SALEM –– The second race this season for Catskill Claws took place this past Sunday in Salem, NY.  The rain moved in before the afternoon events which made the course muddy and very challenging for the athletes to complete.  The middle school course was about 1.3 miles long and included approximately 180 feet of ascending per lap.  The high school course was about 3 miles in length and had about 250 feet of ascending per lap. 

Our middle school team was led by Jasper Sackett. Sackett completed all three laps in the time allotted. His fastest lap time on the middle school course was 15:43 and had a total time of 49:57 after 3 laps, earning him a 13th place finish.   Sackett is currently ranked in 11th place for the season after two events in the 6th grade boys category.

Our high school team was led by Grant Brown in the JV Boys category.  Brown had a fastest lap time of 19:38 and had a total time of 1:07:02  after completing 3 laps on the high school course. Brown earned 496 points and a 6th place finish for the Catskill Claws team. Brown is currently in 7th place overall after two events with 944 points for the season.

Tyler Damms earned 405 points for the Catskill Claws high school team after his 21st place finish in the JV boys category.  Damms had a fastest lap time of 28:54 and a total time of 1:31:44 after completing three laps on the course. Damms is currently ranked 20th overall after two events with 797 points in the JV boys category. 

Braedan Clarke earned another 400 points for the ‘Claws after his 22nd place finish.  Clarke experienced a mechanical failure but still managed to finish two out of three laps in the time allotted. His fastest lap time was 19:13 and a total time of 42:04 after two laps. Clarke is currently ranked 14th overall in the JV boys category with 888 points after two events. 

After the race Head Coach Keith  Stephenson said,

“The weather started out ok, then the rain moved in quickly before the afternoon events, and that led to really sloppy conditions for the kids to compete in. There was a lot of slipping and sliding, but everyone embraced the additional challenge and pushed through it.  We’re really hoping for better conditions for the next event again in our region at Lippman Park on June 1st.”