January 18, 2019 (Sherbrooke, Que) – Temperatures were -10 deg. C. with occasional flurries, as Day 1 of the Haywood NorAm/World Championship Trials got underway at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, Quebec. With a high of -18 set for Saturday, and 20 cm of snow predicted during Sunday’s mass-start race, conditions today may be the best of the weekend.

The morning qualifiers were won by Maya Macisaac-Jones (Rocky Mountain Racer) and Canmore’s Russell Kennedy. Macisaac-Jones has been battling injuries over the last season and a half, so it is good to see her back racing at the top level. In the heats, she and Nakkertok’s Katherine Stewart-Jones skied a tight semi-final contest, setting up a repeat competition in the final.

Macisaac-Jones led the final, until the last 200 metres, when Stewart-Jones moved by her, on a sprint to the finish. At the line it was a photo-finish, with Macisaac-Jones over Stewart-Jones by .05 seconds, to unofficially earn a Junior/U23 World Championship team spot. U23 skier, Laura Leclair of Chelsea, finished 3rd a few seconds back.

The men’s competition went in a similar fashion to the women’s race. In the first semi-final Evan Palmer Charette of Lappe Nordic, edged out Black Jack’s Julien Locke in a photo-finish by .03 seconds, and they were back at it again in the final, with Palmer Charette prevailing this time by 0.11 seconds, to stake a claim on the Canadian team going to the Seefeld World Championships. Kennedy, the top qualifier, was 3rd at three seconds back.

Both Palmer-Charette and Locke have been in great form lately, with Locke winning the U.S. Nationals sprint and Palmer-Charette coming 4th and 8th in distance races.

Results here