Steep and deep: The New England Masters Series
opens at Killington The New England Masters Series, steeped in tradition, opened the 2003 season at Killington, Vermont, on Jan. 4 and 5 -- deep in new snowfall. Those managing to dig themselves out of their driveways and navigate the back roads found Killington buried in more than a foot of new snow, with the white stuff still coming down. "Welcome to the Pacific Northwest," exclaimed one racer while trying to sideslip the slalom course. The long "Did Not Start" list for Saturday's slalom included such notables as Masters National Team member Lisa Densmore, whose plight was typical of many of the no-shows. Densmore rose early, plowed her long driveway and loaded up her equipment and son, only to discover that her town road had not been cleared. But despite the conditions and warnings on the radio ("Do not drive unless in case of emergency!") more than 100 racers considered the race urgent enough to forge ahead to the start. Slalom In the women's race, last year's runner-up in the overall standings and new mother Carolyn Beckedorff (C3) posted the fastest times on both runs to take the win ahead of Class 4 racer Susan Jefferson and Class 5's Margaret Vaughn. Other class winners were Jane Cooke (C10), Stefi Hastings (C7) and Meg Nutter (C6), who survived her September birthday bash to capitalize on one of the few benefits of aging: a new class. The men's field was buzzing after unknown racer James Thompson (C1) took the first-run lead in his first masters race. But when Thompson explained, "Well, State College [Pa.] is aboot a six-hour drive," his provenance was discovered. Turn's out he's a Canadian grad student at Penn State and in his first race in "aboot" 10 years, Thompson nipped Chief of Race Jim McKeon (C5) for the win. Two other Class 5 veterans, Mark George and Bob Hill, placed third and fourth, respectively. McKeon, set the course, organized the race crews, put up fencing, plugged in wires, and still found time to race and put a newfound revelation to practice. "You know, there really is something to be said for this new technique," he marveled, before heading up for more sideslipping. Bob Hill begrudgingly revealed the secret to his excellent performance. "Well, I've gotten in a little more training this year -- four runs of NASTAR last week; cost me 12 bucks," he deadpanned. Class winners were Richard Wood (C12), George Caner (C11), Paul Rich (C10), Haldor Reinholt (C9), who threw a scare into the younger racers with an overall finish of 15th, Bill Crabtree (C8), Bill McCollom (C7), Bill Brennan (C6), Doug Carpenter (C4), Henry Lynn (C3) and Alex Gadbois (C2). Giant Slalom If racers thought they were in the Pacific Northwest on Saturday, Sunday's GS seemed more like Colorado. There was bright sun, fresh packed powder, tolerable temperatures -- and a challenging GS on the Skyelark trail. The moderate top portion of the trail always offers a sharp contrast to the steep bottom half, and Sunday was no exception. Holes, chatter, double ruts and flat light greeted racers dropping off the upper flats, turning the racing experience from peaceful bliss to a war zone. Class 9 racer Bob McGrath could have been speaking on behalf of most of the racers when he said, "On the top I felt like a hero, like I was winning the entire race, and then I came over the knoll I was just plain frightened." The Hanover, N.H., road crew finally cleared the roads for Lisa Densmore (C4) who made the trip worth her while with an eight-second margin of victory in the women's race. Susan Jefferson (C4) put her new technique on display with her second runner-up position of the weekend, and Carolyn Beckedorff landed on the podium once again in third place; she also won Class 3. All racers were pleased to see Nadine Price in fourth overall and winner of Class 5 after returning to form after a badly broken leg and summer of rehab. In the class standings, Alice Pepper slipped by Jane Cooke for the win in Class 10; Wendy Hill took time out from her teaching responsibilities to win the 9s; Stefi Hastings and Meg Nutter were repeat winners in Classes 6 and 5, respectively; and newcomer Jennifer Yale won the 1s and placed sixth overall. Racers from three different decades occupied the men's overall podium. Class 2's Alex Gadbois, who has been quietly sneaking up on the leaders for the past few years, finally jumped to the top of the podium and in convincing fashion: wins in both runs. Bob Hill, who boasts a pair of "Koni shock absorbers" for legs, smoothed out the rough course to take second. And representing Class 7 was Dorin Munteanu who taught the youngsters a lesson in GS with a third place finish. Other class winners were Rod Aller (C12), Duffy Dodge (C11), Alphonse Sevigny (C10), Haldor Reinholt (C9), Bob McKee (C8), Hans Truckenbrod (C6), Doug Carpenter (C4), Andrew Keith (C3), and James Thompson (C1). The New England Masters Series continues with a three-race weekend at Mt. Snow on Jan. 10-12. On the weekend of Jan. 18 and 19, the Middlebury Snow Bowl and Suicide Six will host a GS and slalom in which Atomic race skis and other prizes will be awarded to winners of the combined. |