Nordic skiers begin competitive season

Unlike the past two seasons with scarce snowfall, the 2016 high school Nordic ski season got off to a good start with plentiful snow and scores of participants at the Teacup Race held near Mount Hood on Saturday, January 9.

The Sisters Outlaws, a small but mighty contingent totaling six athletes, fared quite well overall among a total of nearly 150 skiers.

Shayla Curtis turned in the top performance for the Sisters girls, finishing in 22nd place with a time of 24:32 for the five-kilometer course.

Serena Salisbury finished close in 24th place in 24:50, while Anna Bartlett, in her first race, placed 41st in 26:33, 13 seconds ahead of her teammate Engracia Diez, who placed 44th among the 81 female finishers.

Gemma Munck of Bend High School won the race in 18:21.

For the boys, TJ Hooks and Jordan Pollard stuck close together in the middle of the pack, finished in 22:41 and 22:48 respectively for 39th and 40th places.

Thomas Schoderbek of Summit cruised to the win among males in 15:08.

Coach Kelly Crowther felt satisfied overall with the effort and performance of his squad.

"Serena skied an outstanding race, double-poling the majority of the course to propel her to her best finish yet, and Anna had a great career opener at Teacup," he said. "She was sitting in the middle of the pack, so I'm expecting her to be significantly faster by the end of the season."

He added, "TJ has greatly improved since last year and the extra time he has put into skiing during winter break is showing through in the first race. Both Jordan and TJ will be competitive with each other this year."

Weather on race day was nearly ideal, according to Crowther.

"The course began with a moderate climb out of the stadium and descended into three kilometers of rolling terrain and ended with a 500-meter steep hill that every racer herringboned up. Kick-waxing was straightforward, with temperatures hovering in the high 20s and light snow, allowing for great kick and glide," he said.

Athletes from Hood River Valley, Summit, Bend, Ridgeview, Saint Mary's Academy, Corvallis, Cleveland, Catlin Gabel, Redmond Proficiency Academy, and Sisters High School took part in the meet.

The next race for the Outlaws is scheduled for January 23 at Mt. Bachelor. It will be a skate race.

The Outlaws will host their first meet since 2013 at Hoodoo, sponsored by Arbor Builders, on the evening of Thursday, February 18. The course starts just outside the lodge and is conducted under lights, making it a unique experience for all the racers.