What an emotional roller coaster of a day.
Tuesday was the Section 3 Nordic Ski meet for Jordan and the Burnsville team. The Burnsville team has come a long way since the beginning of the season. In addition, Sharmila Ahmed, the lone senior on the team made her way home from competing in Sweden just in time to compete in the section meet.
The team felt confident that they had a shot for the top spot in the section, but it is always tough to know where all the teams stand because of the lack of head to head racing. St. Paul Highland Park will be tough as they have 5 seniors on the team that did fairly well at last years section final.
Jordan was the sixth skier to go out on the classic leg (15s intervals). Going by on the first section she looked relaxed and calm and had the skiers in front of her in her sights. By the first long climb she had passed at least one skier, before cresting the hill. We would not see her again until a near the end of the race. As we focused intently on the final downhill in the distance we could see what we thought was a Burnsville skier bombing down the hill. About 30 seconds later we saw that it was Jordan pushing strong up the long gradual climb towards us. As she crested the hill next to us and headed toward the finish she had a sizable gap to the next skier. The remaining Bursville skiers finished in the order that they went out.
We went back inside to relax grab some lunch and impatiently wait for the result to be posted. After what seemed like an eternity the results were up and Jordan was sitting in 17th place. Jordan made the comment after the race that after she had passed the first skier that it was hard to stay focused on pushing hard for the remainder of the race. She was clearly upset so Andrea and I gave her time to gather her emotions and calm down a little. She knew that she would probably need to finish in the top 1o to make it to state and didn't want to rely on the team to get her there. A close look a the classic results revealed that she was only 25 seconds out of 10 place. If she had a solid skate race she could pull it off. After she calmed down a little I explained to her how close the group was in front of her and she understood what she needed to do.
Although the team skied extremely well, they were down by 26 points to Highland Park after classic. Jordan now knew that her only realistic chance of going to state was to "kill it" on the skate. After a few encouraging words from a few parents and the coaches Jordan prepared for the next race. As Jordan went out to warm up and get staged for the start, Andrea, Grandma, and myself walked out on the coarse to view the start and the first part of the race.
Sharmila was the first off the line and quickly settled into fast pace. Vivian was next, needing to close the 39 second gap to second place in front of her. Jordan would go out 3:09 back from the leader just behind a group of 5 or 6 skiers. We watched as Jordan left the line and you could see that she had the large group in her sights. Within the first couple hundred meters she had caught the group and already passed a couple of skiers. She would pick off a couple more by the start of the long climb and slowly build a slight gap by the crest of the hill. As before as soon as she crested the hill she would not be seen again until the long downhill at the end of the race. The first skier to bomb down the hill would be Sharmila with a commanding lead. To our surprise Vivian had moved up to second place with another large gap to third ahead of the two Highland Park girls. We counted the skiers as the flew down the hill, 5, 6, 7,... and flying down the hill in the number 10 spot was Jordan with a decent gap to 11. We knew that baring a fall she should be able to hold onto that position to the finish. As she pushed up the last climb we could see that she was gaining on the Highland Park girl in front of her. Coach Harvey gave her encouragement and pointed to the Highland Park skier in front of her and told her to chase her down. Although Jordan gave it her all the gap was too much to make up and she finished solidly in 10th place just 1o seconds behind Highland Parks #3 skier. Tori, Burnsvilles #4 skier was about a minute back and clawing her way up the final climb. She was blocked by two skier just in front of her and unable to get by. She made one final charge near the finish but unable to get past. The three remaining Burnsville skiers (Christa, Jane, and Kjersten) finished strong to round out the team.
The team ultimately would wind up a mere 2 points shy of the team title. I don't like to do "what ifs" but if Jordan could have passed the Highland Park girl they would have tied in points and would have won the "tie breaker" based on total time. Also, if Tori would not have gotten blocked out and passed the two skiers who finished only 2 seconds in front of her they would have one. I hope everyone has put those two scenarios out of their minds, because all the girls put forth everything and had nothing left at the line.
One final note: Things are looking great going forward for the Burnsville Girls Nordic Ski Team. The top 6 skiers for next year are: Three 10th graders, two 8th graders, and One 11th grader.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Change of Seasons
I will not make any excuses for the lack of posts. I will try a little harder to keep things up to date.
Since my last post the remainder of the mountain bike season has finished, we have flow through another year of XC running for Jordan and are nearing the end of the Nordic ski season with the Section finals less than a week away.
Devon and Wyatt are in full swing of basketball this winter and they both are having a great time. Devon is on another really talented team and they have won all 4 games that they have played. Wyatt is getting a little frustrated because at his age they only practice and despite talk of having some scrimmages they haven't been any.
Jordan is in the full swing of the Nordic ski season and Burnsville just finished their conference championship yesterday at Murphy Hanrehan park. The team did remarkably well considering they had to do without their top skier who is in Sweden on the J1 team. The team finished in a forth place and only 3 points out of third. Jordan had a very good day and skied with a great deal of confidence. The first race of the day was skate which is probably her better of the two techniques. She laid down a very strong 12th place finish ahead of a tight group of skiers that she is normally behind. The team laid low for a couple of hours at a parents house nearby before heading back to finish up the pursuit with classic. Jordan's goal was to try to maintain her place during the race. The pursuit is fun for the spectators and the races because it is easy to determine where everyone places. Jordan had another strong race and held on to 13th place holding off a hard charging 14th place at the line. They took the top 18 skiers for "All Conference" Great Job Jordan we are proud.
Next up is the Section 3 meet next Tuesday at Battle Creek. The team has a very good chance to make it to the state meet. With any luck Sharmila will make it back from Sweden. Either way Jordan has a great shot at making it as an individual skier.
Stay warm!
Since my last post the remainder of the mountain bike season has finished, we have flow through another year of XC running for Jordan and are nearing the end of the Nordic ski season with the Section finals less than a week away.
Devon and Wyatt are in full swing of basketball this winter and they both are having a great time. Devon is on another really talented team and they have won all 4 games that they have played. Wyatt is getting a little frustrated because at his age they only practice and despite talk of having some scrimmages they haven't been any.
Jordan is in the full swing of the Nordic ski season and Burnsville just finished their conference championship yesterday at Murphy Hanrehan park. The team did remarkably well considering they had to do without their top skier who is in Sweden on the J1 team. The team finished in a forth place and only 3 points out of third. Jordan had a very good day and skied with a great deal of confidence. The first race of the day was skate which is probably her better of the two techniques. She laid down a very strong 12th place finish ahead of a tight group of skiers that she is normally behind. The team laid low for a couple of hours at a parents house nearby before heading back to finish up the pursuit with classic. Jordan's goal was to try to maintain her place during the race. The pursuit is fun for the spectators and the races because it is easy to determine where everyone places. Jordan had another strong race and held on to 13th place holding off a hard charging 14th place at the line. They took the top 18 skiers for "All Conference" Great Job Jordan we are proud.
Next up is the Section 3 meet next Tuesday at Battle Creek. The team has a very good chance to make it to the state meet. With any luck Sharmila will make it back from Sweden. Either way Jordan has a great shot at making it as an individual skier.
Stay warm!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
MNMBS#6: Single Track Attack
After an interesting lead-in to the race with the crazy weather that literally blew through the Elk River area the night before, lead to perfect conditions race day.
Packing up in the morning was quick and easy. We have done this so many times now that things run smoothly as long as the kids do there part to keep us on time. The drive from Savage to Elk River took less than an hour and we were set up and everyone registered by 8:30.
A quick check of the tires and the boys were to the line for the kids comp call ups. Devon was positioned front row with younger brother Wyatt positioned just behind. The race was perfectly laid out by Rich Zilla and the Dirk Wirx crew. They cut a new section off single track to allow the kids to take advantage of both sections 1 and 2 giving them a course the perfect lenght.
At the work GO they were off, Devon got a really good jump and quickly worked throught the gears to stay with the leaders. Wyatt, spun as fast as he could but with only one gear he started to fall behind on his way down the road. We would see them again as the passed the open area between sections 1 and 2. Devon was pushing strong and was making quick work out of the single track. Wyatt was about 5 minutes behind Devon and riding with a huge smile on his face when he passed.
Packing up in the morning was quick and easy. We have done this so many times now that things run smoothly as long as the kids do there part to keep us on time. The drive from Savage to Elk River took less than an hour and we were set up and everyone registered by 8:30.
A quick check of the tires and the boys were to the line for the kids comp call ups. Devon was positioned front row with younger brother Wyatt positioned just behind. The race was perfectly laid out by Rich Zilla and the Dirk Wirx crew. They cut a new section off single track to allow the kids to take advantage of both sections 1 and 2 giving them a course the perfect lenght.
At the work GO they were off, Devon got a really good jump and quickly worked throught the gears to stay with the leaders. Wyatt, spun as fast as he could but with only one gear he started to fall behind on his way down the road. We would see them again as the passed the open area between sections 1 and 2. Devon was pushing strong and was making quick work out of the single track. Wyatt was about 5 minutes behind Devon and riding with a huge smile on his face when he passed.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Buck Hill
It seems like it has been a long time since we raced at Buck Hill, for me anyway. The last time we were there I wasn't feeling 100% so I decided to watch instead of race. I am glad I did, as I wouldn't have done myself any good.
Last night at Buck I felt better on the bike than I have in a long time. The speed is coming around nicely and I am able to push "hard" for the 1 hour duration of the race.
If you race at Buck and want to get a good starting position at the line you better come early and camp out. Unfortunately, I realized that I didn't have a full water bottle and started heading back up the hill to get a full one as all the racers were lining up. Fortunately, Andrea was coming down the hill with fresh bottle for Jordan and I. I was able to line up in the front row, although it was way off to the right side and it made for an interesting start.
At the gun I tried to get past the banging bars and make it towards the road to smooth things out a little. I was in the middle of a fairly snarled mess, but was able to hold my position and find smoother ground. As we proceeded up the first grassy rise I backed off a little to catch my breath and played it safe around the wood chip hairpin turn. Up the first climb I settled into a nice rhythm, not trying to push to hard anticipating a log-jam entering the single track. I was pleasantly surprised that everyone funneled into the woods without stopping and the pace was very good. I pushed a little harder up the next climb and settled into a nice pace through the flat tight turns. I found myself in a nice group of riders that were going the pace I wanted and settled in.
Each lap I was able to pass a couple of riders up some of the steeper/extended climbs and hold my own in the single track. On lap 4 I had a great battle with Kevin Supple. I had passed Kevin lap 2 or 3 I can't remember, but he pushed hard on the last lap and was able to bridge the gap before the large drop near the end of the lap. Kevin went around me at the base of the service rode and I pushed hard to hang on his wheel up the gravel incline and onto the grass. As we hit the wood chip hairpin turn before the final climb to the finish I was even with his back wheel. I dropped two gears in the back and pushed as hard as I could towards the finish edging him out by a couple of feet. Thanks for pushing me at the finish it feels great now, but it hurt like crazy.
My heart rate his 196 on the last sprint. I have hit 196 a couple of times in the past but never after 1 hour of racing.
Next stop Hillside Park for the next MNMBS race. The legs should be nicely recovered by then.
Last night at Buck I felt better on the bike than I have in a long time. The speed is coming around nicely and I am able to push "hard" for the 1 hour duration of the race.
If you race at Buck and want to get a good starting position at the line you better come early and camp out. Unfortunately, I realized that I didn't have a full water bottle and started heading back up the hill to get a full one as all the racers were lining up. Fortunately, Andrea was coming down the hill with fresh bottle for Jordan and I. I was able to line up in the front row, although it was way off to the right side and it made for an interesting start.
At the gun I tried to get past the banging bars and make it towards the road to smooth things out a little. I was in the middle of a fairly snarled mess, but was able to hold my position and find smoother ground. As we proceeded up the first grassy rise I backed off a little to catch my breath and played it safe around the wood chip hairpin turn. Up the first climb I settled into a nice rhythm, not trying to push to hard anticipating a log-jam entering the single track. I was pleasantly surprised that everyone funneled into the woods without stopping and the pace was very good. I pushed a little harder up the next climb and settled into a nice pace through the flat tight turns. I found myself in a nice group of riders that were going the pace I wanted and settled in.
Each lap I was able to pass a couple of riders up some of the steeper/extended climbs and hold my own in the single track. On lap 4 I had a great battle with Kevin Supple. I had passed Kevin lap 2 or 3 I can't remember, but he pushed hard on the last lap and was able to bridge the gap before the large drop near the end of the lap. Kevin went around me at the base of the service rode and I pushed hard to hang on his wheel up the gravel incline and onto the grass. As we hit the wood chip hairpin turn before the final climb to the finish I was even with his back wheel. I dropped two gears in the back and pushed as hard as I could towards the finish edging him out by a couple of feet. Thanks for pushing me at the finish it feels great now, but it hurt like crazy.
My heart rate his 196 on the last sprint. I have hit 196 a couple of times in the past but never after 1 hour of racing.
Next stop Hillside Park for the next MNMBS race. The legs should be nicely recovered by then.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Freewheel Frolic
The first MNMBS series race is in the books and lets just say that it was an interesting day. The entire week leading into the race the forecast called for a nice sunny weekend. The day decided to turn out less than spectacular and the weather forecasters (all of them) simply "blew it". On the way to Harmon park the sky looked a little strange and there was a feeling that something might get started, but since I put my trust in others I didn't think much of it.
We had to make a quick stop on the way to pick up Taylor at a sleepover. It took us a little while to figure out the somewhat incomplete directions that google maps provided and we were running a little behind. Parking spaces were limited at the elementary school, so I dropped off all our stuff and parked a ways down the road. Andrea and I have registration down and all six of us were ready to go in less than 10 minutes. After placing number plates on Devon and Wyatt's bikes they had a few minutes to get lined up. They both had very good starts and were all smiles as they came through on the prologue lap. They would not be seen again until the end of the race. Devon came in a few minutes ahead of Wyatt with a finishing time of 18:43 8th place overall and 3rd in his age group. Despite the fact that his bike weighs over 35lbs he pushed a very strong pace and gets stronger each time out. Wyatt finished at 20:44 19th overall and 2nd in his age group. Each year the kids comp race gets larger and larger this year there were 41 racers. This is the future of the the sport.
Taylor lined up and was off at 9:30 in the Citizen race. As she came through going into her second and final lap she was in a zone and didn't seem to hear us cheering her on. In comparison the Citizen race would be a long one with two full laps. Taylor would be on the course for over an hour with a finishing time of 1:03:06. She was happy that she was not the last to finish and came in just behind Steve Weisbrod (Grey Squirrel).
As the sport start time approached they announced that some severe weather was moving into the area. The decision was made to postpone the start of the race for fear of lightning. As the front came through and the rain came down, the start got pushed from 11:30 to 11:45 then 12:00. The sky finally cleared and the rain stopped and just as the last drops fell the race was started at 12:45. Both Jordan and Andrea were bummed with the rain and concerned that it would be a mess on the course, in fact Jordan bailed on the race. I was a little frustrated that she was not even going to give it a try. Andrea lined up with the other sport ladies at the back of all the heats. She didn't have the best good start and found herself near the back of the pack do to a shortened prologue. As I went back to the find out what the kids were up to I see Andrea walking her bike back to the officials tent. She said that the course was an absolute mess and went down three time in the first short section of single track. I am sure it was after 140+ sport riders were sent out only minutes after the rain stopped.
By the start of the Expert/Comp race the course had dried up nicely and was only slick in a few spots. After the call ups I positioned myself near the center of the pack. At the start I was able to hold my own and managed to enter the single track in the top 20. I worked hard on the first lap to pass a few riders that went out too hard and faded and established a nice pace with a small group of riders. I was passed by a few riders part way through the race that started in the wave behind me. For the first time in a long time I felt like I was racing again and was able to keep up a respectable race pace for the duration. I pushed strong on the last half of the lap, but was unable to catch the riders in front of me and fined a respectable 13th overall and 3rd in my age group.
