Mt Snow SG and Haystack Bobsled... uhhh,
Slalom
Super G! ... It was set more like a downhill, but nobody complained. Considering questionable weather with a large amount of soft snow and the lack of visibility during course inspection, several necessary delays of the start, howling winds, and the track record of holding Masters speed events at Mt. Snow, the SG went off marvelously! Thank you Mt Snow race crew.
New this season during course inspection was the addition of course guides lending their expertise. This week it was Lisa Densmore and Doug Tucker. The large following was evidence that a little guidance is welcomed for all levels of racers.
Home field advantage was apparent as Sally White and John Grush (course setter) won the overall men's and women's races. For the women Lisa Densmore, new mom Carolyn Beckedorff, Barb Brumbaugh and Lori O'Brien -- racing in her first speed event, rounded out the top five. For the men, Grush was followed by Sean Florian (no longer wearing the "Swiss Cheese" suit), Doug Tucker, Tip Kimball and Mark George. Tucker remarked that "this is the longest [he's] held a tuck since the last time he visited a public restroom" -- thanks for the information Doug. And how about class seven Dwight Conant placing 6th overall out of 51 men who started.
In the women's class 3 race it was Beckedorff winning, with downhiller Brumbaugh taking the scenic route down the course and surviving for 2nd, with O'Brien 3rd. Class 4 action saw Densmore winning with a somewhat comfortable lead over Patti Lane. Sue Jefferson would like everyone to know she was the only DNF and "yard sale" but was delighted she had such a soft landing in the powder. Margaret Vaughn stated she wanted "to leave her brain in the lodge so she could go faster", and she did just that, winning class 5 over speedster Nadine Price, and Sara Sherter. Meg Nutter placed second as overall winner Sally White won class 6. Suzanne Boulter and Steffi Hastings placed 1 and 2 in class 7 with Anne Nordhoy as the only class 8, but placing a respectable 7th place overall for the women.
Men's Class action saw Steve Ouellette, Marc Sorel (starting DFL), and Bryan Reimer on the podium for Class 1. Coming into the race with no seed points and winning his class was Jud Bartlett followed by Andy Zuccotti and Christopher Neeb. Florian, Andrew Keith and David Wolff won a tight race in class 3. In class 4 action it was overall winner Grush, followed by Tip Kimball and Derek Griggs. Men's class 5 was won by Doug Tucker, followed by Mark George (who's on fire this year!) and Chris Wilcox. Byron Hathorn won class 6 over West Dover, VT local Brad Domina and Kent Dover. Dwight Conant followed by "Pete" Donaghy won class 7's slim field. Also, apparently comfortable with speed was Bob Wigglesworth over the Irish Ski Team Robert McKee, followed by William Vanatten in class 8. Haldor Reinholt skied smoothly to win the largest class of the day - Class 9 over Larry Young and Bob McGrath. Larry Voelker won a tight race in Class 10 over Alphonse Sevigny and Paul Rich. Duffy Dodge won comfortably over George Caner in Class 11 as Richard Wood took Class 12 over Nate Grifkin.
The finish line chatter indicated there was an overwhelming consensus that everyone wanted to race the SuperG again! Despite the questionable weather, the sky cleared and Peardon and Haldor got to go free skiing with the girls!
Saturday: Haystack Slalom
The wind continued to blast us giving everyone a "chemical peel" kind of look. Lacking the "bullet-proof" surface ski racers prefer for slalom, Bryan Reimer commented that "slalom courses are supposed to test a racers skill, not torture them." Several racers opted not to take their second run and headed to the bar while others took up a spot on the sidelines for the entertainment value. Anyone with a race bib higher than the 20's had to first decide whether to ride one of 3 ruts per gate or get hammered by their own line.
George Anderson likened the experience to skiing down a circular staircase but said he forgot to make the round turns; and Class 1 Marc Sorel had one thing to say to everyone experiencing the ruts and holes: "WELCOME TO MY WORLD."
Judson Bartlett and Carolyn Beckedorff showed their true grit for the overall wins. Rounding out the top 5 in the men's field was Matt Aeschelman (surviving 2 back of the pack starts), Tip Kimbal, James Thompson and Shawn Mato. Lisa Densmore fought back to grab 2nd overall winning the 2nd run, followed by Sally White, Anneliese Fejan and Margaret Vaughn.
Class 1 men's action: Canadian James Thompson took the win over Steve Ouellette and Bryan Reimer. The mens Class 2 podium of Bartlett, Aeschlman and Mato placed in the top five overall -- these guys have earned the right to call themselves the toughest on the hill. Great job! David Wolff not only juggled babysitting duty like a champion, but also won men's Class 3 over Sean Florian and newcomer Chris Yombor. Tip Kimball held off Doug Carpenter and Jim Tomassetti for the Class 4 win, while Mark George (still on fire from the SG) held on to win Class 5 over Dale Maynard and Chris Wilcox. "Mr. Artech" -- George Merrill took an early lead and never looked back for the win in Class 6 over James Mueller and Harry Mann. Dorin Munteanu and Bill McCollom fought it out in Class 7 with Peardon Donaghy rounding out the top 3 in class. Nice recovery Bill -- save the knee! In Class 8 it was Klaus Haas, William Crabtree and Jonathon Gilman. In winning Class 9 over Bob McGrath and Larry Young, Haldor Reinholdt wants everyone to know that he beat ALL the women! "Attaboy Haldor" -- was it the free skiing after the SG? Paul Rich, Larry Voelker and Carlo Graziano took home hardware in Class 10 and George Caner and Nate Grifkin won Classes 11 and 12. Class 13 Rod Aller is still wondering where he DQ'd.
The Women's Class 2 field dwindled as several racers were "taken out" by the hairpin into the finish (what's up with that?) with newcomer from NJ Anneliese Fejan surviving for the win with solid skiing. Overall winner Beckedorff was followed by Barb Brumbaugh and Lori O'Brien in Class 3 -- but let it be known that Rishlene Mooney gets the skiing by Braille award for her blind skiing skills near the finish line as one of many snow devils took her off the podium. Lisa Densmore, also experiencing a white-out in the 1st run, took a solid win in Class 4 over Patti Lane and Lisa Dietrich. Moving into Class 5 this season is Margaret Vaughn with solid all-around skiing taking the win over Nadine Price and Stacey Weston. Sally White hung on for a solid win over Meg Nutter in Class 6. Dee Larson, Suzanne Boulter and Steffi Hastings were the Class 7 action. In Class 8 and 10 it was Anne Nordhoy and Jane Cooke taking the wins for their classes and showing us why we keep racing.... to graduate to the upper classes so that someday we too shall get to race on a pristine course.
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