March 23, 2010 (Fort Kent, ME) – The USSA National Cross country Ski 30/50km Freestyle Championships are “on tap” for Wednesday at the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent. The Maine Winter Sports Center has been reporting daytime high temperatures in the 40s and 50s, clear, cold nights below freezing, and sufficient snowpack. Adding to the excitement, however, there is a Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 10am tomorrow. Snow, sleet, and freezing rain with a total snow accumulation expected to be 1-3 inches, and up to 4 inches in the higher elevations.

Top skiers from the US and Canada will make this the strongest field in a North American cross country event this season, after the Olympics. The field of 44 men and 35 women includes 2010 Olympians, Kikkan Randall, Caitlin Compton, Andy Newell, Torin Koos, Simi Hamilton, along with Canadian Olympians, Ivan Babikov and Stefan Kuhn are on the Start Lists. Maine Winter Sports Center favorites include Walt Shepard Russell Currier – both of whom just medaled in the 2010 US Biathlon Nationals – and Fred Bailey, Pavel Sotskov, BethAnn Chamberlain and Grace Boutot.

Thursday, March 25th , a Fast and Female presented by Best Buy event will be hosted at the Madawaska Elementary School, from 10am-2pm. View their promotional poster here.

Following the rest day, on Friday March 26th the SuperTour Finals will open in Madawaska, ME, at the Four Seasons Lodge. This race series will be a Tour de Ski format including Wednesday’s 30/50km Freestyle Mass Start, a 7.5/10km Classic Mass Start, a Classic Sprint and the culminating 5/6km Gunderson Start Freestyle Hill Climb. Double USSA SuperTour points are up for grabs in the 30/50km race as it is the last competition of the U.S. Championships.

The SuperTour Finals are co-hosted by the 10th Mountain Ski Club and Madawaska, which is hosting its first-ever national event on newly completed trails. The first two days of racing include a 7.6/10.9km Mass Start classic and a 1.3km Classic Sprint. The finale will take place back in Fort Kent, with a pursuit start hill climb from Lonesome Pines Trail Lodge to the 10th Mountain Center. First one to the top is the overall winner of the finale.

Current SuperTour standings has CXC Vertical Limit’s Rebecca Dussault with a strong lead over APUs Holly Brooks with 283 points in the women’s competition. In the men’s division Steinbock Racing’s Chris Cook has just a 17-point lead over CXC Vertical Limit’s Brian Gregg.

Here are the current overall leaders in the USSA SuperTour points standings are (brief):

Women

1. Rebecca Dussault CXC Vertical Limit
2. Holly Brooks APU Nordic Ski Center
3. Laura Valaas APU Nordic Ski Center
4. Kikkan Randall USST/APU
5. Maria Stuber CXC Team Vertical Limit

Men

1. Chris Cook Steinbock Racing
2. Brian Gregg CXC Team Vertical Limit
3. Bryan Cook Central Cross Country Skiing
4. Matthew Liebsch CXC Team Vertical Limit
5. Mike Hinckley APU Nordic Ski Center

USSA SuperTour Men’s Standings 2-27-2010 (REVISED) here

USSA SuperTour Women’s Standings 2-27-2010 (REVISED) here

With files from USSA and Maine Winter Sports Center