2008 Annual New England Masters Newsletter – by Steve Foley
2008 SISE CUP ALPINE RACE SCHEDULE
December
15 Killington, Killington,
VT Slalom
16 Killington, Killington, VT
Giant Slalom January
5 Ragged Mountain, Danbury,
NH Slalom
6 Ragged Mountain, Danbury,
NH Giant
Slalom
12 Cannon Mountain,
Franconia, NH
Slalom*
13 Gunstock,
Guilford, NH
Giant Slalom*
19 Middlebury Snow Bowl, Middlebury, VT
Slalom
20 Middlebury Snow Bowl,
Middlebury, VT
Giant
Slalom
21 Suicide Six, Woodstock,
VT Slalom
26 Bromley Mountain, Peru,
VT
Slalom
27 Stratton Mountain, Stratton,
VT
Giant Slalom February
1 Cranmore Mountain, North Conway,
NH Giant
Slalom
2 Cranmore
Mountain, North Conway, NH
Slalom
3 Wildcat Mountain, Jackson,
NH Slalom
9 Pico, Mendon,
VT
Giant
Slalom
10 Okemo, Ludlow,
VT Giant
Slalom
16 Washington’s Birthday Weekend
17 No races scheduled
23 Loon Mountain, Lincoln,
NH
Giant
Slalom
24 Crotched Mt, Francestown,
NH Slalom
29 Sugarbush, Warren,
VT Super
G March
1 Sugarbush, Warren,
VT Slalom**
2 Sugarbush, Warren,
VT Giant
Slalom
* Scored as Combined also ** Final Sise Cup Event/Season End Awards Party The USSA
Eastern Masters Regional Championships will be held at Whiteface, Lake
Placid, NY March 7, 8, and 9; Super G, Slalom, Giant Slalom The USSA
National Masters Championships will be held at Mammoth Mountain,
California March 17-22; Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom,
Slalom
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Welcome to the 2007/08 New England Masters
Newsletter. I’ll bypass some of the usual info on restaurants, hotels etc. and start
with a letter from our illustrious Team Race Chairman, Fred Dieffenbach
Team racing returns to New England Masters for
the third season, and brings several improvements. During the first two seasons, New England Masters Team Racing
paired teams composed of Group A, B, C and D racers against one another. While each team will still be made up of
racers from each of these groups, results will be scored differently. In the past, team racers from all four groups
were pooled and points were assigned to each racer with the fewest points going
to the fastest team racer. This year,
points will be assigned according to finish within each group and competition
is expected to tighten because the range of points between first and last in
each group will be smaller than the point range previously used. Also, because groups are scored
independently, a racer who finishes 4th in Group D will bring more value to
their team than a racer who finishes 5th in group A, even though the group A
racer may finish the course several second ahead of their group D teammate.
To test the new scoring system we used results
from the 2007 racing season. Under the
old system, Hot Like Fire held onto a 40 point lead over the Comets to win the
2007 championship, but under the new system the Comets moved into first and Hot
Like Fire fell to second. As we
anticipated, each race was more competitive and the range of points accumulated
by each team during an event tightened significantly.
Other notable changes relate to races that will
count for the 2008 season. The team
racing season will commence with the Slalom at Ragged Mountain on January 5 and
will finish on Saturday March 1 when the Sise Cup concludes. Like last year, the combined race
(Cannon/Gunstock for 2008) will also count as a team race.
For 2008 we hope to increase the total number of
teams. Last year, there were 5 teams,
four of which were still battling for the championship into the final
weekend. The eventual winner, Hot Like
Fire, prevailed despite having several late season injuries. This year we would like to add between two
and five new teams, and are hopeful that the new scoring system will entice
racers from all groups to join the team program.
Like last year we are planning a midseason
incentive by reprising the Cranmore GS team racing bonanza (Friday February
1). Each member of the team that wins
the Cranmore GS will receive a complimentary dinner at the annual New England
Masters social gathering held at the Red Fox.
Now is the time to begin building your team for
the fast approaching season! If you
have questions, or need advice on building a team, contact Fred Dieffenbach at
fdieffenbach@Bigfoot.com. See you at
Killington, and we hope that you will join us when the members of Team Edgewise
will each receive a jacket in recognition of their 2007 team racing conquest.
EDITOR’S NOTES
Since the team competition is expected to be
much closer, it becomes very important to have two racers in each group to
ensure you have at least one finisher.
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“Return to Ragged Mountain” (sounds like a romance novel). As you can see we’re going back to Ragged Mountain. They are under new owners and are looking forward to having us there. (Someone wants us, yeah!)
“Return to Lake
Placid” -The Eastern Regionals are in the works with new trails, new parties,
new prizes and should prove to be an exciting outing. Expect a flyer later in
the year with the latest info.
There are rumors
of 2 Masters races the week after the Killington races. When this is confirmed
you can find it on http://www.nemasters.org/.
The NEMS web site should have all the very LATEST info on changes, additions,
etc.
A change that’s
not in the USSA handbook is the late addition of Crotched Mt on February
24 but it’s listed on the NEMS website!
Two of the
favorite places to stay in the Mid Vermont area are “The Swiss Farm Inn”, just
north of Pittsfield, great food and people flock from miles around for their
breakfast. 802-746-8341 and “The
Mountain Sports Inn”, owned & run by masters racer Bob Sardelli.
802-422-3315
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MT
TREMBLANT, QUEBEC, DECEMBER 1-15 (2 camps)
Michelle
Pratte Adult Camps, Special NEMS rate available,
contact
E-mail Pratteski@sympatico.ca or www.pratteski.com
STOWE,
Vt. December 10 to Dec 14, The “SECRET MASTERS RACE CAMP”
Contact
our NEMS president, Pete Donaghy,
E-Mail: pdonaghy@gotsky.com
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We are pleased to announce the following statement from USSA regarding ski length rules for Masters FIS racing: “The length and radius of skis for Masters has changed from “regulations” to “recommendations” except in SG where the minimum length is 180 cm for women and 185 cm for men”. This exciting news and represents the efforts of many Masters racers to allow for greater safety and enjoyment in Masters FIS racing. You will now be able to select skis of your choice only subject to SG minima.
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ARTECH
SPECIAL
George
Merrill from Artech is now offering a special 10% discount to New England
Masters on all orders!
www.artechski.com
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MESSAGE FROM EVERY RACE SECRETARY OUT THERE
Please send a
separate check for each racer for each event entered - it helps immensely.
NEMS Annual Dues are due now!
Please send your
$25 annual race fee to: New England Masters Skiing
186
Haverhill Road
Topsfield, MA 01983
Name__________________________________
Birth Year:_________ M_____F_____
Address:__________________________________
State:_______Zip:________
Tel
#: Home________________________ Work _____________________
Email
____________________________
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