Next race Afton:
I have never seemed to do well at this race, but I will give it my all and see what happens. Training has been a little slow early this year as I have been more concerned with staying healthy than pushing to hard.
We had to make a quick stop on the way to pick up Taylor at a sleepover. It took us a little while to figure out the somewhat incomplete directions that google maps provided and we were running a little behind. Parking spaces were limited at the elementary school, so I dropped off all our stuff and parked a ways down the road. Andrea and I have registration down and all six of us were ready to go in less than 10 minutes. After placing number plates on Devon and Wyatt's bikes they had a few minutes to get lined up. They both had very good starts and were all smiles as they came through on the prologue lap. They would not be seen again until the end of the race. Devon came in a few minutes ahead of Wyatt with a finishing time of 18:43 8th place overall and 3rd in his age group. Despite the fact that his bike weighs over 35lbs he pushed a very strong pace and gets stronger each time out. Wyatt finished at 20:44 19th overall and 2nd in his age group. Each year the kids comp race gets larger and larger this year there were 41 racers. This is the future of the the sport.
Taylor lined up and was off at 9:30 in the Citizen race. As she came through going into her second and final lap she was in a zone and didn't seem to hear us cheering her on. In comparison the Citizen race would be a long one with two full laps. Taylor would be on the course for over an hour with a finishing time of 1:03:06. She was happy that she was not the last to finish and came in just behind Steve Weisbrod (Grey Squirrel).
As the sport start time approached they announced that some severe weather was moving into the area. The decision was made to postpone the start of the race for fear of lightning. As the front came through and the rain came down, the start got pushed from 11:30 to 11:45 then 12:00. The sky finally cleared and the rain stopped and just as the last drops fell the race was started at 12:45. Both Jordan and Andrea were bummed with the rain and concerned that it would be a mess on the course, in fact Jordan bailed on the race. I was a little frustrated that she was not even going to give it a try. Andrea lined up with the other sport ladies at the back of all the heats. She didn't have the best good start and found herself near the back of the pack do to a shortened prologue. As I went back to the find out what the kids were up to I see Andrea walking her bike back to the officials tent. She said that the course was an absolute mess and went down three time in the first short section of single track. I am sure it was after 140+ sport riders were sent out only minutes after the rain stopped.
By the start of the Expert/Comp race the course had dried up nicely and was only slick in a few spots. After the call ups I positioned myself near the center of the pack. At the start I was able to hold my own and managed to enter the single track in the top 20. I worked hard on the first lap to pass a few riders that went out too hard and faded and established a nice pace with a small group of riders. I was passed by a few riders part way through the race that started in the wave behind me. For the first time in a long time I felt like I was racing again and was able to keep up a respectable race pace for the duration. I pushed strong on the last half of the lap, but was unable to catch the riders in front of me and fined a respectable 13th overall and 3rd in my age group.
Next race Afton:
I have never seemed to do well at this race, but I will give it my all and see what happens. Training has been a little slow early this year as I have been more concerned with staying healthy than pushing to hard.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
New MTB Team for 2010
The Horner family will be flying the banner of a new team for the 2010 MTB season. We are extremely excited to be a part of the Maplelag/Paramount team. Jay Richards and the team members are what MTB racing is all about.
For all the LCR "sisters" out there, we will always be part of your team and of the wonderful MTB community as well.
For all the LCR "sisters" out there, we will always be part of your team and of the wonderful MTB community as well.
Maplelag Weekend
Looking forward to a very exciting weekend for training/racing at Maplelag resort this coming weekend. Myself, Jordan, Taylor, Devon, and Wyatt will be making the trip to Maplelag for a short notice race at one of the funnest courses.
We hope to be on the road early Saturday morning and make it up to Maplelag around lunch time.
We hope to be on the road early Saturday morning and make it up to Maplelag around lunch time.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Might need to rename the Blog
Going forward it looks like mountain biking is not going to be the only thing we spend the majority of our time on. This fall our oldest daughter began running cross country and this winter she is on the nordic ski team. I already have other blogs that don't get used so there is no sence creating yet another one for running and skiing.
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