GRP Skiers Race at SuperTour Opener, West Yellowstone
Caitlin Patterson racing the sprint qualifier in West Yellowstone (Photo TokoUS)
Last Updated: 01.Dec.2014
This past weekend marked the beginning of the 2014-15 race season for the GRP skiers who traveled to West Yellowstone, Montana for the USSA SuperTour Opener. Racing action began on Friday with a freestyle sprint on a firm and fast course. Six GRP athletes finished in the top 30 to earn spots in the quarterfinal heats. For the men’s race, Alex Schulz qualified in 9th, Gordon Vermeer in 17th, and Alex Howe in 20th. For the women, Caitlin Patterson qualified in 5th, Elizabeth Guiney in 26th, and Kaitlynn Miller in 30th. The men’s qualifier was a tight race with all top-30 skiers finishing within 10 seconds of each other. Peter Hegman finished in 34th and was less than one second from qualifying. Andrew Dougherty and Jake Barton raced to 45th and 48th place respectively.
Patterson was the only GRP skier to move on from the quarterfinals. She advanced through the semifinals to the B-final where she crossed the line second in her heat, which placed her in 8th overall. Following the quarterfinals Schulz finished the day in 14th, Howe in 22nd, Vermeer in 28th, Guiney in 29th, and Miller in 30th.
The following day was the 10/15K individual start freestyle race. The women started first and raced two laps of the 5K course. Patterson posted the best GRP result of the day with a 4th place finish. Guiney had a strong race finishing in 14th. Miller placed 38th. In the men’s 15K race Barton finished in 33rd, Hegman in 35th, Howe in 39th, Vermeer in 41st, Dougherty in 45th, and Schulz in 58th.
After a few training days in West Yellowstone, the GRP skiers are headed to Bozeman for the second weekend of SuperTour racing at Bohart Ranch.
Sprint Results:
Distance Results: