South-south West. Pomfret, VT. January 8th, 2006

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2006-01-04
The VOMax Bogburn – How a Family’s Backyard Ski Trail

January 4 (Pomfret, VT): The VOMax Bogburn nordic race attracts everyone from Olympic racers to fitness skiers. Probably the only sanctioned cross-country ski race held at a private home, the entire Bogburn course is on the Haydock family’s 170 acres in Pomfret, Vermont. At 1,600 ft elevation they have had snow when Woodstock is down to bare ground. As the event has grown in popularity over the years, it as grown from 30 to as many as 200 skiers. VOMax (a custom, high-energy sports apparel company based in Plainfield, MA) has sponsored the race for the last 12 years or so, and the Bogburn tights have become a cult item worn proudly particularly by the age group winners. Despite the lycra-clad collegiate, past and future Olympians zipping around, the Bogburn is a family-oriented event that emphasizes the Bill Koch League (youth skiing) races. There are custom VOMax ski tights for 1st place, medals for the first three, and ribbons for all. In the past as many as 60 Bill Kochers have skied the trails across from the Haydock house.

The Bogburn got started by Bob’s father, who loved to downhill ski. He loved the Woodstock area and had skied at Suicide Six when it only had a rope tow. He moved his family to the current house in the mid 1960s, when Dick Brett was creating the Skyline trail, a wilderness X-C ski trail that overlaps part of the race course and ends at Suicide Six. This was the Haydock boys’ introduction to X-C skiing. They had a season pass to Suicide Six, so their parents would drive down, and everyone else would ski down the trail to Suicide, and ski downhill all afternoon. ”Over the years when we found out that there was such a thing as a touring center and set tracks, it occurred to me that it would be nice to have our own trail system”, says Bob Haydock, the race organizer. “And after 25 years of work, we have 36 hours of bulldozing invested in the trail, and all the rest has been done by hand.”

And the name Bogburn? Does it refer to the boggy ‘back 40’ created by errant beavers, drained by more culverts than Bob can comprehend? Does it refer to the lactic acid burn of effort it takes to make the last climbs up past the beaver pond to the finish? Neither. The name comes from Bogburn Hall, the name of the old Haydock family homestead in England. Perhaps a portent of things to come in the New World.

This year the 22nd annual VOMax Bogburn takes place Sunday, January 8th, with races for BKL skiers starting at 9:45am, BKL awards at 11:30am, the men’s 12km classic at 12:30pm, and the women’s and J2 (age 14-15) 6km classic at 1:30pm. (Registration information is available below.)

Part of the TDBanknorth Club Series, the Bogburn is the 3rd event in the Series, and already the Cambirdge Sports Union (CSU), the Boston-area nordic club, has a commanding lead. Taking advantage of their home-course at Weston, CSU jumped to 324 points ahead of its nearest competitors, Gunstock (NH) Nordic Assocation (28) and Colby College (26) after the Weston Pursuit and the Weston Sprints over the New Year’s weekend. Traditionally strong clubs like Putney (VT), Craftsbury (VT), and Ford Sayre (NH) are not currently ranked and will be looking to pack the VOMax Bogburn with competitors in an effort to catch 2005 Champion CSU.

Place Club Points
1 Cambridge Sports Union352
2 Gunstock Nordic Association28
3 Colby College Nordic Ski Team26
4 Dartmouth Outing Club20
5 Berkshire Trails Nordic Ski Club10
5 Gould Academy Nordic Ski Club 10
5
UNH Ski Team10
5 Kimball Union Academy10

With two events in the Zak Cup Series for Masters skiers - the Dec. 18th TD Banknorth Eastern Cup at the Trapp Family Lodge, and the Weston Pursuit Dec. 31st - Carole Clermont of West Burke, VT/ Gould Academy Ski Club and Dorcas Wonsavage, Hanover, NH/Ford Sayre are tied for first, and Jane Oliver, Concord, MA/CSU and Trina Hosmer, Stowe, VT/Putney Ski Club are tied for 3rd! 2005 overall winner, Cheryl Carlson, is in 7th, with four more races to go. In the running for the men, last year’s 10th place overall, Andy Milne, Medford, MA/CSU. In second and third – from an even more snow-deprived metropolitan club – Love Sproule and Tim Donahue, of the Manhattan Ski Club. Donahue is actually tied for third with CSU’s Jim Stock, Lincoln, MA.

2006 Zak Cup Standings (1/4/06) – Women, Men

Plc NENSA# Last Name First Name Age Grp Age Age Place City St Zak Pts Age Zak Pts Club
1 03319 Clermont Carole M3 40 1 West Burke VT 25 25 Gould
1 01376 Wonsavage Dorcas M3 40 1 Hanover NH 25 25 Ford Sayre
3 01082 Hosmer Trina M7 60 1 Stowe VT 20 25 Putney SC
3 01242 Oliver Jane M5 53 1 Concord MA 20 25 CSU
5 10690 Ryan Maggie M1 30 1 Easthampton MA 15 25 Berkshire
6 02203 Hall Ruth M4 47 1 Cumberland ME 12 25 Coastal
7 02890 Carlson Cheryl M4 47 2 Lebanon NH 11 20 Ford Sayre
8 01090 Henkel Heidi M1 33 2 Keene NH 10 20 Putney SC
9 06885 Geer Carlie M4 48 3 Hinesburg VT 9 15 Craftsbury
10 03332 Geer Judy M5 52 1 Morrisville VT 8 25 Craftsbury
11 10931 Pribram Sarah M2 37 1 Shelburne VT 7 25 Team Sleepy
12 05129 Lowrie Mary Lou M5 54 3 New Gloucester ME 6 20 Maine Nordic
13 01457 Campoli Gina M5 50 4 Craftsbury Common VT 5 15 Craftsbury
14 01150 Van Dyke Carol M4 49 4 Stowe VT 4 12 Stowe
15 06874 Bradlee Barbara M4 46 5 Reading MA 3 11 CSU

1 05512 Milne Andrew M3 42 1 Medford MA 37 50 CSU
2 06551 Love Sproule M1 34 1 New York NY 25 25 Manhattan
3 10824 Donahue Tim M2 36 1 New York NY 20 25 Manhattan
3 01285 Stock Jim M5 50 1 Lincoln MA 20 25 CSU
5 10056 Hangen Don M4 45 1 Stow MA 15 25 CSU
5 01144 Nice Chris M5 52 1 Hanover NH 15 25 Ford Sayre
7 01241 Haydock Bob M5 53 3 Concord MA 12 20 CSU
8 08126 Golovkin Victor M3 42 2 Newton MA 11 20 CSU
8 03095 Townsend Ethan M1 30 3 Canton NY 11 20 St Lawrence
10 07494 Farrell William M6 56 1 Meriden NH 10 45 KUA

VOMax Bogburn Registration Information

January 8, 2006, VOMax Bogburn 12km Haydock House, Pomfret, VT (TD Banknorth Club Series event, Zak Cup Masters’ Series) Event Info: Family-oriented, low-key race. 12 km classic for J1-Master Men. 6 Km classic for J2s and Women. 4, 3, & 2km for BKL III, IV, V. 50m for lollipop. Start times: 9:45 am lollipop, 10 am BKL, 11:30 BKL awards 12:30 PM Men 1:30 PM Women and J2s. Prizes VOMax clothing, medals to top 3 BKL in each class, ribbons to all BKL. Registration: $25 for 6 and 12km race ($20 for NENSA members) $7 for BKL. Lollipop free. $5 late fee. Use NENSA form or register online from NENSA web site. Phone entries accepted until 9 PM 1/07/06. Checks to: Robert Haydock, 384 Strawberry Hill Rd, Concord, MA 01742. For more info (E) rhaydock@comcast.net (P) 978/369-2684 0r 802/763-7064 Contact: Robert Haydock Website: www.NENSA.net Register at SkiReg.com: http://www.skireg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=2062

__________________________________________________________________ * The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is a non-profit, the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, TD Banknorth Group. Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and the Trapp Family Lodge.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England visit www.NENSA.net
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-06-25
A talk with USSA’s Director of Nordic Skiing, Luke Bodensteiner

Dorcas Wonsavage sat down with Luke Bodensteiner to discuss the role of NENSA, and USSA & USST in making our skiers “Best in the World”.

Park City, UT (June 21): After a phenomenal and inspiring set of seasons from our U.S. Ski Team athletes, last season’s results were disappointing- for everyone involved. And when USSA cut funding for the Development Team altogether, an uproar was heard from Maine to Alaska.

I sat down with Luke Bodensteiner, Director of Nordic Skiing for USSA, in his Park City office last week. It was a chance to catch up with an old friend and former teammate, and to discuss and clarify what roles and responsibilities NENSA and USSA see for themselves in the US Ski Team “Development Pipeline”.

Fund the Best, or Fund Them All?
Luke is well aware of how unpopular USSA’s decision has been, to cut funding for the Development Team. He addressed it almost immediately. “We have had budget cuts”, he said, “but we still have money. But (the reality is) if we’re going to get more money in the future, we’ve got to have results now, and that means medals eight months from now (at the Torino Olympic Games).” He pointed to the Jumping team, that for lack of recent results, has to exist on less than $150,000/year for athletes, coaches, travel, training, wax and ski technicians. “If Freeman (and Swenson, Wagner, Dussault) are going to be competitive against Norway, Sweden and Italy, they need everything we can possibly give them.”

(My paraphrasing of the current USSA logic: Do we cut our elite athlete’s funding, and their chances for medals and serious, long-term funding, to spray money at “looking good, but unproven” development team level skiers? We need results now. So either we fully support a known quantity, or we put nickels in the slot machine and hope for three cherries to appear.)

USSA is supporting some of the Development level athletes this year, but with a different approach. Coaches of athletes who have had significant results at World Juniors and U.S. Nationals, will be invited to accompany their athletes to important training camps and races. For the athletes, this will provide them with consistent coaching from the people that made them fast. For the coaches, it’s a chance to work with, communicate with, the current US Ski Team administration and to be exposed to the next level of athlete coaching and support. It’s athlete support and coaches ed. rolled in to one. And a serious breakthrough by USSA/USSA – an acknowledgement that they haven’t or can’t provide the best coaching for our best athletes, that consistent coaching supercedes the current coach-of-the-quadrennial.

Coaches Education
Luke spoke of the need for coaches’ education, yet in the same breath acknowledged that USSA did not have the manpower to oversee a nation-wide program, I reminded him of NENSA’s coaches education clinics and certification. “We’ve produced a model that we can share (and have) with the other regions,” I pointed out. He countered, stating that Central region had their own coaches ed program (in fact, Pete Vordenberg had just that weekend attended Central’s Coaches’ Ed. seminar).

Three points are on the table on this issue:

1) Each region has had to fend for its self for so many years, a few have created their own coaches ed programs. Each has their own adaptations specific to their region, whether due to coaching traditions, personalities, weather and snow calendar, the power-base structure (school, club, event, sponsors). Any nation-wide program will have to provide a consistent message on training athletes, yet provide the flexibility to adapt to each regions’ unique needs, with incentives in place to improve each one’s less-than-ideal, but entrenched, philosophies and power structures.

2) USSA would prefer to be the leader in creating a coaches ed. program, but obviously cannot. The best they can do now, to send a consistent message to each region, is to offer to send Vordenberg to coach/athlete programs in each region, eg. Central’s coach ed seminar and NENSA’s July Elite Team Camp, and to fund Development Team member-eligible (if there were a Dev.Team) coaches to national camps and races.

3) They are not overly excited about promoting either NENSA’s or any one else’s coaching education plan, because they want the message to come from the Top, down. Former US Ski Team coaches, Miles Minson, Chris Grover, with help from Zach Caldwell, accomplished a significant coaches ed project with their technique video – US Ski Team Progressions (available through NCCSEF). But we can’t hold our breath for the current administration to tackle a similar project. (Note: USST Alpine is selling elite and performance level coaching CDs, covering technique, nutrition, physical training, sports psychology, for the price of $60-$80 each.)

