Hannah Peterson of the Durango Nordic Ski Club placed ninth among the nation’s Under 18 women at the U.S. Cross Country Skiing National Championships last week in Soldier Hollow, Utah.
Peterson, a high school senior, just missed qualifying for Scando Cup, the team of U18 men and women who will travel to Finland in February to represent the United States. Only the top six skiers attend, but Peterson may be eligible for another overseas trip later this winter.
This competition served as the unofficial Olympic Trials for cross-country skiers, but in actuality, a few previous races played a part in the selection, as well.
The U.S. team is quite strong this year, especially the women, who have been placing in the top 10 all season long. Matriarch Kikkan Randall has been on the World Cup podium a couple times and won a sprint race last week in Novo Miesto, Czechoslovakia. Her confederates are following closely behind, and Nordic may well outshine alpine skiing (absent the injured Lindsay Vonn) in the Sochi Olympics next month. The men may have a surprise or two in store, as well.
Peterson, skiing against some of these top women, placed 36th overall in the classic 10-kilometer race. This was good enough for fourth in the U18 category. She also placed 55th (14th U18) in the freestyle sprints and seventh in the U18 freestyle 5K (the senior women raced 20K).
Some of the country’s best Division I college ski teams are eyeing Peterson as a recruit. Though her results were not podium-caliber, she has improved so much each year since beginning skiing as a freshman that she holds promise for whatever program gets her.
Several other past and present DNSC members attended the championships, as well: Tad Elliott, Rogan and Cully Brown, Elena Breed, Rachel Hampton, Haakon Sigurslid, Abe Ott and Kevin Lindau.
Cully Brown again had outstanding performances and qualified for the Scando Cup trip for U18 men. He also attended last year.
Elliott, one of three Durango Olympic hopefuls who has been battling a virus for several months, was unable to complete the men’s 30k event. He was upbeat despite the outcome and is looking forward to healing and continuing his athletic endeavors.
The next DNSC event is the Purgatory Nordic Center’s Langlauf on Jan. 25. The team resumes Rocky Mountain Nordic competition the next weekend in Steamboat Springs.
