November 26, 2010 (West Yellowstone, MT) – What a way to kick off the racing year – two back-to-back sprint prelims within an hour of each other. If good for nothing else, at least the SuperTour open in West Yellowstone successfully set this season’s pain threshold extremely high.

But it was so much more than that. When the blowing snow settled and the highways opened, Thanksgiving day turned out to be a great one for racing as hundreds of skiers from across the country pulled on bibs. The groomers did a great job of converting the week’s fluff into firm trails, and the one-of-each-technique format gave everyone a chance to get two separate results.

The Alaska Pacific University team, based in Anchorage, started the season off with a bang. With the day’s sprint courses hovering around 1,700 meters, the sub-zero snow, and the significant climbing involved, the times were significantly slower than most sprint races. However, it didn’t seem to affect the crew from APU, having spent hundreds of summer hours skiing at the Thomas Training Center on the Eagle glacier, the fitness to handle such demanding tracks was obviously there.

After the dust had settled, the Swix-clad athletes in blue took charge of the results. Olympian Holly Brooks won both races, and was joined on the podium by APU team-mates Sadie Bjornsen and Kate Fitzgerald. On the men’s side, Lars Flora was the top American and second in both races, with Mark Iverson grabbing third in the classic sprint. Beyond that, the APU skiers grabbed nearly half of the top-ten spots for the day, cementing themselves as the nation’s powerhouse team.

When asked what her favorite part of the day was, Brooks said: “The APU team performance, and also having my family here to watch. They were volunteering, and my dad took off my skis at the finish line as I was falling all over myself. It was just like junior racing!” Of course, it’s never just flowers and sunshine. She said her least favorite part was, “…the deep muscle burn at the end of the classic race; it was unbelievably intense. And it’s also hard not knowing how you did, even after you’ve left the venue.”

It was undoubtedly a team effort. With the Alaska Pacific University wax technicians having spent many sleepless nights preparing the athletes boards, and the skiers cheering each other on throughout the day, it all came together to make a memorable day of racing.

While most Americans enjoyed some time in front of the television and probably way too much food on Thursday, a swarm of excited ski racers cracked open the racing season with a pair of taxing sprints at the Yellowstone Ski Festival. A big thanks to all of the volunteers who sacrificed their festivities to help put on the races, and here’s to an exciting and successful season for all!