Prep ski: Snow, skiers drift to Colony High School

Jan. 7, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

PALMER - The high school cross-country skiing season in the Valley got off to a cold, fast start Friday and Saturday at Colony High School.

Thirteen teams from across the state participated in the Mat-Su Pursuit sprint races that have been cut out of the regular season more often than not in recent years because of poor snow conditions.

&#8220It seems like we haven't had it more than we have the past few years,” Colony coach Mark Strabel said.

There was no chance of that happening this time around, as heavy snowfall has left ski trails in optimal shape.

"It's nice to have snow for once," Strabel said.

Although skiers have been in action for nearly two months, the Colony races were the first contested in the Valley this season.

Despite the good snowfall, weather did play a role in the weekend races, as some events Friday afternoon had to be shortened or canceled altogether because of temperatures hovering near the cut-off line of 4 degrees below zero.

"It is a little chilly," Strabel pointed out.

That chill didn't dampen the enthusiasm of skiers, who jostled and fought through each round of sprints. Friday's racing featured team relay races, while Saturday was reserved for individual sprint races.

Soldotna's Kailey Mucha took home the top spot in the girls individual sprints, with Colony's Erin Skvorc posting the top Valley finish in 10th position. Skvorc's Colony teammate, Emily Dougherty finished in 12th.

Palmer's girls had a good day as well, getting nine skiers in the top-40.

Jae Lynch finished in 28th place to lead the Wasilla girls.

On the boys side Saturday, Susitna Valley High School's Galen Johnson was the overall winner, coming from behind to edge Colony's Ryan VanGorder and Kenai's Chris Hall at the finish line.

Colony's Mason Wick also posted a solid individual finish, grabbing eighth place, while Palmer's Brian Senta claimed 11th. Baruch Chamberlain was the top finisher from Wasilla High School, placing 25th.

Following the race, both Johnson and VanGorder said the close quarters provided by the short, 1-kilometer track at Colony, made for some interesting races.

&#8220This was just a free-for-all,” Johnson said after the boys final.

There were a couple tie-ups along the way, something that's commonplace in the sprint-racing format.

&#8220There was all kinds of stuff going on out there,” VanGorder said.

VanGorder said the wild nature of the races made for a fun weekend.

&#8220That's the thing about sprint racing, its so unpredictable,” he said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com.