CXC Youth Cup Standings Announced

Final Point Rankings Released

With the conclusion of the Midwest Jr Championships, the CXC Youth Cup, presented by Bliz, as well as the Skiwerx Series, presented by Fast Wax, have released their final point rankings.

The Skiwerx Series, which is overseen by the Minnesota Youth Ski League, is in its seventh year and is a Minneapolis based youth series for U10, U12 and U14 racers, The CXC Youth Cup, began two years ago as a cooperative effort between MYSL and CXC Skiing and is a 13-event regional (three-state) youth series for U12 and U14 racers.

Top Three CXC Youth Cup Skiers

MU14 Caden Albrecht, Victor Sparks, Owen Williams
FU14 Sudie Hall, Mia Case, Liv Myers
MU12  Bryce Albrecht, Jonathan Nemeth, Josh Frett
FU12 Fran Peterson, Margo Nightingale, Raina Hess

Our grand finale weekend, the Midwest Junior Championships and Festival, was a great success, with over 300 skiers attending.

“We made a weather-based decision to compress the schedule to one day and many skiers raced up to five times, including relays and SkiX”, states co-race director, Amy Cichanowski of the Minnesota Youth Ski League. “Everything stayed on schedule and the excitement never stopped until the awards were over”.

The age group top-ten in the CXC Youth Cup were awarded medals at the conclusion of the Midwest Junior Championship races. 

The top 8 U14 boys and girls from the final points list will be invited to participate in the Dream Camp in July in the Hayward area. The top five Skiwerx Series age group medals will be awarded at the MYSL/Skiwerx Banquet on March 19th. The Wisconsin Skiwerx Series top-five awards will be presented at the spring CXC Congress in late April.

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The vision for youth racing in the Midwest, is to have a network of Skiwerx Series that lay the foundation for a robust CXC Youth Cup, cilminating in the Midwest Junior Championship and Festival. We would like to have up to five Skiwerx districts. All with developmentally appropriate exposure to racing and networked programming.

If you are interested in working towards this vision with our Central Youth Committee, please contact Amy Cichanowski, CXC (Central Cross Country) Youth Coordinator, amy@mysl.org.

Skiwerx Series and CXC Youth Cup Updates

With the conclusion of the Mayor’s Challenge SkiX and classic races, the CXC Youth Cup, presented by Bliz, as well as the Skiwerx Series, presented by Fast Wax, are coming to an exciting grand finale.

The Skiwerx Series, which is overseen by the Minnesota Youth Ski League, is in its seventh year and is a Minneapolis based youth series for U10, U12 and U14 racers, The CXC Youth Cup, began two years ago as a cooperative effort between MYSL and CXC Skiing and is a 13-event regional (three-state) youth series for U12 and U14 racers.

Points and results can be viewed here:

2017 Skiwerx Series Results and Points Standings
2017 CXC Youth Cup Results and Points Standings

To expand our local youth racing options, we are also announcing, with the support of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation, a beta version of the Wisconsin Skiwerx Series, complete with points for selected races and year-end awards. As the first step in establishing this new series, we pointed a selection of races and will have a championship event on Saturday March 4th, either in Minocqua (depending on snow conditions) or in Minneapolis at the Midwest Jr Championships. The Wisconsin Skiwerx Series is designed to provide a local network of quality age group racing and programming.

For points for the Wisconsin Skiwerx Series, we will be using the 6k skating event at the Minocqua Squirrel Hill Loopy Loppet on Saturday March 4th AND the Midwest Junior Championships and Festival Mass Start Freestyle Race on Sunday March 5th.

Our grand finale weekend, the Midwest Junior Championships and Festival, is ON and confirmed for Wirth park in Minneapolis on March 3-5th. We expect over 300 youth and juniors at this capstone event. Registration closes Tuesday Feb 28th.

“We’ve had very challenging and inconsistent winter conditions this season,  but I’m confident we can put on a great capstone event on March 3-5. I’m looking forward to sending this winter out with a bang”, states co-race director, Amy Cichanowski of the Minnesota Youth Ski League.

The age group top-ten in the CXC Youth Cup will be awarded medals at the conclusion of the Midwest Junior Championship races.

The top 8 U14 boys and girls from the final points list will be invited to participate in the Dream Camp in July in the Hayward area. The top five Skiwerx Series age group medals will be awarded at the MYSL/Skiwerx Banquet on March 19th. The Wisconsin Skiwerx Series top-five awards will be presented at the spring CXC Congress in late April.

