May 14, 2013  (Craftsbury Common, VT) – This past weekend Craftsbury followed this recipe as we rolled out the last of our 2012-13 Mt. Craftsbury snow pile for some fun sprints and relays – the first (annual?) Slush Cup! And the event drew a good crowd:  locals, national team members of past and present, college skiers, and of course a good representation from the athletes of the Green Racing Project. Competitors came from as far away as Alaska, Germany, Norway and Bulgaria (though admittedly they may not have traveled specifically for this race alone).

Slush Cup © courtesy of Craftsbury

Twelve women toed the start line in the head to head heats, with a 180 turn in the race. The first round went as one would prognosticate, but spectators didn’t have to wait long for an upset in the quarters, as GRP Rower Emily Dreissigacker up-ended World Cupper Ida Sargent.

The heavy conditions and an awkward pole plant on the short course ended Sargent’s day in the face of a motivated Emily. UVM’s Anya Gruber bested Pepa, while the GRP’s Clare Egan and UVM’s Jane McClelland made semis. Former skier Dreissigacker’s run was cut short by the unstoppable Gruber who would face the hometown heroine Egan, who had just defended her turf against McClelland. In the final, the bikini and tights clad Egan finished Gruber for the win.

Fourteen men squared off in their bracket, including several new GRPers racing for the first time as Craftsbury skiers. The men’s bracket was more predictable than the women’s, and quickly it was down to the GRP’s Alex Howe vs. UVM Catamount Jurgen Grav in semi-A, with GRP training group member Mike Gibson facing Dartmouth’s Sam Tarling in semi-B. Alex used a fast, springy step to dance his way through the soft snow, while the jortz-clad Tarling rode a line between his strength and a light touch to send Gibson to the sidelines. Howe deployed that same high, light tempo in the final to put Tarling away.

It was a great afternoon – and a fine way to cap the season. While FIS points have not yet been calculated, given the skiers in attendance, we expect them to be low. Hmmmm…maybe an early Slush Cup JO Qualifier next year?

You can see pictures on our blog, and be sure to catch the TV coverage of the event. Burlington’s WCAX Channel 3 covered the festivities.

Thanks to all who came out and made the day such fun! And thanks to everyone who joined us at some point this winter – it was a great season. Very white snow remains on the very green upper soccer field, should you need to get a few more meters in this year.