AGONY by Nick Cohee

The beginning of this past week gave our ski team a hint of winter with a bit colder temperatures and rain. It was nice to sort through my wardrobe and glance at warmer clothes to wear, reminding me of something drawing near—hopes of a successful season with the Utes! School is going well and our squad continues to prepare for the upcoming season whether in the gym, on rollerskis, or other activities outdoors.

Agony (noun)—extreme mental or physical suffering. Agony Hill—ski team training Saturday, September 19, 2009. After a restful sleep, us Utes began the hike/run up a single track ascending and overlooking Salt Lake City. This being my first time up Agony Hill I was unsure of what to expect. I pointed to a ridgeline high above the starting point, asking if that was the top and was simply laughed at by veterans of the trail. “That isn’t close to halfway!” Replied a fellow teammate. I wish he were wrong. The run took me around 18 agonizing minutes and our team as a whole did exceptionally well, setting personal records and improving previous times.

Miles Havlick set a personal record by 45 seconds and had the fastest team time since 2005.

Marta Larsen set the best time since 2005 and beat all but five men.

Rolf Figi set a personal record by 45 seconds and is third in the oveall standings.

Thomas Zumbrunn ran the second fastest men’s alpine time (second to his own record) and finished eighth overall for the day.

Torjus Krogdahl set a personal record by over a minute and 20 seconds.

Parker Tyler set a personal record by 14 seconds.

Karina Smith made the top-ten list as the seventh fastest XC girl since 2005.

Didrik Smith set a personal record.

I made it into the top-ten alpine list in seventh.

Mali Noyes made the top-ten list since 2005 in tenth.

Anna Kocken is third overall in the women’s alpine list.

Sophia Smith set a personal record by over 2 minutes and is now fourth place overall for women’s alpine.

These results show that the Utes have been training hard and are hungry for a championship ring. On Sunday the Utah Nordic Team participated in a bike race in Park City while the Utah Alpine Team enjoyed a much needed rest day.