CRAFTSBURY – After four races over two days, the Stowe boys team came out on top in Division 2. The classic ski portion of the Vermont state meet took place Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center on a cold but picture perfect day.
photo by Eric Hanson
For the Stowe team, it has been well over a decade since they’ve had a team this good, and it was the Stowe girls that time. Unlike some sports, the top teams ebb and flow over the years with powerhouses like Burlington High School going from first to near last after a bunch of seniors graduated last year, and U32, a former state championship team a few years ago, did not have enough skiers to field a full team this year.
In the Division 1 classic race, Acadia Enman (Mount Mansfield Union) took her second title of the week in 16:31. St. Johnsbury had two top finishers with Tillie Lange 3rd and Anya Moriarity 4th. It was Claire Serrano from U-32 in D2 that had the fastest time of the day, two seconds ahead of Enman in 16:29. Serrano trains a day or two a week with the Craftsbury Ski Club (CSC) and skis with them during Eastern Cup races. She’ll be headed to Junior Nationals in early March in Cable, Wisc. Mary Harrington (Middlebury) was 2nd and Priscilla Richardson (Woodstock) placed 3rd. Craftsbury Academy’s (CA’s) Aemilia Terrone was 8th, Lake Region’s Nora Demaine 11th and Ada Allen (CA) 47.
photo by Eric Hanson
On the boys side in D2, Jorgen Pirrung (Middlebury) took the win in 14:53 with Magnus Hayden (Peoples, PA) 2, Isaac Nadzam (Montpelier) 3, Oakley Crawford (CA) 6, Oryon Hart (CA) 7, Max Demaine (Lake Region, LR) 10, Linden Urie (LR) 37, and Eli Davis (LR) 42. Hayden and Nadzam both ski with CSC as well.
photo by Eric Hanson
The Woodstock girls won the D2 girls relay, while MMU took the D1 race. Stowe (D2) had the fastest boys relay time (28:12) ahead of Mount Anthony who won the D1 section.
After adding up both the freestyle and classic races, MMU out-did St. Johnsbury and CVU for the D1 girls title. The Woodstock girls were ahead of Montpelier and PA in the girls division. In D1 boys, Mount Anthony placed first with CVU 2nd and BFA-St. Albans 3rd. For D2 boys, Stowe had their day against neighbor PA and Montpelier.
photo by Eric Hanson
Local youngsters ski at Northeast Bill Koch Festival
JACKSON, N.H. – Every year, first- to eighth-graders and all their families gather and celebrate cross country skiing for a two-day festival sponsored by the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA). The festival location rotates from state to state and this year the action took place at the Jackson Ski Touring Center.
The first big event was the two-person relay Saturday morning. For the NE Vermont squad, most ski with the Craftsbury Ski Club (CSC) and their coaches Anna Schultz, Audrey Mangan, Jake Barton and Ollie Burress. The coaches did a lot of wrangling and ski waxing to make sure everyone was ready to go. In the 7-8th grade boys race, Hollis Allen, David Stevenson and Joe Krebs made for a three-person team, finishing 12th and Finn Nunnery-Graham Smith 36. For the girls, Eleanor Hammond teamed up with some NW Vermont students, finishing 9. Grade 5-6 boys teams: Sam Koschak-Teddy Harvey 9. Grade 5-6 girls: Scarlett Podolin-Bea Johnson 4, Phoebe Bunten-Emerson McCarthy 16, River Fournier-Elizabeth Stevenson 19. Grade 3-4 boys: Martin Riechel-Win Rauliniatis 16. Grade 3-4 girls: Ruthie Podolin-Winter Pelland 2, Fern Hammond-Scarlett Hammond 8.
Grade 1-2: Russell Perkins-Paul Stevenson 9, Victor Riechel-Esme Karp 17, Enid Hammond-Coco Harvey 21.
Saturday afternoon was filled with games and adventure skis before Sunday morning’s individual races. Grade 1-2: Russell Perkins 14, Esme Karp 27, Coco Harvey 31, Victor Riechel 37. Grade 3-4 girls: Ruthie Podolin 6, Fern Hammond 7, Scarlett Pelland 10, Winter Pelland 16. Grade 3-4 boys: Martin Riechel 25, Win Raulinaitis 43. Grade 5-6 girls: Bea Johnson 3, Scarlett Podolin 12, Emerson McCarthy 31, Phoebe Bunten 33, Elizabeth Stevenson 34, Mable Raulinaitis 56. Grade 5-6 boys: Sam Koschak 40, Teddy Harvey 51. Grade 7-8 girls: Eleanor Hammond 13. Grade 7-8 boys: Hollis Allen 10, David Stevenson 49, Graham Smith 70.
Well over 600 youth participated in this event so whether skiers were in the top ten or the back of 80 within his-her age class, everyone was getting to know one another and enjoying winter.
