November 25, 2009 (West Yellowstone, MT) – Only in West Yellowstone would I be able to stick to my personal race guideline that “however long it takes you to get to a workout/race (especially if by car), you must train/race at least for that length of time”. Today’s SuperTour classic Sprint times were in the 4-minute span – about the time it took for most athletes to walk across Main Street in West Yellowstone to the Rendezvous trails. Goal accomplished.

Tuesday’s Sprint Qualifications usually would have seen the advancement of the top 30 to the quarters, semis, and an A and B finals, to determine the ultimate ranking of the top 30. However, according to John Farra, the decision to make this Super Tour Sprint event in West Yellowstone a Qualifer-only event, was based on several points. “This decision was made by the USSA cross Country Sport Committee back in May … thanks in part to our switch to scoring sprints on qualifications (like FIS) instead of scoring the rounds like we have in the past,” said Farra.

“I was a major proponent for testing out this Qualifier-only format in West, since we moved away from sprinting in the West last year in part due to the altitude being high, and in part due to the sprint course being relatively easy. This is a great solution, in my opinion, since it offers everyone a FIS and USSA scored sprint race where everyone can blow themselves out for just a few minutes, then have a full day of rest over Thanksgiving before the two distance races on Friday and Saturday.”

“We basically get another scored effort without a big sacrifice, and in this Olympic season it should help out even more in our fight for increase OWG quotas by adding an extra scored FIS event. We invited and encouraged the Canadians to participate in our fall USSA SuperTour Races and thanks to the good snow here they made the journey. Their presence raises the level of racing and improves the point base for sure.”

“It’s also noteworthy that since the heats were not an issue, we did not need to be restricted to a typical sprint course, which allowed us the chance for a more challenging point-to-point course. Thanks to the organizers at West for making that possible during a very busy West Yellowstone Ski Festival schedule. I don’t see us using this format with any regularity, but West was the perfect place for it this year!”