It was a sad day for Yukon's cross-country ski team yesterday, as Janelle Greer was put out of the 2010 Haywood Ski Nationals following a horrific crash.

Greer fractured one of her fingers at the base, bruising her entire hand and the left side of her body when she crashed into a fence to avoid trail markers that had slid into the path of the race.

The 17-year-old skier was one of two in the junior female division that became tangled up in the mess.

"It's a really tight downhill corner coming into the stadium,” Greer said, about the area where the crash occurred.

The skier and fellow competitor Michelle Workun-Hill were rounding a corner together when they realized a couple of v-boards that mark the trail had come loose. Greer says a skier ahead of her had knocked them out of their spot, causing them to slide into their path.

The tight trail gave her mere seconds before she crashed into a fence, after trying to squeeze by.

Workun-Hill also fell, and after spending about six seconds on the ground was able to get up and continue. Greer said she felt sorry for her.

"It sucks for her because she would have won the race if it hadn't been for that,” Greer said. "I'm pretty sure she would have won the race.”

Workun-Hill went on to capture fourth place in the junior female division, about eight seconds behind the first place finisher.

Greer said she doesn't blame any of the volunteers or officials who laid out the course, adding sometimes the markers move out of place.

The impact that Greer hit the fence with caused a metal support bar to bend, she said, explaining the swelling and pain on the left side of her body.

A day after the accident, Greer said she was feeling alright, besides being a little disappointed.

"I feel fine,” she said.

The injury put an end to a season that was starting to look up for the athlete.

"It was bad timing,” she said. "I'm upset, because I hadn't had the best season so far.”

After earning a gold and bronze though, Greer said she may be in tier one position for next season.

"I'm glad I was on the podium for sure,” she said.

Greer said the doctors who assessed her injuries said she had nearly broken her hand, and before seeing the X-rays, had advised her to discontinue with the competition.

"He said he wouldn't suggest it, that was before he knew it was broken,” she said of her finger.

The thought of continuing crossed Greer's mind, but she has thought better of it, knowing that it would hinder her ability to ski properly.

"It's in a splint,” she said. "I wouldn't be able to hold a pole.”

Greer will be in the splint for about 10 days, at which point she will return to the doctor for an assessment. The break will take up to three to four weeks to completely heal.

Chief of competition Claude Chabot said the crash was a hard pill to swallow for the Yukon team.

"It's really unfortunate,” he said. "This would have been her big event for the year.”

After a strong performance earlier in the week, Chabot said it is tough to see her out of the competition.

"We had expected more great races from her,” he said.

Besides Greer's crash, Team Yukon did have some great successes in Wednesday's free technique mid-distance races.

Dahria Beatty placed fifth in the junior female division, and earned first place in the junior female 1994 class.

Knute Johnsgaard continued his strong week with a fourth place finish in the junior male division.

Emily Nishikawa – herself returning after an injury in the 2008-2009 season – earned a ninth place finish in the 10-kilometre open women division.

Nishikawa was skiing against Olympians Chandra Crawford and Madeleine Williams, who earned third and fourth place, respectively.

In the open men, David Greer came in 13th place in the 15-km race, and Colin Abbott earned a bronze in the university and college division.

The 2010 Haywood Ski Nationals continue Friday with the exciting short-distance sprints.

The qualifying heats will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by the finals at noon.