Congratulations to the NCSA competitors at the 2016 Desert Classic
Open B –
- George Yang – 4th overall
- Alex Yang – 7th overall
- Jason Wong – 9th overall
Combined A Mixed –
- Abby Sorenson – 7th overall
Combined B Mixed –
- Robert Yang – 5th overall
- Buwei He – 10th overall
For more results: 2016 Desert Classic
For results, go to the Racing Menu.
here is Alex Yang’s report on competing at the Desert Classic:
Desert Classic Competition report:
As I finished the Desert Classic Competition, I breathed a sigh of relief. All the mental and physical strength was drained from me after this competition. Both glad and sad that it is over, I recall the competition being one of high mental as well as physical stress. Tensions are high as people are competing against international skaters as well as their own friends. To make matters even more stressful, people are even more stressed because they need to skate faster than certain times in order to qualify for future races. Nevertheless, despite these tensions, people still love laughing and talking with one another after races. For skaters, in order to prepare themselves for the upcoming races, skaters are constantly moving around and massaging their bodies in order to release the stiffness in the cold Olympic Oval. They eat very little because they know that if they eat too much, their bodies won’t be able to move as fast on the ice. Thus, their diet consists of little more than a granola bar and some fruits. Then, a couple minutes before the race, skaters are mentally preparing themselves: They are quiet and concentrated, refusing to make eye contact with anyone else. After racing, people head down to their own locker rooms to converse with their coach and to sharpen their blades. When they are done, these skaters have to constantly look at the posted heats so that they don’t miss any of their races. In essence, the Desert Classic competition is little more than a bunch of interval skating. After giving it their all in one race, these skaters have to then go at it again in 20-30 minutes. This routine is especially draining both physically and mentally as people cannot eat much to preserve their energies. Beginning at around 9 a.m., this process repeats itself until 2 p.m. with occasional Zamboni time and a lunch break. As for onlookers, they are always wrapped in thick, warm blankets, videotaping and cheering their own skaters on.