The Saint Lawrence Carnival was a cold and challenging course, however two skiers prevailed and earned first place in both races. Because of this visible achievement the two athletes Lina Sutro and Ben Odgen are promoted to Skier of the Week!
Lina Sutro, a sophomore University of Vermont skier from Carbondale, Colorado is at the top of the podium for the week of January 14th. Sutro completed the 5k Freestyle race in an impressive time of 14:53. She crossed the finish line almost a minute before the second place holder Annika Landis (MID). This obvious lead is especially notable in a shorter race like a 5k, where podium times are usually seconds apart. She also finished the challenging 10k classic course in just 34:30, earning first place. Sutro was just 2 seconds faster than Middlebury competitor Annika Landis. Whatever it was that she had for dinner or thought of when racing worked very well for her this weekend, Congratulations, Lina!
The male Skier of the Week, Ben Ogden, won the 10k Freestyle on Saturday and the 10k classic race on Sunday as well. Odgen noted he tried to ski with control and maintain his speed throughout the second 5k lap, and focused on "skiing with confidence" during the tricky downhill within the course. He also commented he likes to have fun with downhill training by adding in jumps to his workouts and practices. Ben worked hard for first place in the mens 10k Freestyle race, pushing teammate Bill Harmeyer to second place by 1 second. Odgen proved himself worthy of first place again when he won the 10k classic race by 8 seconds to a teammate (Bill Harmeyer).
Congratulations to Lina Sutro and Ben Odgen, let's see how the future races turn out!