GRP Skiers on the Podium at Day One and Two of SuperTour Finals

Last Updated: 23.Mar.2016

With the final races of the 2015-2016 season at home in Craftsbury, the GRP skiers are almost finished with their long racing season. Craftsbury is playing host this week to SuperTour Finals and Long Distance Nationals and welcoming elite skiers from domestic clubs all over the US as well as U.S. Ski Team members who just wrapped up their final World Cup races in Canada a little over a week ago.

The races kicked off Monday with 10/15k freestyle individual starts. The women raced 3 laps of a grueling 3.4k course that climbed Moss Run and Screamin' Mimi. Conditions were fast and the GRP women had solid results, with Ida taking 6th place on the SuperTour podium, +1:27.8. Caitlin Patterson was only 5 seconds behind in 7th, and Kaitlynn Miller and Liz Guiney finished 12th and 14th, respectively. Hallie Grossman was next in 32nd, and Heather Mooney finished 37th.

The following day was a classic sprint, and the GRP women improved on their results from the previous day. In the qualifier all 6 women made the heats, Ida leading the way in 2nd, Liz Guiney 4th, Kaitlynn Miller 6th, Heather Mooney 7th, Caitlin Patterson 11th, and Hallie Grossman squeaking into the heats in 30th. Caitlin and Hallie raced the first quarterfinal, and Caitlin advanced via a lucky loser position in 3rd while Hallie took 6th to finish 30th on the day. Liz and Heather placed 2nd and 3rd in the second quarterfinal, and Liz advanced with Heather finishing her day in 13th. In the third quarterfinal, Kaitlynn Miller took 2nd to advance, and Ida won the fourth quarterfinal, also moving to the semifinals. Liz was the only GRP skier in the first semifinal, where she placed 4th, good for 7th overall. In the second semi Ida took 3rd which netted her a lucky loser spot into the final, and Kaitlynn and Caitlin took 4th and 5th which placed them 8th and 10th on the day. In the A Final Ida battled it out with her USST teammate Jessie Diggins and crossed the line in 2nd place!

SuperTour Finals continues Thursday with a mixed club relay and then the races conclude Saturday with 30/50k classic mass starts. All results are available on the Craftsbury SuperTour website, www.supertourfinals.com.

Women's podium in the classic sprint (Photo Reese Brown/SIA)

Ida charging up Moss Run in her semifinal heat (photo Reese Brown/SIA)

Caitlin Patterson in the 10k freestyle individual (Photo John Lazenby)