Junior Nordic team steps it up in Soldier Hollow

“It was astonishing”

Nine athletes from the Crested Butte Junior Nordic team hit the road last weekend and headed to the Valhalla of Nordic ski racing in America, Soldier Hollow, Utah to compete in a Junior Olympics Super Qualifier event.
The JO Super Qualifier attracted 680 Nordic athletes from every region in the western United States. Results at Soldier Hollow count toward athletes’ totals as they look to qualify for Junior Nationals in Minnesota in March.
“It is a huge deal and is an incredible event,” says Crested Butte Nordic coach Duncan Callahan. “Getting out of town is always good for the kids—everything from the van ride to skiing at one of the greatest venues in the world.”
When all was said and done, it appeared that Ian Boucher may be one of the strongest J2 (ages 14-15) Nordic racers in the west, and certainly the strongest in the Rocky Mountain Nordic (RMN) division.
“They were the best races he’s ever had,” says Callahan. “I’d make the argument that he’s the top skier in all disciplines in the division.”
The event opened with a skate sprint race on Friday, January 28 that opens with a time trial sprint. From then on, skiers are seeded and must battle it out with five other skiers through heats in order to reach the finals.
Boucher qualified fifth out of the time trial and proceeded to gain speed with each heat, eventually skiing to a second-place finish, first out of all skiers from the RMN division.
“He just got stronger as the day went on,” says Callahan.
Boucher repeated his feat on day two in the five-kilometer classic race. The race is a mass start format with close to 100 athletes fanned out from the start line in a pyramid.
Due to Boucher’s rank, he started in the fifth position and immediately joined the lead pack. With one kilometer left to go, the course heads up a notoriously brutal hill and the leader made a move. Boucher came into the hill at the back of the lead pack but joined in the surge as the two skiers left the rest of the field behind by the time they reached the top.
Boucher never managed to pull the leader in but finished in second place with a time of 14 minutes, 15 seconds, first place among all skiers from the Rocky Mountain Nordic division once again.
“He’s showing some versatility,” says Callahan. “It was astonishing. He’s had a great curve throughout the season and that’s what you look for.”
Crested Butte J1 skier Hannah Smith and Callahan have decided it’s time for Smith to focus solely on classic races and she continues to climb her way closer to the top of the J1 (ages 17-18) class with an outstanding result in Soldier Hollow.
Smith had her “best race thus far” according to Callahan taking eighth place overall, sixth among RMN, in the 10-kilometer classic race posting a time of 33 minutes, 49 seconds.
The result further solidifies her spot in the Junior Nationals later this season with 12 spots open from the RMN division.
“She’s in there,” says Callahan. “She’s sitting in eighth place with one more classic race.”
 Boucher’s J2 teammates Forrest Smith and Pharwit Durgan had respectable results in Soldier Hollow with Smith taking one more step closer to qualifying for Junior Nationals.
Callahan admits that the sprint format is not the strongest discipline for either Smith or Durgan yet they rallied to 11th and 12th place finishes respectively among RMN athletes.
On the second day, Smith put together a stellar outing in the five-kilometer classic race covering the course in a time of 15 minutes, 20 seconds to take 18th place overall and eighth among RMN racers.
“It was a great day for Forrest,” says Callahan. “He’s one point behind the last guy qualifying for Junior Nationals. It’s attainable—he’s just got to keep his head down and rip one at the next race in Aspen.”
While Durgan had a tough go at the classic race he pushed through the entire five-kilometer course to finish 15th among RMN athletes.
Kai Sherman carried the torch into the top 10 both days for the Crested Butte team in the J3 (ages 12-13) class taking 10th place in the sprints and seventh place the next day in the three-kilometer classic race, third among his RMN peers.
Meanwhile, Axel Deer came into Soldier Hollow eyes wide open to get his first taste of the big time.
“It was great seeing him charging out there,” says Callahan.
Sophia Deer joined Smith in the J1 classic race and continues to improve as the season progresses. J2 racer Sarah Sherman garnered the nickname “one second Sherman,” falling one second shy of advancing in her sprint races. Unfortunately, a waxing issue hampered her the next day in the classic race, leaving her to rely on Norwegian arm wax to pole her way through the climbs to the finish.
“She was a little slick but she kept her head up,” says Callahan.
Sherman’s peer Elisabeth Desmarais proved “her technique is pretty solid” with her effort in Utah as well.
The team will remain in town this weekend for the famed Alley Loop and then head to Aspen for the last Junior Nationals qualifier event February 12-13.