Nipissing Nordic wraps up at Nationals
Nipissing Nordic represented at the Canadian National Ski Championships last week in Whistler, British Columbia, with five races staged over the week-long competition.
Racing on courses from the 2010 Olympics translated into lung burning climbs and fast, technical descents, while the mountain weather had conditions changing from icy mornings to slushy afternoons. Racers were challenged by the best skiers the country has to offer, with the National Team returning after the last World Cups of the season, joined by racers from the United States, Japan, Switzerland and Norway on some inspiring West Coast terrain.
On the men’s side, teammates Matt Chalmers and Kevin Durkee started their week out with the CCUNC team sprint relay, holding on to the lead pack for the first of six legs, before fading to an 11th place finish among the varsity teams. In the next day’s middle distance skate races, Chalmers and Durkee placed 28th and 30th respectively, with Lynsey Bialkowski coming in 29th among CCUNC women.
The skiers were beaten up pretty badly by the Olympic-level course in the middle distance classic races, with Chalmers putting in the team’s best result, ranked 23rd on the varsity side and 106th against the country’s best, plus skiers from the United States and NCAA schools. Durkee pulled the plug on his race early, and Bialkowski struggled to the finish line for 84th overall place in difficult, slushy conditions.
The team missed advancing athletes to the heats in the sprint races, with qualifying times short of making the top 30 overall. The team regrouped and steeled itself against the demanding competition and trails for the marquee event of the competition: the long distance mass start. The varsity men pulled together a respectable performance in what would be their last ski race of the season, with Chalmers and Durkee trading leads in a small chase pack, clocking 1.29.18 and 1.30.02 to finish 35th and 36th respectively in the junior men’s 30km race. The team will now rest for the month of April before starting training for next year’s races, aiming for big results when Nipissing University hosts the OUA Championships.