With NENSA’s staff, board, and ski community, we have the staff and board power, experience and motivation to accomplish what USSA cannot, at this time. Our committee members and staff will continue to put together a comprehensive Coaches Ed certification program.

Long-Term Strategic Plan
Another reason USSA is not fully behind the progressive work of the regions is that they’re not yet sure of what they’re doing themselves, beyond their Elite Team. USSA Nordic staff is currently creating a strategic, long-term plan, outlining their short and long-term goals, reviewing their strengths and weaknesses, what they need and what they need to do to help our athletes win “Heavy” medals (medals earned in competition against Norway, Sweden, Italy, not Japan, and the Ukraine).

NENSA renewed its Strategic Plan two years ago. The second time in the eight years since it was founded. And USSA is just starting? Their Plan will be offered up for review to key people in each region later this summer, and NENSA staff will have the opportunity to comment.

Top to Bottom – the Bodensteiner/USSA ideal
I was impressed, reading USSAs Strategic Plan draft, to see how many of the points NENSA had already addressed, accomplished, and could contribute to USSAs plan. When I pointed this out to Luke, however, he said bluntly that he’d prefer the direction for US Skiing to come from the Top, down.

This would work if 1) the United States was the size of every other ski nation – 25% of its total size (thank you, Alaska), and 90% of its current snowbelt. 2) the United States was a socialist, not democratic country. And, 3) there was an administration that could give us direction.

Until then, the recent consensus online (http://www.fasterskier.com/feature.php?series_id=24)is that U.S. Skiing needs to improve its Vertical Integration.

Vertical Integration
The United States has good, sometimes great, programs at each level – BKL/youth, High School/Club, Collegiate/University, Senior/Sponsor/Club, Master/Club. But as an athlete grows older (not necessarily better), they move, due to chronological age, from one program to another. There is no continuity of coaches education or training philosophy from one level to another. It is a horizontal move – from same-old to same-old, not an upward move associated with improvement, a vertical move (J.Galanes/J Quinn-Hurst. http://www.fasterskier.com/opinion2235.html)

Bottom to Top – The NENSA and APU/NSC model
In 1997 John Caldwell and Company, having long realized the limitations of USSA, assembled their nordic brain trust, the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA). Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country, Jim Galanes (hometown, Brattleboro, VT), created the Alaska Pacific University/Nordic Ski Club. Both had the same mission: To do what USSA had not done, could not do. This included providing long-term continuity of administration and coaching, promoting the education of coaches, training cross-country skiers at every level, increasing participation in Nordic skiing, and making medal winners. NENSA has since won two junior Olympic team championships, and both NENSA and APU athletes are leading the way at the junior, world junior, collegiate, and national level.

They are both funding and accomplishing their missions – Community-based, Club-centered, Vertical Integration.

Optimistic Summary
USSA has had to narrow its focus to one primary goal – funding the athletes that will earn them medals eight months from now. That’s the only thing that will justify to the ski lift-aided board of USSA and its deep wallet sponsors the money the Nordic program needs to fund a larger National Nordic Team, a Development Team, a National Coaches Education program. The good news is, they’ve got the money they need to fund our top, Red Group athletes. And that’s just what I would want for Kris Freeman and Andrew Johnson – full support, nothing less, for them to achieve their potential.

As for USSA’s decreased support of the Development Team level, this situation has given us exactly what we wanted. Especially in the East, we’ve been fighting to keep our athletes at home, instead of having USSA ‘resident programs’ suck them 6,000 feet up and 2,000 miles away, from family, friends, community opportunities for flexible employment and fundraising, and the coach that knows them best. We know where the stability is that athletes need – it’s at home. And it has been NENSA’s mission to provide the best for our athletes here, in the East, so they don’t have to leave, don’t want to leave.

Many of the goals I saw in Luke’s initial Strategic Plan outline were the same goals that NENSA has: To increase the number of recreational skiers, the number of racers of all ages and abilities, the speed of our elite athlete athletes, the knowledge and consistency of our coaches, the travel opportunities for coaches, athletes and skiers.

Our goals are the same. Even our strategies are the same. )http://www.fasterskier.com/opinion2252.html) From the top, USSA is taking care of our best athletes as best they can. And if that is not enough, it’s more than NENSA can do. From the bottom, NENSA and its clubs are taking care of our ski communities. Rather than be frustrated or angry with USSA for what they cannot do, we can appreciate their highly-focused support for our elite athletes, that they have finally begun a belated but important Strategic Planning process, and that they point to NENSA as the model for the other Regions.

Meanwhile, NENSA will continue to improve Nordic skiing for our communities and our elite athletes in New England, knowing that USSA is doing an excellent job with the dedicated and experienced staff, athletes, and funding it has. If we continue to do our best for cross-country skiing in New England, USSA will be able to do its best for our elite athletes. And maybe, in the future, there will no longer be an us-and-them, but a US Skiing.

“Onward and upward” Sir Edmund Hillary
“Best in the World” U.S. Ski Team

Dorcas Wonsavage
June 25, 2005
Park City, UT

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-03-20
Vermont Wins Banknorth Eastern High School Championships

March 20, 2005 (Bolton Valley, VT): The results in the boys’ 7.5km classic race, the last race of the Banknorth Eastern High School Championships, read like a see-saw: NH, Vermont, NH, Vermont, Maine, VT, ME, VT, … But there was no question who was in charge. New Hampshire’s Alex Howe (Gilford), has been in command this weekend, winning by 13 seconds over Vermont’s Cameron MacKugler (Londonderry). Dylan McGuffin (Northfield) gave NH a 3rd place. The girls races have been back and forth between NH and VT, too. But this time it was Vermont’s Jennie Bender in first, 9 seconds ahead of (Hanover) NH’s Alice Nelson, and 14 seconds ahead of (Orleans) Vermont’s Ida Sargent. Super results by New York’s McClelland sisters, Megan’s 4th and Sophie’s 7th, and Massachusett’s Shane MacDowell (11th) and Zach Wetherell (22nd) kept the two low-snow states in the running.

Yesterday Vermont was ahead in the race for the Banknorth Eastern High School Championship title. Not surprising, given the current level of athletes in the Vermont high school, ski school, and club programs. The surprise is that the Maine athletes, bolstered by the Maine Winter Sport Center programs, and their middle school racing programs, are now being challenged by the New Hampshire athletes. This is due in large part to the Gunstock Nordic Association’s coaching and programs, but also to a growing interest and support for Nordic skiing in the northern high school programs, and southern ski clubs.

So, when over 200 of the best high school skiers in the East ascended to Bolton Valley this weekend to compete in four races in three days the competitions were fast and the talent was deep. In Sunday’s races, the final event of the weekend, Vermont boys won, NH’s guys were 2nd, and Maine was 3rd; the Maine gals won, the VT girls 2nd, and NH was 3rd. Massachusetts, whose high school racing programs often don’t include classic events, skied a consistent fourth, ahead of New York.The final, overall winner, and the team that brought home the L.L. Bean micro-fleece zip turtlenecks, was the home team, Vermont. New Hampshire did sneak ahead of Maine by 600 points, followed by Massachusetts and New York.

The top three athletes through all four events this weekend also received prizes donated by Rossignol.

Overall winners – Boys
1. Alex Howe, Gilford, NH
2. Ben Hickory, Morrisville, VT
3. Cameron MacKugler, Londonderry, VT

Overall winners – Girls
1. Ida Sargent, Orleans, VT
2. Alice Nelson, Hanover, NH
3. Jennie Bender, Johnson, VT

Banknorth Eastern High School Championships
Girls 7.5km Classic

1. Jennie Bender, Johnson, VT 27:55.8
2. Alice Nelson, Hanover, NH 28:04.8
3. Ida Sargent, Orleans, VT 28:09.6
4. Megan McClelland, Keene Valley, NY 28:43.0
5. Hannah Dreissigacker, Morrisville, VT 28:46.9
6. Elise Moody-Roberts, Cape Elizabeth, ME 29:05.2
7. Sophie McClelland, Keene Valley, NY 29:05.6
8. Ruth McGovern, Stowe, VT 29:11.2
9. Kathleen Maynard, Jackson, NH 29:12.6
10. Liz Kantack, Jackson, NH 29:15.0

Banknorth Eastern High School Championships
Boys 7.5km Classic

1. Alex Howe, Gilford, NH 23;19.6
2. Cameron MacKugler, Londonderry, VT 23:32.1
3. Dylan McGuffin, Northfield, NH 23:42.9
4. Ben Hickory, Morrisville, VT 23:57.8
5. Thomas Stark, Fitzwilliam, NH 24:07.3
6. Nils Koons, Sidney, ME 24:13.4
7. Chase Marston, VT 24:14.6
8. Timothy Whiton, Bethel, ME 24:26.8
9. Kevin Cutts, Putney, VT 24:27.9
10. Pavel Sotskov, Gilford, NH 24:34.4

Complete results at www.bart.chipco.com. Results and photos at www.nensa.net.

Overall Points
Banknorth Eastern High School Championships

1. Vermont 14,746
2. New Hampshire 13,983
3. Maine 13,383
4. Massachusetts 9,315
5. New York 5,745

Complete results available at www.NENSA.net.
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-03-19
Day 2, Banknorth Eastern High School Champs. The Sprint & the Relay

March 19, 2005 (Bolton Valley, VT): The speed event of the Banknorth Eastern High School Championships took place Saturday morning at Bolton Valley, Vermont. The sprints are the shortest distance event in Nordic skiing, but by running standards they are more like the dreaded 800meters, requiring both speed AND endurance. Alice Nelson (Hanover, NH) and Ben Hickory (Morrisville, VT) have both, and their first place finishes brought home the bonus five points each for the New Hampshire and Vermont team. New Hampshire has been giving the Green Mountain boys and girls of Vermont a challenge this weekend, but overall Vermont had more skiers in the top to keep ahead in the push for the overall title. Vermont girls went 2,3,4,and 6 in the top 10, while New York placed three in the top 10 – Marlijne Cook (Saranac Lake, NY)-5th, Sophie McClelland (Keene Valley, NY)-7th and Stephanie Crocker (Poughkeepsie, NY)-9th. New Hampshire had Nelson and Liz Kantack (Jackson, NH)-10th, and Maine placed one in the top 10 – Hilary McNamee (Fort Kent, ME) in 8th.

On the boy’s side four more Vermonters stacked up just behind Hickory - Cameron MacKugler (Londonderry, VT)-2nd, Kevin Cutts (Putney, VT)-5th, Silas Gill (E.Burke, VT)-8th and Harry Poole (VT)-9th. It was the New Hampshire-ites in between – Alex Howe (Gilford, NH)-3rd, Dylan McGuffin (Northfield, NH)-4th, and Thomas Stark (Fitzwilliam, NH)-10th. Shane MacDowell (Peru, MA) continued to shine for Massachusetts with a 7th place finish.

The race course was reset Saturday afternoon and prepared for the 4x25.km mixed medley relay. Major points were on the line as Vermont battled to stay ahead of the surprising New Hampshire team. Going into the third leg of the relay, NH2 and NH7 were in the lead, followed by Vermont. But Vermont’s skaters pulled VT1 and VT6 into 2nd and 3rd place, and NH7 fell back to fourth. The next three places were within 14 seconds – ME3 stayed just two seconds ahead of NY5, and ME21 was only 12 seconds behind them.

Going into the final event tomorrow, the 7.5km classic, Vermont (11,177) has increased its lead over New Hampshire (10,481), Maine (9,876), and Massachusett (7,126) is holding off New York (4,386).

