The Ups and Downs of December

December is always a tough month for nordic skiers in New York.  It has been a long, wet, cold fall and everyone is ready for real winter snow.  Everyone is excited about racking up early days in snowy tracks, packing the rollerskis away for a while, and lining up for first period races.  This December was especially full of ups and downs and as HURT nation gets ready to enter 2015...here's the recap

1) Snow, Snow, SNOW....slush

This November/December started out with some of the best early season snow in recent memory...maybe ever (no hyperbole there, folks).  It was seriously awesome!  Many nordies were out skiing for their own version of West Yellowstone ski festival here in the East during Thanksgiving and early K's were enjoyed across our area.  The NYSEF season opener was on some of the best VanHo conditions in recent memory...maybe ever (no hyperbole there, folks). It was seriously awesome and felt like skiing in Finland (not that I have been...but the pictures looked the same).

Now we've hit December 20's....and it looks like late March with a heavy dose of mud and rain.  #blurg

2) Low numbers...high numbers.

It is important to have poor short term memory as a ski racer....one weekend you may pull off great results and one week later fall flat and miss expectations.  This is the nature of the game.  HURT was out for the NYSEF season opener as Owen, Aaron, DPK, Chris, Pete and Eric H put up solid results and scored big points against rival clubs.  For the HURT high school skiers things started off great as well as many of them packed the top 5 and podium positions.  The Rikert Eastern Cups wrote a slightly different story. It was awesome to see HURT alums ski so well over the course of both days and current team members (despite the poor finishes #blurg) found new goals to set.  Those races serve as a reminder that more work can always be done and new goals can be set...but it can be done!

Chris Y storms up the Ladies 5K at the NYSEF opener

Amy fights her way through a tough Eastern Cup at Rikert

MWSC and HURT Alum, Austin H skis his way to a 16th place overall Eastern Cup finish

DPK and Aaron H sprint their way to a 10th-11th respectively at the NYSEF opener. All about the boot slide!

DPK leads the HURT contingent at the opener

HURT alum, Will F skis to a strong finish for St. Lawrence.  

3) More to come...

The season has just begun and a lot of great events are on the horizon.  You may see mud and gray today, but the best of winter is coming.  The Directress(es) and everyone here at the HURT newsroom want to wish everyone (all 3 of you...) who reads this blog a very happy and festive holiday season and we hope you are looking forward to seeing big results from everyone and hearing the news of new HURT skiers ready to join the ranks....some big signings are in the works.  All the best wishes to you and you family from HURT-nation!