Following some great results at the nationals in Whistler at the end of March, Black Jack nordic skier Julien Locke finished off the season on a high note at the U.S. SuperTour finals in Tahoe, Calif. earlier this week.
Racing against the best in North America, Locke finished as the top junior in the 3.3-kilometre skate known as the Prologue. Black Jack’s David Palmer, coming off a pair of first-place finishes at the nationals last month, finished fifth in junior mens Prologue, seventh in the 15-k, and sixth overall, while Whitehorse skier Knute Johnsguard placed second in the Open Mens sprint.
“It was an interesting race,” said Locke. “Prologues are short and hard, and a lot of people who did fairly well (including myself) felt that they had bad races.”
The 3.3-k sprint course is unique to the Super Tour, and Locke like most skiers is more accustomed to the 1.6-km sprint distance.
“3.3 km is a lot different than anything else we do,” Locke added. “I never actually felt that I was going at my top speed, but I was able to keep the pace going in the final kilometre, which is where a lot of people blowup. The rain was fun. I like racing and training when I’m soaking wet, so it was all good.”
The Super Tour is a season-long series of races that take place across America. The leaders of the SuperTour earn FIS World Cup start rights while the finals are a mini-tour of four races that cap off the 2012-2013 SuperTour series.
The times from all four races are combined, with sprint and climbing preems similar to stage racing in cycling, to determine the yellow bib (overall winner), the green bib (best sprinter), white bib (best Jr, U19), and the polka-dot bib (best climber.)
Black Jack Notes:
Black Jack will also hold its Annual General Meeting Saturday at the Sacred Heart parish hall in Rossland with a Mexican theme.
Black Jack’s own world-class junior skier David Palmer and Olympian George Grey will be guest speakers. Please bring an appy, salad, casserole or dessert to share with the group. Try for some Mexican fare. Dress up to fit the theme as you wish.