January 26, 2012 (Minneapolis, MN) – Skiers have reached the midpoint of the 5-stage Tour De Twin Cities. On Wednesday evening, racers contested a prologue skate sprint under the lights at Wirth Park. The 1.4 kilometer course started on the high point of Wirth, gradually descended 60 feet, and then climbed back to the top.

With temperatures sitting right around 32 degrees, the man-made snow transformed to the point of being lightning fast. From the side of the course, it was apparent that some athletes were struggling to find the line between skiing with power versus slipping into a frantic tempo. The results confirmed a fast course: the top four male athletes finished within the same second, and the top three women were split by only one second.

The men’s race saw three new athletes on the podium. Tim Reynolds (Craftsbury Green Racing Team) took the win and the $250 bonus awarded to the sprint winner. Second and third went to Patrick O’Brien (Craftsbury) and Mark Iverson (APUNSC). Just 8 tenths of a second out of the win, and 1 hundredth of a second behind Iverson. Samuel Naney (Methow Olympic Development/Madshus) was oh-so-close to the podium in fourth.

On the women’s side, Jennie Bender (CXC) recorded the win and claimed the $250 bonus. With the overall victory in mind, Bender says, “I am in a little bit better position for this weekend.” Second place went to Lauren Fritz (APUNSC), and Caitlin Gregg (CXC) was third.

This was the last Minneapolis event of the Tour, as the races move to the St. Paul area for next weekend’s final events. With three races complete, Team Strong Heart’s Matt Liebsch (fifth in the sprint) has a solid lead in the overall classification with Sylvan Ellefson  (SSC Vail) 19 points behind. After her win, Jennie Bender has the lead in the overall classification by just 4 points over Caitlin Gregg.

February 21, 2011 (Plymouth, NH) – Even though Patrick O’Brien and Corey Stock fell just short of victory in today’s TD Bank Cheri Walsh Memorial, they each grabbed enough points with their 2nd place finishes to win the 2011 TD Bank Eastern Cup title. Stock’s victory is especially remarkable considering that she did not return to the race course until the final weekend of January because of injury.

Craftsbury Green Racing Project skiers were stacked at the top of the results sheet today and Hannah Dreissigacker started it all off with her 10-second victory in the women’s 5K. Stock (CSU / Lincoln, MA) was second with Heather Mooney (SMS / Peru, VT) another 10 seconds back in third. Heidi Halvorsen (GMVS / Waitsfield, VT) was the top J2, finishing an impressive 6th overall. Hannah Benson (MWN / Jackson, NH) was 10th overall and the second J2, with overal J2 leader Cate Brams just a few seconds back in 13th overall.

Former Olympian, now school teacher Justin Freeman (New Hampton, NH) showed his strength in the classic technique and won the men’s 10K. He was followed closely by a trio of Craftsbury GRP skiers: O’Brien, Tim Reynolds, and Dylan McGuffin. The race’s top junior was David Sinclair.

For J2 Boys, season-long leader Tyler Foulkes (SMS / Jamaica, VT) won over Jack Schrupp (Gunstock / Gilford, NH) and Hamish McEwen (CSU / Weston, MA.)

At the conclusion of today’s events, the 2011 New England Junior Olympic Team was named in front of a packed crowd at the Holderness School auditorium. The team will head to Minneapolis, Minnesota in two weeks to defend its two-year hold on the Alaska Cup awarded to the nations strongest regional team. The TD Bank Eastern Cup series this season featured the presence of Olympians like Justin Freeman, top collegiate skiers from the east, and incredible competition for all ages; with these races behind them, the New England JO Team skiers are well-prepared for the competition they will face in Minneapolis. They are also well-guided by trip leader Janice Sibilia and head coach Matt Boobar.

Link to all TD Bank Eastern Cup Finals results HERE.

Link to final Junior Olympic Qualifier Standings, Final Eastern Cup Standings, and more HERE.

December 20, 2010 (Jericho, VT) – The Ethan Allen Firing Range hosted today’s TD Bank Eastern Cup.  The original host, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, had enough snow to pull of yesterday’s freestyle sprint on their own trails, but felt that moving to Jericho for the longer mass start classic races would provide the best possible racing conditions for the athletes.  They were right.  With temperatures in the mid-twenties, easy waxing, and a beautiful race course, smiles were everywhere at today’s events.

The biggest smiles might have been from Tim Reynolds (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Sophie Caldwell (Dartmouth College) who completed sweeps of the weekend’s racing.  Each won both today’s 12K classic and yesterday 1.3K freestyle sprint.

