By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

Much like the mindset of a relief pitcher taking the mound for the final frame of a baseball game, the key to individual and team success in cross-country skiing is mental toughness.

West junior Stan Drewniak of Hooksett was the first Blue Knight to break the tape in the 4K freestyle of the 2005 Manchester XC City Championships on Friday, Feb. 4. Drewniak finished fourth overall, behind Central skiers Tom Cook, Nick Geddes and Martin Breu, in 13:11. (Marc Thaler Photo)

Battling talented and physically fit opponents – along with difficult conditions – requires all athletes who snap into their skis to stay extremely focused and block out all possible external distractions.

“The hills are really bad because you go up them and you’re just dying and then at the top you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve gotta go on,’” said West freshman Ken Hallenbeck of Bedford. “And then at the end you just want to fall over – like I did.”

Hallenbeck, who finished ninth in the boys race with a time of 15-minutes, 58 seconds, was one of nearly 50 competitors who convened at Earl G. Legacy Park, site of the 2005 Manchester High School XC City Championships on Friday, Feb. 4.

Athletes from Central, Memorial, West and the Derryfield School fought fatigue, falls and fast racers during the 4K freestyle event.

But most of all, these skiers fought the urge to slow down and give in when the course presented great difficulty. Instead, they opted to stay strong and see themselves through to the finish line.

Derryfield junior Katherine Myers of Weare won the girls race for the second consecutive season, clocking a time of 15:33.

Myers said her first-ever coach was her father, recalling her days playing youth soccer when she was forced to fight fatigue and forge ahead on the field.

The two-time city champion said she believed her ability to develop that mental edge as a youngster gives her a tremendous advantage in every XC meet.

“I just try to work as hard as I can and when I feel like I can’t go anymore, I know that’s definitely when I need to pick it up,” Myers said moments after her victory. “I sort of learned how to push myself, and I’ve grown up with that attitude.”

Myers admitted to feeling some pressure to repeat the performance from her sophomore season – just her second year skiing – but added it was nothing compared to the personal pressure she placed on herself.

“This year I felt like I had the most pressure on me,” she said. “I try to set goals for myself, and those are the most important ones (to live up to).”

West junior Stan Drewniak of Hooksett agreed the XC course can play mind games with racers. For that reason, he prefers to concentrate on the simplest aspects of the sport most likely to bring him success.

“When there’s a big hill, you just try to get as much speed as you can before the hill so you have momentum going up it,” Drewniak said. “When you fall down, you just want to get up as fast as you can.” Drewniak’s tactics worked to near perfection as he placed fourth overall among the boys –the first Blue Knight to cross the finish line – with a time of 13:11.

Completing the course 16 seconds later and finishing fifth was Derryfield junior Noah Harwood of Bedford.

“Basically, you just go all out for the whole time,” Harwood said. “It’s not so much about endurance. It’s not too tactical. You just can’t let your whole mental outlook get down ... It’s not about pacing yourself. It’s just completely all out.

“Look at the guy in front of you; that’s the main thing to do,” he added. “If they’re out of sight, it’s a lot harder. It’s pretty much like the mental aspect of any sport – you get demoralized if you can’t see your competition.”

“Sometimes you feel like you don’t have a chance, but you just go anyway,” Hallenbeck said. "If I can catch (the guy in front of me), I’m doing good and it’s encouraging.”

The boys team title went to Central with a total score of 391, followed by West at 373, and Derryfield with 191.

Memorial didn’t field a boys squad.

The girls championship was awarded to West with a team total of 388, followed by Derryfield’s 377, Central’s 366, and Memorial’s 349.

A complete list of race results can be found at bxcsc.home.comcast.net.