Scott, Cramer, and Grover Lead the Charge to Girls National Club Championship Win

The 2022 U.S.S.S. Junior National Cross Country Ski Championships took place Mar. 7-12 in Minneapolis, MN, with the top U16, U18, and U20 athletes in the country competing in Individual Freestyle Individual Start 5K/10K, Classic Sprint, Classic Mass Start, and Mixed Team Relay events. SVSEF came home with the Girls National Club Championship title, Cora Scott crowned U16 Classic Sprint National Champion, and Aurora Cramer taking silver in the U20 5K Freestyle and bronze along with teammate Luci Ludwig in the U20 4 x 3 km Mixed Relay. SVSEF Alumni, Elijah Weenig, was first on course for the relay, with Ludwig and Cramer anchoring the IMD team to the bronze.

“The girls winning the National Club Championship is such a huge credit to all of the kids and coaches in the program, from our little skiers just starting all the way up to Sammy Smith crushing at Worlds,” said Rick Kapala, SVSEF Cross Country Program Director. “The focus must always be on building a community of skiers, coaches, and families who value simple but strong attributes like lifelong wellness, building work ethic, and loving the sport. It’s like we often say…Any day we GET to cross country ski is a good day. If we focus on those foundational goals, the ski results will surely follow.”

Thirteen SVSEF Cross Country skiers were selected as members of the Intermountain Division (IMD) team to compete at U.S. Junior Nationals. Representing the women were Aurora Cramer and Luci Ludwig in the U20 age class; Anja Grover, Eloise Hebert, Annika Vandenburgh, and Aisley Grohusky in U18; and Cora Scott, Berkeley Canfield, and Jodie Willow Maguire in U16. Teddy Hobbs represented SVSEF in U16 boys, Galen Grohusky in U18 boys, and SVSEF Alumni, Elijah Weenig in U20. Weenig is currently skiing for Denver University. These junior athletes were joined by SVSEF Cross Country Team coaches Rick Kapala, Ashley Knox, and Paul Smith.

“We had a great week at Junior Nationals, with some incredible results and amazingly hard and gritty efforts,” said Ashley Knox, SVSEF XC Comp Team Coach. “From Galen and Teddy throwing down in a very competitive guys field, to the girls winning the club championships—this week just highlights the depth and strength of our entire SVSEF team.”

The team came home with four top-three medal positions, four top-five medal positions, and seven top-12 finishes.

SVSEF top-12 results at the 2022 U.S.S.S. Junior National Cross Country Ski Championships:

Girls U16 5K Freestyle – Cora Scott – 4th

Girls U20 5K Freestyle – Aurora Cramer – SILVER

Girls U16 Classic Sprint – Cora Scott – GOLD – NATIONAL CHAMPION

Girls U16 Classic Sprint – Jodie Maguire – 9th

Girls U16 Classic Sprint – Berkeley Canfield – 12th

Girls U18 Classic Sprint – Anja Grover – 4th

Girls U20 Classic Sprint – Luci Ludwig – 7th

Girls U16 Classic 10K Mass Start – Cora Scott – 9th

Girls U16 Classic 10K Mass Start – Berkeley Canfield – 12th

Girls U18 Classic 10K Mass Start – Anja Grover – 11th

Girls U20 Classic 10K Mass Start – Aurora Cramer – BRONZE

Girls Team – NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONS

Mixed Relay U16 – Cora Scott – 5th

Mixed Relay U18 – Anja Grover – 5th

Mixed Relay U20 – Annika Vandenburgh – 9th

Mixed Relay U20 – Aurora Cramer, Luci Ludwig – BRONZE

For complete race results, visit: https://my.raceresult.com/events/

*Sammy Smith was selected to race in the U18 class but having just returned from the Junior World Championships and in preparation for Canadian Nationals later this month, Smith took this week as a key recovery week leading into the remainder of the season.