PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The New England cross country skiing community arrived at the Nordic Heritage Center to test their mettle over the deep Aroostook County snow. When the final rounds of Saturday’s sprint competition came to a close under the lights, the athletes of the Stratton Mountain School stood out at the top of the podium.
In the qualification round for the 1.1km skate sprint, Stratton’s Sophie Caldwell proved she was the one to beat by posting the fastest time.
She was followed to the line by Maine Winter Sports Center’s Beth Ann Chamberlain (Caribou) and Hilary McNamee (Fort Fairfield).
In the men’s qualification, Doug Debold, of the Green Mountain Valley School posted the fastest time. Caleb Lucy (Mt. Washington Nordic Club) and Dylan McGuffin (University of New Hampshire) earned second and third start spots.
The Maine Winter Sports Center’s Joey Bard (Woodland) qualified fourth.
In the heats, the women held true to qualification, with Caldwell, Chamberlain, McNamee and Stratton’s Megan Killigrew easily advancing through the quarterfinals and semifinals.
When the four finally met in the final, Caldwell took the lead and never relinquished her hold on the gold.
Chamberlain made a gutsy bid to pass in an early corner and paid for it with a fall that relegated her to fourth.
In the final climb, McNamee was the only competitor able to match Caldwell’s pace, and the two finished in just that order with Killigrew taking third.
In the men’s heats, Debold was never challenged. MWSC’s Bard looked like he also had the speed to control his rounds, until he faltered in the semifinals and ran out of real estate in the finish lanes, he was pushed into the B final.
In the end, Debold crushed the field with a convincing sprint at the finish. Clarkson University’s Matt Delaney finished second, with Chase Marston, of the Stratton Mountain School, taking third.
Bard easily outpaced the other competitors in the B Final to finish fifth on the day.
He was somewhat philosophical about the result.
“Yeah, I made a mistake there in the semis,” Bard explained. “I thought I could coast until the final hill and then pass when I was ready. There just wasn’t any room to get by. But, that’s how you learn. In the B Final, I was just mad. I wanted to show what I can do.”
Stratton athletes Bridger Tyler and Austin Cobb took first and third in the boys’ J2 category, with MWSC’s Nick Michaud (Fort Kent) fourth.
The girls’ J2 race was won by Gage Fitcher, of Stratton.
