Kait Miller

Zak & Club Cup Season Wrap Up and Winners!

Kait Miller · April 5, 2017 · 1 Comment

The Zak Cup series is named after Vlastimil Zak, who died unexpectedly when he went through the ice on Squam Lake, New Years Eve, 1979. Zak’s enthusiasm and dedication to our sport lives on in the Zak Series. The Zak Cup is a season-long series to determine the best skiers in each five-year age group over 30. All events that are part of this series are scored for Club points, with all participants earning at least one point for their club. 9 of the 12 scheduled Zak Cups were held during the 2016-17 season, showcasing New England’s varied terrain and snow conditions. Many thanks to the host clubs, volunteers, venues and skiers who make these events well-run, fun and social ski events.

The first race in the series, the Quarry Road Opener, was cancelled due to low snow in December. The Gunstock skate race, second on the series list, was held in early January on the Gunstock Nordic Association (GNA) trails. It was the first year that GNA held a Zak Cup, and it was a well-run individual start skate race consisting of 2, 4 km loops for the women and 3, 4 km loops for the men. The course had some long sustained climbs in the beginning, and then fun technical downhills that looped skiers back into the stadium.

One week later, the Geschmossel, which is one of the oldest races in New England, was next in the series. Bretton Woods worked hard to make sure the race was held, having the move the start and change the course slightly. The 15 km classic mass start started in two waves, the first one was the masters men, and the second consisting of the women and boys categories. The tracks were firm and fast, making it a tight race for skiers!

On the third weekend of January, there were two Zak Cup races. The White Mountain 30 km Classic in Jackson, NH was held on that Saturday. It’s always a favorite race as it is a part of the New England Marathon Series, Zak Cup series, and it is the One-Day Club Championship. Jackson had received plenty of snow prior to the race, and had the course groomed to their usual high standards. Showing their strength in numbers and performance, the Northwest Vermont Endurance (NWVE) won the Club Championship, just one point over the Cambridge Sports Union (CSU).

Mansfield Nordic Club held the Mansfield Nordic Duathlon the next day at The Craftsbury Outdoor Center. This race is continuing to gain in popularity as Bill Koch-ers, and racers of all ages, try out this classic and skate technique race. The race was a great event, with lots of prizes for participants. Up next in the series was the Flying Moose Classic held on the Gould Academy Pine Hill competition trails. The 22 km mass start classic race had great grooming and a challenging, fast course.

The next weekend was the Cheri Walsh, combined with the Eastern Cup race. This individual start 10 km skate race was held on the Holderness School trails. Holderness always puts on a fantastic race, and with plenty of snow, and more snow falling that day, the skiing was superb.

The series continued with the Bogburn at the end of February. The Bogburn is truly a “classic” New England style race not only because of where it is held in Pomfret, Vermont, but also because of its history. The race has drawn high caliber skiers over the years and it hosted by Bob Haydock, an influential NENSA board member and member of the CSU club. Snow was shoveled onto the fun, undulating course, to ensure that the race was held. Some parts of the course were just a ribbon of snow, which barely held on for the last skier.

Due to low snow conditions, Bretton Woods had to cancel their races planned for the second weekend in March, the Bretton Woods Marathon and the Mt. Washington Cup. The Craftsbury Spring Fling was last race in the series, ending the Zak Cup series on a high note as the best conditions ever for this race. A storm had dumped another 6 inches of snow before the weekend, and the course used many of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s core trails. The grooming was impeccable, and everyone enjoyed a BBQ on the deck to wrap up the season.

The age group winners for this year are as follows, for M1 women in 1st place is Sara Graves (Stowe Nordic). 1st place for the M1 men is Neil Graves (Stowe Nordic), and in 2nd place is Tyler Magnan (NWVE). In the M2 division, Clipperly Good (NWVE) won for the women and Damiam Bolduc (NWVE) won the men’s category. For M3’s, Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) is 1st for women and for the men, Eric Darling (NWVE). Sarah Pribram (NWVE) takes 1st for the M4 women, and for the M4 men John Sakalowsky (CSU) is 1st , Chris Brewer is 2nd and in 3rd place is Clinton Krueger (CSU). Karen Alence (Mansfield Nordic) is 1st for the M5 women, and 1st for the M5 men is Tom Thurston (NWVE), 2nd place is Chris Naimie (Bow Nordic), and 3rd place is Mike Kavanaugh (NWVE).

For the M6 category, Ellie Bouffard (Mansfield Nordic) is 1st, Cheryl Carlson (Ford Sayre) is 2nd and in 3rd place is Ann Burnham (CSU). Rick Powell (Ford Sayre) is 1st for the M6 men, Bryce Wing (Ford Sayre) is 2nd and Robert Faltus (CSU) is 3rd place. JoAnn Hanowski (Mansfield Nordic) wins the M7 women, with Carrie Nourjian (Stowe Nordic) in 2nd, and Jody Newton (CSU) in 3rd place. David Johnstone is 1st in the M7 men, with Graham Holmes in 2nd place and Chris Nice (Ford Sayre) in 3rd.

Jim Fredericks (Mansfield Nordic) wins the M8 men’s category, with Donavon Freeman (Mt Washington) in 2nd place, and John Lazenby (Onion River) in 3rd. Trina Hosmer (Stowe Nordic) is 1st for the M9 women, with Sally Howe (Stowe Nordic) in 2nd place. Jonathan Chaffee (Ford Sayre) wins the M9 men’s category with John Broadhead (Craftsbury Nordic) in 2nd place and David Hosmer (Stowe Nordic) in 3rd. Sara Mae Berman (CSU) wins the M11 women, and George Hall (Craftsbury Nordic) wins the M11 men’s category, with Larry Berman (CSU) in 2nd place.

Congratulations to Sara Graves (Stowe Nordic) and Neil Graves (Stowe Nordic) for being the overall winners this year of the Zak Cup series! For the women, Trina Hosmer (Stowe Nordic) is 2nd overall , and JoAnn Hanowski (Mansfield Nordic) is 3rd. In the mens category, Tom Thurston (NWVE) is 2nd overall, and John Sakalowsky (CSU) is 3rd place.

For overall Club scores, Ford Sayre came in 3rd place, CSU was 2nd and NWVE came in first this year! Click HERE to find rankings for age categories, overall, and club points.

Congratulations to all those who participated in the Zak Cup and Club Cup series, and thank you to the Clubs and host venues for continuing to put on great races in New England. Bids are now open for the 2017-18 season. Click here for more info on how to bid!

2017 Marathon Challenge Award Winners!

Kait Miller · March 29, 2017 · Leave a Comment

The NENSA New England Marathon Series has something for everyone, welcoming skiers of all levels to test their endurance, or just make the most of a winter’s day on courses all over New England. The first in the series this year was the White Mountain Classic 30 km classic race in Jackson, New Hampshire. A week later was the well-attended Craftsbury Marathon at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, Vermont; which was another classic race made up of two or four 12.5 km loops for the 25 or 50 km classes.

In February, the John Roderick Marathon was held during the same weekend as the Black Mountain 100th anniversary celebration. The John Roderick skate race consisted of 9 laps around a 5.3K course for the 50 km race. The next marathon in the series was a month later because the Lake Placid Loppet scheduled at the end of February was moved to the third weekend of March after the unseasonably warm temperatures and low snow. The 22nd annual Rangeley Lake Loppet on the first weekend of March had low temperatures but great skiing and fun prizes.

Slated for the first two weekends in March, both the Trapp Marathon and Bretton Woods Marathon ended up being cancelled due to low snow. It turned out that the rescheduled Lake Placid Loppet was worth the wait since the weather and conditions were both fantastic for the Lake Placid Marathon in and the Sugarloaf Marathon at the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center that ended up being held on the same day.

With continued support from Swix and L.L.Bean, NENSA is awarding the New England Marathon Series Challenger Award this year. Racers will need to have completed a minimum of four New England Marathon Series races to be counted for the Marathon Challenger Award. Age classes M1-M6 must have raced full marathons, and M7+ had the option to ski the ½ or full marathon with the exception of the White Mountain Classic where everyone skis the 30 km.

The 2017 Marathon Challenge Award winners are Daniel Baumert, Brett Deyling, James Doucett, Robert Faltus, Jud Hartmann, David Herr, Bruce Katz, Clinton Krueger, Peter Mamrol, Michael Melnikov, Steve Messier, John Sakalowsky, Tom Smith, and Todd Taska. Congratulations to these 14 skiers on their determination, grit and dedication to the challenge! Each skier will receive a Swix Marathon Challenger hat.

Perfect Conditions for Eastern High School Championships Weekend

Kait Miller · March 20, 2017 · 1 Comment

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!

Click here for results from the weekend.

Click here for photos from the weekend.

Day 1 at Eastern High School Championships

Kait Miller · March 18, 2017 · Leave a Comment

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.

Click here for results

New Graham Taylor Award for Overall State Winner at Eastern High School Championships

Kait Miller · March 15, 2017 · Leave a Comment

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.