Mara MacDonell (above left) is not only a good writer, but also a very good cross-country skier. Mara is consistently the second best varsity skier behind Audrey Summers (top), but occasionally Mara beats Audrey as she did this past week in one race. Jaret Baker (above right) is improving steadily this season. He placed 11th at the Proctor Invitational junior varsity race.
The week of January 15 was busy for the Cook County Nordic team. During both races skiers braved the cold, keeping attitudes positive while temperatures threatened to go negative.
With temperatures hovering just above zero degrees at the Proctor Invite on January 17, it was very different than the race just one week prior. This didn’t seem to be too concerning for team members, who focused on the race at hand. Course knowledge, great kick wax, and a wellgroomed track provided important tools for success. Increased focus and technique, however, were what helped to give the Vikings top performances of the season.
An entire varsity boys’ team was fielded for the first time this year and showed great power and potential. Leading the team with a top 10 finish was Ben Seaton in 6th place in a time of 16:38. Joey Chmelik skied strong to 12th in 17:18. Levi Axtell wasn’t far behind in 17th, clocking in at 17:54. Will Seaton rounded out the scoring with 18th place, 5 seconds behind his teammate Levi.
The varsity girls also had a remarkable day. Audrey Summers captured a top 10 finish of 8th place with a superb time of 19:06. I, Mara MacDonell, improved upon my last race, finishing 12th with a time of 21:50.
The top 10 just barely eluded both junior varsity racer Nate Carlson and junior high racer Jaret Baker. Nate finished 11th in an excellent time of 20:16. Jaret kept a steady pace and looked strong throughout, solidly finishing 11th with a time of 11:29.
Changing things up at Marshall Sprints
of pace for skiers. Varsity and JV races are generally 5 kilometers and junior high races, 3k. At the Marshall Sprints, varsity and JV racers got the chance to try a shorter distance. It was a somewhat chaotic format at the Sprints, but extremely exciting.
To begin, all varsity and JV racers completed a 1k preliminary sprint. Racers were separated by just tenths of seconds, making every moment of the race count.
The top 16 after the preliminary round move on to a series of heats to determine a final sprint winner. For the rest of the racers not in the top 16, a consolation 3k race was held. Cook County racers showed excellent speed and form but couldn’t break the very competitive and difficult top 16.
The varsity boys had great races, both the 1k and 3k. All racers showed great versatility. Ben finished 23rd in the sprint and an impressive 5th in the 3k. Levi raced powerfully, placing 30th in the sprint and 13th in the 3k. Joey was 53rd in the sprint and showed his distance spirit in the 3k with 28th. Nate preferred the sprint, 43rd in the 1k and 44th in the 3k. Will showed consistency, placing 44th in the sprint and 29th in the 3k.
The varsity girls also had fun racing both distances. In the sprint, I (Mara) was just one second ahead of Audrey— good for 30th and 32nd places. In the 3k, Audrey showed her love for distance, placing 10th. Pacing with Audrey, I attempted to keep with her, and ultimately finished in a solid 18th place.
Junior high racers had their usual 3k course, but a mass start brought added excitement. Jaret was in the boys’ race and kept a steady pace throughout, showing great effort.
Junior Cailan Carpenter successfully completed her first ski race. Ski races can definitely be intimidating, especially your first one. Cailan, however, didn’t let her nerves get the best of her, handling the tough course fantastically. Maintaining a strong pace throughout the hilly terrain, Cailan skied a fabulous first race.
It was a busy week for Cook County Nordic skiers, but very fun and rewarding. Two meets are left until the Sections meet, so it is time to put every element at the highest level.
The Cook County Invite will be held on Friday, February 3 starting at 11:00 a.m. at Pincushion. This will be an exciting event with top area and state skiers, not to mention the Cook County Vikings!
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