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Sun Valley Race Weekend

December 17, 2020
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Like most other sports, the nordic skiing community has been forced to make changes this year. This past weekend, prior to the start of the season, Sun Valley was slated to host the first weekend of Super Tour races. Things have changed, Super Tour racing has been canceled, and many of our races can no longer take place in their original format. Luckily, many of the local clubs have still rallied together to host time trials in place of races. 


Despite the Super Tour being canceled, Sun Valley still wanted to see some racing. So, this past weekend, the Pro Team and I traveled to Sun Valley for a weekend of time trials. The race schedule and disciplines were kept the same as the Super Tour plan; A classic sprint on Saturday, followed by a 10/15 km skate race on Sunday. 


On Saturday, Sun Valley lived up to its name and showered us with sun rays all day long. Like any other sprint day, both men and women raced the qualifier, followed by 3 potential heats (quarter finals, semi finals, and a final). Many of the Pro Team members made either semi-final or the final in their respective races. Erika Flowers-Newell finished the day on the third step of the podium and Logan Diekmann tied with Peter Holmes (Sun Valley) for the race win. All in all, it was a strong showing from the Pro Team up against Sun Valley and some skiers from the University of Utah. 


Some of the crew enjoying the sun after Saturday’s sprint.


Sunday was a bit different. Cooler temps, brought with it overcast skies and a light dusting of snow. The women and men raced a 10k and 15k skate individual start respectively. Despite a scuff of light snow, the underlying snowpack was hard and fast making for quick laps and fast climbs. Sophia Laukli, who skis for Middlebury but trained with BSF this summer, won the women's race and Finn O'connell finished 3rd mere seconds from Sam Wood (Sun Valley) in second place. 


All smiles after Sunday’s Skate 10k.


Although the races in Sun Valley were not FIS sanctioned events, the US Ski team will still be looking to fill their start quotas for international races such as: World Cup, World Champs, and U23/Junior World Championships. The US Ski team will be following the results of time trials in their selection process. Additionally, the races this past weekend were another good warm up event for the first FIS sanctioned races on the 2nd and 3rd in Soldier Hollow, Utah. Races where many of the Pro Team hope to solidify their starts at international competitions. 


Until next time, 

Logan