FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CXC-MW Troll Hollow JOQ Sat Cl Sprint

The CXC- Midwest Junior Olympic Qualifier series began with a bang and a shiver today at Troll Hollow in Dresser, WI. After a 1 hour delay to wait for the temp to rise to -5`F (International Ski Federation legal minimum), 180 juniors towed the line for a 1km classic sprint. This record field for the Opener included an Open category for seniors/masters, and a youth event for under 11. A large contingent of junior and senior CCSA collegiate skiers raced as well.

Trollhaugen creates a great venue for sprinting, with a challenging course that is easily accessible for spectators and coaches. The snow was solid, warming facilities comforting, and the staff most cooperative.

The day began with a 15 second interval start for all competitors to determine qualifiers for the heats of 6. 12-24 athletes in each gender/age category stepped to the line every 5 minutes for almost 3 hours to determine the podium finishers. The action was fast and furious, with some tremendous efforts and an occasional unintentional collision and scramble.

Full results for both today's classic sprint and tomorrows skate sprint can be found as a link off www.cxcskiing.org or directly from the timing contractors site at http://www.pttiming.com/raceresults.php