The wooden stairway that leads up to the veranda at the Lodge at Giants Ridge Ski Area seems pretty ordinary. To Xavier Mansfield, however, standing at the top of that stairway is something he's dreamed of since he began skiing.
The Spring Lake Park/St. Anthony senior made up 20 seconds in the classic-style race on Thursday to win the pursuit championship – and thus win the boys' individual title — at the Nordic skiing state meet.
Mansfield, who lives in northeast Minneapolis and attends St. Anthony High School, was in third place after the freestyle (skate) portion of the meet. He pulled ahead halfway through the classic race, the result of a winning combination of urgency and good wax.
"Being 20 seconds behind, I was a little worried, but chasing helped a little bit with motivation," Mansfield said.
Mansfield went off in the classic race behind two close friends, Patrick Acton of Eagan and William Foss Kerker of Minneapolis Southwest. The three of them ski together for the three-time national champion Loppet Nordic Club. Mansfield caught Acton and Kerker at the top of the uphill portion of the 5K race and, with a slicker wax job on his skis, pulled away to win the overall title in a combined time of 28:23.2.
"Sometimes, it comes down to who works the hardest and who has the fastest skies coming down," Mansfield said. "I had better glide."
Mansfield's move came with two kilometers to go. Both Acton, who finished second, and Kerker, who was third, knew the race was over right then.
"My skis had great kick going up but were a little slower than theirs coming down," Foss Kerker said. "I couldn't keep up with them."
