Kyle Bratrud: One Weekend to Go

As I write this, it is crazy to believe that we only have one CCSA race weekend left. I will begin with last weekend. It was very nice to race on our home course and not have to travel. That being said, it was the first time in two years we have done distance races on it (minus the relay last year). The classic course was a bit under 5k so it made for an insanely fast “10k” taking just over twenty minutes. Short hard courses like that don’t suit me very well and it really showed me what I want to work on for next year.

The skate race was also rather quick although it was 20k and with the two A climbs four times each, it made for a very challenging course. I again was a little disappointed with my energy use early in the race and I made a bit of a rookie mistake going into the last B climb by allowing myself to become trapped when the winning move was made. However, I was able to go from fourth to second at the very top of the hill and I surprised myself a bit with the turn of speed I was able to produce. It gives me hope and motivation that if I can get stronger this summer I can really ski well next year! I am very satisfied with the weekend and couldn’t be happier for my good friend, Logan Hanneman, as he took the win both days.

As for next weekend, I am very excited to race again at Michigan Tech. It is by far and away my favorite course and every opportunity I get to race it before Nationals next year can only benefit me. I want to get one more solid classic race in to boost my confidence before we head to Utah for NCAAs. I also have some very specific things I would like to focus on and execute in the skate race. It should be a fun weekend! I also can’t express how happy I am to ski on a team with such depth. There is nothing more fun than racing in mass starts with a small pack when the majority of them are on your team. I’m ready for the final tune up before NCAAs!

About the author... NCAA All American Kyle Bratrud is entering his third season as an NMU Wildcat under Sten Fjeldheim. Spurred on by his World Junior participation last season, he is pursuing his dreams of making it on to the US Ski Team with everything he’s got. As a college athlete, Kyle will be sharing his thoughts, training, and racing experiences as he travels and competes around the college circuit and hopefully beyond.