Fred Bailey

Recap provided by DJ Baumert:

The Great Caribou Bog Classic Ski race took place on Sunday Feb. 5Th, 2023 in Orono, Maine.  This is the first year this race has been part of the NENSA Marathon Series. 10K, 21K, and 33K distance options were offered.  A total of 40 racers completed one of the race distances.  Despite the very challenging weather conditions just prior to the race, the groomers did a great job at the last minute to make a quality race course.  This race was the first event to take place at the new Caribou Bog Outdoor Center that is associated with the 4 seasonal trail system used for the race.  The Great Caribou Bog Classic Ski Race is an iconic local citizen race that started in 1980s and was brought back 4 years ago after not being held for nearly 10 years. 

 

 

The male female winners of the three race distances are:

10K –  male; Kyle McCellan, female; Ruth White (note: Ruth White was first overall!)

21K – male; Tyson Weems, female; Joelle Zuhke

33K – male; Gregg Harkay, female; Kate Locke

 

The awards for the first male and female finishers for each race were made from hemlock pilings that were used for an elevated trestle on a historic railroad grade that is now part of the Caribou Bog trail system.  Some of these pilings were pulled out this past summer as part of a trail improvement project.  These pilings were from hemlock that are estimated to have started growing in the early 1700s.  

 

 

 

Looking for some cross country skiing thrills this weekend?  Our clubs are hosting a lot of events!  Two of the highlights are the Mansfield Nordic Skiathlon and the Flying Moose Classic.  They are wonderful events that you don’t want to miss!

The Mansfield Nordic Skiathlon, taking place on Saturday February 11th, is a dual technique affair, where skiers traverse the trails at Sleepy Hollow first in classic, then switch their gear half way through, finishing in freestyle.  There are distances for Lollipop, BKL, Junior, Open skiers and those that just want to see what give it a try.  Distances range from less than 1km up to 12km.  If you’ve never experienced changing your skis and poles mid-race, it is a special thrill and definitely one to have on your list of must haves experiences!  For more details & registration visit the Mansfield Nordic Club event page.

This year marks the 32nd annual edition of the Flying Moose Classic, which is also part of this season’s NENSA Marathon series.  This fun and exciting event starts at the Bethel Inn Resort and takes you through the rolling hills and forest lands of the Bethel Inn and Inland Woods and Trail’s in Bethel, Maine, providing you with a wonderful scenic adventure. Skiers can select from either the 12.5KM or 25KM course, also a 3km Middle School race and 1KM kids race that will take them over fun little obstacles and zig-zag pathways.  Awards and cookies to follow at ~12:30 p.m. with a special after party event at Carter’s XC Ski Center with a food truck and beverages (12:00-5:00 p.m.).  For more details & registration visit the Bethel Outing Club event page.

Recap provided by Amie Smith

On Sunday January 29, Prospect Mountain hosted the Freestyle Sprints, part of the NENSA Popular/Community Race Series.  It was done in the Royal Court format, meaning that it was not a “one and done” Sprint qualifier with only the top 30 advancing to the heats.  In the Royal Court format, everyone advances to the heats, allowing for each athlete to experience what it is like to do a full Sprint race to the finals.  This makes for both a really fun event, and for a great athletic experience.  The heats of 6 athletes each are run based on your finish order from the qualifier, then the top 2 advance to the next top heat, and the bottom two advance to the lower bracket heat, and the two in middle stay where they are – but everyone races again (and again!).

We would like to thank the athletes from Stratton Mountain School, Green Mountain Valley School, Dublin XC and Colby College, as well as the 5 Masters who all braved 4 rounds of racing this very challenging 1.2k sprint course.  We had racers from high school through 70+(!)

Congrats to our top three male winners on the podium ~ Tabor Greenberg (GMVS), Aiden Jacobus (GMVS) and Micha Bruner (SMS).  And to the top three female winners ~ Miley Bletzer (SMS), Sage Freeman (Colby College) and Elise Creagan (SMS).  

The top Masters were Sam Calmes Quintal, Putney Ski Club (30-39), Sam Veggeberg (20-29), Andrew Nesbitt (30-39), Vinny Vienneau (70-79) and Sheila Lanman (50-59).

