Anders Hanson represents Craftsbury Nordic at Junior Nationals in Stowe
Anders striding it out in the 5k Classic Individual at Trapp Family Lodge for Junior Nationals
Last Updated: 15.Mar.2014
There was a lot of action just down the road in Stowe last week for Junior Nationals. JN’s are the culmination of the season for many junior skiers, and for some, the first time all season they will get the chance to race against skiers from all over the country: Alaska, the West Coast, the Rocky Mountains, the Midwest, you name it, they’ll be there! Just in case you missed out on the jam-packed week of racing, here’s our recap of the races. For Craftsbury Nordic, Anders Hanson represented the team in the U16 boy’s category. Anders qualified 5th for U16’s in the New England division, but NE is known to do very well at Junior Nationals especially in the younger age categories, so he was ready for some competitive finishes.
Day 1- 5k Individual Classic
Trapp Family Lodge had great mid-winter conditions all week, especially for March. On the classic day, Monday the 3rd, conditions were perfect albeit cold! Anders had a solid race in the 5k placing 14th, just 7 seconds from All-American. The New England U16 boys had a great day placing 5 in the top 15. Top honors for the day went to Zach Williams of Intermountain and Forrest Hamilton from nearby Mansfield Nordic took 3rd.
Day 2- Classic Sprint
Two days later, everyone geared up for classic sprints. The course started in the main field at Trapp’s, twisted through the nearby clearing, and then headed up a steep hill to finish on a notoriously hard uphill slope towards the line. Anders qualified in 9th which put him in a great position for the heats. Unfortunately he just missed a top two automatic qualifying spot in his quarterfinal. The other heats were just a little bit faster, so he wasn’t able to snag lucky loser, but finished 13th overall on the day. Forrest Hamilton took the victory in the A Final, and Anders was the 3rd U16 for New England.
Day 3- 5k Mass Start Skate
The U16 boy’s 5k mass starts are known to be the hairiest mass starts around, and this one did not disappoint. A huge crash on the first sweeping left-hand turn took out much of the field. Luckily Anders was able to fight his way through the crowd and take another 13th. There were ten finishers within ten seconds directly following Anders, so he must have skied quickly in the last stretch to fend them off!
Day 4- 3x3k Relay
The relay day may be the most exciting day of Junior Nationals. For the girls the glitter and ribbons come out, and while the guys might not dress up, they do get down to business. Anders was the scramble leg for NE-2, the 2nd New England U16 team. He skied well to tag teammate Adam Glueck in 6th, well within contact with the leaders. Adam moved the team up to 5th and Calvin Bates was able to take over 4th place by the finish. The NE-1 team took 3rd place just ahead of them, making a great one-two punch for the New England boys.
Congrats to Anders on a great week and some really consistent finishes. Junior Nationals is a great experience, and in Anders’ words, “racing against all these amazing athletes has been such a privilege and an honor.” We couldn’t agree more, and can’t wait for next March to see how all the best juniors stack up. Make sure to check out results on Summit Timing!