Over 200 of the best high school skiers in the East are at Bolton Valley this weekend, racing state against state for the overall title of Banknorth Eastern High School Nordic Champion. The teams are made up of skiers of all levels of dedication, motivation, and training, from Junior Olympic medalists, ski school racers, prep school skiers, ski club racers, New York skiers who travel to New England for the competition of the Banknorth Eastern Cup circuit, and best of all, the high school skiers, many of whom are on skis three months a year, and even that depends upon the snowfall. For everyone the Eastern High School’s are an end-of-the-season reward.

Complete results at www.bart.chipco.com. Results and photos at www.nensa.net.

Banknorth Eastern High School Championships
Boys’ 1km Freestyle Sprints

1. Ben Hickory, Morrisville, VT 2:18.23
2. Cameron MacKugler, Londonderry, VT 2:18.75
3. Alex Howe, Gilford, NH 2:19.14
4. Dylan McGuffin, Northfield, NH 2:20.79
5. Kevin Cutts, Putney, VT 2:23.59
6. Eric Wolcott, Concord, NH 2:23.60
7. Shane MacDowell, Peru, MA 2:24.35
8. Silas Gill, E.Burke, VT 2:25.94
9. Harry Poole, VT, 2:26.66
10. Thomas Stark, Fitzwilliam, NH 2:26.67

Banknorth Eastern High School Championships
Girls’ 1km Freestyle Sprints

1. Alice Nelson, Hanover, NH 2:41.40
2. Ida Sargent, Orleans, VT 2:42.73
3. Hannah Dreissigacker, Morrisville, VT 2:44.05
4. Jennie Bender, Johnson, VT 2:45.63
5. Marlijne Cook, Saranac Lake, NY 2:49.62
6. Ruth McGovern, Stowe, VT 2:49.64
7. Sophie McClelland, Keene Valley, NY 2:49.90
8. Hilary McNAmee, Fort Kent, ME 2:50.34
9. Stephanie Crocker, Poughkeepsie, NY, 2:52.69
10. Liz Kantack, Jackson, NH 2:53.30

Banknorth Eastern High School Championships
4x2.5km Relay (boy-classic, girl-classic, boy-freestyle, girl-freestyle)
Place Team Team members (Hometown), Final Time

1. 2NH Alex Howe (Gilford), Alice Nelson (Hanover), Dylan McGuffin (Northfield), Liz Kantack (Jackson) 30:53.5
2. 1VT Kevin Cutts (Putney), Ida Sargent (Orleans), Ben Hickory (Morrisville), Hannah Dreissigacker (Morrisville) 31:02.2
3. 6VT Cameron MacKugler (Londonderry), Emily Dreissigacker (Morrisville), Silas Gill (E.Burke), Jennie Bender (Johnson) 32:15.6
4. 7NH Pavel Sotskov (Gilford), Phoebe Erdman (Holderness), Thomas Stark (Fitzwilliam), Kathleen Maynard (Jackson) 32:23.6
5. 3ME Nils Koons (Sidney), Mandy Ivey (S.Paris), Sam Mathes (Rome), Kate Barton (Cape Elizabeth) 32:41.5
6. 5NY Bryan Pepper (Old Forge), Sophie McClelland (Keene Valley), Robbie Goodwin , Megan McClelland (Keene Valley) 32:43.3
7. 21ME Tim Whiton (Portland), Clare Egan (Cape Elizabeth), Dnesh Costlow , Ingrid Knowles (Cumberland) 32:55.6
8. 8ME
9. 14NY
10. 11NH

Overall Points, after 3 of 4 events
Banknorth Eastern High School Championships

1. Vermont 11,177
2. New Hampshire 10,481
3. Maine 9,876
4. Massachusetts 7,126
5. New York 4,386

Complete results available at www.NENSA.net.
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-03-18
Banknorth Eastern High School Nordic Champs - Vermont Holds Slim Lead over NH and ME After First Event

March 18, 2005 (Bolton Valley, VT): The best high school skiers in the East are at Bolton Valley this weekend, racing state against state for the overall title of Banknorth Eastern High School Nordic Champion. Teams from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York are racing 25 of their best girls and 25 of their best boys, making this one of the biggest Nordic competitions of the season. And with New England Junior Olympic team back from winning the Alaska Cup at the JO’s, at altitude in Truckee, CA, the teams are full of fast athletes with fully saturated hemoglobin.

The schedule began with the 5km freestyle races Friday afternoon. The Vermont boys put 6 in the top 10 but the winner was Alex Howe, Gilford, NH and his Gunstock Nordic Team teammate, Dylan McGuffin, Northfield, NH, was third. Maine’s Nils Koons snuck into the top 10 with a 7th place.

In the women’s 5km classic it was Vermont’s Ida Sargent (Orleans, VT) who held off Vermont teammate Hannah Dreissigacker (Morrisville, VT) by 9 seconds, for a one-two VT punch. With Jennie Bender in 6th (Johnson, VT), the Vermont girls had three in the top 10. So did New Hampshire, who’s ace, Alice Nelson (Hanover, NH) in third, by one second, ahead of New York’s Sophie McClelland (Keene Valley, NY). Liz Kantack (Jackson, NH)-7th and Kathleeen Maynard (Jackson, NH) –10th completed the NH trio that will continue to challenge Vermont this weekend. Maine’s best finishers were Mandy Ivey (Oxford, ME), in 5th, and Elise Moody-Roberts (Cape Elizabeth, ME)-8th. The small but strong New York contingent is always bolstered by the McClelland sisters – Sophie’s 4th and Megan’s 9th.

Going into tomorrow’s races Vermont leads, 3,689. New Hampshire is second, 3,349. Maine is third, 3,248. And Massachusetts is 4th, 2,478. New York is fifth, 1,475.

The weekend continues Saturday with the Freestyle Sprints at 10am in the morning and the Mixed Gender, Mixed Technique Relay: classic boy-classic girl-freestyle boy-freestyle girl. But the deciding race will be Sunday mornings 5km classic race. Not only will the athletes be tired from racing three races in two days, they will have the added challenge of finding a kick wax for the winter-turning-to-summer conditions. Complete and updated results at www.bart.chipco.com and results and photos at www.nensa.net.

Banknorth Eastern High School Championships
Boys’ 5km Freestyle

1. Alex Howe, Gilford, NH 15:17.2
2. Ben Hickory, Morrisville, VT 15.27.0
3. Dylan McGuffin, Northfield, NH 15:34.0
4. Kevin Cutts, Putney, VT, 15.34.7
5. Silas Gill, E.Burke, VT, 15:41.7
6. Cameron MacKugler, Londonderry, VT, 15:46.7
7. Nils Koons, Rome, ME, 15:55.9
8. Jesse Kosiba, VT, 16:08.5
9. Pavel Sotskov, Gilford, NH, 16:08.6
10. Harry Poole, VT, 16:09.8

Banknorth Eastern High School Championships
Girls’ 5km Freestyle

1. Ida Sargent, Orleans, VT 17:49.0
2. Hannah Dreissigacker, Morrisville, VT 17:58.5
3. Alice Nelson, Hanover, NH, 18:16.8
4. Sophie McClelland, Keene Valley, NY, 18:17.1
5. Mandy Ivey, Oxford, ME, 18:35.6
6. Jennie Bender, Johnson, VT, 18:37.8
7. Liz Kantack, Jackson, NH, 18:40.2
8. Elise Moody-Roberts, Cape Elizabeth, ME, 18:42.8
9. Megan McClelland, Keene Valley, NY, 18:50.2
10. Kathleen Maynard, Jackson, NH, 18:56.6

--- Overall Points
Banknorth Eastern High School Championships

1. Vermont 3,689.
2. New Hampshire 3,349.
3. Maine 3,248.
4. Massachusetts 2,478.
5. New York 1,475.

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-03-13
A “SlipStick” Comedic Day of Waxing at The Banknorth Eastern Champs Pursuit – Maine Winter Sport Center’s Osgood and Whitcomb prevail.

March 13 (Rumford, ME): Fresh snow and sun in March means a great day of spring skiing, right? Not necessarily. Ask the competitors in Sunday’s concluding race of the Banknorth Eastern Championships at Black Mountain inf Rumford, ME - the women’s 7.5km classic +7.5km freestyle pursuit race and the men’s 10km CL+10km FS pursuit. Imagine racing with 5 inches of snow stuck to your ski, forcing you to run up and down the hills. Or the opposite nightmare, having no kick whatsoever with which to propel yourself uphill. Suddenly it turns from a race to a survival slog. Such was the case for many of the intrepid Pursuit participants, as they made their way around the 2.5km loops. Cries of “hallelujah!” were heard from many, as they came into the transition zone, took off their classic skis and poles, put on their skating skis and headed off on their laps of the 2.5km skate course.

In the women’s pursuit, yesterday’s classic winner, Anna McLoon, dropped out, victim of the 4-inches of snow that stuck to her kick wax, forcing her to walk, nay, trip down the hills. This opened the way for her Maine Winter Sport Center teammate, Kate Whitcomb (Cummington, MA) to make the best use of her no-wax Rossignol skis. Whitcomb skied the first 7.5km in 24:23, putting almost three minutes on Ford Sayre’s Dorcas Wonsavage, and she went on to win by two minutes. Wonsavage, who, like many of the other competitors, hobbled and wobbled through the classic laps with high heels of snow, got help from John and Danny Brodhead, who let her ski over their skis and scrape off the snow on her own skis. Starting the skate leg almost three minutes behind Whitcomb, Wonsavage skied her way to second place overall, passing Trina Hosmer (Putney Ski Club/Amherst, MA) 400meters from the finish seconds. Three of the top four women – Whitcomb, Hosmer, and 4th place Carole Clermont (Burke, VT) used their no-wax skis.

The Maine Winter Sport Center boys-in-blue had the wax dialed. Brayton Osgood (Putney, VT) and Colin Rodgers (Readfield, ME)) finished one-two, over two minutes ahead of the ‘double Nick-les” Nick Mahood (Rossignol/Woodstock, VT) and Nick Trautz (Alpina/Cabot, VT). Meanwhile, sympathetic spectators stood watching the rest of the competitors, offering wax for those who were slipping, or offering to place their skis across the track for the others to ski over, to remove obstreperous clumps of saturated powder snow. After the race Mahood said he couldn’t have done it without his no-wax skis. The overall consensus, despite the waxing conditions, was that the 2.5km loops designed by the Chisholm Ski Club were terrific fun, providing entertainment for the spectators and keeping the racers motivated throughout the race.

The Overall Banknorth Championship titles were awarded to the competitors who had the best combined finishes in the weekend’s three events. Maine Winter Sport Center’s Kate Whitcomb and Brayton Osgood took top honors. L.L. Bean contributed $100, $75 and $50 gift certificates to the top three.

Overall Banknorth Championship title
Women
1. Kate Whitcomb (third 5km CL, first relay, first pursuit) - $100LL Bean Gift Certificate
2. Dorcas Wonsavage (second 5km CL, second relay, second pursuit – $75 LLBean Gift Certificate
3. Anna McCloon (first 5km CL, first relay, DNF pursuit) –$50 LLBean Gift Certificate

Men
1.Brayton Osgood (first 10km CL, first relay, third pursuit) - $100 LLBean Gift Certificate
2. Steve Scott (fourth, 10km CL, third relay, 5th pursuit) - $75 LLBean Gift Certificate
3. Nick Trautz (second, 10km CL, 7th relay, 4th pursuit) - $50 LLBean Gift Certificate

For the first overall in their age class, L.L. Bean provided boat totes embroidered with the event name to the winners, and second place finishers received a Banknorth/NENSA hat by VOMax. (see www.NENSA.net > Results). The winner of the raffle for $400, donated by Banknorth, was MWSC’s Brandy Stewart (Caribou, ME) and the winner of the raffle for the L.L. Bean parka was Maine Nordic Ski Club’s Chris Dorion (Orono, ME)

These were also the final events of the Banknorth Eastern Cup Series. L.L. Bean. L.L. Bean donated a $300 gift certificate to the overall mens and women’s winner\, Nick Trautz (Alpina-Madshus, Cabot, VT) and Dorcas Wonsavage (Ford Sayre, Etna, NH).

