March 2023

The Junior Race Team spent most of the month split between two championship weeks; Junior Nationals in Fairbanks Alaska, and Eastern High School Championships in Ripton Vermont In Vermont the JRT stepped up big time. It was a whirlwind of a week with 5 races in only 3 days leaving no time for respite. Notably Abigail Van Dorn had a 20th ranking after all of the racing was done

The crew at Nationals who eventually became withered by the below freezing temperatures still came out inspired and motivated from the week. Maybe lessons learned here from the Inupiaq about how to survive in the extremes of the Alaskan Interior Breathtaking views of the Aurora Borealis and education of native culture highlighted the week’s adventures. The top results had to be gained in a tough battle setting where the slow snow required constant pace adjustment to maintain speed. This entire group should be proud of their effort and “ pro ” mentality - all accomplished on the last day without a coach (who was smitten by stomach virus) Top results were Sophia Kelting placing 12th in the skate sprint & 17th in classic distance. Daven Linck was 32nd, and Andrew Scanio 22nd in skate distance.