The Carleton University Nordic ski team came home from the Bates College Winter Carnival with a medal and a solid team performance.
The event, hosted by Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, is a winter carnival featuring games and large athletic competitions featuring colleges from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) as well.
Ravens fourth-year skier Colin Abbott brought home gold after securing first place in the 20-kilometre classic men’s race at the Black Mountain resort in Rumford, Maine.
In the women’s distance competition, Kendra Murray led the way for Carleton with a fourth-place finish.
The rest of the women finished in good time, achieving an overall team performance of fifth place.
Carleton finished the men’s field third overall out of the 13 colleges competing in the event.
The team’s bus broke down on the second day of competition, so they did not do as well in the shorter races.
According to Ravens skier Steffan Lloyd, most of the women missed their starts, and the men were forced to compete without race wax and preparation.
Despite initial pre-race woes, the men’s team still managed to place fourth in the category.
“Not sure what happened. We were pretty bummed but we raced one race at least,” Murray said.
She said her team fared quite well at the event, especially considering the calibre of the competition from NCAA schools, many of which were competing on full scholarships.
According to Murray, even without the scholarship motivation, the Nordic ski team has been training for the season everyday since fall—either skiing in Gatineau Park as a team, lifting weights or bracing the cold for runs.
“To race well you really have to train year-round,” she said.
Lloyd said when Gatineau Park is unavailable Mooney’s Bay is an option for recreational skiers as well.
Murray said her final year of Nordic skiing at Carleton has been fun and successful, with a few races left in her Ravens career to look forward to before passing the torch to younger athletes.
The team continues its season at the Haywood NorAm Eastern Canadian Championships in Cantley, Que. from Jan. 30-Feb. 1, before the Ontario University Athletics provincial championships take place in North Bay, Ont. from Feb. 13-15.