Overall Eastern Cup Title
Women
Dorcas Wonsavage – Ford Sayre Ski Club/ Etna, NH - $300 LL Bean Gift Certificate
Runner Up – Alice Nelson – Ford Sayre Ski Club/Hanover, NH

Men
Winner - Nick Trautz – Alpina-Madshus/Cabot, VT - $300 LLBean Gift Certificate
Runner-up - Chris Mallory – UNH/Colchester, VT

The final event on the Banknorth /NENSA 2004/5 calendar is the Eastern High School Championships, next weekend March 18-20th at Bolton Valley, VT.
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-03-12
Maine Winter Sport Center Skiers Take Banknorth Eastern Champs by Storm

March 12 (Rumford, ME): Anna McLoon’s time of 19:08.5 (Maine Winter Sports Center, Caribou, ME) edged out Dorcas Wonsavage (Ford Sayre/Etna,NH) by 3/10ths of a second, for the Women’s 5km classic win at this weekend’s Banknorth Eastern Championships at Black Mountain in Rumford, ME. McLoon’s MWSC teammate, Kate Whitcomb (Caribou, ME), came in third with a time of 19:29.5. What the field lacked in depth this weekend was made up by the quality of the competitors. Many of the lowest point holders in New England showed up with their eyes on the forecast – snow, and lots more of it – instead of the calendar.

In the men’s 10km classic it was Maine Winter Sport Center’s Brayton Osgood (Putney, VT) winning by over a minute ahead of Alpina’s Nick Trautz (Cabot, VT). Colby College’s Fred Bailey (Waterville, ME) was third.

The afternoon’s relay freestyle sprint was an exciting race. The format consisted of two-people teams, each person alternating a 1km sprint lap, twio laps per person for the women, three laps per person for the men (2 x 1km x 3). The course was made extra tough by the continued snowfall, but the Maine Winter Sport Center teams of Anna McLoon and Kate Whitcomb, and the men’s team of Brayton Osgood and Tom Keefe (Cummington, MA) both won. The Gunstock Nordic Club team of Sam Mashall (Etna, NH) and Sam Evans-Brown (Gilmanton Ironworks, NH) snuck into second ahead of third place MWSC team of Steve Scott (St. Paul, MN) and Jefffrey Beal (Limestone, ME) .

The women’s second place team of Margaret Maher (Chittenden, VT) and Dorcas Wonsavage was 29 seconds out of first and 34 seconds ahead of third place Carole Clermont (Burke, VT) and Cheryl Carlson (Ford Sayre/Lebanon, NH).

The Banknorth Eastern Championship weekend features the New England Masters Championships and the final races in the NENSA Club Series, the masters’ Zak Cup, and the overall Banknorth Eastern Cup. Prizes include gift certificates, duffels and vests from LLBean, and VOMax hats for the overall winner of each Masters age group in the Zak Cup.

Tomorrow’s event is a Pursuit race, also called a Duathlon. The women will ski 7.5km classic, change to their skate skis and poles while the clock runs, and ski a 7.5km skate race. The men will ski 10kmCL + 10kmFS.

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-03-08
Banknorth Eastern Nordic Ski Championships-Season Finale at New Lodge, New Trails, at Black Mtn.

March 7 (Rumford, ME): This weekend is the final NENSA Club Series event, the final Eastern Cup event, the Eastern U23 Championships, Masters Championships, and BKL and NRL races. It’s the Banknorth Eastern Nordic Ski Championships, at Black Mountain in Rumford, ME. The well-known Chisholm Ski Club is now a part of the Maine Winter Sports Center, and this season they have a brand-new lodge and trail system to show off. This Saturday and Sunday they will pack in races for Bill Koch League youth skiers through Masters, with LL Bean gift certificates, duffel bags, medals, ribbons and trophies to hand out to all ages.

Currently in the running for the Banknorth Eastern Cup overall award is Chris Mallory from UNH with 94 points, and Nick Trautz from the Craftsbury (VT) Nordic Club with 82. Craftsbury’s Ben Hickory is currently competing for the New England Junior Olympic Team in Truckee, CA and so will be unable to make a run for the overall. The women’s rankings show Dorcas Wonsavage (Ford Sayre/Etna, NH) leading by 113 points ahead of Ford Sayre’s Alice Nelson (Hanover, NH) with 73 points. But Nelson and the other women in the top10, like Hickory, are defending New England’s win in last year’s Junior Olympics.

The Banknorth Club Series race is tight this year. Just two points remain between the Boston-area based Cambridge Sports Union (CSU) and Hanover, NH/Norwich, VT area Ford Sayre Ski Club, with the Banknorth Rangeley Lakes Loppet and Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure points yet to be included. It is interesting to note that CSU and Ford Sayre are significantly ahead of ski-area and ski school based clubs like the Craftsbury Nordic Club and the Stratton Mountain School.

The fun begins Saturday at 10am with the BKL races, followed by the individual classic races, 5k for women at 11am and 10km for men at noon. The afternoon will be a sprint relay. Teams of two people will ski one kilometer each, three times, beginning with the women’s teams at 2:30pm and the men’s team at 3:30pm. With the new trails routed around the new lodge, the races should be visible to spectators and fans, who are encouraged to bring bells to cheer on their favorite teams. An awards ceremony will take place onsite at 4:30pm.

Sunday’s events begins again with BKL 3km+3km pursuit at 10am (also known as a Continuous Pursuit/Duathlon). At 11am the women will ski a 7.5km classic+7.5km freestyle Pursuit, followed by the men’s 10km CL + 10km FS pursuit at 1pm. The awardsClassic then Freestyle. 10AM: BKL 3K & 3K. 11AM: Women 7.5K & 7.5K. 1PM: Men 10K & 10K. Awards are at 3pm.

There will be lots of awards and prizes including LL Bean gift certificates for overall winners; LL Bean totes for top masters champions; ribbons and/or medals for each race top 3. Registration is available through www.SkiReg.com and closes Thursday, March 10, 2005 at 11:45:00 PM ET. For specific event information, contact: Roger Arsenault at cecfuel@adelphia.net

Chisholm Ski Club is located at Black Mountain of Maine Ski Area in Rumford, Maine. The Club has a rich tradition which dates back to the early days of the 20th century at its Spruce Street location and its mid 1900's days at Scottie's Mountain. Over the years the Club has hosted several world class nordic skiing events, including the 1950 World Championships, 1976 NCAA Cross Country Skiing Championships, 1991 National Biathlon Championships, 1993 US Cross Country Skiing Championships, 1993 U.S. Masters Cross Country Skiing Championships, 1996 National Junior Olympics, 1996 Chevy Truck U.S. Nationals, the 1999 NCAA Cross Country Skiing Championship, and the 2003 Chevy Truck US Cross Country Championships. And once again, this past January Chisholm hosted another record field in the 2004 Chevrolet US Cross Country Championships. Black Mountain is also the site of Chisholm Ski Club's annual Winter Carnival, a traditional event that dates back to 1924.

`http://www.chisholmskiclub.org/2005_banknorth_easterns.html

Banknorth Eastern Cup Series:

Plc NENSA# Last Name First Name Age Grp Age Age Plce City St East Cup # Races Club
1 01187 Mallory Chris U23 22 1 Colchester VT 94 5 UNH
2 01649 Trautz Nick SR 27 1 Cabot VT 82 6 Craftsbury
3 06814 Hickory Ben OJ 18 1 Morrisville VT 51 6 Craftsbury
4 01085 Freeman Kris SR 24 2 Andover NH 50 2 No Club
5 06301 Knowles Ben OJ 18 2 Cumberland ME 49 6 Coastal
6 04625 Cutts Kevin J1 16 1 Townshend VT 43 4 Putney SC
7 03514 Stickney Tim SR 23 3 Cape Elizabeth ME 37 4 Bates
8 06632 Koons Nils J1 16 2 Sidney ME 36 5 Northeast
8 07485 McGuffin Dylan J1 16 3 Northfield NH 36 3 Gunstock
10 Murray Ian SR 23 4 Nova Scotia 30 2 No Club

Plc NENSA# Last Name First Name Age Grp Age Age Plce City St East Cup # Races Club
1 01376 Wonsavage Dorcas M2 39 1 Etna NH 113 7 Ford Sayre
2 02047 Nelson Alice J1 17 1 Hanover NH 73 5 Ford Sayre
3 02466 Dreissigacker Hannah OJ 18 1 Morrisville VT 65 6 Craftsbury
3 06969 Stephen Elizabeth J1 17 2 East Montpelier VT 65 4 Burke
5 02618 Dunklee Susan OJ 18 2 Barton VT 59 4 DOC
6 02239 Sargent Ida J1 16 3 Orleans VT 51 3 Burke
7 05748 Spector Laura J1 17 4 Waitsfield VT 48 3 GMVS
8 02555 Coombs Whitney J1 17 5 Londonderry VT 36 3 SMS
9 02467 Dreissigacker Emily J1 16 6 Morrisville VT 28 4 Craftsbury
9 05879 Howe Katrina OJ 18 3 Gilford NH 28 4 Gunstock

Banknorth Club Series included participation in the Mt. Hor Hop, VOMax Bogburn, Craftsbury Marathon, Cheri Walsh Memorial, Great Glen to Bretton Woods, Putney Pursuit, and the Rangeley Lakes Loppet). With Loppet and Nordic Adventure results still to be computed, CSU leads by a slim two points over Ford Sayre.

Place Club Points
1 Cambridge Sports Union 374
2 Ford Sayre 372
3 Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club 219
4 Stratton Mountain School 203
5 Mt Washington Nordic Club 162
6 Putney Ski Club 158
7 Dartmouth Outing Club 147
8 Middlebury College Ski Team 99
9 Mansfield Nordic Ski Club 90
10 Gunstock Nordic Association 82

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-03-06
Maine Wins Banknorth J2 Championships ~ NH 3rd to Vermont by only 181 points

March 6, 2005 (Carrabassett Valley ,ME): Since the Eastern J2 Championship Trophy has been in existence, there have been only two names on the Cup – Vermont 10 times, and Maine 4. The big question going into this year’s Championships was could the Maine team use their home course advantage at the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center, to put a dent in the Vermont legacy? Turns out, it was never a question. Maine won every race, girls and boys, from Friday’s 5km classic, to Saturday’s 5km freestyle and freestyle sprints, to Sunday’s come from behind win in the mixed medley, mixed gender relay, where Maine also placed four of their teams in the top 10. And the top three girls overall were from Maine – Hillary McNamee (Fort Fairfield, ME), Justine Cyr (Fort Kent, ME), and Lucy Garrec (Freeport, ME). Maine won, with 16,233 points.

The question of the weekend instead, was, “What has New Hampshire been feeding its athletes, and can they beat Vermont for second place?” It came down to the relay, and New Hampshire did beat Vermont, but not by enough. Vermont took second with 14,598 points, just 181 points ahead of New Hampshire.

Massachusetts’ fourth place finish, with 10,043 points, was highlighted by Evan Dethier’s (Greylock, MA) 2nd place in the overall standings. Dethier had one second place and two third place finishes in the individual events, and skied the fourth fastest time in the opening leg of the relay. Vermont’s Chase Marston (charlotte, VT) and Max Robillard (Waitsfield, VT) were first and third.

