With years of skiing, playing soccer and basketball, Carter Ros is an athlete who recognizes the value of playing to the whistle.
 
A member of the SVSEF cross country program since 2005, Carter, posted two of his best finishes ever to book a berth in the Junior National Cross Country Championships, March 6-13 at Cable, Wisconsin. For his all-out effort to get there, Carter is SVSEF’s Athlete of the Week.
 

“Carter wasn’t even on the bubble,” SVSEF Nordic Program Director Rick Kapala remarked. “He was on the outside looking in and he posted his best ever result with the exception of when he was a J2 two years ago. We basically said the script has not been written and he realized that which was valuable to making the team.

Carter Ros on course. Photo by Hank Dart.

 
 
In the third and final Junior National Qualifying races at Bozeman, Montana, Carter, a senior at Wood River High School, qualified 10^th and finished fifth in the men’s U18/U20 skate sprint. The following day, facing inclement conditions including standing water on the course, he made the decision to double pole the entire 10k course in a classic mass start. The decision paid off as Carter finished second in 27:17 to teammate Peter Wolter and eighth overall in a field of 41 U18/U20 men.
 
“Just because the first race don’t come that doesn’t mean you can’t have those results later. Carter is really good on his skis and the courses played to his strength. Conditions were pretty janky with standing water and ice. He was the first guy to decide not to kick wax and just go for it. He had a really good race,” Kapala said.
 
The affable 17-year-old will observe his 18^th birthday while at Nationals. We hope Carter has double reason to celebrate!
 
Overall, SVSEF will send 14 team members to Junior Nationals, the most from a single program in the Intermountain Division. Bozeman was next best with 12. For more information on the 2016 Cross Country Junior National Championships, please click HERE.