Skiers pierce darkness at Hoodoo race

The Sisters Outlaws hosted the annual Hoodoo Night Race Thursday, February 17, as the finale for the regular Oregon High School Nordic season.

Nordic skiing is a challenging sport even on a good day, so racing at night under the glow of distant light and a few lanterns adds an extra sense of adventure and risk.

"This event has become a favorite for the OHSNO teams and provided the best overall competition of the season thus far," said Coach Tom Blust.

The four-kilometer course began outside the back doors of the main lodge at Hoodoo and skiers made two loops on a counterclockwise oval out toward the bunny hill and then back around to the south.

"It was a challenging course with quite a bit of climbing," said Blust. "Overall I thought our kids raced very well."

Courtney Blust made a big push on the second loop of the girls' race to move up to fifth place as the Outlaws' top finisher. She finished in 17:57.9 behind overall winner Sarah McKenzie of Redmond, who skated through the course in 16:41.8. Riley Barrett came through in 23:23.1, placing 37th, while Elena Saldi stopped the clock at 26:31.2 for 46th place. A total of 67 girls took part in the race.

Amity Calvin, typically among the top finishers, did not race due to illness.

Reitler Hodgert of Summit nearly melted the snow in blazing to first place in the boys' race in 13:03.3. Mason Calmettes (15:28.8) and Alex Yinger (15:32.9) placed 12th and 15th respectively in a very competitive field. Devon Calvin placed 25th (16:48.4), Erik Lund 46th (20:14.7) and Jared Schneider 51st (21:06.7) among 61 racers.

"The evening was perfect," said Tom Blust. "After the warm weather we've faced through the last weeks, everyone felt elation that we not only had new snow and cold temperatures, but a full moon coming up."

Blust gives Hoodoo a lot of credit in making the event such a success.

"The Hoodoo staff does a great job in having everything ready for us. We are truly grateful for their generosity and support."

Participating schools included Corvallis, Crescent Valley, Summit, Bend, Redmond, Hood River, Cleveland, and Franklin, as well as Mountain View, which is a non-OHSNO team.

The Outlaws conclude the season with the state championships February 25 and 26 at Mt. Bachelor.