
Signe Ebbett skies Saturday in the Skiesta Youth Freestyle Races in Seeley Lake. (Andi Bourne/Seeley Swan Pathfinder)
Barrett Garcia, of Glacier Nordic Club Ski Team, races in Soldier Hollow, Utah. (Courtesy photo)
The Glacier Nordic Ski Prep Team gets ready for the 3K start Saturday at the Skiesta Youth Freestyle Races in Seeley Lake. (Courtesy photo)
Charlotte Lehman and Ethan Amick race in the 3K Saturday at the Skiesta Youth Freestyle Races in Seeley Lake. (Courtesy photo)
Cynthia Ingelfinger, of Whitefish, skies at the start of the 10K during the Skiesta races Saturday in Seeley Lake. (Andi Bourne/Seeley Swan Pathfinder)
Glacier Nordic Ski Team had a busy race weekend Jan. 18-19, with both the Competition team and Prep Team traveling to races.
Three GNST Comp Team racers traveled to the Junior “Super” Qualifier in Midway, Utah. The races were held at the 2002 Olympic venue called Soldier Hollow with more than 750 female and male junior skiers from Colorado to California competing.
Friday was a 1.3 kilometer sprint prologue where the top 30 skiers in each age category advanced to a bracket system of rounds that determine the days overall winner. Jacob Henson qualified in 19th place in the U16 race, 15 seconds behind the days eventual winner. Only the top two skiers from each quarterfinal heat advanced to the semifinal round and Jacob was fifth in his heat. Barrett Garcia finished in 80th place.
Winslow Nichols was skiing a great race in the men’s 16-17 age group, however his ski binding malfunctioned mid-race and he was forced to stop and fix the issue on the side of the trail.
On Saturday, a mass start classic race was held under sunny skies with perfect tracks. The men’s 14 to 15 age group raced two laps of 2.5 kilometer race. Jacob Henson finished 31st (1:55 behind the winner) and Barrett Garcia who had a big crash mid-race, finished 102 (5:53) back.
Winslow Nichols competed in the men’s 16 to 17 age group of the 10K race which featured three grueling laps of 3.3 kilometer. Winslow also suffered a mid-race crash, but chased back to finish 118th (11:05 behind).
The Glacier Nordic Comp Team will travel to the final of three junior national qualifier races in Boise, Idaho Feb. 9 and 10.
The Prep Team skiers, as well as some younger siblings, traveled to Seeley Lake this past Saturday for the Skiesta Youth Freestyle Races which saw racers from northwestern Montana and Sandpoint, Idaho racing. Nate and Maeve Ingelfinger won the mens and womens 5K races.
Erica Burguiere won the womens 3K with Charlotte Lehman only half of a second behind. Signe Ebbett was the third female and Iona Sarraille was fifth.
Ethan Amick had a strong third place finish in the mens 3K, followed by Hagen Prather in fifth, AJ Zolgar in sixth and Charlie Zolgar in 11th. Isabel Burguiere won the 1K race.