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Dezzani competes in junior nationals

by JULIE ENGLER/Whitefish Pilot
| January 22, 2025 8:05 AM


Maeve Ingelfinger, a freshman skier at Dartmouth and a Glacier Nordic Club and Whitefish graduate, reunited with Findley Dezzani, former teammate and Columbia Falls junior, while competing at U.S. Nordic Nationals in Anchorage, Alaska, at the beginning of January.

“These championships had the best of collegiate and professional-level skiers along with some high school athletes such as myself,” Dezzani said, who was racing in her first U.S. Nationals. 

The venue at Kincaid Park in Anchorage provided fun and challenging terrain, with short steep hills and gradual rollers that Dezzani said were “unlike any other course” she had skied on before, making tactical racing essential.  

That added to the excitement for both racers.  

“Rarely did early leaders end up on top of the podium,” Ingelfinger said.  

Ingelfinger’s favorite races were the classic sprint and classic 10km mass start because of their head-to-head nature.  

“I raced three junior heats with a deep field of talented racers ranging from club to collegiate level,” Ingelfinger said. “The gritty and tactical course was a lot of fun to race,” Ingelfinger said.  

Ingelfinger placed fourth and second, qualifying her to represent the U.S. at World Juniors in Italy the first week of February.  

Dezzani’s favorite race was the classic 10k mass start in which the field of junior competitors started at the same time.  

“Though a crash in the beginning of the race cost me several places, it was still fun to navigate the course among the fast girls,” Dezzani said.  

Dezzani said that over the six days of competing, they spent time in between races testing skis, previewing courses and enjoying frequent moose encounters.