Over the weekend 230 fourteen and fifteen year olds from across the country descended upon Oak Hill Outdoor Center in Hanover, NH for a fast and furious series of four back to back races. The snow at Oak Hill held up amazingly well in the seventy degree weather in the days leading up to the races and with the cooler temperatures over the weekend skiers experienced a full array of spring skiing conditions.
This year, in addition to teams from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, New York, Colorado and the Central Region (Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin) also brought teams to the Championships. Having skiers from outside New England raises the competition level and it is also exciting for young skiers to get to know their competitors from different regions.
U16 Championships consists of four races: three wave start races and a mixed relay. For the three wave start races the athletes compete head to head against the same small group each time. Friday afternoon was a skate 5km, followed by a classic 5km on Saturday morning and a 1.2km skate sprint on Saturday afternoon. As for team scoring, twenty boys and twenty girls can be scored for each team during each race. This means that every racer on a team is important and it can make for some fun interstate battles within each wave.
After Friday’s 5km skate race, New Hampshire was leading Vermont by a slim margin in the team scores. New Hampshire maintained their narrow lead through Saturday and it came down to the relay on Sunday to determine which team would earn the trophy. Massachusetts was also in the mix for the team trophy, with their boys winning both Friday’s race and Saturday’s sprint.
The snow was hard and fast on Sunday morning for the relay and it made for a close and exciting relay. At the front of the race New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts were vying for the win. The Central Region had some impressive performances and packed the second half of the top ten. As teams crossed the finish line the cheering didn’t die down because the relay teams in the middle of the field counted just as much for the team score as those winning the race. Congratulations to Team New Hampshire for putting their best effort into Sunday’s relay and taking home the team trophy!
There were impressive results from every region represented at U16 Championships, but the things most kids will remember are the fun times and friendships made over the course of the weekend.
Thank you to Ford Sayre Ski Club and Oak Hill Outdoor Center for hosting an incredible event!
Click Here for results
Click Here for professional photographs (Photos by Britton Mann (Friday) and Lars Blackmore (Saturday and Sunday))
Click Here for all NENSA photos and videos from the weekend
