RUMFORD – It was ironic that bad weather forced Oxford’s Mandy Ivey into even harder competition.

“When the sprint race at Telstar was canceled, we just figured we’d go up to Rumford to race,” she said.

The party Ivey, an Oxford Hills sophomore, decided to crash was the Chevrolet U.S. Cross Country Championships at Black Mountain.

“I knew (the championships) were there but I didn’t know it was a 15k classical race,” said Ivey. “When my mom told me I wasn’t sure I was going to do it but then I decided to.”

Going from a 5K event at the high school level to a 15K race against the best the country has to offer might deter most people. Not Ivey.

Her entry was so late, it was written in by hand at the bottom of the entry list printout.

“I didn’t think I did that good,” said Ivey. “The distance was a lot longer than I was used to and my wax wasn’t that good either. I went up there by myself and didn’t have anyone to help wax or figure out stuff.”

What Ivey did find impressive was the difference between a high school meet and this National one.

“It’s a lot different than a high school meet,” said Ivey. “There is better competition, a lot more seriousness involved with it. There were large teams with a lot of coaches and a lot of experience.”

Despite her negative take on the race, the numbers say otherwise. Competing against national racers, Ivey wore bib number 151. She finished the race in 1:01:59.3 for 123rd place.

“I guess I did all right,” she alluded. “I’m pretty pleased. I basically did three 5K races. I run the 1-mile and the 2-mile in track and know you have to pace yourself. I definitely had to do that.”

Ivey took much more than a bunch of numbers away from the event. The experience taught her some tricks she can incorporate into her everyday routine.

“It was nice to watch,” said Ivey. “Like how they warmed up and how they focused. I definitely got some tips. I saw them running before they warmed up. Just by watching them I learned a lot of technical things.”

As a sophomore, Ivey took on the best in North America. Maybe next year the event won’t be a second choice for the young skier.

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