Banknorth Eastern J2 Championship Relay
Mixed Medley 2, 2.2km classic + 2, 2.2km freestyle Relay
Sunday, March 6,2005

1. Maine 1 40:42.8
Sam Tarling (Cumberland), Hillary McNamee (Fort Fairfield), Dinesh Costlow (Auburn), Justine Cyr (Fort Kent)

2. Vermont 1 41.12.6
Chase Marston (Charlotte) , Julia Seyforth (Bennington), Jim Levins (Rutland), Keely Levins (Rutland)

3. Maine 3 41.35.9
Tom Esponette(Auburn), Rebecca Schoen (Wilton), Justin Fereshetian (Turner), HollyWhitney (Bowdoinham)

4. Maine 2 41.40.2
Joey Bard (Woodland), Lucy Garrec (Freeport), Stanis Moody-Roberts (Cape Elizabeth), Molly Hallweaver (Yarmouth)

5. Vermont 2 41.16.8
Max Robillard (Waitsfield), Baxter D’Arcy (Stratton Mountain), Alex Schulz (Johnson), Rachel Stearns (Hinesburg)

6. New Hampshire 1 41.17.2
Harrison Harb, Jenia Badamshina, Teo Jackson, Hanna Lucy

7. New Hampshire 2 42:30.4
Will Anderson, Georgia Griffin, Ian Tovell, Danielle Baron

8. Vermont 3 42.57.7
Owen Miller, Caitlin Smith, Noah Brautigan, Caroline Carpenter

9. Maine 4 42.59.5
Will Woodworth, Jen Monsulick, Graham Egan, Amy Lones

10. New Hampshire 3 43.14.8
Trevor Beaudry, Natalie Ruppertsberger, Brian Rowe, Bridgette Black

---

Overall Points
Banknorth Eastern J2 Championships

State Total
Maine 16,233
VT 14,598
NH 14,41
MA 10,043
CT 199

Top 3 Girls and Boys

Maine Hillary McNamee 405
Maine Justine Cyr 383
Maine Lucy Garrec 378

VT Chase Marston 384
MA Evan Dethier 382
VT Max Robillard 368

Complete results, summaries of Day 1 and Day 2, photos, and event schedule available at www.NENSA.net.
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-03-05
Banknorth J2 Champs - Maine Leads but NH a Surprise Second ahead of Vermont

March 5 (Carrabassett Valley, ME): After the 5km freestyle event on Friday, Team New Hampshire had a surprising second place overall behind Team Maine in the Banknorth Eastern J2 Nordic Ski Championships, with last year’s winner, Vermont in third. Saturday’s 5km Classic and 1.2km Freestyle sprint were hotly contested, as Vermont and Maine skied to stay ahead of their new competition. The wave start format of the distance races lined up one racer from each state in the weekend’s competition - Vermont, Maine, NH, Massachusetts, Connecticut and guests from Quebec – further highlighting the state-against-state competition that marks this event. Each State fields 20 each of its fastest 14 and 15 year old girls and boys. Every athlete’s result adds points for the team, so depth is as important as speed.

The strongest in Friday’s 5km Freestyle were the girls from Maine. Hillary McNamee (Fort Fairfield, ME), Justine Cyr (Fort Kent, ME) and Lucy Garrec (Freeport, ME) swept the podium, with teammate Molly Hallweaver (Yarmouth, ME) in 7th. But NH’s Jenia Badamshina (Gilford, NH), Hanna Lucy (N.Conway, NH), and Danielle Baron (Gilford, NH) went 4-5-6, and teammate Bridgette Black was 8th. Then, and only then, came Vermont’s best, Keely Levins (Rutland, VT) and Julia Seyforth (Bennington, VT) in 9th and 10th.

But the Vermont men were the only team to put 4 in the top 10. Chase Maston (Charlotte, VT) won, with Max Robillard (Waitsfield, VT) and Jimmy Levins (Rutland, VT) and Alex Schulz (Johnson, VT) in 3,4 and 8th. Massachusetts’ boys also came through for some high points, with Evan Dethier’s (Greylock, MA) second place, and Nicholas Fogel’s (Greylock, MA) 5th. New Hampshire then snagged 6th and 7th thanks to Teo Jackson (“Gorham, NH) and Harrison Harb (Hopkinton, NH). The Maine boys, Sam Tarling (Cumberland, ME) and Dinesh Costlow (Auburn, ME) helped their team sneak ahead of NH with their 9th and 10th places.

After Friday’s event: 1) Maine – 3,852. 2) New Hampshire – 3,617 3) Vermont – 3,518 4) Massachusetts – 2,589 5) Connecticut – 74.

---

Saturday: 5km Classic, 1.2km Freestyle Sprint Sunday: Mixed Medley, Mixed Gender Relay
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-03-01
Banknorth Eastern J2 Championships this Weekend at Sugarloaf Outdoor Center

March 4, 2005 (Carrabassett Valley, ME): The Sugarloaf Outdoor Center’s nordic trails will be abuzz with skiers this weekend, as the Banknorth Eastern J2 Championships comes to town. Teams from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York, each with 20 girls and 20 boys ages 14 and 15, will compete in four races in three days. The Overall Championship was wrest from Maine last year by Team Vermont. Can Maine use their home snow advantage to get it back? Will Massachusetts surprise New Hampshire? Will the fast-but-few New Yorkers displace key competitors and upset the overall points? Spectators and fans are welcome to watch the best young nordic skiers race head to head in these exciting wave start and relay events for the Trophy.

Friday afternoon the Championships kick off with the Individual 5km freestyle event, a seeded start (equally ranked racers starting together) at 3:30pm. Saturday morning at 10am is the Individual 5km classic event, again with an exciting, seeded wave start, followed by the 1.2km freestyle sprints at 2pm. The weekend concludes Sunday with the 4x2km mixed gender, mixed medley relay at 10am.

The New England Nordic Ski Association’s J2 competition program is a developmental bridge for young athletes from the Bill Koch League youth skiing program to the Junior/High School programs. Next weekend Black Mountain of Maine hosts the Banknorth Eastern State Championships, a weekend of championship racing for every age group, youth through Masters. The season ends with the Banknorth Eastern High School/Scholastic Championships at Bolton Valley, VT. For more information on NENSA’s year round educational, recreational and competitive programs, visit www.NENSA.net
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

---

2005-03-01
Northeast Vermont Nordic Team Brings Home Canadian Championship Banner

The Canadian counterpart to the Bill Koch Festival is called the Midget Nor-Am Championships. The American J3’s are considered Canadian Midgets and J4’s Mini-Midgets. On February 18 - 21, fifteen Bill Koch youth nordic skiers from Northeast Vermont along with parent/coaches traveled north to Quebec to attend the 2005 Canadian Midget Nor-Am Championships. As the lone American team, our presence represents participation beyond the Canadian borders making it an official North American event. Held north of Montreal near Joliette, Quebec, the predominant language is Quebecois, making for interesting coaches meetings where their heavily accented English is marginally better than my high school Parisian French training. The kids’ friendships gravitate towards the English-speaking teams from the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick, but post-race snowball fights amongst the boys transcend language barriers and are a Canadian versus American affair. During the three-day weekend teams camp out on the floor of the local high school classrooms and eat meals together. (The pasta carbo-load supper with white mushy rolls, warm Coke and Diet Coke to drink, and glazed donuts for dessert is infamous!) The morning 3.3 kilometer races were professionally executed, with the afternoons free for ski touring on the lovely trails at the Coupee de Montagne Ski Center. Everywhere the hospitality was warm and welcoming.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of this event and the sixth year Vermont has fielded a team. Outstanding performances earned medals at the Awards Banquet. Kaitlynn Miller of Elmore was crowned overall Midget Girl Champion with a Gold in the Combined, by earning Silver in the Freestyle and Gold in the Classic. Ethan Dreissigacker captured the Boys Midget Silver in the Freestyle, Gold in the Classic and Silver in the Combined. For the Mini-Midgets Boys, Hans Halvorsen of Darien CT and Stowe skied to a Bronze in the Freestyle, and just missed the podium with his 4th in the Classic and 4th in the Combined. Holding hands to go up on stage for their Mini-Midget Girls medals was Hannah Miller of Elmore and Maggie McGovern of Stowe. Hannah received Bronze in the Freestyle, Silver in Classic and Silver in the Combined. Maggie earned 5th in the Freestyle, Bronze for her Classic and Bronze for the Combined. Based on the performances of the top three boys (Ethan, Skyler and Daniel) and top three girls (Kaitlynn, Kristin and Maeve), for the fourth time, the Vermont team won the honor of taking home the championship banner which now hangs at the Stowe Mountain Resort Touring Center.

After the awards ceremony, a couple of brave boys stayed for the evening disco dance to socialize with the Canadian girls, while the rest of the Vermont crew donned ice skates to enjoy the uniquely Canadian pastime skating under the stars along the lighted Riviere l’Assomption.

Other skiers results include: Competing with 54 Midgets Hommes (Boys 12-13 years old) were: Sklyer Davis of Jericho (7th in Freestyle, 6th Classic and 7th in the Combined), Daniel Brodhead of Craftsbury (18th in Freestyle, 11th Classic and 12th Combined), Noah Comen of Middlesex (47th in Freestyle and Classic, and 46th Combined), John Dunbar of Craftsbury (49th in Freestyle and Classic, and 50th Combined), For Midget Filles (Girls 12-13 years old) amongst the 56 racers were: Kristin Halvorsen of Darien, CT and Stowe (7th in Freestyle, 6th Classic and 7th Combined), Maeve McGovern of Stowe (12th in Freestyle, 11th Classic and 12th Combined), Lia Van Dyke of Stowe (13th in Freestyle, 15th Classic and 13th Combined), Chelsea Evans of East Montpelier (20th in Freestyle, 27th Classic and 24th Combined) and Anna Laggis of Craftsbury (27th in Freestyle, 25th Classic and 26th Combined). For Mini-Midget Boys (ages 10-11 years), Ethan Evans of East Montpelier was (23rd in Freestyle, 30th Classic and 30th Combined).

The competition was capped on Monday with a six person team relay where the first three racers ski classic and the final three do freestyle. The combination of seeding order and age grouping is an exercise in tactical creativity. In a display of finesse and speed skiing, the Vermont Northeast #1 team won the gold medal.

These young racers receive coaching from Pepa Miloucheva of Craftsbury and are members of their local Bill Koch youth programs of Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club and Stowe Nordic Outing Club.

By Carol Van Dyke, Stowe Nordic Outing Club, Stowe, Vermont
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-03-01
Silver Fox Trot BKL Event Rescheduled for This Sunday on Thetford Academy Trails

March 6, 2005, The BKL Silver Fox Trot, Nordic ski trails at Thetford Academy / Thetford Hill State Park, Thetford, VT
Event Info: BKL only, Freestyle technique, Wave Start by class & gender, 10:00 AM Start, Lollipop-J6-J5-J4-J3/J2 8th, Awards (ribbons for all, nordic skier trophies for top 3 each class/gender) and prize raffle to follow.
Registration: DOR okay; Optional pre-registration to doug.hardy@valley.net or phone: 802-649-1829; Payment: DOR only, Checks to Ford Sayre, $5.00 entry Fee (lollipoppers free); 8:30-9:45 AM
Contact: Doug Hardy, 802-649-1829
Website: FORD SAYRE BKL

Note: We are committed to holding this race Sunday morning. However, final permission and grooming committments for the Thetford venue are still pending. There IS enough snow on the course! So, while the probability of a venue change is low (e.g., back to Garipay field, where we have the okay), please consider the details shown below to be tentative. This site will be updated as plans develop.

Join the fun -- head for Thetford Academy nordic trails!