The day began with the J2s, athletes aged fifteen and younger.  In the boys race it was the experience of Hamish McEwan (CSU) and Tyler Foulkes (Stratton Mountain School) edging out Ben Hegman (Mansfield Nordic) who enters his first year in the age group.   The girls were next and once again, it was the 2nd year J2s Heidi Halvorsen (GMVS) and Cate Brams (CSU) taking first and second with 1st year J2 Brooke Mooney (Stratton) taking third.  The sprint to the finish between Halvorsen and Brams was one of the most intense of the day.

Collegiate standouts Sophie Caldwell (Dartmouth) and Caitlin Patterson (UVM) dueled at the front of the women’s race. In the end, it was Caldwell  gliding to a 2.6 second victory.   About 20 seconds later, Heather Mooney (Stratton) crossed the line to take the top junior spot and third on the podium.

The men’s race stayed in a pack until Reynolds, his teammate Patrick O’brien, and UVM’s Scott Patterson broke away on the third of four laps.   While the break was not huge, it was enough to decide the podium.  Reynolds stretched across the line 1.6 seconds ahead of O’brien with Patterson another 4.5 seconds behind. In grabbing third, 2010 World Junior Championship standout Patterson also grabbed top junior honors.

The first weekend of TD Bank Eastern Cup racing concluded and will be remembered for excellent conditions despite general lack of snowfall so far this winter.  It will also be remembered for attracting very strong fields on both the men’s and women’s side.  Momentum from this event will help carry New England athletes to success at the upcoming US Nationals January 2-8 in Rumford, Maine and the next Eastern Cup on January 30th at Weston Ski Track, just outside of Boston.

TD Bank Eastern Cup events are sanctioned by the International Skiing Federation (FIS), the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and NENSA; it is widely recognized as the premiere regionally skiing circuit in the United States, attracting strength of fields second only to the Super Tour in this country.

Full results HERE.

December 19, 2010 (Craftsbury, VT) – While much of New England waits for skiable snow, over 300 of the fastest cross-country ski racers took to the 1.3K sprint course at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center today to contest the first TD Bank Eastern Cup of the season. A member of Craftsbury’s own team, the Green Racing Project’s Tim Reynolds and junior skier Skyler Davis from Stratton Mountain School were the men’s favorites heading into the day’s sprint. On the women’s side, the the field was equally stacked, with recent World Cup competitor Green Racing Project’s Ida Sargent and her Dartmouth College teammate Sophie Caldwell headlining the women.

The racing did not disappoint. Reynolds and Caldwell put down blistering times to pace their respective fields in the morning qualifier, with Davis and Sargent close behind. Despite thin snow, the hard work of Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club volunteers and Outdoor Center staff created a great skiing surface that held up well and the course allowed spectators to see the entire loop as racers went head-to-head in the afternoon heats.

A tangle in the semifinal round kept Skyler Davis from advancing to the A-final, but Reynolds skied cleanly though all of his heats to line up in the final with teammates Patrick O’brien and Dylan Mcguffin, Northern Michigan University’s Kevin Cutts, Middlebury’s Doug Debold, and UVM’s Alex Howe. In the end it was Reynolds, Cutts, and Mcguffin grabbing the top spots on the podium, with Davis winning the B-final and earning top honors for juniors.

The women’s final saw a pair of Dartmouth College skiers, Sophie Caldwell and Hilary McNamee on the start line with Stratton Mountain School’s Heather Mooney and Rachel Hall, UVM’s Caitlin Patterson, and UNH’s Cambria Mcdermott. Caldwell continued her domination from the qualifying and took the victory, followed by Mooney and Patterson to round out the podium. In taking second place overall, Mooney was also the top junior woman.

Today’s event was hosted by Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, and the New England Nordic Ski Association. Tomorrow’s 5 and 10 kilometer classic mass start races have been moved to the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont because of improved snow conditions at that venue. The same strong fields with the addition of about forty skiers including Olympian Justin Freeman will compete for tomorrow’s victory.

TD Bank Eastern Cup events are sanctioned by the International Skiing Federation (FIS), the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and NENSA; it is widely recognized as the premiere regionally skiing circuit in the United States, attracting strength of fields second only to the Super Tour in this country.

See NENSA.net for full details, and after the event, check back for results, photos, and more. For immediate updates during the events, follow the athletes and coaches directly at www.twitter.com/nensa/athletes

Full results HERE.
Men and J2 Boys HERE.
Women and J2 Girls HERE.