2000 Schedule NE Masters' Home
by Jennifer Calder
Which is nobler: to submit to age and declining powers with grace, feeding the athlete inside with season tickets, tailgate parties and Sunday afternoon football, or to rage against the tyranny of deteriorating knees, debilitating backs, and gravity? That had to be the question for the New England Masters racers on Saturday, when no rational man would have ventured forth from his fire to shiver in lycra at sub-zero temperatures. It had to be some Dionysian perversion that perceives pain as pleasure, because nearly 130 Masters showed up for Bromley's Thomas Inneson Memorial Race. The thermometer at the top read minus 26 that morning, and why isn't "wind chill" a four-letter word? People moved around as if their joints needed oiling, faces covered with masks, neck warmers, bandaides, napkins. It was a day on which strength of character played out as much as athletic prowess. Gatekeepers were in short supply (who would volunteer to stand out there?), the detachable quad was on hold due to high winds. But the Bromley Outing Club valiantly assembled a courageous race crew to man a shortened but technically challenging course on the Corkscrew Peril, and the show went on.
A small New York State Masters contingent participated this weekend, among them Class 6's Pepi Neubauer. He gave us all hope that it's better to battle, finishing second overall in a close competition with the day's winner, Class 1's William Withington. Class 4's Doug Tucker, still in his prime but battling post surgery knee pain, finished third, just 3 tenths out. Chris Johnson and Marc Sorel, regulars on the podium, rounded out the top 5.
The women are strong this year. Exhibiting a poetic marriage of power, control and grace, Class 1's Melissa Patterson again dominated the women's field by 2 seconds. Closest challenger was Class 3's Lori O'Brien, with a safe margin over Margaret Vaughn. The margin between 4th, 5th, and 6th wasn't so safe, as veteran skiers Lisa Dietrich, Meg Nutter and Patti Lane finished within hundredths of one another. And had they not succumbed to the Corkscrew course's perils, Nadine Price, Karen Nash, and Deborah Adams were all within hundredths of the 3rd place finish.
Of note among the class battles was the class of the battlers. Both men's classes 11 and 10 fielded a complement of 8. Not one man protested the conditions. That's our class of athlete. In a burgeoning Class 7, Bob Wiggelsworth, Steve Foley and Dwight Conant finished within 3 tenths of one another. While Dennis Murray led for both runs for the Class 5 title, John Singleton, with a solid second run, edged out Bob Resek by barely a tenth of a second. Class 4, easily commandeered by Doug Tucker, pitted Jim Nash and Bob Hill in second and third with only 4 tenths of a second separating them. Chris Johnson prevailed in Class 3, but not without contest from David Lamb, John Pierce, and Sean Florian who finished only 5 hundredths out of third place. Andy Zucotti, Alex Gadbois and Keith Andrew all finished within a second of one another in Class 2.
At a festive post race awards ceremony celebrating survival as much as a sporting event, the Thomas Inneson Memorial trophies were duly presented to the day's victors, Melissa Patterson and William Withington.
Apparently what doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. The temperature at the top of Stratton Sunday morning registered minus 5, but the wind abated and Saturday's survivors deemed the day warm. The course was "Yeee-ha," set wide open with a few sling shot turns against the fallaway North American terrain to test technical talent.
Over 200 men and women showed up. This was the 34th running Janeway Cup race. Named after Senator Edward Janeway who was instrumental in founding Mt. Stratton, the trophy is awarded to the first male and female racer over 40. In the men's field the honor was closely contended by Pepi Neubauer and Bob Hill. Evidencing that experience occasionally prevails over youth, Pepi, slightly behind Hill after the first run, earned this year's honor. The women's race was no less hotly contested, with perennial competitors Margaret Vaughn and Nadine Price fending off Meg Nutter. The prize this race went to defending champion Nadine Price, by a little over a second.
Patrick McNamara was overall champion. Pepi Neubauer (again), Bill Withington, Bob Hill, Jim Harding, David Lamb and Jim Nash were all within tenths of a second of one another, in that order. Close class contests waged among the men. While most racers had slower second run times on a tighter, icier course, Class 10's Larry Voelker had a terrific second run to slip first place away from Paul Rich. Bob Wigglesworth's strong first run enabled him to narrowly evade challenger Dwight Conant, who bested him in the second. Alex Gadbois held first place in Class 2 thanks to a dynamite first run, but second place Andrew Keith had the fastest second run time in that class.
Melissa Patterson and Lori O'Brien finished one-two in the women's race again, followed by a familiar line-up in close proximity of Nadine Price, Margaret Vaughn, Meg Nutter, Lisa Dietrich, Karen Nash and Patti Lane. Proving that you don't necessarily lose it if you don't use it, erstwhile regular on the circuit, Anna Wieser, put together 2 strong runs in Class 7.
Conspicuous by his absence this year was Stratton's Class 10 Tom Head. Compromised health forced him to forego the race this year, the first Janeway contest Head has missed since he turned 40. Few of us can claim such consistent commitment to the sport.
The general population would still question whether it's smart to wage war against the whips and scorns of time, but there's something undeniably admirable in the verve and vitality of this sector of the population named "Masters racers"-- people who refuse to lose the name of action.
Next weekend the New England Masters resume the season's challenge with a trio at Wildcat, Attitash, and Cranmore.
Stratton Results 2000 Schedule NEMasters' Home