World Junior & U23 Championships Preview

Written by GRP Skier Michaela Keller-Miller

Alex Lawson putting in the final preparations before racing starts.

Finn Sweet

The athletes representing Craftsbury as a part of Team USA at this week’s U23 and Junior World Ski Championships have safely made it to Vuokatti, Finland. Finn Sweet, Alex Lawson, and Nina Seemann are all putting in the final preparations for the upcoming races, which begin on February 9th with a classic sprint and end on February 14th.

Happy Finn in his element

We checked in with Craftsbury athletes about how the trip has been going and to see which races we can cheer on our local favorites. Regarding the conditions, Sweet likened the snow to “Styrofoam”, as the cold weather has been making for some slower-than-usual conditions. Sweet also mentions, “I am bad at speaking Finnish, so it’s hard to really get to know the locals.” We sincerely hope he is able to brush up on his Finnish before the Championships are over. 

More smiles from Alex despite the cold temps

Sweet further adds that “Russia is really close, so I have been thinking a lot about living a solitary life in Siberia.” Our Craftsbury reporters are not convinced he will commit to this lifestyle but suppose time will tell. Lawson reports that she does not intend to join Sweet in his Russian escapades, as she admits “the Russians are scary. I would not follow in Finn’s footsteps.” Regardless of their thoughts on crossing into Russian territory, both athletes are ready to race fast on the world stage. 

Some beautiful Finland skiing!

The week’s racing starts on February 9th, as the Juniors take to the course to complete a classic sprint. Both Sweet and Seemann will be competing in Tuesday’s sprint. The following day, the U23s, including Lawson, will also race a classic sprint.

Finn Sweet showing us his covid safety precautions on the flight to Finland

Next, both Seemann and Lawson will race a skate distance race. Be sure to look out for Seemann in the Junior women’s 5-kilometer race on January 11th and Lawson in the U23 women’s 10-kilometer race on January 12th.

Later in the week, expect to see Seemann racing in the Junior women’s 4x3.3-kilometer relay on January 13th. Unfortunately, three members of the women’s Junior team are in quarantine after one positive Covid-19 test and two possible exposures after contact tracing. As a result, it is unclear whether Team USA will be able to field a full relay team. On the U23 side, Lawson is in the mix for a relay slot in the mixed 4x5-kilometer U23 relay, which is to be decided after the first two days of U23 racing.

The last race of the week is a Junior classic mass start on January 14th. Cheer on Seemann as she races the women’s 15-kilometer Junior race.

Follow along with this week’s racing and results on the FIS website.

Full Overview of the Racing Schedule:

January 9th: Junior Classic Sprint (Sweet, Seemann)

January 10th: U23 Classic Sprint (Lawson)

January 11th: Junior Skate 5km/10km (Seemann)

January 12th: U23 Skate 10km/15km (Lawson)

January 13th: Junior Women’s/Men’s Relay, U23 Mixed Relay (Seemann)

January 14th: Junior 15km/30km Classic Mass Start (Seemann)