Americans Andy Newell and Ida Sargent christened Frozen Thunder with a pair of gold medals in the first classic sprint race of the year, but several strong Canadian results kept local coaches happy at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Friday (Oct. 24).
Implementing a wild “king’s court” style of racing which gave each athlete three tough head-to-head races, the race was one of a kind. After a sprint qualifier, all 118 athletes (men, women, juniors, etc.) were slotted into heats of four based on times. In the heats, instead of elimination rounds, the two fastest skiers would move up a category, while the two slowest would move down. In total, 96 heats were organized, with a race running every 30 seconds.
The result was several unconventional matchups, as world cup-calibre women chased down young male skiers.
Perianne Jones whooped her share of junior men en route to a women’s silver medal in the sprints. As the top Canadian woman, Jones looked strong through all of her heats, and the world cup medallist has overcome a blood illness that derailed her for much of last season.
“This day last year I booked a ticket to Mexico because I was really tired. I’m feeling a lot better,” Jones said. “It was really positive today.”
The conditions were fast and suited for sprinters like Jones, who loved the event.
“It was a great day and a great race. I can’t believe they pulled off 96 heats in an hour and a half. It all went so smoothly. It’s a huge effort to do a heat every 30 seconds. In a regular race, we can’t get one every 15 minutes,” Jones said.
She lined up against junior men Caelan McLean, Thomas Manktelow and Maks Zechel in her final heat, and said she was definitely pushed by the younger men.
“I just tried to ski smooth and powerful. It was fun to be there with the boys. It adds a different element. I was talking to my sports psychologist John Coleman and mentioned the nerves aren’t quite the same when you’re lined up against a bunch of boys than a bunch of girls. It gave me an opportunity to follow some boys and work on my strengths,” Jones said.
Last season, Jones was limited to a handful of races due to illness, and will have to race her way onto the world cup this year.
“The plan is to race more. I’ll still go by feel, but I’ll head over to Europe in mid-November.”
Classic sprints are her strength, but she also wants to race a few distance events this year as well.
First year senior Dahria Beatty won bronze, and she also wants to start pushing for world cup starts. She edged out Heidi Widmer in her final sprint for the medal. Alysson Marshall finished sixth to round out the top Canadians.
“The qualifier went really well for me. I was focused on skiing a smooth race. I executed that well and surprised myself with a third in the qualifier. Everyone’s lungs are burning getting racing again,” Beatty said.
Newell and last year’s winner, Dakota Blackhorse von-Jess, battled it out for most of the day, and finished on the top two podium spots. Swiss skier Inniger Mathias finished third.
Devon Kershaw was the top Canadian male, and had a good battle with Jess Cockney in the final race of the day. Cockney had a strong day, qualifying in second place, and was happy with his results. Len Valjas finished third.
“It’s a crazy format. Congrats to the organizers for pulling it off,” Cockney said. “I’m a little apprehensive about speed right now, but it’s a good indicator that things are going well.”
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