Klayton Kovatch, Eric Lorentz and Will Batchelder starting the 5K at the Yellowstone Rendezvous March 4 in West Yellowstone. Many who attended the race commented how easy it was to pick out the Seeley skiers with their yellow and black uniforms.
Hattie Batchelder and Cora Stone (front) ready for the 5K.
Area skiers gathered as a group after the awards ceremony. Back (L-R): Kim Grover, Darren Zellman, Ella Batchelder, Madeline Swanberg, Klaire Kovatch, Bethany Hoag, Terra Bertsch, Owen Hoag, Eric Lorentz, Dakota Wood, Tim Swanberg, Orion Berryman and David Batchelder. Front (L-R): Cora Stone, Kilty Hanson, Hattie Batchelder, Noah Stone, Klayton Kovatch, Will Batchelder and Brie Guilmette. Not pictured: Lynn Carey.
WEST YELLOWSTONE – Among 540 skiers from across the United States, 13 racers from the Seeley Lake Nordic Team and seven other local racers participated in this year's Yellowstone Rendezvous March 4. The team's head coach Bridget Laird was excited to see the athletes' hard work pay off and said the skiers "represented Seeley Lake really well."
Laird said the team has been fortunate to have consistently great snow conditions for training and hosting local races. There were 27 skiers on the team this year including three youth on a "prep team" coached by Kelsi Luhnow. The prep team focused on fundamentals and learning how to ski.
"We had more kids involved than ever and managed to hold on to a few high school skiers as well," said Laird.
The West Yellowstone Rendezvous Ski Race was the final race of the season for the team. At 7,000 feet of elevation coupled with a lot of racers starting together in a mass start, Laird said it was their most challenging race of the season. Racers competed in the 2 kilometer (K), 5K and 10K races and were broken out by male and female and by age groups.
Kilty Hanson was the only Seeley Lake skier in the 2K. She took second place overall for the females with a time of 8:44.00, a minute and a half behind the first place finisher Ally Wheeler from Bozeman, Mont.
Those that placed in the top five of their age group in the 5K included Will Batchelder, 18:49.68; Klayton Kovatch, 20:07.56; Cora Stone, 24:04.74 and Eric Lorentz, 20:13.10.
Laird said everyone on the team "raced hard and fast." Lorentz and Hattie Batchelder set new personal records in their last race of the season.
"We (coaches) are very proud of this team, the way the kids support and encourage one another, their commitment to training and having fun as a group," said Laird. "It's incredibly satisfying watching these kids, some who have skied on the team for several years and a few who are new this winter, develop into strong, confident athletes."
Full Team Results (Place in age group unless noted)
2K Female: Kilty Hanson, 2nd Overall, 8:44.00
5K Females: Klaire Kovatch, 6th, 20:43.85; Cora Stone, 5th, 24:04.74; Hattie Batchelder, 6th, 24:06.34; & Bethany Hoag, 15th, 26:20.44
5K Males: Will Batchelder, 4th, 18:49.68; Klayton Kovatch, 2nd, 20:07.56; Eric Lorentz, 1st, 20:13.10; & Noah Stone, 6th, 22:04.44
10K Females: Terra Bertsch, 6th, 53:57.22 & Ella Batchelder, 7th, 54:02.59
10K Males: Dakota Wood, 7th, 42:00. 65 & Owen Hoag, 13th, 42:18.09
Other Locals' Results
50K Males: Tim Swanberg, 9th, 2:48:11; Darren Zellman, 8th, 2:49:21; & David Batchelder, 17th, 3:25:03.
50K Female: Kim Grover, 3rd, 3:10:23
25K Female: Brie Guilmette, 4th, 1:43:21
10K Female: Madeline Swanberg, 5th, 39:51.18
10K Male: Lynn Carey, 1st, 51:15.44
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