SSWSC Cross Country Team dominates the last two Rocky Mountain Division Races and takes home the Colorado Cup!
Springtime in the Rockies can mean cold temperatures overnight with gradual warming through the day. The sky is, of course, blue. These were the conditions for both cross country races hosted by Team Summit at the Frisco Nordic Center on February 24 and 25.

These were the last two Rocky Mountain Nordic Junior National Qualifying Races, which gave U16 and older the final chances to qualify for USSS Cross CountryJunior Nationals held in Lake Placid, NY, March 11-16.

Race # 1 was a Freestyle Sprint, which initially entails a qualifying individual time trial and then a series of six-person heats.

In each male age class a SSWSC athlete won the competition:
MU10- Forrest Bishop- 1st, Axel Loomis- 5th
MU12- Langdon Devin- 1st
MU14- Sawyer Landers- 1st, Bode Rhodes- 5th, Conor Devin- 7th
MU16- Tristan Thrasher- 1st, Charlie Wiedel- 5th
MU18/20- Grey Barbier- 1st, Henry Magill- 2nd , Campbell McLaren- 10th

On the female side, fast skiing was also on display:
FU12- Beatrice Bishop- 1st, Annika Wiedel 3rd (Annika’s top finish this season)
FU14- Sophia Tirone- 10th
FU16- Tig Loomis- 1st, Georgia Bishop- 4th,
FU18/20- Anna Rhodes- 4th, Grace Olexa 5th, Charley Lodwick 8th, Alena Rossi 10th

Race #2 was a Mass Start Classic Race. A fast pace was seen in each race from the gun, as skiers fought for positioning. These SSWSC athletes matched their top performances from the previous day, by winning again:
Forrest Bishop- MU10
Tig Loomis- FU16
Grey Barbier- MU18/20

Additional outstanding performances included FU18/20 athlete Kiri May finishing 2nd, her best result of the season. MU16 Henry Patten needed a top ten finish to qualify for Junior Nationals, and he did it, with a 9th place.

Others notable results:
MU18/20- Henry Magill 3rd, Campbell McLaren- 4th, Jackson Menand 9th
FU18/20- Anna Rhodes- 7th, Grace Olexa- 8th
FU16- Georgia Bishop 4th, Eva Minotto- 9th
MU14- Conor Devin 3rd, Jackson McLaren- 8th, Bode Rhodes- 9th
FU14- Beatrice Bishop 2nd, Annika Wiedel- 4th, Nora Demoss- 8th

A U16 and older athlete’s four best points races out of eight possible was the benchmark for Junior National Qualification. Here is the list of SSWSC Cross Country qualifiers:
1.      Grey Barbier- MU18/20
2.      Henry Magill- MU18/20
3.      Campbell McLaren- MU18/20
4.      Jackson Menand- MU18/20
5.      Charley Lodwick- FU18/20
6.      Kiri May- FU18/20
7.      Anna Rhodes- FU18/20
8.      Grace Olexa- FU18/20
9.      Tig Loomis- FU16
10.    Georgia Bishop- FU16
11.    Eva Minotto- FU16
12.    Davis Brosterhous- FU16
13.    Shea Rossi- 1st Alternate FU16
14.    Tristan Thrasher- MU16
15.    Charlie Wiedel- MU16
16.    Henry Patten- MU16

The SSWSC Cross Country Team also won the prestigious Colorado Cup Trophy. The seasonal winner is based on cumulative points from all race finishes in all race categories. SSWSC Cross Country was up against nine other divisional clubs.