Alaska Junior Olympians are gold standard

After Team Alaska produced champions in five straight races to stage a gold rush rivaling the one that put Alaska on the map more than a century ago, 15-year-old Kinsey Loan of Chugiak flirted with victory in the sixth and final race before slipping to third place.

It was one of the grittiest and most impressive performances of the day.

Loan, a sophomore who skis for Alaska Nordic Racing, lost a ski pole with about 200 meters to go as she sprinted to the finish with two other racers in the 5-kilometer mass-start classical race for Junior II girls.

Down to one pole in a situation that demanded double-poling, Loan's shot at victory vanished.

Joanne Reid of the Far West -- who had taken the lead just seconds before the hand grip on Loan's pole broke -- held on to win, and Elizabeth Anderson of New England passed the equipment-challenged Loan to claim second place. Loan placed third, 2.3 seconds behind Reid.

After she finished, Loan didn't throw her remaining pole in anger. She didn't cry or pout. She didn't make excuses or assign blame.

She acted like a champ.

Loan didn't hesitate to say that even if she had finished with both poles, Reid probably would have won. "But I think I would've at least held on to second," she said.

"I'm really happy because I got third place," she added. "This surprised me. I was hoping for top 20 or maybe top 10."

Loan did far better than her pre-race expectations, perhaps because winning can be contagious, even in an individual sport like skiing.

Before the Junior II girls took to the trails in the day's last race, Alaskans had hit the mother lode -- and then some -- five straight times.

In two of the races, Team Alaska swept all three podium positions. For the day, it won 11 out of 18 medals to bring its week-long total to 21, seven more than anyone else.

Leading the way for the Alaskans:

-- Reese Hanneman of Fairbanks, a senior at Lathrop who skis for FAST. In one of several races decided by sprint finishes, Hanneman outpaced second-place Noah Hoffman of Intermountain and third-place Max Treinen of Alaska to win the 15-kilometer Older Junior boys race by 1.5 seconds in 38 minutes, 34.8 seconds.

Hanneman said the key was keeping up with Hoffman and Treinen.

Hanneman took the lead in the tunnel on the south end of the Kincaid stadium, about 100 meters from the finish. It was just the second time he held the lead in the long race.

"I led once in the woods, I think," Hanneman said. "I might have led half a (kilometer) the whole race. But all that matters in that two-inch line at the finish."

• Eric Packer of Anchorage, who led a 1-2-3-4 Alaska finish in the Junior I boys race in 38:35.4. Within five seconds of him, in order, were David Norris of Fairbanks, Andrew Dougherty of Anchorage and Lex Treinen of Anchorage.

"It was really awesome having the four of us in the lead, so we could trade off leading," Packer said. "We worked together until the final hill."

• Scott Patterson of Anchorage, who led a 1-2-3 Alaska finish in the 5-kilometer Junior II boys race in 13:35.8. Joining him on the podium were Eric Ryan of Anchorage and Logan Hanneman of Fairbanks.

"It's really sweet sweeping," Patterson said.

Patterson didn't enjoy the kind of cushion he had in Wednesday's 5-K skate race, which he won by more than 75 seconds. This time, his edge was 16 seconds.

"Wednesday's race showed I could really pull away and I tried to do it again, but I couldn't," he said. "Once I got to the top of Elliott's Climb, my tank was running low. I managed to hold up."

• Becca Rorabaugh of Fairbanks, who outdueled Intermountain's Mali Noyes in a sprint showdown between two gold medalists.

Rorabaugh, Monday's sprint winner, edged Noyes, Wednesday's skate winner, by eight-tenths of a second to win the 10-K Older Junior girls race in 30:44.7.

"I passed Mali on the last itty-bitty hill before the tunnel," Rorabaugh said. "And then I double-poled my butt off."

• Amy Glen of Anchorage, who captured her second gold medal of the week, taking the 10-K Junior I girls race in 30:48.1

She broke away from the lead pack midway through the second lap and held on to beat New England's Sophie Caldwell by 9.7 seconds.

"There was still two or three (kilometers) to go and I was a little worried it was too early," Glen said of her winning move, "but it wasn't."

Indeed, Team Alaska made all the right moves Friday. Which means the skiers could see their coach, Ja Dorris, bust a move sometime today.

The Alaskans haven't won the team title at the junior national championships since 2002, but Friday's performances give them a commanding lead going into today's relay races.

"The coaches have to do the Macarena if we win it," said Dorris, "and anyone who's seen me dance knows how ugly that could be."

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Find Beth Bragg online at adn.com/contact/bbragg or call 257-4309.

JUNIOR OLYMPIC SKIING

Classical races

Girls

5-kilometer Junior II (born in 92-93) -- 1) Joanne Reid, FW, 15:37.1; 2) Elizabeth Anderson, NE, 15:38.8; 3) Kinsey Loan, AK, 15:39.4; 4) Kristin Halvorsen, NE, 15:47.8; 5) Karina Packer, AK, 15:58.1; 6) Katie Gill, IM, 15:59.1; 7) Isabel Caldwell, NE, 15:59.3; 8) Stella Holt, IM, 15:59.7; 9) Jessica Jortberg, RM, 15:59.9; 10) Alicia Rose Pastore, RM, 16:00.0; 11) Heidi Caldwell, NE, 16:01.9; 12) Kate Backstrum, AK, 16:03.3; 13) Jen Rolfes, MW, 16:15.3; 14) Hannah Smith, RM, 16:20.4; 15) Summer Ellefson, MW, 16:29.0; 16) Gage Fichter, NE, 16:34.7; 17) Elizabeth Peterson, MW, 16:39.5; 18) Tara Geraghty-Moats, NE, 16:41.1; 19) Michaela Frias, RM, 16:49.2; 20) Carly Wynn, MA, 16:50.7.

