December 14, 2009 – With the Nordic season officially in full swing, there was lots of skiing action this past weekend. Read on for the Eastern Race Roundup with news, results, and stories from Great Glen, Craftsbury Opener, NYSEF Opener, and the Trapp Racing Clinic.

Atomic Sprints at Great Glen – Bates College Skiers Milliken and Samuelso Take Top Spots

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On Saturday, December 12, 2009, Great Glen Trails hosted the Atomic Sprints at Great Glen, the first cross country ski race in New Hampshire this season. Skiers from Bates College took first place in both the men’s and women’s divisions. More than $1,000 in prizes were award to the top skiers.

With more than 20 inches of new snow since Wednesday, Great Glen Trails was able to open for the winter season and treat more than sixty racers to excellent racing conditions. Along with citizen and club racers, athletes from Bates College, Bowdoin College, the University of New Hampshire, Burke Mountain Academy and Gould Academy all competed. In sprint racing, racers are slotted into qualifying heats with all but the first and second skier eliminated. Ultimately, only four skiers remain for the final heat.

Lucas Milliken of Bates College took the top spot for the men in an eventful final that saw a fall right off the start line. Jordan Buetow from Burke Mountain Academy, who had been moving easily through the rounds and looked poised for the win, got tangled with another competitor at the start and went down only a few yards in the final heat. Even with his fall, Buetow skied aggressively and nearly caught Milliken at the finish, collapsing from exhaustion just over the finish line in second place. Peter Cowan of Gould Academy was third, and Matt Johnson of Burke Mountain Academy took fourth.

The women’s final was a mirror image of the men’s final with a fall at the start. Sophie Leonard of Bates College went down in the opening yards and was unable to catch her teammates, Abby Samuelson and Beth Taylor. Sameulson and Taylor battled throughout the entire 1.5 k sprint course with Samuelson out sprinting Taylor in the final yards. Leonard was third, and Holly Bushman of Burke Mountain Academy finished in fourth place.

For their victories, both Milliken and Samuelson took home skis from Atomic.

View photos and video at www.greatglentrails.com

Read the NENSA story here.

Craftsbury Opener: Lucy Garrec and Ollie Burruss Win 10K Races; Jack Hegman and Maddy Pfeiffer Win 5K

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Competitors enjoyed some fast racing at Craftsbury on Saturday for their annual opener. Skiers from Craftsbury, the Green Racing Project, Colby, GMVS, Gunstock, NW Vermont, and others all took part. Link to Results in NENSA Results Database here.

NYSEF Opener Results

Zach Wetherell (SLU) and Caitlin Patterson (UVM) win NYSEF season-opener at Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, New York on Sunday.

here
here

Trapp Racing Clinic

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Winds were whipping across the fields as 60 participants and 7 instructors braved the cold for the first day of the Introduction to Performance Skiing and Racing Clinic held at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.

It was a star studded cast of instructors including past Olympians, U.S. Ski Team members, and Master’s Champions! Participants broke up into “Country” groups and headed off onto the trails with their instructor for sessions on basic classic technique as well as tips for uphill and downhill skiing. There were plenty of smiles in the woods as they skied through drills and got technique advice from a variety of coaches.

After an excellent lunch in the dining room at Trapps, skiers changed into skate gear and went back out for more drills! Afternoon skies were blue and the temperatures were much milder, giving skiers a break from the chilly wind.

The day finished with a wax clinic by Justin Freeman, leaving participants plenty of time to go home for dinner and rest up for tomorrow!
More photos can be found on NENSA’s Flickr page here.