All age group winners took home Vermont Maple Syrup from Mance’s Tree Farm in Shaftsbury.  Full results at bullitttiming.com

Prospect Mountain Association (PMA) is a non-profit organization that runs Prospect Mountain Nordic, a cross country ski center located in Woodford, Vermont.  Prospect Mountain provides cross country skiing for all ages and skill levels. Open daily 9-5 (or sundown) in season as conditions allow.  The Prospect Mountain Ski Club provides fun opportunities for learning to ski and racing for BKL youth, Juniors and Masters.  More information on this gem of a cross country ski center can be found at https://prospectmountain.com/about/

One of NENSA’s newest sponsors is Nordic Team Solutions.  As a result of their support we are excited to offer a free Nordic Team Solutions 1 year membership to one high school coach from each New England State! This is Andy Newell’s coaches’ educational programming, which is run in collaboration with many other sport experts.  Popular educational topics at Nordic Team Solutions include: Training Planning & Execution, Race Preparation & Mental Training, and Team Building. For more  information on their offerings please check out their website.

This year’s winners were selected from a pool of nominees by popular vote among each state’s high school coaches associations.  The goal of this year’s program is to promote professional development for newer coaches who take a highly active part in our skiing community.  And the deserving winners are:

 

Massachusetts: Ryan Touponce of Waconah High School

Vermont: Caitlin Smith of Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax

New Hampshire: Erin Waters of Concord High School

Maine: (tie) Emmy Held of Mt. Blue High School & Ben Geissinger of Spruce Mountain High School

 

Congratulations to the year’s winners.  We look forward to seeing you in action on the trails this season!

Under bluebird skies and across fresh tracks, the first event of the 2023 New England Marathon series took place on Saturday in Jackson, NH.  Nearly 150 novice and Olympic skiers alike, BKL to high school, collegiate, and very experienced masters, snaked across a village meadow, up the Yodel trail, onto the Eagle fields and around Jackson XC’s homologated trails for this year’s edition of the Freeman Frost White Mountain Classic.  The newly fallen snow was picturesque, and also allowed for the traditional start for this race in the heart of Jackson village.

This year the post-event banquet returned for the first time since the pandemic began, much to the joy of all the participants!  A warm lunch was prepared and served by students and staff of the Jackson Grammar School at the Whitney Community Center.  Overall and age-group winners were recognized and awarded puzzles from White Mountain Puzzles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This running of the White Mountain Classic marked year two of the Northeast State Championships, where each state vies for bragging rights.  How does this work?  Each age group is scored, with 1 point going to 1st, 2 points to 2nd, and so on.  The best 7 finishers from each state across the age groups of both genders comprise the final score, with no limit on total team size.  Age groups are: U23, SR, M1-M12.  This year Vermont took seven first places to make a perfect score of seven, with Massachusetts a close second with nine points.

Northeast State Championship scores

Results

Rankings

NENSA Photos

Overall Winners:

Mark Young – Colby

Alison Crocker – Ford Sayre

 

Masters Age Group Winners – Women:

U20 – Eva Calcutt – Dublin XC

SR – Annavitte Rand – SDXC

M1 – Katie Halloran

M2 – Jess Marion – Dirigo

M3 – Liz Hollenbach – NWVE

M4 – Jessica Bolduc – NWVE

M5 – Sarah Pribram – NWVE

M6 – Sarah Dolcino – Black Water Nordic Ski Club

M7 – Donna Smyth – Cambridge Sports Union

M8 – Mary Heller Osgood – Putney Ski Club

M10 – Trina Hosmer – Stowe Nordic Club

M12 – Sara Mae Berman – Cambridge Sports Union

Age Group Winners – Men:

U18 – Simon Phipps – Ford Sayre

U23 – Clem Taylor-Roth – Juneau, AK

SR – Morgan Perlman – SDXC

M1 – Chris Burnham – NWVE

M2 – Ari Ofsevit – Cambridge Sports Union

M3 – Chase Rosenberg – Mansfield Nordic Club

M4 – Eric Darling – NWVE

M5 – Rob Riley – Gunstock Nordic Association

M6 – David Herr

M7 – Kirk Siegel – Bethel Outing Club

M8 – Rob Burnham – Eastern Mass Nordic, inc (EMXC)

M9 – Gordon Scannell – Schussverein-Drifter XC (SDXC)

M10 – Everett Ingalls – Portland Nordic

M11 – Bob Gray – Putney Ski Club

M12 – Larry Berman – Cambridge Sports Union

Updated Club Cup Rankings are published and the cumulative scores for the 22km and 14km races show these leaders on the day and very tight competition between perennial leader CSU and local favorite SDXC for the 2nd highest team score:

1. NWVE – 642 points
2. Cambridge Sports Union – 528 points
3. Schussverein-Drifter XC – 518 points

Congratulations to all racers – especially several who joined us for their first race – we hope you’ll be back next year!