Masters Go the Distance

by Peggy McKay
Courtesy of the Rutland Herald

The slope is a sea of "breakaway" slalom poles that disappear over a knoll
far up the mountain. Bib-clad racers side-slip through the race course as
they memorize every flush, hair pin, and "under" gate. With over 150
racers, it looks like a championship event.

But for the racers, it’s just another weekend. You see, these are not your
ordinary ski racers. They are Masters.

Masters ski racing? What is it? A Geritol promotion? A collection of
has-been’s and never-were’s? ... No way! Masters ski racing, particularly
in New England, is anything but.

Started officially in 1972 by John C. Tobin, Eastern Masters Ski Racing is
an organized event called the Sise Cup, named after long-time Masters
competitor and ski pioneer Albert Sise. Races are open to anyone older than
21, and competitors are divided into classes by age: 21-29 is Class 1,
30-34 is Class 2, etc. Those who raced in college, on the World Cup or Pro
circuit, or who just love to ski fast and have fun gather every weekend
throughout the winter to race full-length slalom, giant slalom (GS), super
giant slalom (super G), and downhill at ski areas throughout Vermont, New
Hampshire, and Maine. Old Dartmouth, Middlebury, and UVM ski sweaters and
pants mix with state-of-the-art GS suits, helmets, shin guards, and other
slalom armor.

On hand at a recent slalom at Burke Mountain were ex-U.S. Ski Team members,
their parents, spouses, and college friends, along with a bunch of other
folks who wished to test their mettle on a course Alberto Tomba would be
proud to ski. Duffy Dodge, father of Pro racer and current Dartmouth alpine
ski coach Peter Dodge, is on hand to challenge competitors in Class 10.
Dodge wins his Class and finishes 37th overall; his son David is second in
Class 4, seventh overall.

Bob McGrath, father of ex-U.S. Ski Team member and current UVM alpine coach
Felix McGrath, is second in Class 8, and finishes right behind Duffy Dodge
overall. Former U.S. Ski Team member Joan Barthold and her husband, Scott,
stir up the competition in Classes 3 and 4. Joan finishes first in Class 3,
second overall. Scott falls his second run. Joan’s old roommate and
Dartmouth classmate, David Conard, is racing his first slalom in over two
years. Conard did not start ski racing until age 27, when Barthold
convinced him to join the fun. At Burke’s slalom, he skis like a seasoned
competitor to seventh place in Class 3, 30th overall.

Typifying the crowd, is Stephen Genereaux; husband, father of two, doctor,
and Class 3 competitor. After spending the winters of his youth on
Killington’s slopes, Genereaux attended Middlebury College and skied for
the Panthers en route to a bachelor’s degree in history. From Middlebury,
Genereaux attended Dartmouth Medical School. By his mid-20s, he was
pursuing his residency in Family Practice at Fletcher Allen Memorial
Hospital in Burlington, and along with Barthold, a fellow resident at
Fletcher Allen, decided to race Masters.

One Saturday morning, after a night of on-call duty, both residents decided
to try to make their starts at a Masters race at Cannon Mountain in
Franconia Notch, New Hampshire.

"At 7:59 a.m., we were out the door (of the hospital)," says Genereaux.

Driving as fast as they dared, they arrived at race registration long after
it closed. Out of sympathy, someone gave them race bibs, and off they went
to find the race course. Neither Genereaux nor Barthold could remember how
they fared that day. But their attempt shows how dedicated Masters racers
can be.

From Burlington, Genereaux moved to Bethel, Alaska for a four-year stint as
a doctor. In case you think Bethel is nestled in Alaska’s mountains, look
at a map. The town lies about 300 miles directly west of Anchorage and is
surrounded by tundra and wetlands. The topography could not be flatter.
Bethel’s only links to the outside world are either by airplane or boat
down the Kuskokwim River. But this did not stop Genereaux from racing
Alaska’s Masters series. Three or four weekends throughout the winter, he
would fly to Anchorage to race a slalom or GS at Mt. Alyeska. He also raced
at Masters Nationals several times during his Alaskan stint.

Returning to the Lower 48 in 1995, Genereaux married Jamie O’Connor, a
nurse practitioner and mid-wife, whom he met in Bethel. They settled in
South Ryegate, Vermont after Genereaux was hired by the Wells River Clinic,
and they purchased an abandoned church as both a home and a preservation
project. At the church, their two sons, Liam and Caleb, were born.

Although Genereaux does not enter as many Masters races as he used to, he
attends the convenient ones; those at Burke, the Dartmouth Ski Way, and
Killington. With him at Burke’s slalom are O’Connor, with Caleb asleep in a
backpack, and Liam sporting a Boeri helmet, Nordica ski boots, 80-cm-long
skis, and an Eskimo anorak. Between his two runs in the race, Genereaux
carries two-year-old Liam up on the poma lift for a father-son ski down an
intermediate run. Liam traverses the slope safely and happily encased by
his father’s legs.

Given all his responsibilities, Genereaux shows no signs of giving up the
Masters circuit. He picks a few races to attend each winter and trains for
them. They are goals to work toward and keep him motivated.

"I do it just to push myself," he says.

His drive seems to pay off. In Burke’s long, icy slalom, Genereaux skis his
first run as if he is Tomba, seemingly undaunted by the chatter of icy
ruts. His second run, he attacks the course like a cat, pouncing from gate
to gate. It’s fast enough for third place in his class, 16th overall. Not
bad for a guy who now spends much of his ski time snowplowing beginner runs
with a toddler between his legs.

But Masters is not just for ex-college racers like Genereaux or ex-U.S. Ski
Team members like Barthold. It’s also for people like Conard who picked up
ski racing because his friends were doing it. Or people who want to see
what ski racing is all about. Or people who just want to push themselves
and have fun. Prizes for the top three in each class are beer steins, so
you can shoot for collecting a whole set.

To participate in the Masters ski racing program, you must join the U.S.
Ski Association (USSA) and obtain a competition license. Call USSA’s
Eastern Division in Rutland at 802-747-3344 for information. Then sharpen
your edges.