February 4, 2007 (Weston, MA) – GMVS coach Justin Beckwith won the qualifying round and cruised through the heats before winning an exciting final over Sam Naney, Kevin Cutts (Putney, VT/Burke Mtn Academy) and Harrison Harb (Contoocook, NH/Stratton Mtn School.) Cutts’ and Harb’s strong finishes as the top junior skiers in the race will help them earn valuable points toward making the New England Junior Olympic team. The team heads to Soldier Hollow, Utah, home of the 2002 Olympics in early March to compete in the Junior National Championships.

The J2 Heats, featuring athletes aged fifteen and under, starred Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club’s Ethan Dreissigacker (Morrisville, VT). Dreissigacker remained undefeated in Eastern Cup freestyle races this season. Preston Butler (Marion, MA/GMVS), Bridger Tyler (Landgrove, VT/Stratton), and David Sinclair (Waitsfeild, VT/GMVS) joined Dreissigacker in the final.

The sprint is the most exciting race development in Nordic skiing in recent years. Courses, like today’s, often loop in and around the stadium and remain in full view of the spectators. Skiers race an individual start qualifier in the morning, with the top 30 advancing to the afternoon heats.

Weston Ski Track is a cross-country ski and snowshoeing center serving the Boston area. With natural snow, they groom 15km of trails. Snowmaking on the 2km lighted loop provides consistent snow conditions and reliable night skiing. Weston provides beginner lessons and a warm cafe.

The track is also home to Cambridge Sports Union, winners of three straight New England Club Series titles. Today’s race was hosted by the Cambridge Sports Union (CSU). CSU was started in 1962 with the goal of eventually being a multi-sport club. Initially, activity focused on running, but cross country skiing was added in 1964, and orienteering in 1972.

The club is organized into semi-autonomous sections that carry out the activities in each sport: Running, Race Walking, Cross Country Skiing, and Orienteering (on foot and on skis), but with cooperation and resource sharing among the sections. Most of the members participate in only one sport, but some are active in two, and a few participate in more.

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