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  • Cold Weather Returns, EISA Competition Continues at UNH Carnival

    Cold Weather Returns, EISA Competition Continues at UNH Carnival

    Just after the gun goes off, the men's 20k Freestyle mass start begins in Jackson, NH (Photo: Ian Nesbitt)
    Just after the gun goes off, the men’s 20k Freestyle mass start begins in Jackson, NH (Photo: Ian Nesbitt)

    Last weekend a threatening January thaw brought warmth, rain and klister to the EISA ski scene for the Colby Carnival. Things could not have been more different a week later, as the University of New Hampshire hosted their carnival under frigid temps in Jackson, NH.

    With these races featuring some of the strongest competition in the country, both days of racing were attended by several professional teams and athletes. Though they had no impact on the collegiate scoring, racers from the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, SMS T2 and CXC added even more depth to the EISA circuit with their presence this weekend.

    Races began with 5 and 10-kilometer classic races on Friday, followed by the first mass start events of the season: 20k for men and 15k for women. All races took place on “The Wave”, Jackson’s 5k homologated race course. The Wave features a brutal, kilometer-long climb immediately out of the stadium, followed by technical and twisting sections to the high point of the course. To reach the stadium far below, racers must navigate multiple sections of corkscrew downhills, including the flight-inducing rollers that give the trail its name.

    Friday: 5/10k Classic

    Jorgen Grav en route to victory in the UNH Carnival 10k classic (Ian Nesbitt photo)
    Jorgen Grav en route to victory in the UNH Carnival 10k classic (Ian Nesbitt photo)

    Frigid overnight temps below zero made for hard tracks and easy kick-waxing during Friday’s races. Lung capacity is always a major part of nordic racing, but the solid cold snow during these races evened out many of The Wave’s difficult descents; fitness would come into play in a big way for these races.

    The aerobic factor was certainly working for UVM’s  Jorgen Grav on Friday. After starting his season outside the top ten in this same event last weekend, Grav led both laps on Friday en route to a commanding victory.

    In second place, nearly 30 seconds behind Grav, was Dartmouth’s consistent podium presence Silas Talbot.  Finishing third overall was SMS T2 racer and former Dartmouth standout Eric Packer. Third in the collegiate ranks was Per Lindgren, who gave host team UNH a spot on the podium at their own event.

    The Catamount men would take the top team score in the event, helped to victory by Cole Morgen (4th) and Jack Hegman (5th). Dartmouth followed next, with UNH in third.

    Temperatures warmed slightly for the women’s race, and the sun became a fixture in the valley and stadium area. Times were tighter, but it was another consistent UVM classic skier, Anja Gruber, who took top honors overall. Gruber finished 9 seconds ahead of former Catamount Caitlin Patterson, now racing for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (CGRP).

    Finishing third overall, and second in the collegiate ranks, was UVM’s Linda Danvind-Malm. Danvind-Malm was followed by two more guest racers: young SMS standout Katherine Ogden in fourth, and SMS T2’s  (and former Dartmouth racer) Erika Flowers in fifth.

    Dartmouth’s Annie Hart finished next, and was the third collegiate competitor.

    Despite taking the top two spots, UVM was likely hindered by the absence of Stephanie Kirk (currently preparing for World Junior Championships in Europe) and finished second to Dartmouth in the event’s team score thanks to Hart and her teammates Cory Stock (4th) and Carly Wynn (11th).

     

    Saturday: 15/20K Freestyle Mass Start

    Hard, fast conditions remained consistent for Saturday’s mass start events. After handily winning every regular-season mass start last season, this event would be the first skate race in over a year that would not be won by UVM’s Scott Patterson. In Europe for the U23 World Championships (along with Middlebury standout Ben Lustgarten), Patterson’s absence opened the door for a new top freestyle performer. A relatively large lead pack of about 10-15 athletes remained together for a good portion of the four-lap race before stringing out in the last 5 kilometers. In a sprint finish it was Pat O’Brien (CGRP) who claimed first place ahead of Eric Packer (SMS T2).

