Skiing takes WHS duo to Sweden

By DAVID LESNICKThe Daily Inter Lake

Cross country skier Erik Anderson admits to daydreaming about it as early as last summer.

"I thought it would be neat to say we were on the Scandinavian Cup team," Anderson said.

"That was a goal."

So Anderson and Ian Mallams, both of Whitefish, began training with that objective in mind last June.

They started by roller skiing on pavement to get in shape.

"Beginning of summer, you don't want to be too specific with the training," Anderson said.

"(If you do), you will get too bored with it."

Then, in the fall, both continued their cross training by competing on the Whitefish High School cross country team. They helped the Bulldogs to a third-place finish at the Class A state meet in Helena. Mallams placed third individually; Anderson was 17th.

And when the first snow finally covered the Flathead Valley, at least enough to support skiing, the two were daily fixtures on the cross country course at Whitefish Lake Golf Club, gearing up for the biggest competition of their skiing careers. They practiced seven days a week, 60-90 minutes each time out.

"Every other week take a day off to see how you feel," Anderson said.

They also took ski trips to a challenging cross country course in Essex, were they embarked on even more rigorous training. Those sessions became 4-hour workouts.

Finally, earlier this month, they reached their goal.

Anderson and Mallams turned in strong showings at the U.S. Junior Cross Country Championships in Houghton, Mich., to earn spots on the U.S. Junior Cross Country Team. That team will compete in the J1 Scandinavian Cup Championships in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, Feb. 2-4.

"Going into it, I don't think either one of us was super confident," Anderson said.

"There are a lot of good skiers. And now that we're on it; it's so exciting."

The two 17-year-olds competed in three events in Houghton - the 15k freestyle/skate, 10k classic and 1.3k classic sprint. Performances in the those events determined the final overall standings.

Mallams finished third overall while Anderson was sixth. The ski team includes the top seven individuals.

Mallams' second-place finish in the 15k skate and Anderson's fourth-place showing in the 1.3k classic sprint were their best efforts in Michigan. Both skiers finished in the top nine spots in all three events, which is amazing considering the distractions the pair faced.

Travel woes, equipment delays and horrible ski conditions could have made for a disastrous trip.

They had to contend with a flight cancellation in Minneapolis before the Senior Nationals. Instead of waiting 30 hours for the next flight from Minneapolis to Houghton, they rented a car for the eight-hour trip across a small portion of Minnesota, all of northern Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

If that wasn't enough, they arrived without their ski equipment, which did show up the night before the first event.

And because of warm weather, skiers had to contend with "terrible conditions," Mallams said, on the course.

Namely, an icy surface.

"We're used to it," Mallams said.

"It was perfect conditions for us.

"I'm just more excited (than anything else)," said Mallams of his upcoming international competition.

"I don't get too nervous (about it). I try not to worry about it until (I am) in the starting gate."

"No pressure (on us)," said Anderson of the Scandinavian Cup.

"But that does not mean we won't do our best."

Mallams and Anderson competed earlier this month in Whitefish, finishing first and second, respectively, in the Glacier Glide. Mallams' time for the 10k race was 28 minutes, 39 seconds; Anderson finished in 30:31.

The duo then raced last weekend in Salt Lake City. They were also scheduled to train there for a day on the U.S. Olympic course before leaving for Sweden.

In Sweden, Mallams said the order of business will be "training, sightseeing and a warm-up race (before the Cup competition)."

Anderson has been competing in cross country skiing for as long as he can remember.

"Skied in my first race in diapers," he said.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder says he got involved in the sport through his family. His parents both ski, as does his sister.

"Made sense for me to ski," he said.

"I would never drop it. I love it. I do it for the people you meet and the places you go."

Anderson also bikes, hikes and swims competitively in the summer to stay in shape.

"I started at such a young age, I learned the basics pretty early," Anderson said of skiing.

"I've been trying to perfect my technique the whole time."

Mallams (6-2, 170) said he has been skiing "since I was four or five.

"I like the environment of skiing; the people and the places (you get to travel to)."

Mallams has represented WHS in four state cross country meets, earning all-state honors twice.

Mountain and road biking along with hiking are his major sporting endeavors in the offseason.

"This year the skate has been my best event," Mallams said.

"Usually it's the classic."

One of the challenges Anderson and Mallams faced leading up to the Scandinavian Cup was completing their homework before departing.

Anderson, a junior, had to prepare for a semester final in math and English. Mallams, a senior, had to write two essays, finish a project and make up a final.

Both students carry grade point averages of 3.9 or better. Mallams plans to ski and study engineering in college at Montana State University or Colorado State University.

-----

Anderson and Mallams had to raise money to cover their travel expenses and the United States Ski Association fee for the Scandinavian Cup. Individuals wishing to help on the financial end may do so by making checks payable to the Nordic XC International Travel Fund for Juniors. Checks should be sent to the Whitefish Credit Union, PO Box 37, Whitefish, MT, 59937.