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Lack of snow doesn't hamper Nordic Ski team
It might be hard to believe due to the unseasonably warm weather, but the SCSU Women's Nordic Ski team is going strong in 2002.
The Huskies are under the direction of first-year head coach Jeremy Frost. Frost graduated from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, in 1998 with a degree in exercise science and then came to SCSU where he earned his Masters in the same field. Frost is taking over head coaching duties after working with the team as a graduate assistant for two seasons.
"We've been training hard and competing regularly despite a subpar winter," Frost said. "The obvious lack of snow and warm weather has made skiing very difficult."
Due to the weather not being conducive to skiing, many meets have had to be cancelled altogether or moved to a location with more snow. This location is usually the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The Huskies have pushed on, however, and have managed to hold their own against some tough competition.
"We regularly compete against Division I, II, and III ski teams," Frost said. "All divisions are grouped together and compete for qualifying points."
SCSU skis in the Central Collegiate Ski Association-Midwest Region. Each season consists of four national qualifying meets and several pre-season and non-conference meets.
The national qualifying meets consist of a 5K Classic Style race on Saturday and a 15K Freestyle race on Sunday while points are earned based on performance in each race. Each skier's two best Classic and two best Freestyle performances are then used to rank all skiers in the region, with the top seven skiers advancing to Nationals.
This year's Husky squad is made up of five skiers: Captains Kay Adamson (Jr.) and Jaime Petsch (Jr.), Jenni Mead (So.), Jenni Lanin (Jr.), and first-year skier Rachel Norman.
The team already has three qualifying meets under their belt. Jan. 19-20 saw SCSU compete in the NMU Invite in Ishpeming, Mich. Overall the team placed sixth while individually it was Adamson leading the way with a 19th place finish in the Classic race. Adamson also placed 20th the next day in the Freestyle competition while the team tied for seventh with Carlton College.
The CCSA Invite was up next for SCSU on Jan. 26-27 in Ironwood, Mich. The Huskies took eighth in both the Classic and Freestyle races while Adamson placed 26th in Freestyle and Norman 34th in Classic.
The Gustavus Invite on Feb. 2-3 was up next for the Huskies and saw the team come in eighth once again in both races. Mead and Adamson came in 18th and 19th respectively in the Classic race. Petsch was not far behind her teammates as she placed 22nd.
"We have had solid performances from all of our skiers," Frost said. "Our captains have led the team very well while Norman has been a great addition to our team. Everyone has skied well this season and helped our team to be competitive."
The final National Qualifying meet of the season will take place Feb. 23-24 at Giants Ridge Ski Area. This meet will be followed by the National Championships which are slated for March 6-10 in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Adam Czech can be reached at: [email protected]
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