Nordic Skiers pursue excellence

Amity Calvin and Courtney Blust nearly cracked the top 10 in the first pursuit race of the season for the Outlaws Nordic ski team in a OHSNO meet held at Mt. Hood Meadows on Saturday, February 12.

In pursuit racing, skiers start off with a classic leg, in this case three kilometers, followed by a skate leg, so it tends to be more demanding the a typical race.

The time and order of finish in the classic race determines the starting order for the skate portion. The "pursuit" comes in the form of racers in the skate race each pursuing the racers who beat them in the first leg. The skate portion in Saturday's race was four kilometers.

Calvin finished seventh in the classic leg, followed by Blust in 13th. Blust was able to make up time on Calvin in the pursuit portion, and the two finished close together with Calvin placing 11th overall and Blust 12th among 73 finishers.

Riley Barrett finished 41st and Elena Saldi came through in 47th.

Among the Outlaws boys, Alex Yinger and Mason Calmettes placed 16th and 18th respectively, while Devon Calvin placed 34th and Jared Schneider 46th among 50 finishers.

"The kids really put in a good effort, but had a tough day," said Coach Tom Blust. "We're all looking forward to our home meet on Thursday this week at the Hoodoo night race,"

The Hoodoo night race, a four-kilometer skate race set right outside the back doors of the main lodge, begins at 6 p.m.

"I would love to see some fans come out and cheer the kids," said Blust. "It's a really fun event to watch."