Michaud takes bronze

by Staff Aroostook Republican
16 years ago

    TRUCKEE, Calif. – The sun was high in the ski and the excitement was palpable at the opening day of the 2009 Cross-Country Junior Olympics.      Earlier this month four hundred of the country’s best junior ski racers gathered at the Auburn Ski Club at top of Donner Pass to try their hand at the 1 kilometer freestyle sprint race. 
    Maine Winter Sports Center skier and Fort Kent native Nick Michaud had high expectations for the day but was not feeling his best during the morning qualification round: “I felt really tired in the morning and was feeling the effects of racing at 7,000 feet.  It was harder to breathe and my muscles were really fatigued.” 
    The effort was still good enough to earn him the 11th fastest qualifying time and a spot in the afternoon 6-person quarterfinal heats.  “Going into the afternoon, I knew I could get out off the line fast just relax until reaching the final climb,” Michaud recalled. 
    His strategy worked and he gained confidence throughout the day. 
    He breezed through the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to advance to the A finals.  “During the finals, I was right where I wanted to be going into the final 200 meters,” Michaud said.  Heading into the final 100 meters of the course Michaud was even with Erik Bjornsen of Winthrop, Washington. 
    With the finish line in sight, fellow New England team member Ethan Dreissigacker made a bold move in the outside lane to overtake both Michaud and Bjornsen for the race win. 
    In the final meters, Bjornsen pulled ahead of Michaud by a ski length.  Michaud won the bronze, about a second from the winning effort. 
    “I am really excited about the race,” Michaud said, “going into today I didn’t think I could hang with these guys but now I know I can ski with them.” 
    Nine other Maine athletes and several Maine Winter Sports Center athletes qualified for the afternoon heats and three made it to the finals.   
    These performances by Maine skiers bolstered the New England team to a victory at the national competition.