MIDWAY, Utah (Jan. 10) - Three-time Olympian Nina Kemppel made it seven straight national titles despite nasty conditions while junior Kris Freeman made it one in a row Monday on the first day of distance races at the Chevy Truck U.S. Cross Country Championships on the 2002 Olympic trails of Soldier Hollow. University of Denver sophomore Joern Frohs (Mittelsaida, Germany) placed second in the men's 30-kilometer classic race.
After the sprints opened title action Saturday, the championships continued with the women's 15-km classic technique title race and men's 30-km classic. Wet snow overnight made the conditions soupy for the women, a torture chamber for waxers, and a mid-day change to partly sunny weather for the start of the men's race deteriorated to light rain, making things tricky.
Canadians Beckie Scott and Donald Farley won the races but, under USSA rules, the first U.S. skier took the national title. Kemppel was second behind Scott while Freeman - a freshman at the University of Vermont - finished third after Farley and Frohs. Silver medalist among the men was two-time Olympian Pete Vordenberg, a ski coach at the University of New Mexico who was fourth overall, with Marcus Nash (Fryeburg, ME), skiing out of the Auburn (CA) Ski Club, fifth overall and 30-km bronze medal-winner.
Light but steady snow plagued skiers, creating nightmarish waxing conditions for the women's race in the morning. When the men started at noon, the snow had stopped and the sun was out, but everything turned to light rain midway through the men's race.
Skiing in the Guest Class, Scott collected another $1,000 for first place and was timed in 52:21.3. Kemppel took the U.S. gold medal - the 11th title in her career - with a 53:53.5 clocking and newlywed Rebecca (Quinn) Dussault (Gunnison, CO) was third overall and U.S. silver medalist in 54:22.7. U.S. bronze medalist was Tessa Benoit (South Pomfret, VT), who finished fifth overall.
"All the Canadian girls had really bad skis," Scott said, "and we said 'It was a nice hike out there' because for the most part we were running the course. There was no glide."
"I can't remember the last time we skied a 15-K this slow. They're always around 47, 48 minutes, even the slowest," Kemppel said, mixing a grimace with a grin after reflecting on the missed wax. "It's definitely the first time I've herring-boned a flat....
"Great classic skiers were reduced to poor technique today," she said. "I think it was a great shock to all the spectators out there that this could be a national championship and everybody could be skiing so slowly. With these conditions, the speed across the ground was probably 'moderate training day'....but that's how racing goes and probably a really good experience for everyone - it can be a national championship, it can be extremely bizarre, but you have to put your head down and keep going and generally the toughest guy still wins."
In the men's race - twice around a 15-km loop, the conditions were different - but equally torturous.
"I was lucky my skis were good the whole time, through all the conditions. I was definitely making-up time on all the downhills," said Freeman, who has one more shot at the nordic World Junior Championships at the end of this month. Freeman checked in with a 1:35.29.6 on the course. He leaves Saturday - the day of the 50-km freestyle - for the championships, Jan. 25-30 in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia.
"It's tough. It's really hilly. I usually prefer a flatter course. I'm pretty young and all the guys have more training hours so they can do the hills more easily."
Farley, who skied a winning time of 1:34.49.1, said his World Cup experience helped him. "You've got the pace yourself," he said, adding he planned to - and did - start slowly and build his speed: "ski a solid race and not fall apart on the second lap, and that's what happened. I struggled a little, maybe, around 20 Ks, but I'm sure a lot of guys did, but I was able to hold on for the whole race."
The Chevy Truck championships continue at midweek with the "pursuit" race - men's 10-km FR and women's 5-km FR Wednesday and men's 15-km CL and women's 10-km CL Thursday.
CHEVY TRUCK U.S. CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Soldier Hollow - Midway, UT - Jan. 10
Men's 30-km CL1. Donald Farley, Canada, 1:34.49.12. Joern Frohs, DENVER, 1:34.56.53. Kris Freeman, Andover, N.H., 1:35.29.64. Pete Vordenberg, Albuquerque, N.M., 1:35.30.55. Marcus Nash, Fryeburg, Maine, 1:36.34.06. Carl Swenson, Boulder, Colo., 1:37.08.67. Phil Villeneuve, Canada, 1:38.43.68. Magnus Eriksson, Sweden, 1:39.16.99. David Chamberlain, Bethel, Maine, 1:39.31.610. Scott Loomis, Park City, Utah, 1:39.56.911. Chris Cook, Marquette, Mich., 1:39.59.112. Trond Nystad, DENVER, 1:40.13.813. Chad Giese, Mora, Minn., 1:40.29.614. Lee Churchill, Canada, 1:40.31.715. Nathan Schultz, Boulder, Colo., 1:40.37.616. Fredrik Landstedt, Albuquerque, N.M., 1:42.21.917. Stefan Kuhn, Canada, 1:42.25.518. Cory Smith, Park City, Utah, 1:42.26.519. Phil Bowen, Duluth, Minn., 1:42.40.420. Chris Wolski, Durham, N.H., 1:42.50.3Women's 15-km CL1. Beckie Scott, Canada, 52:21.32. Nina Kemppel, Anchorage, Alaska, 53:53.53. Rebecca Dussault, Gunnision, Colo., 54:22.74. Jaime Fortier, Canada, 54:41.05. Tessa Benoit, South Pomfret, Vt., 54:58.46. Amanda Fortier, Canada, 55:38.67. Aubrey Smith, Marquette, Mich., 56:50.18. Sara Renner, Canada, 56:57.99. Caitlin Compton, Marquette, Mich., 56:59.310. Barb Jones, Albuquerque, N.M., 57:25.911. Abi Larson, Marquette, Mich., 57:31.912. Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, Alaska, 58:25.613. Britta Wienand, DENVER, 58:29.114. Tasha Betcherman, Canada, 59.22.315. Lene Pedersen, Norway, 59:43.016. Kelly Milligan, Park City, Utah, 1:00.02.417. Diana Johnson, Anchorage, Alaska, 1:00.12.818. Sarah Konrad, Laramie, Wyo., 1:00.22.219. Anna Kulmatiski, Middlebury, Vt., 1:00.33.620. Tara Hamilton, Anchorage, Alaska, 1:00.38.9
