Looking Good, Skiing Even Better

Uniforms?  Check!

Practice almost always attended?  Check!

Maps reviewed so that kids don't get lost on the course and end 10 minutes after the last kid (not that this has happened...)?  Check!

Snow?  Check minus but at least enough to glide on.

Donuts purchased to that kids have added incentive to get out of bed at 7 on a Saturday morning?  Check check!

Must be time for a Nordic ski race!

Here's Ben all ready to go at the start.  Before the race we reviewed the rules - this was a classic race, which means that all of the racers have to kick and glide, no skating allowed.  Here's how it went down when I explained this to Ben:

Ben: (puzzled look) Ok, I'll only skate when I'm going up the hills.
Mom: No, it's a classic race, there's no skating allowed.  If there's a steep hill you can herring bone, but no skating.
Ben: (even more puzzled look because clearly Mom doesn't understand that the whole point of a race is to go as fast as possible) But.  Mom.  It's faster.
Mom:  Yes, you're right.  I like the way you're thinking.  But skating just isn't allowed. 
Ben: (clearly almost overwhelmed by the idiocy of this conversation)

Here's what I got when I asked for Ben's race face.  Yeah, that pretty much captures it.

And they're off!

Joking race faces notwithstanding, check out this look of concentration at the start!  I think the boy may have a bit of his mama's competitive streak after all!

Sasha and a few of the younger kids wait for their start

Saturday's race was an especially exciting one for our family because it was Sasha's first cross country ski race! In the past we've "encouraged" (read: forced) her to do the obstacle course, which hasn't really been a problem since they give out candy at the end, but now that she's in her second year of race team she really wanted to try racing on her own. So we told her that if she could make it to the meadow and back at Sundance she could do the 1K loop at this week's race.  She met the challenge with aplomb so the girl got to wear a race bib (and with style!) and compete in her first proper race.

Clearly she was thrilled and feeling very snazzy in her uniform, bib, and eye-shielding hat (we joke that she wears the hat over her eyes so she isn't distracted by any of the other kids - ski your own race!).

Here's what I got when I asked for Sasha's race face :)

And they're off!

Sash and Ben both did a great job in their races, arriving tired but victorious and almost at the same time from their respective 1 and 2 K loops.  I offered to ski with Sasha but she was very determined to do this on her own and neither kid got lost or took out another kid (that we know of), so we deemed the race a complete success!

And never you fear, there was plenty of energy left over after the race for sledding!