Junior Olympic Qualifying and Kongsberger Stampede
Oregon brothers Nick and Ryan St. Clair in a fight for the JOQ finish line (Photo Karen Voorhees).
Skiers from far and wide compete on trails near Snoqualmie Pass, WA
John Erik Stacy 25 Feb 2011
This season’s final Junior Olympic Qualifying races for Pacific Northwest region was hosted by the Kongsberger Ski Club on February 19 and 20th, at Cabin Creek, Washington. The JOQ races determine who will go on to the Junior Olympics for Cross Country Skiing, this year to be held at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis MN the week of March 6th. Athletes to compete in the Junior Olympic events are age 14 through 19.
The races at Cabin Creek were one of the five JOQ events held this season by the Pacific Northwest Ski Association for the region. The PNSA is one of ten divisions of the United States Ski Association (USSA). This year, 20 boys and 11 girls qualified for the PNSA Junior Olympic Team drawn from three Oregon and two Washington clubs (see list below).
The JOQ was held in conjunction with the Stampede citizen race, the oldest of the three races traditionally hosted by Kongsberger, and has been operated fully by volunteers since 1954. The Stampede and JOQ together hosted 184 entries of racers from all over including California, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon. Racers in the Stampede ranged in age from toddlers to senior citizens.
PNSA Junior Olympians
Bend Endurance Academy, Bend OR: Pat Madden, Reitler Hodgert, Mike Widmer, Nick St. Clair, Ryan St. Clair, Kelly Smallwood, Isabel Smith, Darragh Hildreth, Vivian Hawkinson, Colin Dunlap.
Methow Valley Nordic Team (MVNT), Winthrop WA: Casey Smith, Evan Turner, Marc LeDuc, John Sinclair, Jake Harrop, Sage Abate, Nina Ekblad, Jacqueline O’Keefe, Elise Putnam.
Mt Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF), Bend OR: Eli Forman, Max Millslagle, Skylar Kenna, Sarah Mackenzie, Niko Giannioses, Emily Hyde, Piper McDonald.
Wenatchee Valley Nordic Ski Education Foundation, Wenatchee, WA: Teddy Thorsen, Tristan Cunderla, Cole Christman, Andi Zontek.
Teacup Lake Nordic Club, Hood River OR: Ben Pratt.
Nina Eckblad (MVNT) took first in the girls J1 10k Classic (Photo KV).
The Stampede citizens race appeals to all ages (photo KV).
Reilter Hodgert (Bend Endurance Academy) raced in the OJ class for Junior Olympians and was first in the 10 K classic (photo KV).
Other clubs that competed in the JOQ
Bush School Blazers, Seattle WA
Leavenworth Winter Sports Club (LWSC), Leavenworth WA
North Shore Nordic Ski Team Flat Head Lake, MT
Sandpoint Nordic Club Sandpoint, ID
Snoqualmie Nordic Club (SNC), Seattle WA
Spokane Nordic Ski Education Foundation, Spokane WA
USSA divisions
Great Plains Division
High Plains Division
This article was originally published in the March 4, 2011 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. For more information about the Norwegian American Weekly or to subscribe, call us toll free (800) 305-0217 or email subscribe@norway.com.
