Cross Country Ski Headquarters wins Michigan Cup
Wed, Mar 18, 2020 - By Mike Muha
The 2019-2020 Michigan Cup season was special: it was the first season in some time in which every race was held! Sure the Vojin Baic Memorial was cancelled, but that was done in September. The Krazy Klassic was rescheduled, but held. The Flying Squirrel was held, although organizers decided to drop it from the Michigan Cup calendar and have a more informal event. But no races were cancelled because there wasn't enough snow!
There were challenges to traveling, including ice storms and snow storms that limited or prevented travel for many racers to a couple of races, or slowed travel unexpectedly so they missed the race start.
Of special note, there are now three race venues with snowmaking capabilities: Cross Country Ski Headquarters, Huron Meadows Metropark, and the new $1.2M investment in snowmaking at Forbush Corner. With warming temperatures and/or greater variability of temperatures expected in the future, snowmaking will likely become more important for cross country skiers.
We were also fortunate that the coronavirus scare didn't get serious until immediately after the season ended.
Michigan Cup Team Standings - 2020
The Cross County Ski Headquarters led the Michigan Cup standings for the entire season, with tons of participating skiers and many podium placings. Vasa was a distant second place, with Team NordicSkiRacer third but way back... The Headquarters also benefited this year from a larger number of junior racers.
Overall best team, including both senior and junior racers:
| Rank | Team | Individual Points | Participation Points | Relays | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 39,432.6 | 250 | 6,175 | 45,857.6 |
| 2 | Vasa Ski Club | 36,355.4 | 0 | 4,512 | 40,867.4 |
| 3 | Team NordicSkiRacer | 22,866.4 | 60 | 2,135 | 25,061.4 |
| 4 | Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team | 20,137.4 | 170 | 1,305 | 21,612.4 |
| 5 | Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop | 20,231.6 | 90 | 350 | 20,671.6 |
| 6 | University of Michigan | 6,051.2 | 0 | 0 | 6,051.2 |
Brumbaugh Cup Team Standings - 2020
The Cross Country Ski Headquarters also took the Brumbaugh Cup, although this competition was much closer. Hanson Hills / Cross Country Ski Headquarters can in second, just beating Team NordicSkiRacer.
Strongest senior team:
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 1,127 |
| 2 | Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop | 1,202 |
| 3 | Team NordicSkiRacer | 1,213 |
| 4 | Vasa Ski Club | 1,393 |
| 5 | Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team | 1,516 |
| 6 | University of Michigan | 2,780 |
Baic Cup Team Standings - 2020
Vasa Ski Club won the Baic Cup (again) having by far the most junior racers. But the other teams are starting to get the juniors out and maybe, some season in the not too distant future, Vasa will have to fight for the top spot. It's great to see that most teams had at least one junior out racing. It's the start of a new age!
Best junior team:
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasa Ski Club | 31,447 |
| 2 | Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 9,315 |
| 3 | Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team | 1,575 |
| 4 | Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop | 152 |
| 5 | Team NordicSkiRacer | 92 |
| 6 | University of Michigan | 0 |
Freestyle, Classic & Overall Champions
This year was the start of the winner-take all Freestyle and Classic Championships: One freestyle race, one classic race to determine the Champions. In previous years, a skier's top three freestyle and top three classic races determined their overall freestyle and classic standings. The new format put more on the line and made for some exciting racing.
Winners of the Michigan Cup Freestyle and Michigan Cup Classic Championship races, and the overall Michigan Cup winners.
| Freestyle Champion | Classic Champion | Overall Champion |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Vanias Cross Country Ski Headquarters |
Kyle Hanson Team NordicSkiRacer |
Alex Vanias Cross Country Ski Headquarters |
| Jordyn Ross Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team |
Emily Blackmer Cross Country Ski Headquarters |
Erin Lipp Team NordicSkiRacer |
Michigan Cup Most Points Individual
Perhaps this should be named the Energizer Bunny Award: These skiers kept on going! Leaders in this category did more races than than others. Lots of travel, lots of double race weekends...
Sum of Michigan Cup points across all races completed:
| Rank | Women | Age Group | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gwen Stevenson | 50-59 | Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 2,110 |
| 2 | Erin Lipp | 20-29 | Team NordicSkiRacer | 1,585 |
| 3 | Cheryl Darnton | 50-59 | Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 1,525 |
| Rank | Men | Age Group | Team | Total |
| 1 | Charles Moore | 40-49 | Team NordicSkiRacer | 2,261 |
| 2 | Rick Neier | 60-69 | Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 2,147 |
| 3 | Robin F. Luce | 60-69 | Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop | 2,099 |