10-kilometer Junior I (born in 90-91) -- 1) Amy Glen, AK, 30:48.1; 2) Sophie Caldwell, NE, 30:57.8; 3) Jessie Diggins, MW, 31:16.6; 4) Jamie Bronga, AK, 31:28.3; 5) Hilary Rich, NE, 31:31.1; 6) Caitlin Patterson, AK, 31:39.7; 7) Beth Taylor, NE, 31:40.5; 8) Keely Levins, NE, 31:43.0; 9) Bernie Nelson, FW, 31:43.3; 10) Kate Dolan, IM, 31:52.7; 11) Kailey Mucha, AK, 31:53.7; 12) Adele Espy, NE, 31:57.5; 13) Paige Elliott, RM, 32:00.8; 14) Karlie Moore, RM, 32:05.3; 15) Esther Kennedy, AK, 32:11.7; 16) Elizabeth Guiney, IM, 32:19.2; 17) Corrine Malcolm, MW, 32:20.8; 18) Alyson McPhetres, AK, 32:23.6; 19) Corinne Prevot, NE, 32:27.7; 20) Stephanie Crocker, NE, 32:30.6.

10-kilometer Older Junior (born in 1988-89) -- 1) Becca Rorabaugh, AK, 30:44.7; 2) Mali Noyes, IM, 30:45.5; 3) Parker Tyler, NE, 30:58.1; 4) Rachelle Kanady, AK, 31:04.1; 5) Ase Carlson, IM, 31:09.7; 6) Maddie Talkington, NE, 31:15.5; 7) Lucy Garrec, NE, 31:17.7; 8) Christina Gillis, AK, 31:20.9; 9) Caitlin Curran, NE, 31:25.8; 10) Martina Stonawska, PN, 31:26.3; 11) Lauren Fritz, AK, 31:54.6; 12) Mae Foster, NE, 32:05.5; 13) Briana Perkins, RM, 32:06.0; 14) Katie Miller, NE, 32:14.1; 15) Jamie Devin, PN, 32:14.6; 16) Hanna Johnson, AK, 32:29.1; 17) Ruth McGovern, NE, 32:45.5; 18) Ky Eiben, AK, 33:05.4; 19) Erika Flowers, IM, 33:14.1; 20) Jackie Pribyl, MW, 33:16.2.

Boys

5-kilometer Junior II (born in 19929-93) -- 1) Scott Patterson, AK, 13:35.8; 2) Eric Ryan, AK, 13:51.3; 3) Logan Hanneman,AK, 13:52.54) Bridger Tyler, NE, 13:55.9; 5) Steve Mangan, MA, 13:56.96) David Sinclair, NE, 14:01.7; 7) Austin Cobb, NE, 14:02.5; 8) Will Wicherski, IM, 14:06.6; 9) Daniel Sundali, IM, 14:13.4; 10) Spencer Lacy, RM, 14:14.3; 11) Silas Talbot, AK, 14:14.4; 12) Tanner Wiegand, IM, 14:15.9; 13) Robert Hovda, AK, 14:22.0; 14) Sean Woods, RM, 14:23.2; 15) Casey Smith, PN, 14:26.3; 16) Johnny Springer, IM, 14:26.7; 17) Reitler Hodgert, PN, 14:33.7; 18) Tanner Putt, IM, 14:33.9; 19) Sam Dougherty, AK, 14:35.3; 20) Nick Michaud, NE, 14:38.1

15-kilometer Junior I (born in 90-91) -- 1) Eric Packer, AK, 38:35.4; 2) David Norris, AK, 38:38.3; 3) Andrew Dougherty, AK, 38:38.4; 4) Lex Treinen, AK, 38:40.1; 5) Chase Marston, NE, 39:31.6; 6) Chris Bowler, MW, 39:34.0; 7) Sam Tarling, NE, 39:41.5; 8) Erik Bjornsen, PN, 40:08.7; 9) Tyler Kornfield, AK, 40:14.5; 10) George Cartwright, HP, 40:16.6; 11) Max Durtschi, IM, 40:36.9; 12) Dylan Grald, NE, 40:37.1; 13) Cole Talbot, AK, 40:55.8; 14) Jordan Buetow, AK, 41:00.2; 15) Erik Fagerstrom, MW, 41:01.5; 16) Pat Madden, PN, 41:04.1; 17) Jake Barton, NE, 41:04.6; 18) Galen Johnston, AK, 41:16.7; 19) Donald Haering

15-kilometer Older Junior (born in 88-89) -- 1) Reese Hanneman, AK, 38:34.8 0; 2) Noah Hoffman, IM, 38:36.3; 3) Max Treinen, AK, 38:36.5; 4) Reid Pletcher, IM, 39:03.0; 5) Michael Matteson, AK, 39:12.7; 6) Tad Elliott, RM, 39:14.0; 7) Harrison Harb, NE, 39:20.0; 8) Ian Havlick, IM, 39:33.9; 9) Leif Nordgren, RM, 39:35.6; 10) Graham Egan, NE, 39:38.4; 11) Karl Schauer, AK, 39:40.1; 12) Tom Smith, PN, 39:41.0; 13) Miles Havlick, RM, 39:43.9; 14) Doug Debold, MW, 39:52.9; 15) Mike Mommsen, NE, 40:02.0; 16) Ian Mallams, RM, 40:04.7; 17) Sam Marshall, NE, 40:13.3; 18) Erik Anderson, IM, 40:29.0; 19) Taylor Sundali, IM, 40:29.5; 20) Darrin Markvardsen, PN, 40:39.5.