Usually the ski season ends once the States races are complete. Each year a few skiers extend their season by participating in the U16 or Eastern High School qualifiers and subsequent weekend festivals, but they do so as individuals. Because the original U16 qualifier (Sassi) was cancelled this year, John Tarling will continue to work with the team (thank you John!!!) up through Saturday, February 28, the day of the combined U16 and Eastern High School qualifying race at Black Mt in Rumford. For skiers intending on skiing in the February 28 race, there will be afterschool practice the week after February vacation (along with a late van) and John will be available to wax for Merriconeag skiers on race day. As the date gets closer, we will need to know which skiers intend on extending their season for this race.
Here's a little more info about this qualifier race. Nothing unexpected for the older kids, but news for the U16s ...
The U16 kids will ski in the same races as the older Eastern High School kids, so they'll do the 5k classic in the morning and the 5k freestyle pursuit in the afternoon. They will pull the results apart by age-class after the race. This will allow the U16 skiers the opportunity to qualify for both the U16 Championship Team and Eastern High School Team simultaneously and will also allow the organizers to pick a more balanced team by testing both their skate and classic ability.
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