PRESS RELEASE
BOZEMAN, MT - The Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) will send a large contingent of Nordic skiers to the U.S. Jr. National Cross Country Championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah, in March. Twelve BSF athletes plus one alternate qualified to represent the Intermountain Division (which includes Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah) at the championships.
Skiers earned points at three junior national qualifying events during the season in order to be among the top-ranked skiers and qualify. BSF’s U16 Nordic team is particularly strong this year with seven BSF athletes among the 18 total chosen to represent the region.
Junior National Qualifiers
Paige Coletta (U16)
Georgiana Fischer (U16)
Robert Kwapisz (U20 alternate)
Sabine Love (U16)
Stirling Marshall-Pryde (U16)
Andrew Meyer (U20)
Kai Mittelsteadt (U16)
Jake Pearson (U20)
Hans Pessl (U18)
Aidan Van Eerden (U16)
Ariana Woods (U20)
Cale Woods (U16)
Seth Wyatt (U18)
“We’ve had a great season so far,” says Dragan Danevski, the Nordic Program Director and Head Coach for BSF. “Many skiers had excellent performances through junior qualifiers and U.S. senior nationals.” Danevski is pleased with how his skiers have improved in all aspects of skier development throughout the season. “That’s the result of systematic, consistent training throughout the year,” he says.
He notes that they had a few sick and injured athletes during a crucial part of the season, and those skiers didn’t see placements that reflected their abilities and potential. But the BSF Nordic team is proud of more than just the skiers headed to junior nationals. They had a number of other accomplishments to celebrate.
U16 Coach Lina Hultin says, “I’m very impressed with the team effort and spirit throughout the qualifiers. They shared so many experiences and supported each other through so much.” From the camaraderie of early morning runs to being at the finish for the teammates who fell in a race, the teammates who won a race, or the ones who had a disappointing finish. “They’ve shared tactics, all possible emotions, fun times, not-so-fun times, dinners, snacks, music, funny stories, political discussions, laughs, and tears. And they did it all together.”
Hultin reminded her skiers that each one of them is an important part of the team’s success. And sending seven U16 athletes to junior nationals is what she calls a great team effort.
Danevski adds, “We have group of U18-U20 skiers who are great athletes, excellent students, and friends. It is very easy to coach these kind of skiers.”
The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Junior National Championships will take place at Soldier Hollow in Utah, March 3-10, 2018.
Link to results from the final qualification races in McCall, Idaho.
