The state champs gathered for photos today up at the ski area.
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This February is on track to be the coldest in the history of recorded weather in Maine. Today, the temperatures soared above freezing, so Bailey and I got out for a terrific cross-country ski. Here's the boy resting after our run.
Most Sunday evenings the boys play indoor soccer at the high school. I'm still learning how to take photos indoors with my somewhat new camera! This day, Rasmus's team played Felix. The German boy won, 3-2.
The boys climbed out the windows to shovel the roofs, Now don't worry, they were on flat surfaces that were very stable.
The boys' team won the state championship. You won't see Rasmus and Felix in this photo below because they were finishing their jobs in the final cross-country race.
The boys and I chatted over Facebook before their final race. Can you tell that they are excited to be done?
The boys have finished two of the three races today. They stood up in both alpine races and now have only the freestyle skating race in cross-country remaining in their ski racing careers. Below is a photo from yesterday that gives you a feel of how cold it was in Presque Isle. Today, the temperatures are a bit warmer.
Even at these cold temperatures, the boys raced cross-country this afternoon. I don't have any results other than they finished safe and sound. Race at this temperature (–10 degrees F with a wind chill) will be something they'll be talking about for many years to come. Our friends the Phelps are at the race and sent me the report.
Bailey and I practiced with my new camera's timer before my first phone conference of the day. With the wind, it's –35 degrees F (and degree C) outside here, too. But, it's sunny!
High winds and dangerous temperatures caused the cancellation of today's events up north. We're experiencing the same weather all across the state. Now, the team may visit the local university's fitness center to swim, rock climb, play basketball... or, they may head over to the mall... or watch movies.. It's disappointing for everyone, but canceling was the right decision. Here are some pictures from friends up north....click to enlarge. We have our second blizzard of the season coming in today and tonight, so the ski team left one day early for the state ski meet in Presque Isle, a town in northern Maine. The boys will ski their alpine events at Big Rock Mountain. The cross-country races will be held at the World Cup venue called the Nordic Heritage Center. The kids are staying in a hotel in Presque Isle with a swimming pool and hot tub; they'll have team dinners and pizza parties and movies. Oh, and they'll race for a state championship... we wish the 5th and 6th place Mountain Valley Conference Skimeisters all good things as they enjoy their final races in America. Click photos to enlarge.
Wouldn't you know that Ben would have to work in the mill on his birthday! Connie made the cake and the boys certainly wanted to celebrate (and eat that delicious cake). Have a great year, Ben!
The Mountain Valley Boys Ski Team were co-champions of the conference championships. And the big news: Rasmus and Felix came in 5th and 6th as 4-event skiers known as skimeisters. Not too many kids ski all four events, so it's a credit to the boys that they put in the time to ski slalom, giant slalom, classic cross-country, and skate cross-country. In the way back old days, I was a skimeister. Back then, a skimeister id both alpine evens, one cross-country, and ski jumping. Here's a picture of the champion Falcons:
The boys did great at the conference ski championships. The final day of the conference competitions is tomorrow. To see the full album, just click here.
The night before the conference championship, the ski team has a spaghetti feed. Connie went with the boys and as you'll see, they had a great time. Today, I dropped the boys off at the mountain at 7:15 and they'll have two races, one alpine and one cross-country. I'm hoping my meetings (on Skype) end on time so I can see the second run of the alpine and then watch the cross-country mass start (all racers start at once). The boys will be skiing cross-county on one of the toughest 5-kilometer ski courses in the United States, the site of many national championships! Click on this sentence to see the information on today's ski race at Black Mountain of Maine.
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