CXC Elite ski Canadian NorAms in Silver Star

Wed, Dec  10, 2008 - By Johanna Winters

Earlier this week, the CXC Elite Team made the pilgrimage North from West Yellowstone, MT in pursuit of snow and competition to compete in the Canadian NorAms hosted at the Sovereign Lake ski venue in Silver Star, British Columbia. Many other American skiers, including the U.S. Ski Team, APU, SVSEF, Saab Factory Team, Rossi, Fischer, and MWSC  joined their Northern neighbors for a weekend of races on the 2005 World Cup Trails.

The abundant snowfall Friday night helped furnish Saturday’s skate sprint course. The CXC Team encountered a few mishaps the day of the sprint race, including a fall by Garrott Kuzzy during his qualifying round and some general confusion regarding official results. Nonetheless, Caitlin Compton, Jojo Winters, Maria Stuber, Kristina Owen, and Brian Gregg all qualified for the quarterfinal heats, and placed 17th, 20th, 29th, 30th, and 25th respectively.

 
CXC Team rallied back for the distance skate race the following day on the aggressive world cup courses. The CXC men skied a strong 15k skate race, all finishing in the top 20 of a strong field. Garrott Kuzzy placed 8th, Brian Gregg 13th, and Bryan Cook 17th. The CXC women’s 10k skate race was also successful. Caitlin Compton swept the field with a 17-second lead over the next finisher, earning her fist victory of the season in a very competitive field. Kristina Owen also had a solid race finishing 20th, and Jojo Winters finished 23rd. Maria Stuber and Heather Zimmerman did not race and are resting up for the following competitions this upcoming weekend.

Due to the lack of snow in Whistler, the Canadian NorAms scheduled at the 2010 Olympic Nordic venue have been moved east to Silver Star. The CXC Team will stay put in their Youth Hostel digs to enjoy the ample amount of snow and prepare for another weekend of racing in British Columbia. All of the athletes and teams are exercising extreme flexibility during these first few weekends of Continental Cup racing; flexibility that is in travel, lodging, and race venues.

Complete results at http://www.zone4.ca/

Caitlin Compton