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| Marc Talbot (WIL) placed 7th today in 1:42.24. |
In Western Massachusetts this week, we were treated to balmy temperatures: they warmed our hearts and our ski hills, and only one of those is a good thing. So when I awoke this morning to the soothing pitter-patter of rain, my first thought was, “Oh, no. What about the race?”
And that seemed to be the prevailing sentiment today at Jiminy Peak for Day 1 of the Williams Carnival. Instead of scoping out the course set or the competition, coaches gathered first-thing for an enthusiastic discourse about the merits of various salt compounds and their efficacy on snow.
“Should we spread salt overtop the race track?”
“Should we salt in the track and outside the track?”
“Does rock salt have rocks?”
“Do we have more salt?”
The answers to these questions are: Yes, Yes, [left blank], Yes.
And it worked out. All of the coaches pitched-in to broadcast salt across the Whirlaway Trail, and the track held up throughout the day. The weather was overcast, but further rain held off. Once the track was under control, the major challenge was a bout of northerly headwinds during the afternoon.
Dartmouth College came away from Day 1 with a solid lead: they tallied 506 points, and UVM and Middlebury enter tomorrow's Slalom races in 2nd and 3rd positions with 427 and 413 points, respectively.
Much of Dartmouth’s lead is due to their spectacular 1-2-3 finish in the men’s race. Brian McLaughlin beat the field by more than a half-second with a combined time of 1:40.53. Thomas Woolson (1:41.10) edged Kalle Wagner (1:41.30) for second place, and — curiously — they both skied their second runs in exactly the same time: 51.53 seconds. McLaughlin’s run was also similar: 51.55 seconds.
As my coach used to say: “Consistency [and fast skiing] is key.”
The first non-Dartmouth skier across the line was Saint Michael’s College’s Guillame Grand (1:41.53) in 4th place. UNH’s Patrick Kenney was 5th in 1:42.04.
Dartmouth Men’s Head Coach Peter Dodge was pleased with the results. He and his team came into the day with a checklist of goals, and between the challenging weather and wanting to accomplish them, he was a bit anxious throughout the race.
“It was tough. I think I was pretty nervous all day,” Dodge said. “We really wanted to get some results here, to get some with a few guys missing from the field [Editor’s Note: some EISA skiers missed today’s race to compete at the contemporaneous Nor-Am series]. I was more relieved at the end of the day. I’m excited by 1-2-3, that’s awesome.”
“We kind of had a goal this year, of getting three guys qualified in the top group [for seeding at the NCAA Championships], and Brian [McLaughlin] really needed a win…I’m relieved,” Dodge said. “Like ‘Oof, wow.’ I was nervous all day.”
Dartmouth College’s women’s team also turned in a great result today, sweeping places 3-4-5. But, they were stymied by the UVM Catamounts, whose three scorers finished 1st, 2nd, and 6th. The Vermont women earned 134 points to Dartmouth’s 124.
UVM’s Paula Moltzan beat the field by more than a half-second with a combined time of 1:42.29. She bested teammate Josefine Selvaag (1:42.87) for the win. Dartmouth’s Foreste Peterson (1:42.89) fell back to third after holding a sizable lead following the first run.
Many racers today dealt with gusting headwinds during the second run: at the top of the race trail, gates were blown nearly flat by the wind. Skiing’s a sport in which many variables contribute to the outcome of a race — today was the kind of day when the wind might’ve had more of an influence than usual.
“The conditions were challenging,” Dodge said. “It turned out pretty good, but boy, you didn’t know what was going to happen. Was it going to fall apart, or the wind was going to come in, or the fog, or something. And so it was a tough day.”
Tomorrow’s forecast is much better. A high pressure system is on it’s way in and should bring some sun. More importantly, temps should plunge into the teens overnight. Check back for tomorrow's results after the SL races at Berkshire East.