Latest update (1250 Tues.): The course was entirely snow-covered prior to last night's snowfall. Approx. 6 inches of new snow has fallen as of mid-day today!
Race details:
On-site registration begins at 8:30 am (indoors!); $5 entry fee Pre-registration welcome (name, club, DOB, NENSA number): doug.hardy@valley.net
Start time: 10 am
Technique: free (skate)
Venue: Trails at Thetford Academy/Thetford Hill State Park, just a short distance northwest of Hanover. These were designed for cross-country running and nordic skiing by John Morton (professional trail designer, former Olympic biathlete). Come take advantage of the opportunity to ski some fun trails! Driving directions: click here for a map; Thetford Academy is on Academy Road, just north of Thetford Hill State Forest. (exit 14 off I-91; head west 0.9 miles from northbound off-ramp [0.75 from southbound off-ramp] to Thetford Hill, then 0.3 miles south on Academy Road)
Wave starts by gender (girls first) and class (starting with J6 after lollipoppers).
J6, J5, J4, J3, and J2/8th classes, each with appropriate length course (0.5 to ~3 km).
Trophies for first, second and third place finishers!
Ribbons and commemorative water bottles for all participants.
PRIZES will be raffled by bib number, after the awards.
We hope to see you on Sunday!

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-02-28
Banknorth Double Marathon Weekend - Ski the Outer Limits, Ski Around Mt. Washington

February 28 (Rangeley, ME and Gorham, NH): A double marathon feature takes place this weekend, with the Banknorth Rangeley Lakes Loppet on Saturday and the Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure on Sunday. The last of the Banknorth New England Marathon Series, many participants have already skied one of the other Series’ events – the Craftsbury Marathon or the Sugarloaf Ski Marathon. Those who ski three of the four events will earn a Banknorth NEMS medal, and those who ski the double marathon weekend, will earn a special prize.

Although there will be racers at each event, there is also a large group who participate in the untimed, Touring Divisions. With a leisurely start sometime after the racers’ gun goes off, many families tour the 25km distance and enjoy the food stations along the way.

On Saturday the ninth annual tour of the “Outer Limits” of the Rangeley Lakes XC Ski Club’s trail system begins at 9:30am. The Loppet features a choice of either a 25km loop once, or twice for the full 50km, as a tour, untimed and unhurried, or as a race, fast and furious. Everyone will enjoy the food – it’s “a Ski Tour for the Gliding Gourmet”. Homemade or donated by local restaurant, there will be enough cookies baked by the volunteers of the RLXC Ski Club to cover 32 square feet of table! After they cross the finish line skiers are treated to a barbeque and random bib drawing for prizes donated by the local businesses and ski industry sponsors.

Event director, Linda Dexter, of Ecopelagic, took over the organization of the race two years from founder, Jeff Foltz. “It was fun!” she insists. She gives credit to the over 80 RLXCSC volunteers who bake cookies, direct parking, groom, register skiers, and help with the timing. “The volunteers are always thrilled,” said Dexter. “When I ask them why they don’t ski the course themselves they say they have too much fun working!”

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March 5, 2005, Banknorth Rangeley Lakes Loppet Rangeley Municipal Trails, Rangeley, ME. New England Marathon Series, NENSA Club Series event. Event Info: Freestyle. 25km or 50km. Race class and Touring class. Wave Starts. Race - 9:30am, Tour - 9:50-10:10am (non-timed). Food Stations for the Gliding Gourmet! March Double Marathon Weekend Challenge! Pre-registered participants who complete both the Loppett and the Nordic Adventure (3/6/04) 50km events receive a special prize! Registration: Race:$60 (by 1/15/05) $70 (by 2/15/05) $80 (by 3/2/05). Tour (non-timed): $30 (by 1/15/05) $35(2/15/05) $40 (by 3/2/04) Student Discount 15%. No DOR registration. Registration limit, 500. Your entry fee minus a $30 service charge is refundable up to 2/20/05. After 2/20/05 your entry fee is not refundable for any reason including postponement or cancellation. Your registration is not transferable at any time to another person or event. Register online with Active.com. Phone entries accepted, credit card only. No entries accepted without correct payment. Checks to: RLXCSC. Mail to: Rangeley Lakes XC Ski Club, P.O. Box 1283, Rangeley, ME 04970. Contact:(P) 207/864-4309. (E)rlxcski@gwi.net Website: www.etravelmaine.com/rangeleyxcski

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Sunday’s event is the Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure, the organizers are always quick to point out that anything to do with Mount Washington usually involves an adventure, so participants are prepared from the start to be prepared for anything! But that hasn’t deterred skiers of all levels from enjoying either the 25 or the 50km ski. The field of skiers looks strong, with the top three women from last yer’s Nordic Adventure 50km returning. Says event director, Sue Wemyss, “Great Glen and Bretton Woods are busy pulling everything together for another memorable Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure.”

Think there are only a few hearty, crazy souls considering the doing two marathons in two days? “There has been good interest in the Double Marathon Challenge, there are over forty folks who have indicated they plan to do both Rangeley and GGBW this year, on their entry form.” Says Wemyss. “We want to wish all the participants good luck, and look forward to celebrating their accomplishments at the awards party in the Mt. Washington Hotel's Grand Ballroom.”

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March 6, 2005, Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center & Bretton Woods Nordic Center, Gorham & Bretton Woods, NH. New England Marathon Series, NENSA Club Series events Event Info: Classical, 50/25 K wave starts. Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center, Gorham, NH start, through White Mountain National Forest, to Bretton Woods Nordic Center, Bretton Woods, NH finish. Start times: 8:20 am 50 and 25 km timed, 8:40-8:55 am non-timed skiers. Point-to-point route. Busing, aid stations, and post-event awards party with food, performance awards and raffle prizes for participants. Registration: Limited to 600 skiers. Pre-registration by 2/25/05 required. Timed classes: $65 by 12/31/04, $75 by 1/31/05, $85 after 1/31/05; Non-timed classes: $50 by 1/31/05, $60 after 1/31/05. Saturday night pasta dinner additional fee. No service charge for on-line registration. Please go to www.ggtobw.com for more information and registration, call Great Glen Trails, phone 603-466-2333, or email sue@greatglentrails.com. Checks to: GG to BW Nordic Adventure. Mail to: GG to BW Nordic Adventure, c/o Great Glen Trails, P.O. Box 278, Gorham, NH 03581. **Registration on-line through www.Active.com or by using a GG to BW Nordic Adventure entry form is preferred, as specific event questions are included on these forms and not on the NENSA standard entry forms. Part of the Double Marathon Weekend Challenge with the Rangeley Lakes Loppet on 3/5/05. Contact: Great Glen Trails, 603-466-2333; sue@greatglentrails.com Website:www.ggtobw.com Register at SkiReg.com: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1171588

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_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-02-27
A Classic Day of Skiing at the Banknorth Bill Koch League Festival

Windsor, MA (February 27): Sun and crisp, cold, powder snow were indeed the icing on the cake for this year’s Banknorth Bill Koch League Ski Festival. As he corked kick wax into the kick zone of the umpteenth of cross-country skis, Ford Sayre coach, Jay Davis’ smile never waned - “I’ve waxed skis at six Bill Koch (League) Festivals, and this is the first time I’ve not had to use klister,” he said. Surrounded by team tents, hundreds of kids, and thousands of skis, Davis could see his team building jumps and igloos, running around with troll tails pinned to the back of their jackets and troll ears stapled to their ski hats, skiing back to him for more wax before their race, or coming back breathless with tales of post-race adventures. All weekend the trails of the Notchview Reservation in Windsor, MA, were full of laughter and cheers, as kids skied and played and enjoyed winter the way it should be enjoyed – on cross-country skis.

The largest Nordic event in New England, the Bill Koch League Festival is a weekend gathering of kids, ages 3-13, and their parents, leaders and coaches, from the 12 New England BKL Districts. This year’s Festival theme was “Find the Magic Out There”, and so the event was overseen by trolls with tails and furry ears pinned to their hats, and skiers dressed in sparkling stars, tulle, gnome ears and tails, flowing skirts and sorcerer’s capes.

Saturday the Festival began with the Opening Parade of Ski Clubs and Districts, followed by a play on skis put on by the host club, Berkshire Trails Nordic Ski Club. Then skiers could choose from an Adventure Tour, a Lollipop race for kids ages 3-8, and a two-person relay in the freestyle technique. An awards banquet that evening at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pittsfield celebrated the graduation of the oldest skiers out of the Bill Koch League and on to the J2-level of training and competitions, and awarded the day’s relay medals and ribbons.

Sunday’s events were all in the classical technique. The morning races were 2.2km for the J5 (age 8-9), 3.3km for the J4 (age 10-11) and 4.3km for the J3 (age 12-13) age groups. The narrow, wooded hiking, skiing and snowshoe trails of the Notchview Reservation are ideal for classic skiing. And in the afternoon everyone took part in the classic sprint – a half km course in the stadium fields, four skiers battling it out with each other, skiing as fast as they could.

Both days the Magic Wood was open to those who Believe in Magic. Gnomes could be found playing and working in the crooks of trees, beneath evergreen houses, and sledding down snowdrifts. Special magic beans could be used at the Magician’s Store to buy a Magic Wish or an Evil Curse, or at the Jorgenssen’s Troll Bakery for cinnamon-sugared, home-baked bread, hot chocolate, or soup. But only if you were a kid who liked to ski; grownup (a)‘dolts’ were sent back with empty stomachs.

Medals, ribbons, certificates, pins, everyone went home with a prize. But perhaps the best prize was getting Bill Koch himself to sign your hat, boot, skis, or warm-ups. “Kochie”, after whom the Bill Koch Youth Ski League is named, is New England’s ambassador for the sport and the lifestyle of cross-country skiing. He was there with his family, and happily signed his name on anything, for everyone. Any child who dared walk up and ask the Olympic silver medalist for his signature, met a kind father figure, who was more than happy to meet them, get to know them, sign his name, and inspire a future generation of skiers.

The next event on the Banknorth / NENSA schedule are the Banknorth Junior 2 (age 14-15) Championships next weekend at Sugarloaf Outdoor Center in Carrabassett Valley, ME, March 4-6th, and the double Marathon weekend, the Banknorth Rangeley Lakes Loppet, March 5th in Rangeley, Maine, and the Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure, in Gorham, NH.

Complete results and photos available at www.massnordic.com and www.NENSA.net.
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-02-26
the Banknorth New England Bill Koch League Festival Find the Magic Out There”

Windsor, MA (February 26): The biggest event on the nordic ski calendar, the Banknorth New England Bill Koch League Festival, kicked off this Saturday with plenty of sun, snow, and over 400 young skiers at the Notchview Reservation in the Berkshire mountains of Western Massachusetts.

“Find the Magic Out There” was the theme of this year’s Festival. The Opening Ceremonies began with a parade of the twelve New England districts and their clubs, and featured hundreds of sorcerers, trolls, faeries and Harry Potter look-alikes. The host of the Festival, the Berkshire Trails Nordic Ski Club, put on an opening play on skis, a story of how the Northern Lights and her daughter, Aurora, saved the world from the Darkness of the evil Mist.

Then the youngest of the Bill Koch League skiers, kids ages 4-8, took part in the Lollipop Race, a race for the biggest, most colorful lollipop you have ever seen. The “lollipoppers” skied through the stadium, colorful flags waving in the breeze, past cheering fans of parents and leaders, following the Lollipop Troll with tootsie pops in her belt and huge Lollipops in her hand.

For those skiers not competing in the two-person freestyle relays that followed, there was an Adventure Tour through the forests and fields of the Notchview Reservation. Each finisher received a certificate for completing the loop. And everyone, young and old, enjoyed the Magic Woods, where a skier could find gnomes, big and small, still and breathing, making rope, swinging in hammocks, learning to ski, making bread or shoes, and serving up fresh bread and hot chocolate, or granting Magic Wishes and Evil Curses for the price of a magic bean.

