Showing a lot of grit and determination, Ben Seaton powers to the finish line in the Cook County Invitational held on February 4 at Pincushion.
The pursuit is on! Cook County Nordic skiers have been racing at top speeds the last few weeks in both freestyle and classic divisions. Skiers had a chance to demonstrate their skills in both techniques in the two pursuit format races held January 26 and February 3.
On January 26, skiers traveled to Mt. Itasca for the first of the season’s pursuit format races. A high school pursuit race generallybeginswitha5kilometerfreestyle race. This first race determines when the skier will start in the second race, with the winner of the first race starting the second race. The second race is generally a 5k classic style race. During these races, it can be interesting to see racers who prefer one technique versus another. Pursuit races are exciting for racers and spectators alike.
The Vikings were thrilled to field another complete boys’ varsity team at Mt. Itasca. Ben Seaton led the team, placing 23rd overall. Levi Axtell finished with an overall placing of 43rd. Joey Chmelik skied strong for a final placing of 56th. Will Seaton placed 60th, with Nate Carlson close behind in 64th. All five skiers did an excellent job in the tough field and in their first pursuit race of the season.
Above left: Sarah Larsen placed 26th in her first race ever. Way to go, Sarah! Above right: Cailan Carpenter finished one spot ahead of Sarah at the race held on the Pincushion trail system. It was a warm day and skiers had tough skiing conditions.
Audrey Summers was the only varsity girl racer on January 26, but this didn’t slow her down. Placing 34th in the freestyle race, she moved up to 31st in the classic, the place she kept when results were combined.
In the 2.5 kilometer junior high freestyle race, first-year racer Jaret Baker had the highest placing of the day. Jaret finished in 16th place out of the deep field.
The Vikings Bring It Home
February 4 was an extremely exciting day for the Cook County skiers. The Cook County Invite brought 10 teams and over 300 racers to the Pincushion Trails for hours of intense ski racing.
The varsity freestyle race started the day. The very technical race course has more hills than virtually any other course and the hills began right away. Ben Seaton skated his way up the first big hill. He kept a fast pace, for an excellent 19th place. Will Seaton had a great race, placing 36th. Levi Axtell and Joey Chmelik weren’t far behind, finishing 43rd and 45th, respectively. A strong finish from Nate Carlson was good for 73rd place. All were in solid places for the second race just four hours later.
The big hills didn’t intimidate the varsity girls either, who raced next. Audrey Summers was the first girl from Cook County to go out. She raced fast. An unfortunate fall took off some time, but she recovered well, finishing in 28th place. I (Mara MacDonell) had fun racing on the home course and enjoyed pushing myself on the hills I know only too well. Pleasantly surprised with a place of 48th, I looked forward to the next race.
The junior high boys had a rough classic track, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. Jaret Baker was joined by Dylan Deschampe for the 2.8 kilometer race and both had excellent races. Jaret placed an impressive 11th, missing the medals by only one second. Dylan looked strong throughout his first race of the season for a finish of 24th.
With the temperature near 40 degrees, Dylan Deschampe skied the Pincushion races in a short-sleeved shirt.
The JV girls also had fantastic races. Cailan Carpenter skied well in the tough conditions, finishing in 25th. Sarah Larsen did fantastic in her first ski race ever, pushing herself for a 26th place finish. Sixth-grader Daphne Lacina showed great potential in her ski first-ever race too. Daphne kept a steady pace throughout the hilly course and finished looking strong, in 33rd place. It was exciting to watch the first time racers, especially on their home course.
The second varsity boys’ race was the next event in the exciting day. The classic course was 5.6 kilometers, a longer distance than usual, with three especially difficult consecutive uphills known as the “Three Sisters.” The Viking racers weren’t deterred and raced hard. Ben finished 27th after the classic, for a final combined placing of 21st place. Levi finished 42nd in the classic, the place he finished with. Will wasn’t far behind with 50th in the classic, ending with a place of 44th. Joey had a great race, finishing 48th in the classic, for a combined placing of 47th. Moving up to 59th in the classic, Nate stayed at that place when times were combined. All skied great in the difficult conditions, placing seventh as a team out of the nine complete teams present.
The last race of the day was the girls’ varsity classic pursuit. After testing waxing, warming up, and hoping the race track wasn’t too questionable after five previous races, the girls were ready to go. Audrey climbed the tough hills and kept a fast, fierce pace. finishing in 25th place, a place she kept when times were combined. I skied hard, trying to keep good technique in the difficult conditions. Upon finishing 54th in the classic race, when times were combined I moved up to 48th for my final placing of the day.
The race at Pincushion was a fantastic day for racers and spectators alike. Another element was added when not only could you watch the race at Pincushion, but thanks to WTIP, this year you could listen to a live broadcast of the events or watch live video stream. Both aspects added to the event’s atmosphere and helped to make the Cook County Invite one of the best ski meets of the season.
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