Coach Karl encouraging his athletes. He provided fast skis with base structure fit for the sticky snow conditions.
2021 Junior Skate Race at Teacup - by Sophie Corkran
Teacup Nordic and Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF) held a skate race at Teacup this past Sunday.
There was fresh snow with a temperature right around freezing which made for nice racing conditions. The forecast said rain but luckily the weather stayed pleasant during the event. We were glad to stay dry unlike the last race at Mt. Bachelor!
The course was in no way easy; it featured a difficult climb up Revenge and very few chances to recover. The single lap race (3.3k) was done by U12s and U14s. U16s did two laps of the course (6.6k) and U18s/U20s/seniors completed 3 laps (10k). A few college athletes (in the senior category) participated, giving Teacup racers the chance to witness and ski beside athletes of a higher level.
Liam - U12
Liam had a great race, placing 1st of the U12 boys. He beat his nearest competitor by almost a full minute! When asked if he would have wanted to race another lap, Liam thought maybe, but then said he already used up all of his energy while going up Revenge.
Anneka - U14
Anneka gave her all in the 3.3k race. She felt strong going down Spruce and kept pushing herself all the way up Revenge. Although tired, she stayed quick after the top of the hill and powered her way to the finish. Anneka said that she could have gone up Revenge even faster, but she still laid down a great effort. She placed 2nd for the U14 girls.
Kailua - U14
Kailua was happy with her performance in the single lap race. She passed many others all throughout the course and skied powerfully. Kailua said that she felt good going up Revenge, and continued strongly to the finish, placing 1st for the U14 girls.
Catcher - U16
Although Catcher specializes in long endurance races, he still had a strong race on a mere 6.6k course. On his second time up Revenge, he felt his strongest going over the top. He liked latching on to other skiers and keeping up with them. Catcher said that he executed his race strategy well; he saved up his energy to power over Revenge. He placed 1st of the U16 boys.
Fergus - U16
Fergie skied his race powerfully, especially on the first time up Revenge. He said that while climbing up, he was able to close gaps between himself and other racers ahead of him. His favorite part of the course was descending down Spruce, recovering before the big hill. Although he claimed that he may have gone too hard on his first lap, he still had a strong finish, placing 2nd for the U16 boys.
Ben - U18
Although Ben had been keeping track of the time before his race, he just barely missed his start. However, he only became more motivated to catch the others in front of him as soon as he got going. Ben said that he enjoyed the bottom of Mountain View where he turned onto Hood River Road and kept up his speed. He had a fast finish and placed 1st for the U18 boys.
Sophie C - U18
Sophie had one of her strongest race efforts to date. Although she couldn’t keep up with competitors in the senior and U20 age groups, seeing them ski by motivated her to maintain a fast tempo, especially up Revenge. Sophie felt strongest her first time up Revenge, as well as on the final stretch to the finish, where she used up the rest of her energy. She placed 1st of the U18 girls.
Sophie K - U18
Sophie maintained her tempo on each of the three laps. She kept up her speed over the top of Revenge and continued steadily on the Mt. View loop to Tea Time. Although she said her downhills could have been better, she put down a strong effort, especially during her three times climbing up Revenge. Sophie placed 4th in the U18 girls category.
Fortunately, MBSEF and Teacup are working together on creating more racing opportunities. It’s been exciting to hold events at Mt. Hood, so by staying cautious about Covid-19, racing like this can continue safely.
A big thanks to Noel and Leif for designing and setting up such a fun and challenging course! Also, we appreciate MBSEF for timing and helping organize the event.
To all parents or other Teacup skiers with photography skills: Please help get some decent pictures of Teacup athletes racing if you can! As you can see, we’ve had some trouble! We’re pretty sure we ski better than we look in the photos!
