NCAA's coming up!

The past two weekends we had the final two carnivals of the year, first at home and then the final weekend, EISA championships, in Rumford, hosted by Bates. Racing at "home" was a new feeling for me, as last year our home carnival was hosted at Trapps due to low snow, and until college skiing, the idea of a truly home course was foreign to me. I've raced numerous times at most venues in the East, and several out West, so I know them all really well, but it's not quite the same as really racing at home. Skiing the course we train on all year, with so many of our own friends and family and fans lining the trail is really so different from any other race. Skiing up the biggest hill, lined with our people on our course was really exhilarating.

Most exciting though is that next week WE are hosting NCAA's, so to get to have those at home with all the best collegiate skiers from across the country is going to be awesome and I'm really lucky to get to be here to have that line up in my time at Middlebury! It's something I always imagined would be a possibility, that I'd get to be racing NCAA's at home, while I was here, something that's been in the back of my mind since I first visited Middlebury as a prospective student and learned that we had gotten the bid. To be in the final days before the race now is both exciting and a bit overwhelming, that it's actually here.

It's amazing to see how hard the community is working to pull it together, from the crew at Rikert making sure the snow will hold up, and our coaches putting in endless hours of organization over the last weeks and months, and all of the supporters who will be out volunteering to put on a seamless event. As the athletes who get to just go out and ski, we are forever indebted to them.

Nordic races are Thursday and Saturday and Alpine are Wednesday and Friday! Stay tuned on the NCAA website as well as the EISA skiing page!

The TEAM!

Middlebury 5k classic