2010 Junior Ski to Sea Race

Team spirit, cheer, and a dose of good old fashioned competition embodied the atmosphere at Lake Padden on Saturday May 22 during the Junior Ski to Sea race.

Lake Padden Park transformed into a battle arena, on Saturday, May 22 where fearless competitors sported mohawks, ballet tutus, and duct tape warrior gear.

Race numbers pinned to the shirts of each participant freckled the landscape near the baseball fields, the epicenter of the entire event. Tents featuring sponsors, Kafe 104.1 fm, Fidalgo Bay Coffee, and a Sugar N Spice Mini Donut truck formed the perimeter around spectators and anxious contestants.

Schedule and Events

Junior Ski to Sea directly followed the Junior Race Parade which took place the day before and allowed for contestants to get pumped up about race day.

Race day started with check-ins for the elementary division at 8:00 am followed by the middle school division at 10:30 am and ended with the community division at 12:30 pm. This year a record breaking 192 teams signed up to compete in the race.

There are five legs of the race: running, three legged race, biking, soccer, and the obstacle course.

Pam Thomson’s son Jake has been involved in Junior Ski to Sea for four years now. He took second place this year on his team “Game Over” and plans on moving up to the middle school division. This year Jake was the obstacle runner for his team which means he had to go up and over barriers, go through playground equipment, weave around flags, get into a potato sack and race to the finish line and ring the bell.

“The obstacle course is all about speed, dexterity and coordination,” Thomson said. “I think it’s just a really fun-filled event. It’s healthy competition among peers and it’s not too overly competitive.”

Marketing and Events Director Sheila Connors has been a part of Ski to Sea for five years now. “My favorite part is the parade. It’s like herding cats and organized chaos,” Connors said.

As for the race, Connor enjoys seeing the elementary newbies race for the first time. She said Ski to Sea is great because it an event full of “crying, cheering, and emotions all over the place.”

Team Spirit

Teams showed their pride not only with their creative names but also by wearing matching team shirts. An elementary boy’s team named the “Justin Bieber Haters” wore t-shirts with a picture of the tween celebrity with an anti symbol over his face much to the dismay of many of the girl’s teams.

Emily Schwisow and Sydney Swanson, teammates on the middle school team “Victorious Secret,” have taken first place twice in previous years. They showed team spirit by donning pink shirts, pink war paint, glittery makeup, and pink ribbons in their hair.

Swanson said that her favorite part of Ski to Sea is winning while Schwisow thinks that going to all of the practices and seeing everyone is the best part.

Final Standings

After each division raced, an awards ceremony took place. Contestants anxiously surrounded the placing podium and hoped that they would get a chance to stand on it and receive a medal.

After medals were given and group photos of the winners were taken, there was a prize giveaway drawing for every section of each division. Bicycles, REI backpack packages, and WII video game systems were some of the prizes randomly awarded to contestants.

The elementary school boys team “LemonLime” shattered records this year with the fastest time in Junior Ski to Sea history. This year’s first, second, and third place winners in each division are as follows:

Elementary School Girls

1. The Brightly Colored Rainbow Peoples 29:04.2

2. Hot Tamales 29:27.4

3. Sugar Mammas 30:38.1

Elementary School Boys

1. LemonLime 25:43.4

2. Game Over 28:10.3

3. Extreme Focus 28:13.4

Elementary School Co Ed

1. The Super Six 28:32.1

2. Elimeinators 28:47

3. Scorpions 28:59.9

Middle School Girls

1. The Meteorites 28:15.1

2. Rangers 28:30.8

3. The Terminators 28:49.2

Middle School Boys

1. Just Out of Prison 24:51.3

2. Little Caesars Pizza 25:34

3. Lyncs 25:53.7

Middle School Co Ed

1. 3+3=1 26:04.5

2. The Duct Tape Warriors 26:05.5

3. Dandilion Thunder 26:32.7

Community Elementary School

1. American BUZZNUTZZ 30:40.4

2. Eagleridge Elementary Boys 30:48.7

3. Eagleridge Elementary Co-ed 32:29.3

Community Family

1. No Nombre 0:25:01.6

2. Le-Janigos 0:32:55.6

3. The Practice Run family 0:34:33.6

Community Open

1. No Nombre 0:25:01.6

2. Hometown Hobos 0:26:57.0

3. The Men in Pink 0:27:09.5