BY DENNIS CHASE
TRAVERSE CITY -- Milan Baic didn't want to take any unnecessary chances Saturday.
The veteran Williamsburg skier elected to forego the Vasa 50K freestyle in favor of the 27K -- and he was glad he did.
Baic, 50, was the first skier to cross the finish line, posting a time of 1:17:46. Toledo's Nick Johnson was second in 1:19:23.
"Watching the start of that 50K, that was where I wanted to be," Baic said. "But it just wasn't the right thing to do. It was a no-brainer really."
That's because Baic is set to ski in the World Masters cross country ski championships in Sweden later this week. Then, in early March, he'll compete in the Vasaloppet, also in Sweden.
"This was a good tune-up," Baic said. "The big thing is to stay healthy. Last year I got really sick (in Europe) and missed the Vasaloppet."
He missed the North American Vasa, too.
"I was in bed the day of the Vasa last year -- and that was a week after getting home from Europe," he said. "I was planning on racing the Vasa. But I was so sick I couldn't even come out and watch the race."
Baic, who won last weekend's White Pine 40K, had little difficulty in the 27K, putting the "hammer down" to separate from the field early in the race.
"I wanted to ski hard today, just not 50K," he said. "The 27K was plenty. It felt good."
Baic will be one of the three Traverse City skiers competing in the World Masters. He'll be joined by Cliff Onthank and Randy Smith. For Baic, it will be his "sixth or seventh" trip to the World Masters.
"It's kind of my thing," he said. "It really is at the top of the food chain. It's the best there is."
Hancock's Joan Rundman captured the women's 27K in 1:32.48. Traverse City's Susan Vigland was second in 1:34:13.
"This is the first time I've ever come down here and I really enjoyed it," Rundman said. "I was looking for something different and I wanted to give it a go. It was a beautiful day, a beautiful course. I had a great time."
Rundman plans to ski in the Birkebeiner in two weeks.
"I typically go to the pre-Birkie, but I just wanted to do something different," she said. "I came down with some friends and I just had a desire to try this out. I heard it was technical. I heard it was hilly. I like hills, although I'm not a great technical skier. But I did my best and I can't ask for anything more."
Rundman said she started slowly.
"I was conservative at the start, but as the race went on I just relaxed and got into it," she said. "I started skiing better. You're always at an advantage if you know the course. I didn't quite know the course, but I just tried to ski to my potential and I thank God for that."
Traverse City Central's Evan Cover and Hilde Gronvold won the 12K freestyle. Cover claimed the men's race in 38:35 while Gronvold took the women's race in 43:51.
"At about 2.5K I just attacked," Cover said. "That's what my coach told me to do. No one seemed to follow. It was kind of lonely (after that), but it was fun."
Cover found the conditions ideal.
"Conditions were really good and I had the right wax on," he said. "Part of the course had some fresh snow, and that was a little slow, but once you got on the groomed part it was nice."
A busy week awaits Cover. A member of Central's Philharmonic Orchestra -- he plays the violin -- Cover will be in California with the orchestra this week. But he plans on flying back to Michigan on Thursday in time for the state high school cross country ski finals in Marquette.
Gronvold, an exchange student from Norway, will be in Marquette, too, after skiing in her longest race.
"I've never skied a 12K before," the 17-year-old said. "Only 10K and 5K. I was really tired after 10K, but it was fun."
