March 10, 2001, Ishpeming, MI | Day 8
Today's Races: MIXED RELAYS
The results are in for today's mixed relays. Far West placing was as follows:
MOJ: 15th MJ1: 6th MJ2: 10th
FJ1: 18th FJ2: 6th
Some notable legs from today...
Ian Case was FIRST in his leg of the MOJ Classic race. Natalie Joffe was FOURTH in her Freestyle Leg in Female J2. Kara LaPoint was SIXTH in her leg in the same race.
March 9, 2001, Ishpeming, MI | Day 7
Today's Races: Classic Races (shorter distances)
Congratulations to Natalie Joffe, finishing 5th in the Girls J2 Division! And a "way-to-go" to Kara LaPoint, who JUST missed medaling, finishing 11th in the J2's, only TWO seconds from 9th place. Other top 20 results included Ian Case (13), Tony Bozzio (15), and Jessica Ford (19). Tom Wisdom (New England Division) medaled at 8th place in the OJ Men's Division.
March 7, 2001, Ishpeming, MI | Day 5
Today's Races: Freestyle Races (longer distances)
No medals today, but notable results from today were Ian Case's 17th (JO Men), Jessica Ford's 15th (J1 Women), and Natalie Joffe's 14th (J2 Women). Also notable was home-grown racer Tom Wisdom from Incline Village (now skiing for New England), coming in 11th in the JO Men, just missing a medal.
March 6, 2001, Ishpeming, MI | Day 4
Yesterday were the sprint competitions. They were very difficult, with the wind chill at 15 degrees below 0. Glenn said it was some of the worst weather he has seen in his racing career. The races started on time & were a bit delayed through the rest of the day. The course was set on a golf course that was flat and extremely cold conditions. The team and the coaches were very pleased with Far West's results and hope to see even better results in the races to come.
March 5, 2001, Ishpeming, MI | Day 3
Due to a lack of internet access in the quaint little village of Ishpeming, we've been having slight problems in getting updates from the JO crew. Today's event was the Sprint Competition, in which a sprint time trial was held to establish seedings for the semi-final and final heats. Excellent results in the t-t's were had by Ian Case (OJ Men) and Natalie Joffe (J2 Women), each coming in 6th overall in their time trials. In the end, Ian finished 7th , and Natalie posted a 12th. Other notable results came from J1 Boys Nick Sterling (11th), Tony Bozzio (13th) and Dana Mosman (15th). Follow the link above to download complete results from the Sprints.
The coaches today (Tuesday), besides celebrating Bill Sterling's birthday, are preparing for the Skate races on Wednesday. There are plans for regular updates from a variety of the Far West athletes, so stay tuned to this page.
March 4, 2001, Ishpeming, MI | Day 2
It's been snowing all day, with 6-8 inches of new, with the temperature ranging from 14 to 20 degrees F. The team skied at the sprint venue, where it was very cool to see all of the teams skiing on a small course at the same time. The coaches wax tested quite a range of glide wax and received very good information, and then the athletes waxed their skis for the race in the afternoon.
The coaches had their first team coaches meeting, where they reviewed the start list, course information, rules for the next day's event and received an official weather-report. They all then met at the "Dome" at Northern Michigan University for opening ceremonies, and then back to the hotel for a team meeting and a birthday celebration for Glenn Jobe's 50th. Wax coaches will be up at 4:30 am to see what the weather has done overnight and then finalize the wax jobs on the skis. The team is "pretty fired up" for the sprints tomorrow.
Dateline: March 3, 2001 Ishpeming, Mi | Day 1:
Travel on Friday went well, with no lost luggage, and clear, 35 degree weather. Today, the team classic skied because they will be on skate skis for the next four days. They got their first look at the very "rustic" race venue at Suicide Bowl, with great skiing on 1-3 feet of snow on the course.
In the afternoon, the athletes rested and got settled in while the coaches skied the sprint course, which is at a golf course in Marquette. The coaches then "zeroed-in" the test skis by prepping 4 pair of matched skis with the same wax and running them through a speed trap. This gives an accurate baseline for glide wax testing.
As far as the most important item to the coaches, the wax area was found to be "deluxe." Coach Jobe arranged for a heated garage 2-3 minutes walk from the hotel, with high ceilings, too much heat (great for the skis) and plenty of room.
Tomorrow: Skiing the sprint course and then back to Suicide Bowl for a longer ski.
Currently: Snowing Hard.