    Early in the women's 15k mass start: Gruber leads the breakaway (Ian Nesbitt Photo)
    Early in the women’s 15k mass start: Gruber leads the breakaway (Ian Nesbitt Photo)

    There was a notable Big Green presence in the front of the field: Both O’Brien and Packer are former Dartmouth racers, and it was two current Darmouth racers who finished next. Silas Talbot was victor in the collegiate race, with second place going to newcomer Fabian Stocek. Rogan Brown gave UVM a continued presence on the podium in third.

    While the Dartmouth men handily won the team event, Canadian competitors Université Laval snuck ahead of UVM by a single point, finishing second on the strength of their racers Touchette (6th), Gregoire (14th) and Fontaine (24th).

    The women’s race broke apart more quickly, with a group of three racers vying for the win ahead of the field. The previous day’s champion, Anja Gruber (UVM), spent much of the race with Caitlin Patterson (GCRP) and Erika Flowers (SMS T2) nipping at her ski tails. A few racers, such as Dartmouth’s Annie Hart and Middlebury’s Kelsey Phinney, gave chase early, but before long it became clear that the overall podium would no doubt contain Gruber, Patterson and Flowers.

    If her brother Scott was not present to contend for the men’s race, Caitlin made sure the Patterson family took home at least one skate victory on the day, biding her time and attacking late to move ahead of Gruber. Flowers claimed third overall.

    For the collegiate competitors, Annie Hart (DAR) took second. Despite not earning an individual victory at this point, Hart has yet to finish off the podium in EISA races so far this season. Behind Hart was Linda Danvind-Malm. UVM’s double-podium presence was not enough to overcome the strength of Dartmouth’s Corey Stock (4th) and Emily Hannah (5th) in the team score. By placing 4 racers in spots 9-12, the Middlebury women took third in the team score.

     

    Full results, both overall and collegiate-only, can be found at Bart Timing

    Racing continues next Saturday and Sunday with the annual combined UVM Carnival/Eastern Cup in Stowe, VT

     

  • Back from Europe, Championship Skiers Shake Up Results at UVM Carnival

    Back from Europe, Championship Skiers Shake Up Results at UVM Carnival

    (TO BE UPDATED WITH MORE PHOTOS SOON)

    It’s one of the biggest weekends of skiing in New England, combining the region’s top racers with the some of the region’s top facilities: The UVM Carnival/Eastern Cup weekend at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe is a perennially-huge happening in the Nordic skiing scene. The top-notch event is known to draw a massive crowd of racers and spectators alike, and this year was no different.

    In what is an old story at this point in the season, warm temperatures once again forced staff and volunteers to modify the twisting and challenging “Morton’s Maze” course in order to enable fluid racing for over 400 racers throughout the weekend. With adjustments made that incorporated a section of the upper 7.5 kilometer course, a 5 kilometer loop was created that snaked through the woods and featured several long climbs and switch-backing curves.

    Saturday: 5/10k Freestyle

    While temperatures in Stowe were reaching over 50 degrees only a few days prior to the event, the races on both Saturday and Sunday were held in relatively cool temps and solid snow. Saturday’s skate races in particular featured hard, icy trails and conditions well-suited to large, powerful skiers. The hard snow rewarded racers who could apply a good deal of force to the snow and balance on the fast surface.

    It is no surprise anymore to see UVM’s Scott Patterson atop a freestyle podium this season. In Saturday’s 10k skate race, Patterson won his fourth EISA freestyle race in a row to give the home team an individual victory on their own turf.

    Scott Patterson (UVM) leads Steve Mangan (DAR) during the 10k freestyle (photo: Cory Ransom)
    Scott Patterson (UVM) leads Steve Mangan (DAR) during the 10k freestyle (photo: Cory Ransom)

    Back from Europe and the U23 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, Dartmouth’s Sam Tarling finished just under 30 seconds behind Patterson for second place. Tarling, the 2011 NCAA champion in the 10k freestyle at this very venue, finished nearly 20 seconds ahead of Bates’ Jordan Buetow. The 3rd place showing on Saturday marked Buetow’s second freestyle podium of the season. The Bobcat skier placed 2nd in the SLU Carnival Prologue two weeks ago.

    Two Darmouth skiers, Silas Talbot and Scott Lacy, finished in 4th and 5th, respectively, rounding out the top-5 and giving the Dartmouth men the victory in the team score.

