Kanning, Dussault lead Sandpoint Nordic Club
(Photo by BECKY KANNING) Sandpoint Nordic Club racer Tabor Dussault, pictured third from the right in the red hat, placed fifth among 27 racers last weekend in Winthrop, Washington.
(Photo by BECKY KANNING) Annaby Kanning skates toward the finish, where she finished second out of 21 girls in the 900 meter sprint.
WINTHROP, Wash. — Local cross country ski racer Annaby Kanning finished second among 21 racers in the 900 meter skate sprint final and fourth in a 3.5K classic race, leading a strong showing by the five Sandpoint Nordic Club racers taking part in the Race of the Methow last weekend in Winthrop, Washington.
This was the second Junior Olympic Qualifier race held in the Pacific Northwest Division (PNSA) of USSA XC skiing, which includes all of Oregon, Washington and North Idaho. The Junior Qualifiers bring the best cross country racers from all over the states of Oregon and Washington.
Sandpoint Nordic Club sent a team of five racers: Annaby Kanning, 13; Emerson Kanning, 17; Tabor Dussault, 15; Simeon Dussault, 9; and Blayne Kanning, 10.
Saturday was a Skate Ski Sprint Time Trial followed by sprint heats. Sunday was a Classic ski distance event. Racers hoping to qualify for Junior Nationals must race both skate and classic techniques.
Annaby Kanning made it to the final heat in the 900 meter skate sprint, finishing with a time of 2:33.7. She also clocked a 14:35 in the 3.5K race of the U14 division on Sunday, earning podium finishes.
Tabor Dussault finished fifth overall out of 27 racers in a 1.3K skate sprint in the U16 males, with a finishing time of 3:13.4. On Sunday he finished ninth among 27 in a 5K classic race, finishing the brutal endurance race in 17:36.
Emerson Kanning finished 18th in the U18 girls division in the 1.3K skate sprint, with a finishing time of 4:43.7, and followed the next day with a 17th place finish in a long and tough 10K race, finishing in 52:38.
Simeon Dussault finished 6th in the U10 boys division in a 900 meter skate sprint with a time of 3:56.1, and Blayne Kanning finished 9th in the U12 boys division in a 900 meter skate sprint with a time of 4:13.3 to round out the Sandpoint Nordic Club action.