It’s always a little tough to choose the skiers of the week
for the first race. As coaches you know and hope that this will not be the
fastest the athletes will be and many of them are a little rusty having done
only time trials and intervals.
Despite this early season struggle there were some good
performances that are worth of Skier of the Week!
The first individual has struggled for the past few years to
have a season that is not dominated by illness. In fact seeing her get two
races together healthy has often been a goal. Despite this she has been one of
our best skiers. This season she has a slightly smaller school schedule and the
lifting of that load has been beneficial to her ski racing thus far this
season.
For the first set of races Yara Thomas came out of the start
like a thing possessed and just kept gaining speed as she went. She dominated
the USCSA field in both the 5km skate and the 5km classic races. Not only did
she dominate the USCSA field but she managed to fight her way to wins over NCAA
Division I racers. There was just not much that could stop her and we hope this
is an indication of what’s to come for this season!
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| Mason at the MSU Invitational |
Mason Vincent spent the summer and fall dedicated to training
and it showed in the first race of the season. In the 5km skate he worked to a
solid USCSA win in front of his teammate. He also posted some very good USSA
points in that race 110.76. A super great day which was only to get better!
In the 5km classic mass start Mason was at his best. Calmly
working his way up through the field until he grabbed hold of the lead pack,
dominated by CU, DU and UNM skiers. He held strong and finished within a minute
of the win for his best USSA points EVER, breaking the 100 point barrier for
only the second time in UW history with a 97.4! All this was accomplished by
staying poised and not panicking and STRONG skiing. We know there is more in
future races for Mason but a sub 100 point race is impressive no matter what
happens!
YOU ROCK OUR WORLD!