The BKL Festival Relays are always a fun chance for friends to race together as a team. These two-person teams start with one friend starting in the mass start, skiing an age-appropriate 1, 2, or 3km distance in the freestyle technique, and tagging off to their friend who skis the second lap. Complete results and photos are available at www.massnordic.com and www.NENSA.net.

The Banknorth New England Bill Koch League Festival concludes Sunday with two classic technique events – the wave start classic races in the morning and the classic sprints in the afternoon. The top 10 finishers in each event earn a medal, and each participant receives a ribbon. The Bill Koch League is about the joy of participating, the joy of skiing, and sharing a weekend with friends and family.

The next event on the Banknorth / NENSA schedule are the Banknorth Junior 2 Championships next weekend at Sugarloaf Outdoor Center in Carrabassett Valley, ME, March 4-6th, and the double Marathon weekend, the Banknorth Rangeley Lakes Loppet, March 5th in Rangeley, Maine, and the Banknorth Great Glen to Bretton Woods Nordic Adventure, in Gorham, NH.

Complete results and photos available at www.massnordic.com and www.NENSA.net.

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-02-24
Berkshire Trails Nordic Ski Club Hosts the 2005 Banknorth New England Bill Koch League Festival

February 21 (Notchview Reservation, Windsor, MA): The biggest event on the New England nordic calendar every year is the Banknorth Bill Koch League Festival, a weekend-long celebration of Nordic skiing and family fun. This year the hosts are the Berkshire Trails Ski Club and its Bill Koch clubs and the Bill Koch clubs of eastern Massachusetts. The events will take place at the Notchview Reservation, in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts, will host over 400 kids and well over 1,000 parents, coaches, spectators, and industry and sponsor representatives who support youth skiing.

The Festival is an annual, weekend-long celebration of fun and family cross-country skiing. This year's theme, "Find the Magic Out There", takes the ever-popular Harry Potter themes and brings them to the snowy woods and trails of Notchview. There will be a "Magic Wood Trail", where skiers can search for miniature trolls swinging from hammocks, sledding, building snow forts. They can leave a note for the Bear, and receive a reply the next day on the Fairy Message Board.

The schedule begins Saturday morning at 9am, with the Festival Parade. Each of the nine New England BKL Districts march behind their banner, with the kids dressed up in Magic-themed costumes. The Opening Ceremony includes the graduation of the 13 year old J3 skiers “skiing down” to accept their Graduation certificates, as they graduate from the Bill Koch League to the Junior 2 level.

Then the fun begins with a Lollipop Race at 10:30am. For those unfamiliar with BKL events, the youngest participants, age 3-7, are called the Lollipoppers, because everyone who participates in an event gets a lollipop. And Festival lollipops are known to be huge! For the endurance kids and parent/leaders, a “My Adventure Tour” leaves the stadium at 10:30am, for a magic-finding tour of the Notchview trails.

The older racers will be competing with skiers in their same age groups. The Junior 5 (J5s) age 8-9, J4s - age 10-11, and the J3s - age 12-13. Saturday’s races are Skate Relays, in a new, 2 x 2.2km format. Teams of two, same-age group skiers will race the age-appropriate distance, with the top 10 teams earning medals. The races begin at 10:45am and continue until 3pm. Food and refreshments will be provided during the day at Notchview by the Gateway Regional High School Athletic Boosters Club.

After all that skiing, the Pittsfield Crowne Plaza Hotel will host the Pasta Dinner, Awards and Silent Auction, from 5-7pm. During dinner the relay medals and tour ribbons will be handed out and sponsor gifts will be auctioned. Sponsors include Concept II, Pine Cone Hill, Madshus, Atomic, Peltonen, Infinity, and Sporthill.

On Sunday morning the Magic Wood Trail and another “My Adventure Tour” will leave the stadium at 10:30am. The technique of the day is classic, the traditional, kick-wax skiing. From 9:30-12:30, each age group will race an age-appropriate distance ranging from 2.2 to 4.5km, featuring individual starts. The afternoon racing is wave start sprint races, where several skiers take off at once to race a 1/5km course.

The weekend concludes with the Awards Ceremony, awarding medals for the individual classic and classic sprint events and tour ribbons at 3pm.

The New England Bill Koch Youth Ski League introduces kids to the life-long sport of skiing and its recreational, social, fitness and competitive opportunities. The League is named in honor of 1976 Winter Olympic silver medalist and former World Champion cross-country skier, Bill Koch, who will be attending the weekend Festival. The BKYSL programs are designed to provide kids 13 years and younger a starting point to learn and develop cross-country ski skills in a fun and enjoyable family atmosphere that is both positive and nurturing.

More information regarding the Banknorth New England BKL Festival, youth skiing, and NENSA, visit www.NENSA.net and click on Kids, BKL Festival.

Notchview Reservation's 3,108 acres contain 35 km of trails through woods and open fields. And with an elevation of 2,297 feet, its trails receive an average of 45 extra inches of snow each year. The Budd Visitor Center, features a waxing area, a new masonry heater for warming cold skiers, hot chocolate and water, and stunning views of the property. http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/1401_ski_notchview_.cfm?redirect=yes

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-02-20
Rodgers and Wonsavage Take Final Banknorth Eastern Cup - JO Team Named

February 20 (Holderness, NH): Over 300 nordic skiers raced the newly designed, 5km course behind the Holderness School, in Plymouth, NH, and the winners both graduated from Middlebury College. Colin Rodgers (Midd ‘04) scorched the 2-lap, 10km freestyle course in 24:52, fourteen seconds ahead of Tom Keefe in 2nd, and 29 seconds ahead of Steve Scott in 3rd. Most significant for the points calculations, however, was Nick Trautz’s fourth place finish. In order to assign USSA/NENSA points to each racer – and therefore determine the final rankings that choose the Junior Olympic Team – first place Rodgers’ and fifth place Ben Hickory’s (Craftsbury Nordic) points were thrown out and 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finisher’s points were averaged to determine the points base for the race. And Trautz had some low, low USSA/NENSA points. That, and the super-fast, old ‘n’ cold snow, made the times close together and a chance for great points for anyone who could get close. Mostly it helped Harry Poole from Burke Mountain Academy and Yarmouth, ME, to move up three places to make the Team.

Middlebury College’s class of ’87, Dorcas Wonsavage (Ford Sayre/Etna, NH), took the women’s race with a time of 28:32, just 5 seconds ahead of Burke Mountain Academy’s Liz Stephen (E.Montpelier, VT). Green Mountain Valley’s Laura Spector had taken the early lead in the women’s race, leading at one point by 5 seconds. But the toll of racing both New England and U.S. Biathlon qualifiers took a toll on her legs and she faded in the second lap to finish third, 29:08. Maine Winter Sport Center’s Kate Whitcomb (Worthington, MA and another Middlebury '04) had returned after 6 weeks of traveling and racing, and fought through a cold to finish 4th, 10 seconds ahead of Craftsbury Nordic’s Hannah Dreissigacker (Morrisville, VT).

The Junior 2 (age 14-15) competition, just one lap of the 5km course, decided the J2 contingent that will try to out-podium last year’s Junior Olympic results. Taking into account the McClelland sisters, who will ski for the Mid-Atlantic team (New York), Evgenia Badamshina, skiing for the Gunstock Nordic Club (Gilford, NH), had the right race at the right time to make the JO Team. And of course, Stratton Mountain School skier, Sophie Caldwell, stayed atop the podium, a place she feels very comfortable with, while her teammate, Madeleine Talkington, took sixth. Getting into the top 5, Maine Nordic’s Elise Moody-Roberts (Cape Elizabeth, ME), kept her spot solid on the JO team, with her elite running experience helping her keep up on the speedy course.

The J2 boys 5km freestyle there were two surprises. One, Stratton did not put two in the top three, or even the top 5. A broken pole kept Kyle Dewey in 4th and teammate/cohort Fritz Horst was 6th, and Steven Bedard was 7th. The second surprise was not that Gunstock Nordic’s Alex Howe (Gilford, NH) won, in12:59, but that he put over 42 seconds between himself and second place, Thomas Stark, and Kennet High School’s Keith Kantack – fresh off of helping his team win the State Championships – in third.

(complete results and photos available at www.NENSA.net)

J2 Girls – Banknorth Eastern Cup 5km Freestyle
PLACE FIRST NAME LAST Name
1 Sophie Caldwell, Stratton Mountain School, Putney, VT
2 Sophie MClelland, NYSEF, Keene Valley, NH
3 Megan McClelland NYSEF, Keene Valley, NH
4 Liza Goodwin,
5 Elise Moody-Roberts, Maine Nordic, Cape Elizabeth, ME
6. Madeleine Talkington, Stratton Mountain School, Weston, VT,
7 Ruth McGovern, Stowe Nordic Outing Club, , Stowe, VT,
8 Danielle Baron
9 Parker Tyler, Stratton Mountain School, Bratttleboro, VT,

J2 Boys – Banknorth Eastern Cup 5km Freestyle
PLACE FIRST NAME LAST NAME
1 Alex Howe Gunstock Nordic, Gilford, NH
2 Thomas Stark, Gunstock Nordic, Fitzwilliam, NH
3 Keith Kantack, Mt. Washington Nordic, Conway, NH
4 Kyle Dewey, Stratton Mountain School, Weston, VT
5 Evan Dethier,
6 Fritz Horst , Stratton Mountain School, Bennington, VT
7 Steven Bedard, Stratton Mountain School, Cheshire, MA
8 Chase Marston,
9 Sam Tarling, Coastal Nordic, Cumberland, ME
10 Jimmy Levins, Mtn. Meadows, Rutland, VT

Women’s Banknorth Eastern Cup 10km Freestyle
PLACE Last First Name Time
1 Wonsavage Dorcas, Ford Sayre, Etna, NH 28:32.3
2 Stephen Elizabeth, Burke Mountain Academy, E. Montpelier, VT 28:37.1
3 Spector Laura, Green Mountain Valley School, Cheshire, MA 29:08.1
4 Whitcomb Kate, Maine Winter Sports Center, Worthington, MA 29:28.8
5 Dreissigacker Hannah, Craftsbury Nordic, Morrisville, Vt 29:38.8
6 Howe Katrina, Gunstock Nordic, Gilford, NH 29:50.6
7 Treacy Carolyn 29:56.2
8 Nelson Alice, Ford Sayre, Hanover, NH 30:07.4
9 Trygstad-Saari Kristina, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 30:13.2
10 Anderson Robyn, Green Mountain Valley School, Burlington, VT 30:14.9

Men’s Banknorth Eastern Cup 10km Freestyle
PLACE Last First Name Class Time
1 Colin Rodgers SR 0:24:52.35
2 Tom Keefe SR 0:25:06.13
3 Steve Scott U23 0:25:21.13
4 Nick Trautz 1649 SR 0:25:21.91
5 Ben Hickory 6814 OJ 0:25:44.7
6 Will Sweetser M2 0:26:08.59
7 Dylan Mcguffin 7485 J1 0:26:08.84
8 Tim Stickney 3514 SR 0:26:17.93
9 Nils Koons 6632 J1 0:26:18.58
10 Harry Poole 5514 J1 0:26:26.07

------------------------------------ 2005 New England Junior Olympic Team --------------------------------

