The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Durgan, Smith on pace for Junior Nationals
It was a long break from action for the Crested Butte Nordic Team (CBNT) and while in years past training waned during the holidays, this year was different.
“It was the best training and the best turnout I’ve ever had over the Christmas break,” says CBNT head coach Duncan Callahan. “The kids stayed fit, got healthy and stayed healthy.”
Six CBNT skiers jumped back into racing mode last weekend when they headed to Steamboat Springs Friday and Saturday, January 13-14, for the third and fourth Junior National Qualifier races in Rocky Mountain Nordic.
Competitors were put to the test with a hard course but the CBNT skiers rose to the challenge with a couple of podium finishes when the weekend was done.
Forrest Smith and Prawit Durgan continue to battle each other, as well as their opponents, in the J2 races. The last time the two teammates raced Durgan placed second and third over the two days in Crested Butte, with Smith right behind him.
In Steamboat, the two skiers traded places as Smith placed third on Friday in the five-kilometer skate race, with Durgan seven-tenths of a second behind him in fourth.
The two lined up for the mass start five-kilometer classic race on Saturday and finished exactly the same. Smith looked to reel in the leaders early and Durgan remained steady the whole race as the two finished third and fourth again.
“It was really cool and great to see Forrest on the podium again,” says Callahan. “Those guys are really pushing each other and having fun doing it.”
J1 racers Sophia Deer and Sara Sherman are following the same pattern, playing off each other in every race. Deer led the charge in the five-kilometer skate race Friday finishing 18th with Sherman coming in 19th and the two traded spots on Saturday in the 7.5-kilometer classic race.
The two stayed together for most of the race until Sherman punched it to the finish line in the home stretch to take 18th with Deer coming in 19th place.
“They both skied solid,” says Callahan.
Meanwhile, J3 CBNT athlete Kai Sherman continues to dominate his age class, winning the 2.5-kilometer skate race by 30 seconds on Friday and then winning the 2.5-kilometer classic race on Saturday by 40 seconds.
“We’re talking about racing him up a class,” says Callahan.
J3 skier Benjamin Swift made his first trip as a part of the CBNT team and had a banner weekend, placing 13th out of 26 racers on both days.
“I was stoked and he was stoked with how he skied,” says Callahan. “He was charging and his classic stride was fantastic. We’re starting to see him develop gears instead of just slow and fast.”
The CBNT stays at home to take part in the town race series this coming weekend and then head to the Mecca of Nordic skiing, Soldier Hollow for a Super Qualifier. The Soldier Hollow event brings in more than 600 skiers from across the West to ski the same courses built for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Furthermore, it will be the same venue as the Junior Nationals in March, giving the CBNT skiers a preview of the course.
“It’s a big deal, it’s awesome,” says Callahan.
