NEW ENGLAND MASTERS SKIING - By Gary Colwell
CARIBBEAN VS JACK FROST
Warm breezes, sun, sand, steel bands, calypso, not what you usually associate with the New England winter, but this year a little Caribbean flavor and warmth will be added. Mount Gay Rum, the worlds oldest rum (production since 1703) from Barbados, will be a welcome addition to the 2001 Sise Cup. The Mount Gay Rum Sise Cup will get underway with the first leg of the Gibson Trophy Race at Mount Cranmore on January 6 and continue through to the finals and Eastern Championships at Mount Snow in mid March. We will have a break on Washington's Birthday weekend February 17 &18 and again on March 11 and 12 for the International Cup Races in Park City. Along with the customary Slaloms and Giant Slaloms this years' Mount Gay Rum Sise Cup will feature three Super G's. The popular Wildcat and Mt. Snow Super G's return as well as a revisit to Sunday River's famed Right Stuff Trail, last run as the Super G trail for the 1996 Nationals. Those of you who were there will remember it well, those that weren't, don't miss it this time. All races are scheduled for a pre-run prior to the race and we hope to offer day before training at all three sites. Check out www.nemasters.org for updates on this and other training opportunities.
NO EXCUSES
While most of us were enjoying the July Summer warmth, a group of New England Masters were jump starting the 2001 season with some unauthorized training at Gus DeMaggio's Team Excel Camp at MT Hood. Team Excel custom tailored the camp to prep for the Bob Skoch Memorial Fun Races and to suit the participants needs (both individual and group). The week prior to the race gave everyone an opportunity to try new equipment by all the major ski manufacturers and to get the latest on race prep from Artech along with free use of its tuning equipment. By weeks end, New England Masters had run lots of gates, been subjected to both video and mental analysis (group therapy), chased a little white ball around the countryside and consumed much to much food and beverage, however it is noteworthy that many podium finishes were also achieved. Those participating included: Paul Berton, David Britton, Ian Cruikshank, Harold Deblanc, Fred Diffenbach, Peardon Donaghy, Charles Hodge, Vladimir Krylov, Steve Laverty, Robert McGrath, George Merrill, John Risley, Dick Rusden, Steve Samolvitz, and Chuck Thorndike. Former Easterner Harold Westcott supervised. It should be noted that Bob McGrath and Ian Cruikshank had a most exciting trip down the Deschutes River and the New Englanders found out what the Westerners had known all along ----Mt. Hood is the place to be in July.
COUCH POTATOS THEY'RE NOT
Correspondence received: "I am 86+ now and plan to compete again this year. I got hurt last December and never did get in shape to race until March." Ted Acton, October, 2000, New England Master, Class 12. "Went skiing in Chile where laws of averages and gravity caught up with me---broke my arm and wearing a cast for the past six weeks. I'll be ready to go when the snow flies." Rod Aller, age 84, October, 2000, New England Master, Class 12.
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