J1/OJ Boys -Automatic and Top-ranked 15
Last, First Name, Age Group, Hometown, Points, Club
Automatic:
Bedard, Bret, OJ, Cheshire, MA, -1.00, Berkshire
Currier, Russell, J1, Caribou, ME, -1.00, MWSC
Johnson, Matthew, OJ, Middlebury, NH, -1.00, Middlebury
Koons, Ben, OJ, Sidney, ME, -1.00, DOC
MacKugler, Cameron, J1, Londonderry, VT, -1.00, SMS
Rogers, Nathanael, J1, Fort Kent Mills, ME, -1.00, MWSC
Sinnott, Mike, OJ, Hanover, NH, -1.00, No Club
True, Ben, OJ, North Yarmouth, ME, -1.00, Coastal
Top-ranked 15
1 132.23 Kevin Cutts Putney SC
2 138.18 Ben Hickory Craftsbury Nordic
3 145.42 Ben Knowles Coastal Nordic
4 147.38 Nils Koons Northeast Nordic, Sidney, ME
5 154.02 Silas Gill Burke Mountain Academy
6 154.66 Dylan McGuffin Gunstock Nordic
7 160.73 Ian Black SMS
8 162.04 Shane MacDowell Berkshire Trails
9 164.54 Pavel Sotskov Vt Academy
10 164.86 Marshall Ambros Burke Mountain Academy
11 166.00 Wes Hines Maine Nordic, Farmington, ME
12 166.47 Jesse Kosiba Vt Academy
13 167.19 Patrick O'Brien SMS
14 169.43 Harry Poole Chisholm Ski Club, Rumford, ME
15 169.98 Ryan Kerrigan GMVS
alternate 1 173.33 Tim Whiton Gould Academy/Bethel ME
alternate 2 173.55 Sam Mathes Farmington, ME
alternate 3 174.98 Fred Bailey Colby College, Waterville, ME
alternate 4 176.17 Sam Marshall Ford Sayre/Etna, NH

J1/OJ Girls-Automatic and Top ranked 15
Last, First Name, Age Group, Hometown, Points, Club
Automatic:
Anderson, Robyn, J1, Stowe, VT, -1.00, 5, GMVS
Demarchis, Alessandra, J1, Burlington, VT, -1.00, 6, GMVS
Dong, Evelyn, OJ, Middlebury, VT, -1.00, 4, CSU
Joffe, Natalie, OJ, Williamstown, MA, -1.00, 3, No Club
McElroy, Kaitlyn, OJ, Bethel, ME, -1.00, 3, Bates
Sargent, Elsa, OJ, Orleans, VT, -1.00, 4, Craftsbury
Sargent, Ida, J1, Orleans, VT, -1.00, 6, Burke
Smyth, Morgan, OJ, Vernon, VT, -1.00, 3, No Club
Spector, Laura, J1, Waitsfield, VT, -1.00, 6, GMVS
Stephen, Elizabeth, J1, East Montpelier, VT, -1.00, 6, Burke
Top-Ranked 15:
1 139.22 Alice Nelson Ford Sayre
2 153.46 Hannah Dreissigacker Craftsbury
3 163.37 Katrina Howe Gunstock
4 168.09 Susan Dunklee Craftsbury
5 174.04 Jennie Bender Northeast
6 176.69 Whitney Coombs SMS
7 184.97 Mae Foster SMS
8 190.25 Emily Dreissigacker Craftsbury
9 190.29 Alexandra Ambros Burke
10 193.84 Kathleen Maynard Mt Wash
11 197.09 Kate Barton Cape Nordic
12 197.91 Amanda Ivey Northeast
13 202.32 Kristin Dewey SMS
14 205.33 Liz Kantack Mt Wash
15 212.73 Joy Erdman Middlebury
alternate 1 223.97 Phoebe Erdman Holderness
alternate 2 229.97 Jenna Farleigh DOC
alternate 3 233.52 Chelsea Little Ford Sayre
alternate 4 237.82 Kristen Bednar Northeast

J2 Boys-
Rank Average Name Club
1 161.82 Alex Howe Gunstock
2 163.59 Steven Bedard Stratton
3 168.54 Kyle Dewey Stratton
4 171.43 Fritz Horst Stratton
GUEST 190.79 Dimitri Luthi MWSC
5 196.30 Keith Kantack Mt. Washington Nordic
6 198.19 Thomas Stark Gunstock
alternate 1 209.52 Chase Marston
alternate 2 220.45 Max Robillard GMVS

J2 Girls
Rank Average Name Club
1 172.76 Sophie Caldwell SMS
2 176.64 Parker Tyler SMS
3 185.19 Madeleine Talkington SMS
4 192.02 Elise Moody-Roberts Cape Nordic
5 200.98 Karmen Whitham SMS
6 208.43 Ruth McGovern Stowe
Alt. 232.26 Evgenia Badamshina Gunstock

The 2005 New England Junior Olympic Team will head to the USSA Junior Olympics, hosted by the Auburn Ski Club, in Truckee, CA, for competitions March 7-13th. The complete ranking, 2005 JO website, and New England JO Team website can be accessed from at www.NENSA.net/JO/jo-index.html

The Banknorth / NENSA series of events begins its own March Madness of Championships, with the Banknorth New England Bill Koch Youth Ski League Championships, at Notchview Reservation, Windsor, MA, February 26-27th, The Junior2 Championships at Sugarloaf Outdoor Center, Carrabassett Valley, ME, March 11-13th, the overall Banknorth Eastern State Championships at Maine Winter Sports Center’s Black Mountain, in Rumford, Maine, March 12th and 13th, and the Banknorth Eastern High School/Scholastic Championships at Bolton Valley, VT, March 18-20th.

Visit www.NENSA.net for a complete schedule of events, press releases, results and photos.

_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-02-18
Banknorth Eastern Cup at Holderness Will Be Junior Nordic Skiers’

February 18 (Holderness, NH): Sunday, February 20th, the nordic trails behind the Holderness School in Plymouth, NH will be buzzing with over 100 nervous junior skiers. The Cheri Walsh Memorial 5 and 10km freestyle races are the final races of the Banknorth Eastern Cup series, and the final chance for J2 (age 14-15), J1 and Older Junior (ages 16/17 and 18/19) to make the New England Junior Olympic Team. Last year’s JO Team won the overall Alaska Cup for over twice the points of second place Alaska.

There has been some fast and fierce competition to make the 2005 Team. Currently, 8 boys and 10 girls have automatically qualified for the JO team based on their results at the World Junior and World Junior biathlon trials in January. And with the majority of the J2s from last year’s team returning, who accounted for most of the podium spots in last year’s JOs in Fairbanks, AK, New England may set yet another record at this year’s competition in Truckee, CA, March 7-13th.

The athletes are listed as they are currently ranked, along with their hometown and club, at 2005 NE JO Team Information Page The final New England Junior Olympic Team roster will be posted at this site late Sunday.

Sunday’s races take place in the fields and woods behind the Holderness School’s athletic complex:

Sunday, February 20, 2005
Banknorth Eastern Cup/Cheri Walsh Memorial

10:00 Bill Koch (youth ski) Events - Day of race registration for BKL only.
10:45 5k J2 Girls, 1 racer every 30 seconds
11:00 5k J2 Boys, 1 racer every 30 seconds
11:30 10k Women, 1 racer every 30 seconds
12:30 10k Men, 1 racer every 30 seconds
3:00 AWARDS and Naming of New England JO and NH Eastern High School teams in Hagerman Auditorium

Former Holderness nordic coach, Peter Hendel, writes: “This race has often attracted one of the largest annual racing fields in New England. In the spirit of NENSA eastern cup racing, it is a chance for any avid skier to race along side some of the best juniors and seniors in the country. The keen Competition, carnival atmosphere, beautiful Holderness ski trails, terrific prizes and efficient organization continues to bring the East's top skiers out year after year. “ Holderness School press release The Holderness School Cheri Walsh Memorial race has been run since 1990 and has been an Eastern Cup race all but three of those years.

The overall Banknorth Eastern State Championships will take place at Maine Winter Sports Center’s Black Mountain, in Rumford, Maine, March 12th and 13th. Visit www.NENSA.net for the schedule.
_____________________________________
Results are posted at the NENSA Website.
Contact: Dorcas Wonsavage, NENSA Media Coordinator.
(E) Dorcas@nensa.net
(P) 207/778-0653

* The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Olympic development organization for cross-country skiing in New England, providing year round educational, recreational and competitive events.
* NENSA's programs are supported by Title Sponsor, Banknorth Group.
Associate Sponsors include LL Bean and Buderus Hydronic Systems.
* For more information on cross-country skiing in New England and on NENSA's sponsors, please visit tje NENSA Website

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2005-02-12
Mahood and Underwood Win Inaugural Banknorth Sugarloaf Ski Marathon

February 12 (Carrabassett Valley, ME): The sunny days and warm temperatures leading into the Banknorth Sugarloaf Ski Marathon led the organizers to shorten the course from 25k to 23 km, cutting off the “killa” hill of well-known Trail 50. And although Mother Nature dumped over 24” in the preceding 48 hours, they stuck with the shortened course. And most competitors were probably glad they did.

In the men’s 46km race, it was Rossignol’s Nick Mahood (Woodstock, VT) who outsprinted David Herr, of Canaan, VT, for the $300 first place check. Shortly after he crossed the line, Herr asked who had won, not realizing that he had let Mahood sprint by him for first, so he had to be content with a $200 check. Third place and $100 went to Cambridge Sports Union’s Frank Feist (Concord, MA). Fourth place finisher had spectators scrambling for their start lists, “Who is bib #30?” Aaron Delfausse, from Hanover, NH, had a terrific race, finishing ahead of CSU’s veteran, Andrew Milne (Medford, MA).

In the Women’s 46km race Team Atomic’s Kate Underwood (Woodstock, VT) won by an easy margin over Atomic teammate, Anne Rasmussen (Plymouth, NH). This made a marathon hat-trick for Underwood, who won the Banknorth Craftsbury Marathon, January 29th and last weekend’s Lake Placid Loppet. When interviewed by Bill Green, of WCSH channel 6, Underwood said “It was easy for me; I’m a peanut. Some of those guys, though, had a hard time on those hills!” In third place was Rossignol’s Trina Hosmer (Pelhem, MA). The t op three women placed 6th, 15th and 16th overall.

The 23km Men’s race went to Timothy Litton, of Portland, ME, in 1:17:50. Team Toko/Cambridge Sports Union’s Rob Bradlee (Reading, ME) was close but couldn’t quite close the gap, to finish four seconds back in 2nd. Third place also went to a local Mainer familiar with the Sugarloaf trails – Jeffrey Beal, who grew up over the hill in Phillips, and now lives in Limestone, ME.

She’s now two for two on the Banknorth Half marathon circuit - Rossignol’s Gretchen Czaja, a school teacher during the week in Woodstock, VT, won the Banknorth Craftsbury Half Marathon and now the Banknorth Sugarloaf Ski Half marathon. Her time of 1;30:16 was seven minutes ahead of 2nd place. But when she crossed the finish line and was told she was second woman, Lurah Klatt (Salt Lake City, UT) was ecstatic. Jumping up and down, she declared she had to call her husband! Third place went to Helena Johnson of Williamstown, MA.

After the race in true Sugarloaf fashion, all participants were treated to a home-made lunch of lasagne with fresh salad, garlic bread, home-made cookies and brownies, followed by the best raffle table ever. Race skis, poles, ski suits, waterbottles and waistholders. Nearly everyone went out holding a prize worth more than their entry fee. The top three overall men and women received not only their prize money, but beautiful pottery bowls or plates from Monroe Saltworks, and a gift from Patagonia or Sporthill. Age group top three received Saltworks mugs, also inscribed with “2005 Banknorth Sugarloaf Ski Marathon.”

The fresh powder snow was groomed solid. Sun beamed down on the racers as they gathered on the moose bog for the start. The white alpine trails of Sugarloaf Mountain set an awesome backdrop as the skiers took off on their race and tours through the cedar forests of western Maine. After the first lap there were some tired skiers, though. Winding up out of the Carrabassett Valley and up Burnt and Sugarloaf Mountain, the Sugarloaf Ski Marathon is a hilly course. “Perfectly tough” was how Michael Malick of Bellows Falls, VT described it. “ It was so well-run. I think this event is going to last a long time.”

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