Nordic skiers brave tough conditions

The Sisters Outlaws' Nordic Ski team braved windy conditions at the Oregon High School Nordic Organization Teacup Skate Race, held at the Teacup Lake Nordic Center near Mt. Hood on Saturday, January 14.

Courtney Blust finished with the highest place of the day for the Outlaws, finishing thirteenth among 94 finishers, in 16:38. Emily Hyde, of Summit, once again dominated the rest of the field, with a winning time of 13: 45.

Amity Calvin saw action for the first time this season and performed very well, placing twentieth in 17:39.

"Amity's performance says a lot about her athletic ability and mental toughness," said Coach Tom Blust. "She double-poled the entire race, which is remarkable."

Elena Saldi completed the scoring for Sisters by finishing in the top half of the field in 45th place in a time of 20:09.

Summit captured the team race with 12 points, followed by Redmond with 25 and Bend with 28. Sisters finished sixth with 68 points.

On the boys side, Devon Calvin paced the Outlaws with a 17th-place finish among 85 finishers, in a time of 14:01. Freshman Seth Roy made a big jump in the standings from his first race, finishing 61st with a time of 21:49.

Lead skier Mason Calmettes missed the meet due to a slight knee injury.

Nick St. Clair, of Summit, remained undefeated for the season, winning the race in 11:35 to lead the Storm to the team title with just seven points. Bend finished second with 22, followed by Hood River with 26. Sisters placed seventh among the 10 teams.

The Outlaws return to action on Saturday, January 28, where Blust expects his team to exhibit its continual improvement.

"Our kids realize now how tough the competition in the league is this year and they have been working really hard," he said. "I think the team has the potential for a strong finish to the season if we can recover from our early season injuries and illness."