    The Women’s 5k skate race featured a slew of new faces near the top of the results sheet. No less than 6 EISA women were back in the States after representing the US at both U23 and World Junior Championship events. Annie Pokorny (Middlebury), Corey Stock (Dartmouth), Annie Hart (Dartmouth), Elizabeth Guiney (New Hampshire), Heather Mooney (Middlebury) and Emily Hannah (Harvard) were back in their collegiate uniforms this weekend, and all 6 finished within the top 10 places on Saturday. In fact, Pokorny, Stock, Hart and Guiney swept the top 4 places, in that order. UVM’s Anja Gruber, standout performer of the first two weekends of EISA racing, took 5th.

     

    Women's 10k Freestyle Podium L-R: Corey Stock (DAR), Annie Pokorny (MIDD), Annie Hart (DAR)
    Women’s 10k Freestyle Podium L-R: Corey Stock (DAR), Annie Pokorny (MIDD), Annie Hart (DAR) Photo Courtesy C.J. Feehan, EISASkiing.blogspot.com

    The win was Pokorny’s first at the EISA level, though her 4th place finish in the 10k freestyle race at this year’s National Championship gave clear signs of her potential dominance in this event.

    For a video interview with Pokorny, visit the EISA Skiing Facebook page (linked below)

    As the only school to place 3 skiers in the top 10, the Dartmouth women took top team honors on the day.

     Sunday:  10k Classic

    Sunday’s classic races began cold as well, but warming temperatures led to changing track conditions throughout the day. Double-set tracks that were initially deep and solid for J2 racers early in the morning began to change as the sun emerged from a haze and a large volume of racers continually skied around the loop. Some sections glazed, others wore down to ice, and others became sugary; finding a kick wax that would succeed along the entire course was not particularly easy, leading some teams to set up gear right next to the start area to allow for last-minute alterations to racing boards.

    In the women’s 10k classic race, the new faces returning from abroad once again took 4 of the top 5 spots. Annie Hart (Dartmouth) took top honors, followed closely by Annie Pokorny in second. Annie and Annie were the only two women to stand on the podium in both of the weekend’s races.

    Annie Hart (DAR), pictured here in the skate race, won Satuday's 10k classic (photo: Cory Ransom)
    Annie Hart (DAR), pictured here in the skate race, won Satuday’s 10k classic (photo: Cory Ransom)

    Making the podium yet again in a consistently strong season so far was UVM’s Anja Gruber, who finished third. Heather Mooney (Middlebury) and Elizabeth Guiney (UNH) completed the women’s top 5, while Dartmouth set the top team score.

    The men’s race was won by Dartmouth’s Sam Tarling, who improved upon his second-place finish the day prior to take his first win of the season in his first Carnival weekend this year.

    With such a large field of racers due to the combined Eastern Cup races, both the men’s and women’s races featured 15-second start intervals. Last weekend’s individual 10k classic winner Ben Lustgarten (Middlebury) made the most of his starting spot one bib ahead of Tarling, as the two skied together for the majority of the race. Their styles and body-types distinctly different, Lustgarten’s small frame might not have even been noticeable behind Tarling’s imposing figure if you were watching the two approach head-on. Despite their differences in stature, however, both skiers ended up on the podium; Lustgarten’s pacing behind Tarling was good enough for 3rd place.

    And sandwiched between the Dartmouth and Middlebury skiers? UVM’s Scott Patterson, who earned his first classic podium of the season. Starting one seed earlier than Tarling and Lustgarten, Patterson spent much more time alone during the course of his race. Though he was not able to pace with the two other podium members, Patterson might as well have been skiing next to them: he ended the day 10 seconds shy of Tarling and under 7 seconds ahead of Lustgarten.

    For the second day in a row, two Dartmouth skiers took spots 4and 5 to lead the Big Green to a team score victory. Silas Talbot was 4th for the second consecutive-day, and Steve Mangan was 5th.

    Overall, the Darmouth and UVM men took 7 spots within the top ten. Along with Lustgarten’s podium performance, Erik Lindgren of UNH and Austin Meng of St. Lawrence University were the only finishers aside from those two schools to crack the top ten.

    Racing continues next weekend with the Darmouth Carnival. Due to low snow in the Hanover area, next weekend’s races will take place at the snow-making haven of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center.

     

    FULL RESULTS

    INTERVIEW WITH ANNIE POKORNY (Courtesy EISA Skiing)