The vision for youth racing in the Midwest, is to have a network of Skiwerx Series that lay the foundation for a robust CXC Youth Cup. We would like to have up to five Skiwerx districts. All with developmentally appropriate exposure to racing and networked programming.

If you are interested in working towards this vision with our Central Youth Committee, please contact Amy Cichanowski, CXC (Central Cross Country) Youth Coordinator, amy@mysl.org.

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We are half way through the CXC Youth Cup for this season.

With the conclusion of the Duluth Hilltop Invite races this past weekend, we are half way through the CXC Youth Cup for this season.

The individual start freestyle races went off without a hitch in beautifully sunny weather on challenging courses at the Marshall school venue. The Duluth Cross-Country Ski Club put on a great event and the entire Central region was glad to be racing in Duluth.

“Its been many, many years since Duluth has seen an event of this caliber. We are glad to be here and hope to be back in the future”, stated Amy Cichanowski, CXC Youth Coordinator.

The CXC Youth Cup resumes in a few days at the Friday evening FinnSisu Sprints (Loppet Festival) at Wirth Park in Minneapolis.

Third Weekend of CXC Youth Cup

The past weekend featured the fourth and fifth races on the CXC Youth Cup series at the new Birkie Start Trailhead. Although the crazy winter weather continues, the venue and the course made for an exciting weekend of racing for over 100 young skiers in the U10, U12, and U14 age categories.

Racing began with the Classic Individual Start event on Saturday afternoon; skiers raced a two-lap race, which created excitement for the spectators, as skiers lapped through the stadium area out the American Birkebeiner Trail. Sunday’s race was a Mass Start Freestyle event along the same course.

“Both events were fun and exciting for both spectators and participants. An award ceremony was held on Sundayafternoon under the torch of the American Birkebeiner to honor all participants. The Nordic smiles of these young skiers and their families were priceless.” – Said CXC CODP director Bruce Manske

CXC Youth Cup racing continues this coming weekend in Duluth (MN). We hope to see you at Marshall School trails! 

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Additional updates will be posted here athttp://www.duluthxc.com/hilltop-invite-jnq

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Third Race In The Books

The CXC Youth Cup has its third race in the books with the conclusion of the Pre-Loppet on Sunday January 8th. The races took place on the newly aligned man- made snow loop at Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Over 100 kids participated in U8-U14 age categories. Despite the hilly course, spectators witnessed hard fought wins among all youth competitors throughout the day.

“The Loppet Foundation did a great job preparing the course and stadium to give our youth racers the best possible experience,” stated Amy Cichanowski, CXC Youth Coordinator. “We were all very pleased with the turn-out on a cold, but sunny, day”.

The next stop for the CXC Youth Cup will be the Birkie Trailhead Races on Jan 21st and 22nd.

 

Youth Racing Season Is Underway

The Nordic racing season began this past weekend on the ski trails of Michigan Technology University in Houghton, Michigan with the first Junior National Qualifier and CXC Youth Cup events of the season.

Over 270 athletes, from the U10 age division to the college level racers, were greeted with more than 12 inches of fresh snow, a great race organizing committee, and many excited Nordic fans.

Coming Up Next

Next up on the CXC Youth Cup schedule is a mass start freestyle race, the Pre-Loppet event, in Minneapolis (MN) on Sunday January 8, 2017.

The series is scored for U12 and U14 athletes after each event to create a festive atmosphere that motivates junior cross country skiers to attaining their performance goals and look forward to the next race.

Athletes that register for the CXC Youth Cup events will meet many new Nordic friends; and, learn how to successfully progress through the competitive skiing pipeline with the support of friends, families, and race organizers.

BLIZ is pleased to be the presenting sponsor of the CXC Youth Cup.

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2017 CXC Youth Cup Race Series

Presented by BLIZ

Showcase your training preparations, endurance, strength and determination by registering as a competitor in the 2017 CXC Youth Cup!

The series begins with a Classic Sprint at the Houghton Junior National Qualifier event on December 17, 2016.

The CXC Youth Cup features thirteen events in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Central Cross Country Skiing Association (CXC) and the Minnesota Youth Ski League (MYSL) have partnered to bring you the regional CXC Youth Cup and the Twin Cities area Skiwerx Series.

Now in its third season, the series offers athletes ages 10-13 an opportunity to experience and explore the excitement of travel, friendship, and competition associated with events and races.

Simply obtain a MyXC Skiwerx License online or through your Skiwerx-affiliated Club, and you are eligible to take part in this fun and exciting series.