Starkey adds Nordic skiing to her repertoire
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POLSON — Fast seems to be Aja Starkey’s favorite speed — in cross country, track and now Nordic skiing.
The Polson High School freshman competed in the Pacific Northwest Championships for Nordic skiing on Feb. 5 and 6. The competition, held in the Methow Valley in Winthrop, Wash., was also a junior Olympic qualifier for 1.2k sprints and the 5k classic.
Aja skis for the North Shore Nordic Ski Team in the female J2 division.
In the sprints held on Feb. 5, Aja had to qualify through a time trial, and then move on to one of three heats, which she won. The top two girls in each heat advanced to the finals, and Aja earned fourth.
The sprint course was difficult, said Aja’s coach Chad Castron. He added that she may have been the best hill-climber on both days but was boxed behind the other sprint racers as she entered the hill section. She found room to pass some but not all of the girls on the hills.
"The event was her first taste of the part skiing, part roller derby sprints, and she nearly walked away with the gold,” Castron said.
On Feb. 6, Aja finished second in the “brutally hilly 5k classic” according to Bill Starkey, Aja’s father.
This is Aja’s third year competing in Nordic skiing, and she said “last year I really got into it … it’s really fun.”
Aja injured her Achilles tendon during the fall cross-country season in 2010, but she explained that Nordic skiing helps the injury. She also attended physical therapy sessions and did strength training and yoga to rehabilitate her tendon.
Nordic skiing practices are held in Kalispell on the Flathead Valley Community College cross country ski trails, and practices are on weekends. The entire Starkey family likes Nordic skiing so she’s skied since she was small.
One of her favorite Nordic skiing venues is the Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Colorado.
“I love skiing there. … When the sun is out, it feels like you are skiing in summer.”
Aja would recommend Nordic skiing for anyone, although she said it is an especially good choice for runners because it’s a good cross trainer sport.
Just don’t expect to be as fast as Aja in her trademark sunglasses.
