For the second year in a row, Lebanon High School hosted the Division II state meet,and again it was held at Great Glen.
The morning classic race was a tough one to wax for. A "4k" race in around freezing conditions, the entire team ended up running on waxless skis: either zeroes or fish-scales. And it could've gone better. I won, but we ended up second after only placing three in the top-ten, down by 6 points to Hanover. We had some ground to make up.
Victory in the Skate Race
After a team recollection and shuffle, it was skate time. Best race we have ever had. I finished first, with a dominating 43 second lead, and the first across the line. After I had regathered myself, I had enough adrenaline to recognize the next Hanover skier coming and I started counting. "One, two, three..." Our next skier had to make it to me before I hit thirty, sneaking in at 23 seconds, seven ahead of his man. Repeat for the next racer, coming in only 11 seconds behind, 19 up. We had done it, our goal to beat every Hanover skier had been reached. After that, everyone came in ahead of their respective racer. Never before had I been so ecstatic during a race. People saw me sprinting up and down the stadium, screaming splits at my teammates. It was a great way to cap off my regular season. When results came out later that afternoon, I was jumping for joy. We had overcome our deficit and won the skate by 9 points. The rest of the team found out a few minutes later, but their reaction was great nonetheless:
For awards, Hannah and I took home top honors (again) in both events, and I took home second in the Skimeister competition by 0.6 points. It was a good fight, and both the victor and I knew it would be close.
State Champions again, feels good guys.
After the race, I made sure to express my gratitude towards my team, not just for the win, but for the fight at the end and for a great final season. Going off to college next year, I'm not sure if I will ever again experience a team as great as these guys.
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