Note: In our weekend race wrap up, we try to bring you results
from as many races as possible around the country. In most cases, we will provide
links to the results. If a race report has been sent to us, we will publish
that as well. If you don't see the race you are interested in, contact the race
organizers and have them send their race reports and press releases to FasterSkier.com.
Or send us an email with a link to the results.
Going from east to west:
New Faces on the Podium at Banknorth Eastern Cup at
Prospect Mtn,VT
Woodford, VT (Jan.25): The Banknorth Eastern Cup 5 and 10km freestyle race held
at Prospect Mtn. in Woodford,VT on Saturday saw new faces on the podium, with
the youngster mixing in with the seniors and master racers. The deep snow made
it a course for the light and quick,and that suited J2 Liz Stephens from Burke
Mountain Academy just fine. She cruised to the win in the 5km freestyle with
a time of 15:34, 30 seconds ahead of Senior racer Eileen Carey,from Leeds, ME.
Carey, returning from a year and a half hiatus, squeaked in a second ahead of
Ida Sargent, another J2, from the Craftsbury (VT) Nordic Club. The rest of the
top 10 finished in the next 30 seconds, with Older Juniors Mary Laculli and
Jean Polfus (Ford Sayre Ski Club) just ahead of M1 Heidi Henkel and M6 Trina
Hosmer (Putney Ski Club). Holderness' Joy Erdman was 8th, and Elissa Rehm and
Emilia Demarkus 9th and 10th.
The men skied the 5km course twice,each time climbing the 'wall' of a hill at
the 4.5 and 9.5km point. Scotty McClelland, skiing for the New York State Ski
Racing Association (NYSSRA) made the trek over from Lake Placid worth his while.
He finished three seconds ahead of Alpina/Madsus' Pat Cote (Waterville,ME).
J1 skier and nationally ranked high school runner, Ben True, from Yarmouth,ME
placed third. Only four more races are possible to earn points to make the New
Englad Junior Olympic Team, so the competition is heating up. NYSRRA's Simon
Thomas-Train put in an excellent effort for fifth place, followed by Silas Gill
(Burke Mountain Academy), Bryce Connery (Holderness), and Stratton Mountain
School's Gus Kaeding. Burke's Hunter Karnedy had a super race for 8th, followed
by Zack Hall and Ford Sayre's Max Hopkins. All top ten placed within a minute.
BANKNORTH EASTERN CUP IN WINDSOR, MA – A CROSS-COUNTRY
CLASSIC
Notchview Reservation, Windsor, MA (Jan 26): Sunday's Banknorth
Eastern Cup at the Notchview Reservation in Windsor, MA was a classic.
Step off the trail and the snow was up to your knees. The classic tracks
that wound through of yore, when there was only one technique, when skis were
wood and poles were of bamboo. Sunday, however, the fastest skiers in
the East came to race in lycra suits and state-of-technology equipment.
It was the fourth of seven in the Banknorth Eastern Cup Series and Junior Olympic
Qualifying points are at a premium. There are spots on the Russian Exchange
Trip to earn.
In the men's 12.2km classic race it was Norway native and coach of the Green
Mountain Valley School (GMVS), Jon Arne Enevoldsen by a minute 43 seconds ahead
of J1 Ben True of the Coastal (ME) Nordic Club. Hans-Peder Hanson was
33 seconds behind True. NYSEF's Simon Thomas-Train was only 5 seconds
behind Hanson, and 3 seconds ahead of Stratton Mountain School's Gus Kaeding.
The women's race was led by Master skiers. The Putney (VT) Ski Club's
Heidi Henkel won her first Eastern Cup in a time of 21:40 ahead of Atomic/Colby
College coach, Tracy Cote. Then it was Putney's Trina Hosmer, just back
from a vacation in Norway, with a time of 22:05. J1 skiers then rounded
out the top five, with Gould Academy's Kaitlyn McElroy coming back from a bout
of food poisoning with a stellar 22:11, putting her in as the first junior in
the 6.1km race, followed by Coastal Nordic's Christina Perron in fifth.
This race was a JO qualifier for the J2 age group (13-14) and once again it
was Stratton Mountain School's Cam MacKugler on top with a time of 19:35. Then
it was hometown boy, Shane MacDowell, skiing for the Berkshire Trails Ski Club
12 seconds back. Vermont club skiers Kevin Cutts (Putney), Pavel Sotskov
(Vermont Academy) and Ian Black (Stratton) all finished less than a minute behind
MacKugler. For the J2 girls 6.1km classic Craftsbury (VT) Ski Club's Ida
Sargent pulled away for the win of 21:51, 31 seconds ahead of Berkshire Trails'
Laura Spector. Burke Mountain Academy's Liz Stephen's, yesterday's 5km
freestyle winner, was third. Ford Sayre Ski Club's Robyn Anderson and Alice
Nelson tied for fourth, with sixth place going to Craftsbury' Emily
Dreisigacker.
There are just two more Junior Olympic Qualifer races to go, the Banknorth
Eastern Cup at Hanover, NH on February 9th and at Holderness School in
Plymouth, NH on February 16th. Meanwhile, next weekend will be the famous
Banknorth Craftsbury Marathon, in Craftsbury, VT on Saturday, February 1st,
followed by the second annual New England Women's XC Ski Day, sponsored by Banknorth,
at Bretton Woods, NH.
For more results and information on these and other Banknorth events, visit
www.NENSA.net.