NENSA News

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.

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

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.

New England ended the 2017 USSA Junior Nationals in Lake Placid on a high!  The relays were delayed to a noon start, due to the bitter bitter cold temps and gusty winds that enveloped our region this past weekend.  But the brutal cold conditions did not detour our team, and by the end of the day, medals were earned in each of our 6 age group divisions, and New England was on the podium for 4 out of 6 of those races.  They all raced strong and gutsy races that were oh so fun to watch ~ way to go Team NE!

And by evening, at the banquet and closing awards, Team New England, once again, won the Alaska Cup!  The final point tally for the week was:  1st place, New England, with 1352 points; 2nd place, Intermountain, with 1054 points; 3rd place, Alaska, with 984 points; 4th place Midwest with 784 points; 5th place Rocky Mountain with 580 points; 6th place Pacific NW with 474 points; 7th place Far West with 365 points; 8th place Mid-Atlantic with 351 points; 9th place Great Lakes with 181 points; and 10th place High Plains with 89 points.

Some fun facts on the Alaska CUP:  This is our fourth year in a row for winning the AK Cup, and NE has won it 11 out of the past 14 years.  But the Alaska still holds the most wins overall, since the cup started in 1986 – 16 overall wins to our 13 from NE.  Intermountain has won twice and the Midwest once, in years past.  The cup was a gift to Junior Nationals in 1986 by the Alaska team, thus why it is called the Alaska Cup.  Next year, I think our toughest competition will be from Intermountain, who had great results this year, and will be hosting Junior Nationals in 2018 in Soldier Hollow.  But as always, team New England will be up for the challenge.

Relay Results:

Our U20 men won GOLD ~ the relay team of Kamran Husain, Koby Gordon & Daniel Streinz.

Our U20 women won SILVER ~ the relay team of Alexandra Lawson, Mary Kretchmer & Mackenzie Rizzo.

Our U18 men won SILVER ~ with the relay team of Elliot Ketchel, Adam Glueck and Ben Ogden.

Our U16 girls won SILVER ~ with the relay team of Charlotte Ogden, Anna Lehmann and Abigail Streinz.

Our U18 women were in the medals for 5th place, with the relay team of Rena Schwartz, Kirsten Miller and Callie Young.

Our U16 boys were also in the medals for 4th place, with the relay team of Will Koch, Matthew Moreau, and Josh Valentine.

I want to give a HUGE shout out to our VOLUNTEER JN staff – the coaches and wax techs – who make this trip possible:  Head Coach, Matt Boobar, age group coaches – Adam Terko, Kat Howe, Pat Casey, Rob Bradlee, Audrey Mangan and Alex Jospe, and our wax techs – Ollie Burruss, Jeremy Hecker, Justin Fereshetain, Jake Barton and Jeremey Nellis.  THANK YOU to all of you!

 

 

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.

Find results from the weekend here on barttiming.com

Races were delayed this morning at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, Maine for U16 Championships. The 5 km individual classic race was delayed until 12:00 p.m. for the girls and 1:30 for the boys. The afternoon sprint races were cancelled. The temperatures rose slightly for race time, but the wind was still a factor in the start area. The format changed to three in a wave every 30 seconds so that skiers could start closer to the shelter of the woods. There were many helping hands at the start of the races to keep skiers warm with blankets, before they headed off into the woods for their races.

Ingrid Miller from Vermont came in third place today with a time of 17:50, and Maine skier Isabelle Jandreau took second place with a time of 17:33. Winning by one second from Vermont was Adrienne Remick with a time of 17:32. In the boys race, Linden Niedeck from Massachusetts placed third in 14:55, Cal Schrupp from New Hampshire was second in 14:50, and Vermont skier Finn Sweet won the race in 14:40.

Tonight the banquet was held at The University of Maine at Farmington for a delicious pasta dinner and all the fixings. During dinner, a bib draw was held for some great raffle prizes donated by local sponsors. The top 10 boys and girls in both the skate and classic individual events were given hand made wooden medals, and the top three were given maple syrup as well.

The top three overall individual awards were given off of accumulative points from the two individual events. For the girls, Andrienne Remick from Vermont was third, Isabelle Jandreau from Maine was second, and Vermont skier Ingrid Miller was first overall. Third place overall was Linden Niedeck from Massachusetts, and in a tie for first place was Cal Schrupp from New Hampshire and Vermont skier Finn Sweet.

Get excited because tomorrow are the team RELAY RACES!!!!

Find full results here: http://www.barttiming.com/XCski/j2f2017/j2f2017.htm

 

Yesterday was the classic races, individual starts, day at Junior Nationals.  The original format for mass starts had to be changed when the venue was changed from Mt. Van Hoevenberg to the Olympic Jump Site last week.  Team New England had another strong day of results, and two new National Champions ~ Ben Ogden, SMS, won the men’s 10k, and Julia Kern, SMS Elite, won the women’s 10k!  Congratulations to both of them!

New England had 13 top 10 results (for All American Honors) and placed 28 of our skiers into top 20, for Alaska Cup points scoring.

For the U20 Women:  The gold medal went to Julia Kern, SMS Elite.  4th place was Alex Lawson, Craftsbury Nordic; 6th place Mackenzie Rizio, UVM; 11th place Mary Kretchmer, Gunstock Nordic; 17th place Avery Ellis, Craftsbury Nordic; 19th place Ingrid Thyr, Williams College; and rounding out the top 20 was Annika Landas, Middlebury College in 20th.

For the U20 Men:  4th place went to Daniel Streinz, Mountain Endurance; 7th place to Koby Gordon, Dartmouth College; 12th place to Finn O’Connell, UVM; 13th place Kamran Husain, SMS; and 14th place to Conor Hrynuk, UMPI.

For the U18 Women:  5th place went to Rena Schwartz, GMVS; 7th place to Gabby Vandendries, CSU juniors; 14th place went to Mae Chalmers, SMS; and 19th place went to Hannah Reiders, CSU juniors.

For the U18 Men:  The gold medal went to Ben Ogden, SMS.  7th place went to Elliot Ketchel, GMVS; 8th place to Adam Gluck, Ford Sayer; 11th place to Russell Boswell, SMS; 12th to Nick Wilkerson, GMVS; 15th to James Kitch, CSU juniors; and 19th to Walker Bean, GMVS.

For the U16 Girls:  12th place went to Anna Lehmann, SMS; and 16th place went to Charlotte Ogden, SMS.

For the U16 Boys:  4th place went to Josh Valentine, Gunstock Nordic, 5th place to Will Koch, SMS; and 16th place to Zander Martin, SMS.

Today’s Team Relay Races are delayed until 12 noon, due to extremely cold temps.   Team New England is leading in the Alaska Cup points going into today’s Team Relays(!), but we can not take anything for grated, and Team New England is excited to defend this lead today!

 

Today was cloudy and mild with temperatures in the mid 30’s at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, Maine for day one of the NENSA U16 Championships. The girls race started at 3:00 p.m. and the course was well prepared. This fun, undulating course starts out of the stadium, and climbs up to the top of the mountain, before winding its way back down again into the stadium for a fast finish.

Lauren Lackman from the Midwest took third place today in 15:12, with her teammate Alice House in second with a time of 15:06. Ingrid Miller from Vermont won today’s race with a time of 14:44. In the boys race, Matthew Clark from the Midwest was third with a time of 13:16. It was a close finish for top two with Vermont skier Finn Sweet placing second in 13:10.9, and Cal Shrupp  from New Hampshire taking the win with a time of 13:10.8.

The 5 km classic race is scheduled for tomorrow morning and the 1.4 km skate sprint in the afternoon. Find full results and start lists here on Bart timing: http://www.barttiming.com/XCski/j2f2017.htm

When planning for a race in March, there is always the question of whether or not there will be enough snow. There was plenty of snow for the 2017 NEBKL Festival in Bethel, Maine. However, with the forecasted cold and high winds, it became clear that the plan to hold the races on the field at the Gould Academy Campus would have to change.

Race Organizers quickly made changes on Friday to move the races up to the Pine Hill trails, which were about a mile away, because the trails are sheltered from the wind. The schedule also changed to have the older skiers race during the coldest temps in the mornings, extra shuttles were added, and volunteer jobs were shifted. Friday night at the District Chair meeting, details were explained, relay bibs were handed out for Saturday’s relay race, as well as the L.L. Bean goodie bags. These goodie bags included a kids Clif bar, ski ties from Concept 2, a buff and chapstick from Gould Academy, and a beautiful wooden memento for every participant.

On Saturday morning, the cold temperatures and wind were exactly what was forecasted. The sheltered trails up at Pine Hill offered some relief from the wind but the temperatures were still very low.  Despite this, the participants arrived at the races with smiles, glitter and excitement for the fun day of relay races! The day started with the 7th&8th and 5th&6th grade two person skate relay races on a 1.35 km course. In the afternoon the 3rd&4th, then 1st&2nd graders had a fast .75 km skate relay race. An air rifle biathlon range was also set up at the venue both days to introduce skiers to the sport of Biathlon.

Meanwhile at the Field House on the Gould Campus, participants gathered during the day to stay warm, purchase chili bread bowls from the Fiddlestick Farm Food Truck, see the Green and Clean Energy Expo, and shop at the Swix Sale, and T-shirt printer.  The L.L. Bean boot was outside, and L.L. Bean had a table inside to play games and win fun prizes. A craft area was set up where skiers colored a cut-out skier and placed in on a beautiful mural. There was face painting, a silent auction, and games on the basketball court. Even on this cold day, there were lots of people outside enjoying the fat biking, the terrain park, tubing, and Maine Adaptive sit ski demos!

After the relay races, everyone gathered in the Field House for the parade. Many people showed up in creative costumes for the superhero theme. There were decorated masks, a family of kickwax crusaders, capes, glitter and signs, all lead by the host club, the Bethel Outing Club. The parade snaked through the Field House and ended at the awards ceremony. The beautiful wooden relay awards, made by students from Gould Academy using Gould’s IDEA center, were handed out to the top 10 relay teams from each age group.

That evening, Gould Academy served a BBQ dinner with all the fixings, followed by a chance to meet Bill Koch and get his autograph. The Bill Koch XC Experience movie was shown, followed by a presentation from Protect Our Winters, a non-profit environmental organization. Amalia Siegel and Charlotte Gross, both former Dartmouth skiers, led the presentation interspersed with video from other POW athletes talking about climate change, their experiences and ways to get involved.

On Sunday, the individual classic races were held again up at Pine Hill. The morning temperatures where still low and the wind did not die down until the afternoon. The schedule also stayed the same starting with the 7th&8th graders, who skied a two lap race on a 1.7 km course, then 5th&6th graders who skied two laps of a 1.35 km course. The 3rd&4th graders skied 1 lap on a 1.7 km course, and the 1st&2nd graders skied a .75 km course. Skiers went out in waves of 6 to condense the timing of the day, so that they did not have to start too early in the morning when temperatures where the lowest.

Midday, the graduating 8th graders skied down into the stadium to receive a wooden memento from local coach, legend and Olympian, Dick Taylor that said “glide and float, under your own power” something Bill Koch has written about. Bill handed out certificates to each graduate and then they lined the lollipop course for the lollipop race. Lollipop-ers excitedly waited for their turn to ski the course, and on “GO” it was a scurry to the line, skiing down the tunnel of 8th graders who handed them lollipops as they went! At the end of the day, awards for the top 20 individual skiers for girls and boys in each grade where announced and awarded on the deck of the yurt.

While many people dressed up as heros this weekend, there were many real heros out there like the organizing committee who did all they could to hold races despite the weather. The District Chairs, coaches and parents were adaptable during the changes, and the skiers were resilient in the cold. This weekend was a true testament to the strength of our New England ski community.

This festival could not have happened without the Bethel Outing Club as the host club with their many volunteers and organizers, and Gould Academy as the host site and generous sponsor of the event. Thank you to the Bethel Village Trails and Mahoosuc Pathways for providing free skiing on the Bethel Village Trail system for each participant and The Bethel Inn Resort for giving discounted rates for festival goers and donating rooms for race committee staff.

Thank you to L.L. Bean, Swix, Sport Thoma, Maine Ski Lodging Co, Doug Zinchuk Roofing, Sunday River Ski Club, Clif bar, Concept 2, Norway Savings Bank, Bancroft Contracting, Rite Aid Pharmacy, Holidea House, Akers Ski, and True North Adventureware.

Click here to view photos from the weekend on the festival website

 

What a day yesterday was ~ classic New England weather here in Lake Placid NY!  The day dawned with a mix of tissue paper snow, then rain, with low hanging thick clouds – a dreary day – cold and damp.  Our amazing wax crew was at the NE wax trailer at 5:30am testing skis and planning wax combos for the day.  By 9am, no joke, the sky cleared, the sun came out, and it was a beautiful bluebird day, and temps rose to 42 degrees midday.  But by 3pm, thick grey clouds rolled in over the top of the jump site, the wind picked up, and the heats that started in warm sun, suddenly changed to a windy blizzard – it was crazy!  But our New England wax techs and athletes are used to this, and stepped up to this challenging weather and racing conditions and came out on top again yesterday, for the classic sprints!

We qualified 35 of our 49 athletes into the afternoon heats, and of those, 29 made the top 20 overall (top 5 of each age group in the top 20 score for AK Cup team points).

By 5pm, we had eight NE athletes on the podiums – including two new National Champions, four sliver medals, and 2 bronze, and every single age group and gender represented on each podium!  Way to go New England!

For the U20 women, Julia Kern, SMS Elite, got her second National Title of the week!  Alex Lawson, Craftsbury was 10th; Ingrid Thyr of Williams College was 15th; and Annika Landis, Middlebury College was 19th overall.

The U20 men had a podium sweep(!) – with Kamran Husain, SMS, taking the sprint National Title; Finn O’Connell, UVM earning the silver medal; and Daniel Streinz, Mountain Endurance, with the bronze.  Koby Gordon, Dartmouth College, was 9th; and Lance McKinney, Mountain Endurance, was 13th overall.

For the U18 women, Rena Schwartz, Craftsbury Nordic, was on the podium for the silver medal!  Callie Young, Craftsbury, was also in the A finals, and was 6th; and Phoebe Sweet, Craftsbury, was 20th overall.

For the U18 men, Adam Glueck, Ford Sayre, was on the podium for the bronze medal!    James Kitch, CSU was 7th; Elliot Ketchel, GMVS, was 8th; and Connor Munns, SMS, was 9th; Adam Witowski, SMS, was 13th; Walker Bean, GMVS, was 16th; and Russell Boswell, SMS, was 20th overall.

For the U16 girls, Anna Lehmann, SMS, was on the podium for the silver medal!  Charlotte Ogden, SMS, was 9th; Olivia Cuneo, GMVS, was 11th; Laura Appleby, CSU, was 18th; and Abigail Streinz, OSI, was 20th overall.

For the U16 boys, Will Koch, SMS, was on the podium for the silver medal!  Josh Valentine, Gunstock Nordic, was 7th; Matt Moreau, CSU, was 10th; Tim Cobb, Mansfield Nordic, was 16th; and Griffin Wright, Craftsbury, was 17th overall.

Last night, our athletes enjoyed the mid-week awards ceremony, where medals are awarded to the top 10 athletes in each race so far.  That was followed by an ice cream social and ice skating on the 1932 rink.

Tomorrow’s mass start classic races have been changed to interval start races (15k men, 10k women, and 5k for U16’s) due to the  venue change last week.  Our athletes are previewing the course today as the wax techs continue to nail down the wax for tomorrow.

Team New England continues to lead the points for the AK Cup, but we have tough competition here, and are only half way through the week, so we can not rest on our laurels, and will continue the fight for the AK Cup for the next two races coming up!