Anderson excel at Junior Olympics
Erik Anderson does a 180-degree downhill step turn during the 10k Skate Race at the Junior Olympic National Championships in Houghton, Mich., earlier this month. Anderson tied for 14th place in the event, earning the Whitefish skier All-American honors.
The Daily Inter Lake
Whitefish x-country skiers Mallams,
Cross country skiers Ian Mallams and Erik Anderson, both of Whitefish, earned All-American honors at the Junior Olympic National Championships in Houghton, Mich.
The event was held March 5-11 at Michigan Tech University with over 400 skiers competing from around the U.S.
In the vertically challenging 15k (9.3 miles) J1 Classical Race, Mallams fought off a starting field of 93 skiers to place sixth overall in a time of 44:31 while Anderson, fighting his way up through the field, finished seventh in 44:47. That event featured a mass start with the top 10 finishers collecting All-American recognition.
In the JI 10k Skate Race, Erik Anderson tied for 14th place, 28:00, and Mallams finished 30th, 28:51. The top 15 placers in that event garnered All-American attention.
In the J1 Classical Sprint Race, 1.3k, Mallams placed 23rd and Anderson 32nd.
Mallams skied up one age category to JO (ages 18-19) and placed fifth, 38:42, in the 3x5k skate relay. Anderson's J1 team placed eighth with a time 39:15.
Mallams and Anderson are members of the Glacier Nordic Ski Team. They both competed with the Intermountain Division squad (Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota), at nationals which placed fourth overall out of 21 teams.