Nordic team races into 2011

The Outlaw Nordic ski team's first competition of the new year may be remembered as one of the wettest in recent years, but the team persevered and came through with some strong performances.

The first race of the new year, held at Meissner Sno-Park, featured a 5.8-kilometer classic course. The boys were spared from the downpour and Mason Calmettes had one of his best races to place 15th among 72 racers. Freshman Devon Calvin came through in 29th, followed by Erik Lund (46th) and Jared Schneider (58th).

Courtney Blust overcame the soaking rain to pace the girls' team with an 11th-place finish among 104 racers. Riley Barrett placed 42nd and Elena Saldi came in 72nd.

Ten schools took part in the meet, including Bend, Summit, Redmond, Crescent Valley, Corvallis, Grant, Cleveland, St. Mary's, Hood River and South Salem.

"It was the first classic race of the year and I thought the kids handled the course and the conditions quite well," said Head Coach Tom Blust.

On Saturday, January 22, the team raced closer to home at Hoodoo in a 5.5-kilometer classic race sponsored by Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (OISRA). Although the team turned up shorthanded due to conflicts with jazz band, SAT, and an art show, Coach Blust came away quite pleased with the results.

Conditions contrasted greatly from the previous week, with sunny skies and good snow. Amity Calvin returned to action and led the girls' team with a fourth-place finish among 63 starters. Courtney Blust also cracked the top 10, finishing seventh. Elena Saldi placed 57th.

On the boys' side, Mason Calmettes blazed to a sixth-place finish among 34 racers, while Jared Schneider placed 27th. Schools from OISRA included Mountain View, South Eugene, Ashland, North Eugene, along with Oregon High School Nordic (OHSNO) teams St. Mary's, Corvallis, Summit and Sisters. The skiers return to action January 29 at the annual Skadi Cup race at the Teacup Sno-Park near

Mt. Hood.