US Junior Nationals – Day 1 – Classic Sprint

Day 1 at the US Junior Nationals in Soldier Hollow – Classic Sprint.

Julien was the lone qualifier today as Blackjack got our first taste of American racing this year on a short, hard 1.3k loop. Nick, Peter, and David all narrowly missed qualifying for the heats today, but were right in the mix. Nick had one of his strongest races yet, missing qualifying despite being only 14 seconds back from the leading time of the day. Peter and David are both looking forward to Wednesday’s 15k skate mass start which will suit their strengths better.

Julien qualified in 15th and advanced through his quarterfinal, placing second with some strong skiing. Feeling some fatigue in his semifinal and not having ideal skis, Julien finished 6th in his semi before placing 5th in the B-final to finish 11th overall. Conditions for waxing were tough as the day quickly warmed and not many had ideal skis for all the heats.

Jill and Susanne both skied solidly in their qualifiers, but unfortunately didn’t qualify for the heats. The girls are also excited for Wednesday’s skate race and a chance to test their distance racing chops.

Overall a mixed day for Blackjack with some skiing very well but also having the disappointment of missing the heats. Shawn sat the sprint out as his back has been bothering him lately but will be back in action Wednesday.

OJ Men: