Northwest Vermont Endurance
SKI ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, NO MATTER WHAT.
2008 - 09 Event Reports
2008 - 2009
Mt. Washington Cup 2009
March 28, 2009
The Mount Washington Cup was the final NENSA Club Points Series Race of the season. NWVT ranked 2nd among 57 teams competing for the title. We trailed CSU by 73 points going into the race, and were among 4 other clubs organizing a run for advancement it the series. It was a long shot, last year we entered the final race in 3rd place 12 points from first and made up the ground to win. This year things were a lot more challenging.
The day was a picture perfect March day. Cool temps overnight gave way to a rapidly warming morning. The sky was clear with no wind. The trails had been groomed in advance and allowed to set making for very fast frozen granular conditions. Bretton Woods has hundreds of kilometers of trails to work with and designed a fun and very challenging course to race this year. The race started with a half K sprint and turned to climb Coronary Hill, a 2.5K unrelenting climb. This is similar to starting a race at the bottom of Broadway at Bolton skiing to the top and having 12K left to race. Where you were at the top of the hill set the stage for where you would be for the rest of the race. Bridging gaps was impossible as the snow was so fast. If you were in a pace line you could share duties and recover a little better always having a fresh skier pulling the train. Many small groups made this work for them. NWVT’s strong presence was involved in these races within the race start to finish across the field. Skiers finishing summed it up as a 15K sprint. Enough cannot be said about the conditions, spirit and sportsmanship of the day. At the finish it was clear the NWVT had a lot at stake and left it all out on the course. Many sprints were contested and taken by NWVT skiers, and smiles were abundant knowing that we had done our best.
Sixteen NWVT members participated in the race. Performances from all were outstanding, and the blue snowflake uniform dominated the event. It is comforting to be among a team represented like this in a race. You always have somebody to mark, somebody looking out for you, the company keeps you honest, and the support keeps you going.
The Magnan brothers took things out at the beginning and pulled the first pack for 10K. This was an impressive strategy that worked well, but did not entirely pan out to their advantage at the finish. The course was so fast that those who rested had a little more gas at the end. Tyler and Scott did get high results, but faded as some of those pulled away at the finish. Hugh Pritchard of Onion River gave credit where it was due at the awards stating the Magnan Brothers had really set him up for a surprise result and the best race of the season. Damian watched the Magnan’s race unfold a few meters back unable to catch them. Dhyan Nirmegh’s fate was similar to Damian’s, not lucky enough to get into a pack where the draft made all the difference. His result was strong, closing out the top 25 with 4 NWVT skiers. Not far behind Nick Smart, Lary Martell and Tim Cowan were in a seven-way battle. It was quite a sight to see them all come in within 2 seconds of each other. Nick won the sprint with Lary edging Tim by a toe right behind. Nick collapsed in the finish area, Lary who was reluctant to race after doing the 50K classic the day before had one of his better races of the season, and Tim was happy to be in the action working his way up through a field of teammates. Perry was the next NWVT skier involved in a sprint of his own. From my perspective he held off the hard charger at the line, but the results say different. Perhaps he was being the gentleman he is, or the host broke the tie in their favor. Either way it was exciting to watch. John Lavoie was keeping the heat on some of out favorite master’s racers Doug Armstrong, Bob Gray and Bill Holland. It is good we always have somebody covering these guys, keeping the heat on these hot competitors. Skiing with them is a lesson in guts. Andre’ Bolduc, Charlie Farrington and Jessica Bolduc traded places throughout the race finishing close together in that order. All pulled away from their closest challengers approaching the finish. Cipperly Good was involved in a three way sprint that included a former Olympian. She ended up in the middle of the mix. Cipperly has been working out at the Weston Ski Track in a secret disguise keeping an eye on our biggest rival this season. Zachary Shuttle rounded out the NWVT men and dunked on his mark, CSU’s David Holmander by 24 minutes. He earned 10 club points in the process. This was the furthest Shuttle has ever skied and he pulled it off well with great enthusiasm at the finish. There were also two newcomers in the women’s field representing NWVT. Annaliese Baumer subbed for her husband Eric Tremble who was out west doing a 90km race over the Continental Divide. She could not have picked a better time and day to do her first points race. She placed well completing a sweep of the FM1 division with Jessica and Cipperly. She was happy with the ski, and the club is grateful that she gave it a shot. Whatever nerves she had at the beginning were wiped away with smiles at the finish. Jenn Magnan debuted for the club. Jenn took a break from soccer to support the club throwing her hat in the ring at the last minute. Her hopes were to counter the Berman effect and ski with Sara Mae. It would have been an epic battle between these two competitors known for their ferocity, but Sara was a no-show and Jenn’s effort ended up being just the ticket to put us ahead of CSU in the point standings.
We got the big announcement on the NENSA page having made up the points deficit and surpassing CSU by 3 when the day was unofficially tallied. Proof yet again that everyone counts. A 24 hour protest period was posted and a few discrepancies were found. NENSA has yet to make the official call as the decision has gone to the Club Committee. Scott and Jessica have done a great job representing our stance and we have some powerful officers on our side, however CSU’s argument is just as compelling. We can rest assured that we have done everything we can to do our best in this series. We raced hard followed the published rules and were a model of teamwork and sportsmanship as was CSU. They want the series just as bad having to travel out of Boston to compete in the series. We can be proud that a club our size, with less than half the number of racers scoring has pushed CSU to have to resort to competing in the gray area to win the championship. NENSA is in a tough position to declare a winner. On one hand CSU did accumulate more points, but could be at the expense of the NENSA bending its guiding principles. We know we did our best, have nothing to hide and no matter what, we had a great season!
Craftsbury Spring Fling
March 21, 2009
Another great day of racing was had at the 2009 Craftsbury Spring Fling. NWVT was represented by 7 racers competing in the 15K and 30K events. It was definitely a huge dose of spring skiing as athletes made there way around the loop.
This year’s Fling presented competitors with conditions they have not seen for a while. Dirty granular snow was the first challenge. It was quite the topic as skiers weighed the options of putting in heavy structure to disperse the water that was likely to be on the course risking that they may trap dirt. The alternative was to put in a light structure in hopes that it would alleviate suction and resist dirt a little better. The choices were debated on a glide testing area just outside the stadium where everything seemed to be working well without any distinct advantage. It was great to see everybody applying different science to analyze there skis. Some even incorporating the help of their spouse in a side-by-side glide test. Looking at the results, it seems that the most successful subjectivity of all the tests was the spouse rule. Might as well make the right pick if you are going to get blamed for the choice.
After the wax testing fun was done it was time to start the race and see what performed. Heavy rills did well early but did clog with dirt. Tyler Magnan was probably the first victim of the conditions. His skis got off the line well, but were failing by the 3K mark. He dug in and kept the pace up until the 10K mark and had to back off. Down, but not out he went to work helping gaps open for NWVT racers that came along and aided heavily in holding off competitors from Scott Magnan and Damian Bolduc. Damian had great skis for the first half of the race but then the sun came out and warmed things up. His light structure was not enough to free his bases from the moisture in the snow where the sun had warmed things up. Scott had the most consistent skis. His warm grind was just the ticket for the day and he moved up on the second lap where Damian fell back. NWVT’s top skier was Jake Hollenbach. He realized he was pushing the pace too much at 10K, but continued anyway. By 20K he was toasted. He took 5K to regain his composure and finished the last 5K strong to take 5th overall. Leigh Mallory had a great race as well. He was not too far off the pace set by Scott and Damian and was closing on Tyler in the final climb. He played down his race at the finish, but was excited once he realized his result. Leigh also shared some great beverages at the post race BBQ. Thanks! Perry put in a solid effort. There is something about Perry and races where you have to jump over streams full of running water. He really likes a good challenge and is definitely looking forward to next Sunday at the Mount Washington Cup. He looked strong coming into the finish with good technique and long glides. Lary Martell opted to ski the 15K tapering to do a double next weekend. He skied the race easy finishing right behind Jim Fredericks, then going back on course to cheer on the rest of the club.
So who had the fastest skis? It was interesting that two individuals were way up on the results page from previously this season. Keith Woodward (SNOC) and Eric Hanson (Craftsbury) both had results much better than what we have been seeing thus far this season. Coincidentally they are both groomers at Craftsbury, Keith prepared both sets of skis, and Patty Driscoll (Keith’s wife) tested them. Of course Keith is the last guy in the field who will tell you what he did. Perhaps it was intimate knowledge of the trails that comes with grooming them, Keith’s superior waxing instinct, or that Patty has a good sense for fast skis. Whatever it was, these two really came away with great results. Those that had the pleasure of being overtaken by Hanson noticed that well into the second lap he was moving along effortlessly.
At the BBQ we all shared our stories of the day and enjoyed some good food, and beer thanks to Leigh. It was another fun race and a great day to enjoy the outdoors. The last challenge Craftsbury threw at us was navigating the muddy dirt road out of the center.
Catamount Trail BC Challenge 2009
March 14, 2009
By Eric Tremble
Results: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pVe5Lbo_qswpiN3t0znMAEg
Coverage: http://boltonnordic.wordpress.com/
I've been looking forward to the Catamount Trail Trapps to Bolton race for quite some time, pretty much since I crossed the finish line last year. It's an awesome event; difficult race, unknown conditions and tons of variables, great prizes, free food, good cause, etc. The race starts with a couple of k's on the groomed trails at Trapps before dropping down Old Country Rd into the Nebraska valley. Then after two road sections where you need to take your skis off and run, you hit the main obstacle on the course, a long grinding climb up over the ridge, topping out at over 3000 feet. Once you're over the climb, you have to navigate a technical decent down to the Bolton nordic center.
In the weeks leading up to the event, I was doing a bunch of testing and going back and forth between two pairs of skis, one with a metal edge (for control), and one without (for climbing speed). With the nasty rain, tiny bit of snow, and cold that we got Friday into Saturday, I was back to square one with no idea what I'd use. Luckily, I had time on Saturday to go out and test both the climb (from the Nebraska valley), and the decent into Bolton. I realized that the decent was going to be nasty no matter what skis I had, but the climb was going to be next to impossible on fishscales alone. There just wasn't enough new snow on top of the boilerplate ice, so the scales had nothing to grab onto. I made a last minute decision to borrow a pair of kicker skins and use the lighter skis without edges.
As we lined up to start the race, I sized up the competition (Marc Gilbertson). He had similar skis, but no skins so I knew he would open a gap on me while I was putting on the skins, but I hoped I would be able to make it up on the long climb. Another wild card was Eric Carter from UVM. He was going to give it a go on waxless race classic skis. He'd definitely be fast on the groomed part, but I was pretty sure I'd see him suffering on the climb. Out of the start I settled into 3rd behind Eric and Marc, Eric was quickly out of site on his fast race skis, and Marc opened a gap on me pretty quickly too. Jake Hollenbach was cheering at the top of the groomed trails, and he said Eric was 1 minute ahead and Marc was about 15 seconds ahead. At the first road crossing, I struggled to get my skis off and by the time we got to the base of the climb after the second road crossing Marc was out of site. I put on my skins as fast as possible, but it still seemed to take forever and I almost got caught by the next racers. Once I started climbing I was making pretty good time, and sure enough I quickly caught up to Eric Carter. He must have had no kick at all because he was trying to run up the trail carrying his skis. A while later I passed Sam von Trapp who was doing the tour, and he said Marc was 4 minutes (!) ahead. I thought he was joking. I was sure I was making up ground, but 4 minutes was a lot. I thought it might be over, but I kept on and with only a few switch backs remaining before the top, I finally caught and passed Marc. I tried to get out of site as fast as possible, but I was starting to bonk so it wasn't easy. Finally I got to the end of the ridge, ripped off the skins and headed down. The first few turns were tough due to the icy snow and my shaking legs, but after a few falls I got the hang of it and cruised the rest of the way down to the Nordic center to take the win.
I'll let Rose and Helen jump in with their own reports, but I know they didn't have skins, so they had a tougher time getting up the climb, but just finishing is a real accomplishment.
By Helen Smith
Rose and I decided to do this race together….and thinking maybe we could win. How incredibly WRONG we were! Having tested out our lightweight touring equipment with our race classic boots the week before on the Bolton side, we thought we were prepared. However, with the ice and rain and tiny bit of powder out there on those skinny trails, we were soooo unprepared.
However, we kept plugging along, taking off our skis when we needed to (going uphill!) we made it in under three hours, passing some men along the way and getting passed by those smart people with kicker skins. Seriously though, what a great day, the weather was perfect and the views from the top were incredible. I couldn’t decide whether I was in heaven or hell when I got to the top after 2 hours of experiencing pretty high heart rate.
EVERYONE should do this race next year, it was a different type of challenge, for sure, and an Nordic ski experience that is unlike any other. Kudos to Bolton, Trapps, and Catamount, and thanks to Jim Fredericks and Liz Hollenbach.
Stowe Derby 2009
February 28, 2009
Accounts from Ilke and Jake who won the freestyle event for Women and Men respectively:
http://ilkee-snowydaze.blogspot.com/
www.jakehollenbach.blogspot.com
Other NWVT finishers were:
Eric Tremble 6th Derbymeister
Tyler Magnan
Scott Magnan
Leigh Mallory 14th Derbymeister
Dan Sandberg
Malcolm Purinton
Congratulations to all for completeing the toughest nordic ski race there is.
Results @
http://www.racetiming.com/09DrbyFreeOver.htm
NENSA write up @ http://www.nensa.net/news/news_more.php?id=3198
EC Final 2009
February 14, 2009
It was a great day to be out skiing on Saturday. Many of the regions top athletes showed up for a challenging race at this year’s Silver Fox Trot held at Oak Hill. It really could not have been a nicer day to ski.
The temperature was in the mid twenties at race time. The snow was transitioned, except for a few pockets where the powder held on. Dartmouth did a great job preparing the course; filling in thin spots and leveling the trail. The course was a 5K loop around Storrs pond done twice. 30 second intervals separated racers. Skiers really appreciate how the loop always had something coming at you. Enthusiasts from around the New England came to watch some of the finest skiing in the finest conditions around.
NWVT had seven athletes participating in this year’s event. It is great to see more racers attending the Eastern Cup Races. It shows how our skiing as a club has improved. The Men raced first this year, and Jake Hollenbach drew #1 in the start order. Jake did not hesitate to get a jump on the day. By the 1K mark he had significantly distanced himself from the next two racers. As he came through the stadium at the 5K mark he faltered a little through the lap/finish area, but looked strong heading into the second lap. He held off all chasers and was the first finisher of the day. Taking a breather on the bench in the finish chute, he watched the rest of the race play out. When all was said and done he ended up 20th overall. Paul Smith was the next NWVT racer to go off. He had an outstanding race, finishing 25th overall. Evan Martell had a late start, but was next on the results page having his best Eastern Cup of the year. Damian Bolduc followed up with a very fast first lap followed by a lot of suffering on the second. Dhyan Nirmegh was hot on Damian’s heels two places and 12 seconds off. Nirmegh opted to stay relaxed the first lap and crank it up for the second. It paid off as his results keep getting better as the season winds down. As Nirmegh made the final corner into the stadium Chris Nice (Ford Sayre) commented on the perfect line and what an “incredible athlete” Nirmegh is. Nirmegh poured it on picking off collegiate athletes half his age. Tim Cowan was next up. He too had a similar strategy as Nirmegh, and would not be a victim of a sprint taking place between Evan and a rival. He kept up and even closed as he approached the finish. Apparently Tim and Evan had been chasing each other up a 1K long gradual climb at 8K and stayed together to the finish. Next was the man everybody knows, Perry Bland. Perry had a great race knocking 3 minutes off his time from last year. Warming up and cooling down with Perry makes me realize why he has to get to these races so early. Everybody has to talk with him. And they all cheer him on too. Sam Martell held things down for the women skiing for the SLU. She looked strong among the local Ford Sayre and Dartmouth skiers earning her top Eastern Cup result of the year. On Sunday Paul Smith and Martell men finished out the Eastern Cup Series at Gunstock. Evan had his highest place in an Eastern Cup finishing one off of Paul Smith. Lary Martell finished 74th in his top finish of the season too!
NWVT had an outstanding start to the weekend at the Eastern Cup Finale. No matter what your take was on the races it was a great time ski. I think this year’s series was the most competitive ever with the top talent from North Americaattending. While it made it much more difficult to achieve goals set for the season, it gave great perspective on what the top athletes are doing and where we stand among them.
Close to the Coast & Flying Moose Classic
February 7, 2009
Several NWVT racers traveled to Maine this weekend to compete in the Close to the Coast 10K at Pineland, and the Flying Moose Classic in Bethel. Both venues provided great conditions and friendly competition in these citizens’ oriented races. NWVT did well for the weekend facing competition from CSU on Saturday and from Mt. Washington Nordic on Sunday.
Both days provided extremely fast tilled transformed snow conditions. The temperature was in the mid twenties by race time, and the sun was bright. Both courses provided rolling terrain in fields and woods, but were very different by most accounts. Saturday’s freestyle race course at Pineland had gently rolling hills on a 5K loop skied twice. Skiers faced strong wind gusts in the meadow heading out of the start/finish stadium and into the wooded section. Once in the woods the course meandered for 3K before heading back through the fields with the wind at your back to the start area. Sunday was a 20K point to point comprised of two loops that look like moose antlers. The first half of the course had steep extended climbs, and thrilling down hills with the second half tapering off on the grades, but ramping it up on the turns. The weekend had something for everyone, and all NWVT skiers were pleased with their results.
On Saturday nine racers skied for the club. Matthew Barton came out of retirement and reunited with former SLU teammate Tyler Magnan this weekend. Matt’s respite since his days at SLU must have paid off as he took the overall win in the 10K beating out second place CSU skier Robert Bradlee by a commanding 12 seconds! This was a good start to the weekend. Tyler took 5th as he raced away from some of the local collegiate skiers. Next up was Damian Bolduc raced fairly conservatively on the first lap opening it up on the second. Scott Magnan followed hanging in on the second lap after an aggressive first. Dhyan Nirmegh was close behind in a master’s battle Ken Remsen (Mt. Mansfield Nordic) and Doug Armstrong (Mt. Washington Nordic). Nirmegh out kicked Armstrong but just could not get by Remsen on the final hill to the finish. Nirmegh is really coming into form as the season progresses; he was only 9 seconds behind Scott at this race. Perry Bland had a great result too! Battling featured NWVT guest and Perry’s brother-in-law Hank Feifle. NWVT continues to prove that there is nothing better than a good family rivalry to improve results. I am sure Hank is plotting the next match up. Charlie Farrington rounded things out for the men. This was Charlie’s second race for the club, and he continues to improve by training and getting more races under his belt. Jessica Bolduc won her division and was not too far off women’s pace setter Trina Hosmer (SNOC). The hero of the day was Sara Mae Berman; CSU’s relic that came out and put down her first freestyle 10K at age 72. She won the F9 division finishing 12 minutes behind CSU’s newest recruit David Holmander. Berman was quite the celebrity at the awards ceremony and had no problem playing the diva role as Bradlee and Milne’s egos beamed knowing she got the job done for them. This is not the first time CSU has unleashed the Berman’s on the rest of the clubs, they were instrumental in team scoring at the White Mountain Classic. So if they can do it, what is your excuse? Their combined 20 points really helped put CSU up for the day. Everyone had a great day and many PR’s were set on the relatively easy course with rocket fast conditions. This did not make the race easier by any means, and the results are a testament to who can really hammer the fastest.
Sunday proved to be another excellent day for racing. Eric Tremble, Tim Cowan, and Camille Bolduc joined everyone from the day before, minus Hank. Scott’s klister testing was key in getting the wax just right for the race. The race started with a parade lap around the Gould Academy Arena. Skiers seem to have difficulty understanding the purpose of the parade lap and should take queues from cyclists on how it is executed. None the less, everyone got out with a clean start. Eric Tremble was off the front, he really has these classic mass starts down. He has the finishes down too. He won a sprint and tiebreak for second overall in the race. Matt Barton took 6th and won the overall pursuit competition for the weekend. Tyler Magnan was next. Tyler rubbed elbows with some aggressive competition at the start but found himself in no mans land after a crash around the 9K mark. Older brother Scott was about 90 seconds back in a pack that slowly spread apart in the second half of the race. After crashing in the same spot as Tyler, Damian found himself in a heated battle with Doug Armstrong, and Ron Newbury (Mt. Washington). These guys were evenly matched in will, and clobbered each other as they reeled in the remnants of the pack Scott skied in. It was a rare occasion where stupid fast paid off and all three had a great time doing it. Damian and Doug won their respective divisions in the Pursuit and probably could not have done it without each other in the 20K. Nirmegh raced day two with a 3 second loss fresh in his mind. He defeated Ken Remsen (Mansfield) by a wide margin and claimed the M6 division in the pursuit. Perry edged Andrew Whelan by a second in one of the most exciting finishes of the day. The climbs in the first half of the race are more to Perry’s liking but he stuck it out all the way to the finish. Tim Cowan was close behind preferring the second half of the race. Tim moved up and was pleased with his result despite having slick skis. Charlie Farrington surprised himself and the rest of the club by having the better of his two days in the 20K.
He finished with a powerful double pole distancing himself from those behind while closing fast on those ahead. Jessica was not so hot, tired from the day before and struggling with wax she decided to ski just to finish. In doing so she still captured her division and the F1 pursuit. It was a bright spot in her day to learn that while on course Camille Bolduc had won the Lollipop Race! Camille broke away from the rest of the field with a double pole kick that just comes naturally to the 5 1/2 year old.
Despite strong challenges from CSU and Mt. Washington, NWVT should advance after the dust settles from the weekend. We have broken our tie with Craftsbury and overtaken Dartmouth for second place. As we have closed on CSU, Mt. Washington has closed on us. It will be tight coming out of the final race between all 5. Any club can and will assemble a formidable team for the last race, and all are pumped up for the opportunity to win the series. We need to pull out all the stops. The Red Menace has already proved it can.
St. Albans Carnival
February 2009
By: Scott Magnan:
Several NWVT and BFA skiers participated in today’s St. Albans Winter Nordic Events. A warm night made course prep and Waxing a challenge. By race time things were in good shape with fast conditions. The Nordic Ski cross race was the first nordic race of the day. The skiers faced a challenging course. After a slight uphill start followed by a brief flat they entered a five turn slalom course and exited into the face of a jump. Skiers would then drop quickly onto the soccer field taking a sharp right. Once onto the field it was a flat sprint for 50 meters into the finish. Skiers did an individual time trial to set things up for the semi final heats. With the number of participants everyone was able to ski a semi. In heat one Tyler Magnan won beating Nick Smart who qualified second and Jack Venuti. In Heat 2 Ruth Chippinnelli would beat Sister Stacy to move on to the gold medal round. Heat three would be an action packed race. Coach Magnan would get the hole shot. On gate two Robbie Morrill would try to block pass on the inside, but Magnan knew he was coming and dug his skis in a little deeper, Morrill fell on impact. Zak Shuttle closed but, Morrill rebounded quickly, Magnan would go for big air of the jump. Once in the soccer field Morrill closed quickly and caught Magnan off guard making a late pass for the win sending a strong message to his coach and the rest of the field, entering the finals. The final semi saw Jackie Boudreau defeat Maria Lowe to move her into the Finals. The first medal round of the day, would match Stacy and Maria for the bronze. They were close off the line but Lowe moved skillfully through the slalom course to grab the Bronze. In the Men’s four person Medal final. The Magnan brothers jumped to the lead with Morrill and Smart in toe. Tyler was the first to the gates, the elder Magnan staying close pulling away from Morrill and Smart. It was all business on the jump, both going for speed not air. The Gap would narrow as the finish neared with Tyler winning in a sprint by a ski length, Morrill would end up third and Smart Fourth. The Girls gold medal round Boudreau would lead Chippinnelli by a narrow margin through the gates into the jump, with the race in question Chippinnelli would lose her balance widening the gap as Boudreau sprinted in for the win.
In the 4k Classic race the Magnan brothers would take the lead early. Scott and Tyler took turns leading, Scott early on before he slowed to draft on the long double pole section, Tyler would bobble on a corner and Scott took the lead into the second lap. On lap 2 Tyler made an aggressive move for the lead, but Scott held tight until finally Tyler broke away on the course’s biggest climb with one K to go for the 13 second win. Behind these two Robbie Morril and NWVT skier Charlie Farrington fought for third. It came down to a couple of technical turns were Morrill found a big enough advantage to seal the Bronze. The Women’s race would be an epic battle of sportsmanship and family rivalry. At the one K mark race leader Ruth Chippinnelli had a pole malfunction. A little later sister Stacy would catch up, handing off her Bamboo poles to her younger sister, handicapping herself. The two would remain Close for the next couple of kilometers. Late in the race Stacy would Put her 20yr old Karhu Bear Claw touring skis and three pin bindings to good use, kicking much better than the slick Klister waxed skis her sister was using, despite the one pole disadvantage, to take the Gold. A little later Melanie Venuti also using touring skis would come in for the Bronze.
4k Classic Results
Tyler Magnan- 9:55
Scott Magnan- 10:08
Robbie Morrill- 11:52
Charlie Farrington- 12:36
Scott Cote- 13:40
Zack Shuttle- 17:01
Trey Good- 17:15
Stacy Chippinnelli- 17:40
Ruth Chippinnelli- 17:52
Jack Venuti- 18:36
Scott Venuti- 26:40
Melanie Venuti- 32:57
??- 33:07
Maple Onion, Lake Placid & Super Tour
February 2009
NENSA updated the Club Series scores. NWVT did well at Craftsbury, but CSU continues to be a power house. The series is based on participation and CSU continues to produce the numbers to get big scores. NWVT is doing extremely well and the next races are a good opportunity for us to close the gap. These are much more citizen oriented than the first 3 were and I encourage all to get out and ski! There is a double over in Maine this weekend with a few twists. Besides being citizens’ point races, those who do both will be scored in a pursuit race, and Saturday’s race will also have a partner’s relay division where sweethearts have to kiss or suffer a penalty. See the calendar at www.nensa.net for more info and bring a sweetheart to race.
This past weekend was full of action packed racing. We have already heard from Scott and the St. Albans Carnival but there was much racing elsewhere too. NWVT members competed in the Super Tour Races held at Trapp Family Lodge, The Maple Onion 15K at Morse Farm and the Lake Placid Loppet held on the Olympic Course at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.
Jessica Bolduc represented the Club at the Maple Onion 15K. It was the first indication that the word of the weekend would be “wax.” Anticipating warm temps most skiers had applied warmer wax, but the mercury was slow to rise in Montpelier on Saturday morning. Most racers used warm skis on a blue day. Jessica persevered as did the rest of the field, pushing the skis over the squeaky snow and finished first in her category and 3rd woman overall. Also representing the club in the BKL race at Morse Farm was Camille Bolduc. She avoided the pileups and stayed on course the entire time, earning herself a maple crèmee!
Later that morning racers were contesting the Super Tour in Stowe. This was a Super Tour Race, the UVM Carnival, and an Eastern Cup all in one. Needless to say the fields were huge and deep. Day one was a skate race in very fast conditions. Those who hit the wax just right had exceptional races. Ilke Van Genechten started the day for the club finishing in the top third of the women’s 5K field. Samantha Martell racing for SLU also competed having a great start, but losing some steam on the hills. Jake Hollenbach took top honors for the NWVT Men posting a solid top 100 finish. Paul Smith (Jake’s girlfriend Helen’s brother) edged Eric Tremble by on tenth of a second for 108th and 109thplace respectively. Evan Martell had a race he has been waiting for finishing in the middle of the mix of the J1 field. Damian Bolduc had a solid race and Tim Cowan edged fellow M5 rival James Doucett of CSU.
Sunday proved to be another story. Inches of rain and rising temps overnight wreaked havoc on the snow conditions for the classic race. When Damian and Perry Bland arrived they were greeted by 45mph winds in a snow squall. The women had been set with klister, but the snow changed that. One of the private school coaches stripped her athletes skis of wax and sent them with nothing as the conditions changed so dramatically during the race. Damian had a wax that was perfect for the transitional conditions. He and Perry tested it during the tail end of the women’s race and it was perfect. Little did they know that the temperature was about to drop dramatically causing things to dry up or freeze. By their start, the magic bullet was nothing more than an expensive sticky mess to clean off the ski. Not all was lost Paul Smith and Evan Martell had a second day of solid results, but Damian, Lary, Perry and Tim had performances they will likely soon want to forget.
On Saturday over at Van Ho Rose Long took top honors in her age group in the 25K at the Lake Placid Loppet. She was also top ten overall for women and came out to cheer the boys on in the suffer-fest at the NOTSuper Tour Race on Sunday. Her cheers were the most enthusiastic among the many that were the only bright spot in the day for me!
Craftsbury Marathon 2009
January 31, 2009
Twelve NWVT members participated in the Craftsbury Marathon Saturday. The Marathon is the region's premier event with a scenic, yet challenging 25/50K race and tour. The race was a lot different from years past, but things went well and I think most approve of the changes. While the point to point race was missed, the new format had many advantages and made the day run a little smoother. The race was well organized, making it easier for skiers to adapt to the new course.
Conditions were perfect again. The temps were in the high single digits to low teens. The snow was plentiful, thanks to another great winter and a dumping earlier in the week that left over a foot of fresh powder. There was a moderate wind that went mostly unnoticed thanks to the high level of excitement for the day. Then new course had it all, as it traversed the five leaf clover that extended out of the touring centers practice loop in all directions. Every effort had a good recovery with the exception of the finish, but by then who cared. Early in the race a wet lake section had skiers worried about skis icing, but to my knowledge no one had that problem. Others worried of losing wax, but again I do not think anyone did. There was excellent coverage and very few crusty or braking areas which aided wax longevity. The course favored the powerful not-so-technical skiers with great endurance. But over 50K every one had their advantages.
NWVT had an excellent showing with almost all racers having a PR, or their best race in a long time. Seth Maciejowski and Allaire Diamond volunteered, and checked racers in as usual. It is good to have these two club members keeping tabs on CSU at the starting corral. Eric Tremble was our top finisher coming in 7th overall. He had a great race and fended off a late charge by last years Zak Cup Champion Topher Sabot. Eric held it together just enough as he cracked in the final K’s of the race. Tyler Magnan was next on the results page. He skied much of the race with a group of the top masters before dropping them on the final climbs of the race. After leaving CSU’s Andrew Milne and Rob Bradlee, Tyler was rapidly closing on Dartmouth standout Anson Moxness and former German National Team’s/ World Masters Medalist Frank Feist. Six places and 5 minutes back was Damian Bolduc. Damian had the perfect race as he caught battled and dropped Masters he had marked for this season. A heated final 2K surge by Damian and Carl Johnston kept him honest to the finish giving Damian a big result he has been looking for. Next in was Scott Magnan. “I didn’t have a bad race which is a good thing here.” Scott worked his way up through the field finishing a little ahead of the mix he was in at the White Mountain Classic last weekend. Perry had an outstanding result as he moved up a few notches in the rankings. He was excited the whole day about how good his skis were, and they served him well. Perry finished hard even though there was no one to contest it with. He had a good race going and he made it count all the way to the finish. Malcolm Purinton had a great result in his first race as a club member. He was only six seconds off of Ford Sayers Brice Wing, and about a minute in front of Onion Rivers John McGill. Both are seasoned racers that Malcolm should be pleased about being in contention with. Malcolm moved quite a few spots up the results page from last year while doing it! Hopefully we will see more of Malcolm later this season. Dhyan Nirmegh was the next to cross the line for the club. He had one of his better 50K’s in a while. The long distance stuff is not his thing but you would not know it from how he raced. Even though he was ashen and passed out on the bleachers in the gym after the race, everyone knew he was happy because of the big smile he had on his face. Lary Martell balanced the equilibrium of everyone’s super races by having everything go wrong in his. From the day before to the porta-jon line, to socks, to parking, to poles, crashes, officials…Lary did not get on track until he was sipping hot chocolate at the post race lunch. We should all be thankful to Lary for single handedly baring all the bad karma for the club, not to mention single handedly skiing half the race with only 1 good pole and doing do in 3:30! Still not a bad result, but unfortunate since Lary was on track to be well up on the first page of the results. Then Leigh Mallory was close behind wrapping it up for the NWVT men. Leigh thought it would be a lot better if it was only a 25K going into the race, but he probably found it to be twice as nice doing two 25K’s back to back.
NWVT also had two racers in the women’s 50K and one racer in the 25K race. Jessica Bolduc continued to improve, holding off most of her master’s competition until the final K’s of the race. She skied the first lap close to our lone 25Ker’ Andre Bolduc. These two kept each other in sight and Jessica brought Andre’ around to the finish in time to win the Senior Men’s division in the 25K. Jessica skied on strong to the final climb. Exhausted she got over the climb but had nothing left to contest the finish. She felt better after a few hot chocolates and 45 minutes in a heated car seat on the ride home. Maria Cimonetti finished in a pack of M3’s. Her goal was to ski even splits and came close to doing that. Here second lap was within a few minutes of her first. Maria was the first NWVT member to be called for the prize drawing. Since her first choice of a Coffee, Beer and Advil was not available she opted for a ski bag. She did get some Advil before the drive home, and I am sure the Coffee and Beer has been satisfied by now.
NWVT really had a great day at Craftsbury this year. All participants have an accomplishment they can be proud of. As a team, this was our best Craftsbury yet! This race will propel our club into the next half of the season. Hopefully our performance here will inspire more to come out for the next three low key races in the club series. A great job to everyone who raced, volunteered, and cheered. This will be one to remember.
Eastern Cup Opener
December 20, 2008
NWVT ripped things up at the Trapp Family Lodge over the weekend. If the Bolton Opener was an indication of the depth of the skiing field this year, the Eastern Cups confirmed it. Hundreds of the best skiers in the region participated in the two day event under perfect conditions.
Each day saw similar conditions concerning temperature and wind, mid-teen temps and little wind. Saturday had fresh powder, while Sunday had really fresh powder. In fact the blizzard conditions were adding inches on the course during the race!
The sprint loop was a straight down hill shot into the woods to the Sugar House, then a graduated climb out of the woods up the hill and back to the Start/Finish in the Stadium. Basically you hammered off the line with all out double pole, tucked down the hill building up lactic acid, turned and started climbing, blowing up just as you hit the meadow, slogged up the steep grade of the hill and then wondered who moved the finish so far back as you double poled back through the stadium. The NWVT representatives did this in 3 mins and change. Tyler Magnan, cracked the top 100 in 89th with a 3:03, Evan Martell was close behind skiing for Burke at 3:09, Scott Magnan and Damian were a ways down the results page in at 3:23, and 3:26 respectively. All advanced as far as local standout Eli Enman, which was not past qualifying rounds (a testament to how competitive this field was), but all were pleased anyway.
Things went a little better on Sunday with eleven NWVT racers in competition. The course was a winding rolling 5K in the woods around the Sugar House at Trapps. The race seemed to be held during the heaviest period of snow in this storm, but that did not slow anyone down. The women raced one loop, then the men raced two. Most racers enjoyed the new trails but felt little disoriented while on course. With all the switchbacks it was difficult to know where one was in the race. For some this was a blessing, others… not so much.
Ilke Van Genechten looked impressive as she covered the course. She steadily picked off other racers right up to the end, blowing by two more at the finish line with a powerful V2. Sam Martell had a solid showing entering her first collegiate season skiing for St. Lawrence edging out Jessica Bolduc by 4 spots. Jessica had her hands full with the Masters squad but placed well against the field. As said in the past just starting an Eastern Cup Race is an accomplishment.
After a short grooming delay, the men got underway. Evan Martell and Tyler Magnan were out among the main field, while the rest of the crew were placed in the masters field due to being masters, or late entrants. Jake Hollenbach got the top result for NWVT finishing in the middle of the pack. Tyler was the next to finish among some of NWVT’s hot club competition. Damian ripped up the course this week, improving dramatically on last week’s effort. He found himself in battle around 4K with CSU’s Andrew Milne as they nearly ran over Stowe Nordic’s David Hosmer sending him reeling into double pole mode before Andy pulled away. Damian later caught and passed Scott Magnan on turn 2,497 at the 8K mark. Scott had a solid first race remaining very smooth in the tricky conditions. Evan Martell finished between Damian and Scott in the results happy with his effort over a longer race. Tim Cowan looked strong in his second race of the season. He represented at the NYSEF Opener at Lake Placid last weekend. Perry “The Terminator” Bland sported some new eye-wear as he latched onto Craftsbury Nordic’s John Brodhead for the duration of the race. And late entry Andre’ Bolduc skied sweep as he was thrown into the end of the start list with the likes of Jake Hollenbach and Anders Mayer, Middlebury’s #3 man who finished 18th overall.
It was a great weekend to ski, and see how the competition looks. One thing for sure is that everyone has been training. Looking at the results it seems that CSU is lurking in the background fielding many top masters skiers in the race. NWVT looked very strong as well. IT’S ON!!!
White Mountain Classic 2009
January 17, 2009
Full Results: http://www.jacksonxc.org/Events/2009/WMC09_Results.html
Nine skiers represented NWVT at the White Mountain Classic in Jackson, NH today. The race lived up to all the hype and skiers were excited about the great conditions, venue and super competition. The crew at Jackson delivered a world class event to the 200+ participants and the day with smoothly without a hitch. Results were posted instantly on a large projection screen, awards were handled quickly and the post race dinner was promptly served hot. Many clubs had the points bug in this one day championship and the friendly competitive enthusiasm beamed from the many involved.
CSU dominated the day. They left nothing to chance, even dragging an M9 female out to switch from the touring division and pin on a number. The valiant attempt failed as Mt. Washington claimed the women’s title. CSU did capture the men’s with a near perfect score. With attendance over 100 for their Tuesday night race at the Weston ski track in Boston they have a large pool of athletes to recruit from. Despite this overwhelming mismatch in numbers NWVT held its own. If the teams were scored straight up instead of by age groups we would have held CSU to 1 point. Had it been scored on time we would have won by 53 seconds! But the rules were by age group placement and CSU played their hand well by diversifying over many categories.
The temperature at the start was 15 degrees and falling. The surface was expertly groomed packed powder with flawless double and triple tracks set for the 30K. The course was similar to those in the past that sent skiers on a rolling first half on the Eagle Mountain trails then flattening out as they crossed the road and skied along the Ellis River bed. The wind was strengthening with frequent strong gusts but racers were mostly protected from this in the shelter of the woods and hills. The start was the usual White Mountain chaos of a short double pole leading into a hard left turn. This year’s twists were a wider stadium and a short hill leading onto the course.
Eric Tremble showed us all how to start in this predicament. Opting for the least desirable spot on the line, the point furthest to the right in the stadium, Eric looked like he put it in fast forward sprinting out of the stadium and across the field on the trail that ran perpendicular to the stadium at the top of the rise at the end of the double pole zone. It was a spectacle that you had to see to believe. Eric continued to set the pace for some time before relinquishing the top spot to Eli Enman the eventual winner of the race. Tyler, Damian and Scott also had particularly good clean starts. Tyler led a pack of the top masters, while Damian struggled to stay in. Scott chased but eventually pulled back to recompose himself which proved to be a smart decision by the end of the race. NWVT skiers established themselves throughout the top half of the field as the race unfolded. Both Eric Tremble and Tyler Magnan were taken advantage of as their closest constituents drafted them for much of the race. With about 1K to go Eric Eley (SNOC) attacked and cranked it in to the finish to take second bringing along another racer and opening a small gap on Eric Tremble who crossed the line in 4th. Tyler fell victim to similar tactics of racers who passed after using his draft for most of the race. Scott eventually overtook Damian around the halfway point and continued on to overtake some of those who fell off the pack that Tyler set the pace for. Damian faded to 25K but put in a strong finish and fended off a late charge from race director Doug Armstrong. The next grouping of NWVT was Perry Bland, Dhyan Nirmegh, and Leigh Mallory. These guys kept each other in check over the course. All were in group sprints to the finish not letting up until after the line. Dan Sandberg chose the White Mountain Classic to be his first race of the year finishing respectably in the record breaking field. Everyone was happy to see him return to racing catching up on what he has been doing since last year’s race.
NWVT’s Women’s attendance was low this year fielding only one racer. Jessica Bolduc had a breakthrough race, putting sizable distance on her master’s competition. She started conservatively and picked her way through the field. Passing many skiers was not the only excitement she had. Jessica dropped a pole while feeding on a down hill, and had to back track to retrieve it. In the process she fell and “smashed her knee on her ski” she shook it off and finished the race without it affecting her place or performance, but later her leg became very stiff as her knee swelled. The ski was fine, and the pole will be evaluated for replacement.
After the race athletes had a great time mingling and comparing their awards. Perry’s Teal Gloves looked HOT with Damian’s pink hat. CSU Captain Andrew Milne’s Score Card (the back of one of his student’s project poster) was reminiscent of the late Tim Russert’s “Red State/Blue State” marker board. (Note for next year, we will look even cooler if we bring a Magna-Doodle) At the post race dinner Doug Armstrong (Mount Washington) joined NWVT and CSU at the table as the top clubs familiarized themselves for future races. All are looking forward to next week in Craftsbury.
Bogburn 2009
January 10, 2009
The population of 1000 in Pomfret Vermont grew by 30% today as the VOmax hosted the 25th annual Bogburn. Roughly 300 racers and supporters invaded the Haydock Residence for what has become the signature “old school” race in New England. The narrow trails carved out of a Sugarbush and some frozen wetlands at this property provide a unique venue that challenges skier’s abilities in more ways than the average race on the calendar. It is its heritage, course and the hospitality of the Haydock’s that make this event so special and something everyone should experience. Just the drive there is impressive, you crest the hill in the middle of no where and smack into a major ski race. We took some photos of the venue with racers, and after the race. It is amazing to see the difference, and hard to imagine all that happened in the deserted photos. For NWVT photos go to --
http://picasaweb.google.com/jwbolduc/200901BogburnPics?authkey=KHchdorfnX4&feat=directlink#
The conditions at this year's Bogburn were the best that I can remember. There was nothing but deep snow. Even after the race the carved out corners still had over a foot of base left before you could hit ground. The course was the challenging 7K loop for the Women and the men did two with a 1K cut-off at the start of the second lap. This course has it all: short climbs, steep climbs, gradual climbs, flat straight-aways on an earthen dam, sharp turns, narrow trails, smooth surfaces, bumpy surfaces, views…and on. To fit all this in on a single 7K loop keeps racers on their toes! Those with quick transitions, good technique and strong heart tend to prevail at this race. The temps were in the low teens, the snow was fresh packed powder on a firm base, the sun was bright and the wind was light. For the first time in a while the Bogburn was easy to wax for.
NWVT fielded fifteen racers and one stowaway that hitched a ride with one of our members to the race. This was an excellent turnout of NWVT skiers of all abilities to kick off the citizens series. Everybody had an outstanding race especially Eric Tremble who took top honors for the club with a sixth place overall finish. But the Bogburn is not just about placing. If you review last years result Andre’ Bolduc lost a battle with the hour mark by 1 second. After a year of stewing over where he lost that second, he came back and bettered his time by 13 seconds. Take that Bogburn second of 2008! Even Martell edged Magnan by one place as he continues to climb up the result page. Scott asserted his classic technique over Damian. Looks like those two are at it again. Tyler Magnan was pleased by besting old rival Andreas Halvorson by 1 place and 3 seconds. Lary Martell upped his game edging some of his competition in the Zak Cup. Perry Bland, Tim Cowan, and Dhyan Nirmegh (Tim put on a pair of classic skis for the first time for the club, Nirmegh had added challenge of a freshly cracked rib in his first race of the season) mixed it up taking 3rd, 5th and 5th in their respective categories, and all finishing in close time to each other. Add a long time friend new to NWVT (officially) Leigh Mallory and this will be a real force in a mass start race. Speaking of new faces, hats off to Charlie Farrington and Wally Good holding it down for the Senior men! Both had great results for starting out on the club circuit after a significant racing hiatus since high school. Breaking it in at the Bogburn is no small feat. The rest will come a lot easier with this one under their belt. Martin Breu, of Middlebury College, who tagged along with Tim to the race, finished solidly on the first page. It was great to see the influence of our efforts spread beyond the club and he was thankful to us for sharing our resources making it possible for him to race today.
For the 2nd year in a row 2 women represented the club in the 7K. Jessica Bolduc and Cipperly Good went 1st and 3rd for a solid showing in the M1 age division. These two held their own in a stacked field. Much thanks to these two for there efforts as Cipperly drove up from the Cape to race and Jessica provided the club delicious Banana Bread and Muffins. These were especially effective to cure a cool down bonk. To photos of the result got to:
Magnify and click and drag the photos to see full results of the Men’s and Women’s races.
A great job to all today! NWVT proved what club racing is all about. Special thanks to the Haydock’s for putting on another great race. Let’s keep the momentum going! The season has many great events for everyone. Next weekend is an Eastern Cup Weekend in Rumford ME. There are a few committed to going up for these races. The Geschmossel at Bretton Woods is on the 19th. The Geschmossel is another long standing tradition attended mostly by Master’s racers (many just to tour it). Bretton Woods provides registrants with the finer things in ski racing. Held in the shadow of the historic Mt. Washington Hotel, skiers are treated to excellent grooming on beautifully manicured trails and an unprecedented cheese, wine and veggie platter after the race. This is also when we begin to see the big prizes on the table. So if you are looking for a low key event that will pamper you, do not miss the one of a kind Geschmossel.
Craftsbury Classic 2009
January 2009
NWVT traveled to Craftsbury today to compete in the Craftsbury Classic. This was a mass start 10K classic technique race. The race was well attended by skiers of all abilities from all over the region including a large contingent from Canada. Craftsbury did a great job pulling the race together while inundated with day of race registrants.
NWVT had a dozen or so members out for the event held in near perfect conditions. The temperature at the start was 15 degrees with partially sunny skies, no noticeable wind was on the course and the surface was packed powder on a firm base. The course was a little different than usual with a mass start in the lower field heading out on race loop, turning onto Bailey Hazen then heading down Eleanor’s Hill to Sam’s Run back to Race Loop for two laps. This was a good challenge for the racers as the first 2k were downhill followed by a ½ K flat then a 1.5K climb to the top of Race Loop with a relatively flat section back to the start/finish area. But what was probably the most significant factor was the co-ed mass start with well over 100 skiers. Most racers got out with a clean start, it was good that racers were on the conservative side to avoid a lot of potential carnage.
NWVT members attacked the race with different strategies. A few latched on and stayed in as long as they could. Others did what they do, while a few opted patiently wait for the race to spread out before making a move, and one experimented at the start with double poling with our their poles on! Regardless many lessons were learned over the race by many members. Tyler Magnan, Jake Hollenbach and Evan Martell were out early enough to have contact with the race leaders and eventual winners. As the race played out Tyler gained the advantage with Jake ran into some traffic, Evan closed in marking Tyler, both with outstanding finishes. Jake made up lost ground catching as passing the two on the second lap edging Tyler by a few seconds at the line. Meanwhile mid-pack a battle between many of the major master’s players was unfolding. For NWVT Scott Magnan, Lary Martell, Perry Bland, Ilke Van Genechten and Damian Bolduc were locked in a heated battle with the likes of Keith Woodward (SNOC), Peter Harris (Craftsbury), Bryce Wing (Ford Sayer), Jim Fredericks (Rossignol) and many others. For the first 4K this boxed pack duked it out racing aggressively as they picked their way through the field. It was a mostly courteous battle to see who was who until the top of the hill at the 4k mark where things had finally spread out and individual styles could open up. The pack split with Scott and Lary taking charge of the first half, and Damian and Perry holding court in the second, Ilke suffered a mechanical when an over zealous Peter Harris knocked off her pole tip making a move on Fredericks in one of the hairpins going up the hill. As the second loop unraveled, skiers moved up slowly with Damian bridging gaps that had opened up earlier in the race. Ilke regrouped and made up some of the ground lost with a compromised pole. Jessica Bolduc had a conservative start, while Andre’ Bolduc rushed to get his poles on. Jessica patiently picked off racers over the 10K taking on Carol Van Dyke (SNOC) and eventually pulling away and closing in close to Sam Martell at the finish. Andre’ failed to overcome his panic of not being fully prepared at the start and joined Ilke and Jake with a score to settle next weekend at the Bogburn.
On the whole NWVT did very well with most of the club feeling rather positive with their effort looking forward to more. This week was a good opportunity to measure things up for the start of the Points Series next weekend. I hope to see everyone at the Bogburn if not sooner!
Bolton & Craftsbury Season Opener
December 13, 2008
The Bolton Opener was held yesterday, December 13, in mid-winter conditions! Seventy-five racers from around New England made their way to the event making the race a great success. Bolton and NWVT were shooting to have 50 -100 racers so 75 was the magic number. Many members volunteered and raced and things went rather smoothly for the first ski race of the season for our club members.
The morning started early with volunteers setting up the course, and getting registration going. Temps were in the single digits with a light breeze blowing. The sun was bright as the morning haze gave way to clear skies. The snow was fresh firm powder groomed and set perfectly by the folks at Bolton. It was deep too! The course was as much of a wake up call as were the temperatures. Starting with an interval start, the course was a long 5K, two laps on World Cup and a trip down to Tear Drop before finishing up the last stretch of Broadway. By 9 AM things were on schedule and the Kids Race was off.
It was 4 year old Eva Thurston vs. 5 year old Camille Bolduc in the 1K mass start Freestyle from the top of Broadway to the pump house and back to the Finish. Camille took advantage of a timid Thurston and poled away with an early lead. At the half way point the race was neck and neck, with Eva gaining the advantage due to Camille missing the turn around. Eva continued to open the lead to the finish with superior technique and determination. It was great to have these two compete in this division showing promise to the continuation of world class females emerging from Vermont.
The Men’s and Women’s fields were stacked with the best of the best in the region. Racers from UVM, Middlebury, Burke and others showed up by the van load. Last years winner, NWVT member Eric Tremble, knew the odds were against him as he started the race as #1. He held off the UVM team who followed in the start order by not getting passed. He was a great mark for them to chase and ended up 5th overall. He was a little over a minute back from former Olympian Pat Weaver, the overall winner. Other members having a strong showing were Jake Hollenbach, Evan Martell, and Josh Dillon. These three held their own, improving since last season amongst this rather elite field. Tyler Magnan and Leigh Mallory competed as well, shaking the rust off during the first race off the season. Damian Bolduc took home the “What the H@!! happened to you” award for regressing dramatically in the results since last season.
The Women had a very strong showing as well. NWVT skiers all had stellar performances, racing with each other among the aforementioned teams. Rose Long started things out for the NWVT women showing good technique as she gets back into action. It will not take much for her to be back up among the top finishers. Jessica started a few spots back and slowly closed the gap on Rose. Jessica still looked fresh going into the second lap. Finally Ilke Van Genechten dug in for her first race of the season. She caught and passed Jessica and Rose as well as almost everyone else on her way to finishing 6th overall. These three were all very happy with how their seasons are starting out and are looking forward to the racing ahead.
So the Bolton Opener was a great success for all. The race will continue to grow and get better as we get more experience and word of mouth around about it. Much gratitude to those who donated prizes: Skirack, Seventh Generation, Douglas and Mary Grant Sugaring, and Cat Tartaglia. A special thanks to all who helped out, especially Liz Hollenbach for taking on the majority of the responsibility and the starters and timers for braving the cold and getting us all out and back on time. And last but not least Perry Bland for barking in the starting gate. He knew each person by name and gave a personalized word of encouragement to each athlete as they counted down to the start. What a great way to start a season!
Craftsbury Opener
I was not at the Craftsbury but results are posted and once again NWVT racers showed their strength. Eric Tremble took second overall in the Classic interval start 10K. Lary Martell, Perry Bland, and Jake Hollenbach all won their divisions; Leigh Mallory was second to Perry in the M6’s. Great job to everyone this weekend! The season is off to a great start!
Westford Turkey Trot
November 15, 2008
Many NWVT members gathered for the 17th annual Westford Turkey Trot. We exceeded our goal of 10 club members at the event, and exceeded our podium expectations. Perhaps it was the 4-5 inches of fresh powder that lead to a very successful day for NWVT.
It was a very brisk day to race. The temperature at the start was 19, and there was a strong wind bringing the chill into the negative single digits. A fresh dumping of snow coated the Westford roads making conditions slippery for the run. The course was the legendary Westford run, rolling with and unrelenting mile long hill beginning at mile 3.5. The field was quite large with St. Michaels arriving with two van loads of cross country skiers, and Fleet Feet recruiting a lot of its base to show up not to mention all the Nordic skiers as well.
The first bright spot of the day for NWVT was Camille Bolduc winning the kids dash. She was 3rdoff the line and quickly overtook 2nd without taking her sights off first she sprinted by and grabbed the first chocolate turkey pop. Then the 10K quickly got underway. Nohea King was out early and ran away with the race. Lary Martell was also off the front of the field. The rest of the crew sat in a little while the race spread out. With Nohea dusting the rest of the field, Lary and Damian found themselves in a loose group of four. With Lary leading for the first five miles the other three changed positions occasionally bringing it all in at the top of the hill. Lary and Damian pulled away a little on the steep downhill, but the other two held on strong. Eventually Damian found another gear on the flats leading back to the school to take 4th overall with Lary close behind in 6th. The next NWVT finisher was Matt Considine, racing for the first time in years. Actually Matt, Jessica Bolduc, Tyler Magnan, Scott Magnan, Andre’ Bolduc and Perry Bland were in strong group that held together to the top of the hill as well. Racing each other yet working as a team. There is nothing like being in a group of friendly familiar athletes to keep things honest and challenging. The internal rivalry pushes one that much further with the effects compounded by the number of teammates present. Matt and Jess pulled away from the group at the top of the hill and the others spread out over the last mile of the race. Scott had one of the more exciting finishes closing and overtaking a St. Michaels guy in an intense final sprint. It seems Scott has been getting the better of these kicks in the last three races. Cathy Martell was not far behind in the mid-field running a conservative race on the slick roads.
NWVT was represented on the winner’s stage well. Camille got to the finish line first in the kids’ race, finishing giving her access to the yummy turkey chocolate lollipop. Nohea and Jessica won the men’s and women’s 10k overall. Tyler , Damian, Lary and Cathy each one their age group divisions.
1-on-1 with Northwest Vermont Endurance CEO
June 9, 2019
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