By Myles Brown
BIRKIE TRAILHEAD, Cable, Wisconsin — The second race of Period 1 SuperTour racing took place Saturday amidst warmer temperatures and a staggering number of junior, collegiate, and senior athletes from across the nation. The races on Saturday were a stark contrast to Thursday’s skate sprints, as conditions warmed and the course proved challenging, particularly the descents.
The fields for today’s classic sprints were not small. The women’s qualifier had 124 finishers, and the men’s just under two centuries at 199.
The range of skiers from across the country amplified the competition today in the women’s race. In the qualifier, Erica Lavén of the University of Utah was the class of the field, clocking a time of 3:17.83. Lavén was trailed by Tilde Bångman of Colorado, with a gap of a staggering 5.24 separating them over a three-minute sprint course. The margins slimmed down a bit from there, as the top-five women’s qualifiers were closed out by Nina Seemann of BSF Pro Team in third, Mariel Merlii Pulles of Team Birkie in fourth, and Midwest native Emma Albrecht of BSF Pro Team in fifth.
In the heats, icy course conditions and tricky kick situations led to close margins throughout the quarters and into the semifinal heats. In the women’s final, Lavén, the first-year student from the University of Utah, was first across the line. On the second step was Pulles, followed by Albrecht in third. The rest of the women’s six-deep SuperTour podium was rounded out by Bångman of Colorado, Seemann of BSF Pro, and Marie Sølverud Wangen of Michigan Tech.
Lavén won by a not-small 3.84 seconds over Pulles. The next three places were much closer together, with just 0.38 seconds separating Pulles in second from Bångman in fourth. Lavén is no ordinary college freshman; the 20-year-old has a World Cup start to her name (she was 40th in a classic sprint qual in March), and is a Swedish junior national champion in the skate sprint. Her decision to come to this country to ski for Utah was covered in a lengthy article in Expressen (see below).
[Read more: The skiing talent Erica Lavén about the move to the USA]
In the men’s race the pace was set in qualifying by Hugo Hinckfuss of Colorado with a time of 2:54.56. Following Hinckfuss closely was Michigan Tech alumnus and SMS T2 skier Adam Witkowski at .45 back. Luke Jager of APU and the U.S. Ski Team, Julien Locke of Nordic Pulse, and Zachary Jayne of the University of Utah and the USST rounded out the top five spots. 2.73 seconds separated the top five men in total, which was a tight margin on the men’s side.
In the final, Graham Houtsma of BSF Pro Team won in an enthralling all-out sprint with Witkowski to take the win by 0.90 seconds. The podium was rounded out with John Steel Hagenbuch of Dartmouth and the USST on the third step. Behind Steel Hagenbuch was another Michigan Tech alumnus, Reid Goble of the BSF Pro Team, followed by Garrett Butts of APU in fifth and Walker Hall of the University of Utah in sixth.
The men’s heats were again a remarkably interesting watch as the course claimed a few dreams on the day. One favorite, APU’s Luke Jager, suffered a crash in the quarters that knocked him out of contention.
Saturday’s sprint field demonstrated a strong showing of Midwestern talent as many Midwesterners, or at least athletes with ties to the Midwest, found success.
Emma Albrecht, a Minnesota native who skied for a year at Michigan Tech before transferring to Montana State, had this to say about racing back home in the Midwest on a course she grew up competing on:
“I haven’t raced in the Midwest since I was 18,” Albrecht wrote to Nordic Insights, “so coming back now as a senior racer, where skiing is my full-time job with BSF, felt both nostalgic and meaningful. It reminded me how important it is to appreciate all aspects of this sport — the privilege of having the time, health, and opportunity to ski.
“I absolutely love racing in the Midwest. The ski culture here is so unique and incredibly strong. As Midwesterners, we take a lot of pride in the amazing ski community we’ve built. This race was particularly special because I got to see so many familiar faces — old teammates from Michigan Tech and Montana State, my high school coaches from LNR, and, most importantly, my family.
“My family hadn’t been able to watch me race much during college since I was almost always out west, so hearing my mom, dad, and brothers cheer for me was something I’m not very used to — and it made the experience so much more meaningful. I even had my dog there.
“I could feel my Midwest pride with every stride as I raced each heat. While I love skiing out west in the mountains, there’s nothing quite like the warmth and support of a crowd filled with smiling friends and family. That feeling is indescribable.”
Albrecht raced in her first four World Cups last season in Canmore and is looking to make her way back this season. This momentum she is building in Cable has her hungry for another.
Another skier with Midwest roots is Michigan’s Reid Goble, the pride of Petoskey. When asked about racing back home in the Midwest, he had this to say: “I’ve been racing here since I was 13, so over a decade — which is crazy. The course has changed a lot over the years and the new FIS courses are my favorite and a lot of fun! Glad to be here with all these great skiers fighting for some podiums.” Goble, like Albrecht, found his first World Cup starts in Canmore last season (he also raced the 10km at Wirth, speaking of the Midwest) and is looking to make his way back.
Racing will continue tomorrow with a 10-kilometer interval-start skate.
You’re reading this on Nordic Insights, one man’s labor of love dedicated to publicizing American nordic skiing. Last season’s GoFundMe is literally the only reason why I turned a profit in years one and two of Nordic Insights, and in turn the only reason why there is a year three of Nordic Insights for you to be reading now: I was okay with working for very little money to get this love letter to American cross-country skiing off the ground, but I didn’t want to lose money for the privilege of doing so. If you would like to support what remains a brutally shoestring operation, last season’s GoFundMe may be found here. Thank you for your consideration, and, especially, for reading.
