Last Updated: 29.Nov.2015

Proving that first race jitters are no barrier to success, GRP skier Ida Sargent fought her way  to 7th place in the opening classic sprint of the World Cup season. She also competed in two other races this weekend as part of the Ruka Triple Mini-Tour in Kuusamo, Finland. Back in the states, 5 GRP skiers opened their season in West Yellowstone, MT, finding success in the freestyle sprint and distance race.

Kuusamo, Finland World Cup
Sargent squeaked into the rounds (top 30) in Friday’s classic sprint qualification, and from there her results only improved. She placed 3rd in her quarterfinal heat behind Norwegian powerhouse sprinters Maiken Caspersen Falla and Ingvild Oestberg, which advanced her to the semifinals as a lucky loser. In her semifinal she again placed 3rd, but just missed another lucky loser spot for the A Final. 7th place is her best individual finish since last year’s sprint in Kuusamo, where she placed 5th. On Saturday, Sargent took 68th in the 5k freestyle individual, and then moved up to 44th in the 10k classic pursuit Sunday. Next weekend the World Cup moves to Lillehammer, Norway for a skiathlon and relay. All World Cup results are available on www.fis-ski.com, and video recaps can be seen on www.crosscountryski.us.

West Yellowstone USSA SuperTour
Meanwhile, the USSA SuperTour kicked off in West Yellowstone with the traditional freestyle sprint and distance races. All 5 GRP skiers made the top 30 rounds on Friday; in the women’s race Liz Guiney qualified 9th, Caitlin Patterson 18th, Kaitlynn Miller 21st, and Heather Mooney 28th. Patterson was the sole GRP woman to advance to the semifinals, where she placed 6th, good for 12th overall. Guiney ended up 14th after taking 3rd in her heat, Miller was 18th, and Mooney 24th. The best result of the day came from Alex Howe, making it all the way to the A Final of the men’s sprint after skiing to 14th in qualification. He ended up 6th in the A Final, following a slight tangle in the bottom section of the course. In Saturday’s 10k/15k freestyle, it was Caitlin Patterson with the top GRP result of the day in 6th place, 15 seconds off the podium. Liz Guiney and Kaitlynn Miller finished within 5 seconds of each other in 17th and 18th, respectively, and Heather Mooney took 47th. In the men’s 15k, Alex Howe took 36th. Next weekend the SuperTour moves to Sun Valley, ID for a classic sprint and 10k/15k mass start classic. Results from this weekend’s race are up on the West Yellowstone Ski Festival website.