Volunteers busied themselves as the sun rose warmly from the tree line. An immense amount of organization and work goes into a race, with food, timing and strategically placing kybos, pre race prep is a race in an of itself. The dedication of the racers is matched by their parents desire to improve their experience.
On Saturday at Mt Hood Meadows Nordic Center high schoolers raced in a combined 7k pursuit, with 3k on classics and then a 4k skate. Denali Emmons, a senior at HRV said, “I have always loved pursuits because they eliminate the factor of an individual being better at one discipline. The transition can be frantic, but every individual on our team stayed calm and focused when switching skis,poles, and boots.”
With high school teams like summit, St Mary’s, and Hood River Valley, the competition was heated. The boys race began at 11 with clear sky’s and 27 degrees. When the girls started at 12:30 overcast had set in, it was 24 degrees and 1 1/2 inches of fresh snow powdered the course.
Not ideal conditions but that didn’t stop them, Daisy Dolan a junior at HRV said, “It was a super tough course and really a blast to race on our home turf!”
3 of the top boys at HRV, Muir Emmons, Elkin Parker and Connor Truax placed in the top 10 and 2 of the girls: Daisy Dolan and Denali Emmons placed in the top 5.
With the generosity of the parents of HRV racers, Mt Hood Meadows Nordic Center staff, and Rosauer’s grocery store for their time and food donation the race was a success.
By Finn Peterson
Photos by David Mackintosh
Categories: News
hrvtalon.com 