Perfect Conditions for Eastern High School Championships Weekend
Eastern High School Championships were held this weekend at The Mountain Top Inn & Resort in Chittenden, Vermont. The NENSA Eastern High School Championships are the premier event for high school and prep school racers in New England and New York, with each state bringing up to 24 boys and 24 girls to fill a team with the top 20 skiers scoring points. The goal of the EHSC is to provide the highest quality competition for high school-aged athletes, and that is exactly what happened this weekend with the perfect grooming, challenging but fun race courses, and high caliber race organizers at Mountain Top.
The first race of the weekend was the 5k individual skate held on Friday. The beautiful afternoon sun shone brightly as racers skied the 2.5 km loop twice. The top 3 girls all from Vermont were Alexandra Lawson in 3rd with a time of 14:45, Kirsten Miller in 2nd in 14:39 and Rena Schwartz won overall in 14:35. The boys started at 4 p.m. and Walker Bean from Vermont took 3rd place in 12:31, New Yorker Scott Schultz was 2nd in 12:27 and Vermonter Elliot Ketchel won with a time of 12:24.
Saturday morning was the 7.5 k classic mass start. The girls went off at 10 a.m. and followed the course which first snaked around the field, and then into the woods doing two laps of the 3.75k course. This fun and hilly course spread out the field on the first lap, and at the finish it was Vermonter Rena Schwartz again for the win in 22:31. Her fellow teammate Alexandra Lawson came in 2nd with a time of 22:46, and Mary Kretchmer from New Hampshire took 3rd place in 23:03.
The boys race at 11 a.m. went out with the excitement that always surrounds a mass start. From the gun, Massachusetts skier James Kitch took the lead and kept it on the first lap through the field, finishing 1st in 19:12, 9 seconds in front of 2nd place skier from Vermont Elliot Ketchel who finished with a time of 19:19. Greg Burt also from Vermont took 3rd place with a time of 19:25.
After a midday break, the sprints started on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. This event starts in waves of 5, one skier from each state. There was a double pole start at the bottom of the field, and then the 1.2k course went through the stadium, up into the woods, and then back down into the finish. This sprint was fast and fun to watch, with many skiers coming in neck and neck. Kirsten Miller from Vermont took 3rd in 2:52, Mary Kretchmer from New Hampshire was 2nd in 2:51, and winning the sprint was Alexandra Lawson from Vermont with a time of 2:48.
The boys started their sprints at 3:00 p.m. with warm temperatures, but the course remained solid despite the bright sun. Calvin Bates from New Hampshire came in 3rd place with a time of 2:21, Vermonter Greg Burt was 2nd with a time of 2:20, and Scott Schultz from New York won with a time of 2:18.
The Mountain Top Inn & Resort hosted the banquet and awards that evening in their large event hall. There was a full spread of baked ziti, meat lasagna, and chicken parmesan, salads, cookies and brownies. Awards began around 7:15, and the top 10 girls and boys were awarded for the skate, classic and the sprint races. Then the top 3 individuals from all three race scores were awarded, Mary Kretchmer from New Hampshire was in 3rd and then Vermont teammates Rena Schwartz and Alexandra Lawson tying for first! For the boys, James Kitch from Massachusetts was 3rd, Scott Schultz from New York was 2nd, and Elliot Ketchel from Vermont was 1st overall.
The new award for the overall state with the most points was introduced, the Graham Taylor Cup. Graham is one of the founders of the meet and has been the Massachusetts Team Leader for 34 years. It was very fitting that the award be named in his honor. CSU head coach Rob Bradlee spoke about Graham and his life as a coach and skier, and all the things he did for the love of skiing. The state scores were read after the 3 events, and everyone went to bed, excited for the team relays.
It was another beautiful day on Sunday for the team relays, starting with the girls 2 k classic leg, and tagging off to the boy’s classic leg, then onto the girls skate leg. It was a battle from the start between the Massachusetts and Vermont top teams. The last tag off to the top MA and VT teams happened almost at the same time. James Kitch on the MA team took the win for his team just 3 seconds over the Vermont team. During the awards ceremony, the top 5 relay teams were announced, with 5th-2nd places going to relay teams from Vermont! Team scores were announced and NY came in 5th place, Maine in 4th, MA in 3rd, NH was 2nd and VT won overall, earning them the Graham Taylor Cup this year!
Congratulations to all skiers on a great event with high caliber racing, and where friendships are always made across state lines. Thank you to Mountain Top for a superb Championship weekend!
Day 1 at Eastern High School Championships
The weather could not have been any better this afternoon at the start of the 5 km individual skate race at Eastern High School Championships. It was a blue sky day, and the sun shone brightly on the new snow that made up the 2.5 km loop which skiers skied twice. This year the championship weekend is being held at The Mountain Top Inn & Resort in Chittenden, Vermont over the next three days. These championships are the premier event for high school and prep school racers in New England and New York.
The girls started first at 3:00 p.m. today, with Vermont dominating the field taking the top 5 places. In 5th place, was Ingrid Miller in 15:11, 4th place was Callie Young in 14:51, in 3rd place was Alexandra Lawson with a time of 14:45, Kirsten Miller was 2nd in 14:39 and Rena Schwartz won overall in 14:35.
The boys started at 4 p.m. today and had fast times with Massachusetts skier James Kitch in 5th place with a time of 12:43.3, Caleb Strienz in 4th from Maine just ahead in 12:43.1, Walker Bean from Vermont in 3rd place in 12:31, New Yorker Scott Schultz taking 2nd in 12:27 and Elliot Ketchel taking the win from Vermont in a time of 12:24.
The weekend continues tomorrow with a 10 a.m. classic mass start 7.5 km race skied twice on a 3.75 km loop. The boys will begin at 11 a.m and in the afternoon there will be skate sprints starting at 2:00 p.m. for the girls with the boys starting at 3:00 p.m.
New Graham Taylor Award for Overall State Winner at Eastern High School Championships
A new Eastern High School Championships award has been named after Graham Taylor, one of the founders of The Eastern High School Cross Country Ski Championship meet. The award will be given to the overall state winner this weekend at the Eastern High School Championships at Mountain Top Inn and Resort in Chittenden, VT. Graham has been involved in this major meet since its inception, and it is fitting that this award be named in his honor.
Originally, state teams were comprised of 28 skiers, 14 females and 14 males, with two events, an individual event and a relay. In 1990, the teams leaders decided the meet should be rotated and hosted by the five states. Massachusetts hosted the first one in 1991 at Mountain Top, Chitttenden, and again in 1997 at Craftsbury Center, with Taylor serving as Race Director at both. The state rotation continued through the 1990’s until NENSA got firmly established in 2001.
“I have been working with Graham for the past 10 years and he has been an amazing Team Leader for 33 years. Massachusetts is so lucky to have Graham not only leading our team but also being the driving force behind EHSC.” says Executive Director Amie Smith.
Over the years, the event has evolved into state teams of 48, four events spanning three days, with three individual events and a relay. Scoring includes the top 20 females and top 20 males and top 10 relay teams per state constituting the scoring for each state team with the focus on depth, using a scoring formula developed by Taylor. NENSA is very proud to present this award named after a living legend in nordic skiing.
U16 Championships Relay Day and Weekend Recap
Over the weekend the U16 Championships were held at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, Maine. This Championship event is an important step in the NENSA development pipeline. These Championships bridge the gap between the New England Bill Koch League and Middle School skiing to high school racing, the Eastern High School Championships and Junior Nationals. There was a great field of 14 and 15 year old athletes representing Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York and a guest team from the Midwest.
The first race of the weekend was the 5k skate held on Friday which went off like clockwork. On Saturday, low temperatures delayed the start of the 5k classic to midday which unfortunately cancelled the skate sprint. Thanks to great race organization and experienced coaches and Team Leaders, all of the teams adapted to the new schedule once mother nature started cooperating.
The most exciting race of the weekend was on Sunday, the team relay! This race has four legs alternating between girls and boys, with two classic and two skate legs. The race began with a girls mass start classic race, which had ample room for a clean start. At the end of each leg, skiers came out of the woods, and though the stadium before tagging off to the next skier. This set up really helped coaches call out numbers and line up skiers in the tag zone. The last leg of the relay was the boys skate. Finn Sweet from Vermont crossed the line with just over a minute lead to win the relay. Adam Carlisle from Team Massachusetts and New Hampshire skier Cal Schrupp battled closely for second and third place with Team Massachusetts earning the 2nd step on the podium by 1 tenth of a second.
The awards ceremony took place at noon on Sunday, where the announcer recognized the race organizers and sponsors. Tony Ramsey gave a special award to Fred Griffin for his work as a TD, Teacher, Coach and for serving as NENSA’s Executive Director for almost 10 years. The top 5 relays teams were called up, and the top three were given local maple syrup and awards handmade with local wood. Team scores for the weekend were then announced, with NY in 5th place, MA in 4th place, ME taking 3rd place, NH in second and Vermont taking the win and the U16 Championship Cup!
The best part of the entire weekend is watching the camaraderie at the start and finish lines between all of the athletes and the unity and support within each team. Friendships are made during this weekend that can last well beyond high school. Thank you to Titcomb Mountain and the Farmington Ski Club for hosting a great weekend of racing. Thank you also to all the parents and coaches who supported these young athletes with food and waxing. And Thank You all to the Team Leaders who keep the teams organized and make sure everything runs smoothly.