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Great Day for Racing
Sun, snow and great grooming lead to a another wonderful day for racing on Thursday. The course was slower than normal because of the new snow but thanks to the efforts of members who slipped the course, racers had another fun time.
No one beat pacesetter Chad Koenig this week so the NASTAR medal count was low. Although there was a lot of jockeying of positions as more racers gained race experience many familiar names were among the top finishers — especially among the women. There were also some men and women newcomers in the lineup.
Elizabeth Walker fought back to take the top position among the women this week. Danielle Hampton, last week’s winner, was in contention to repeat but did not have a great run on the yellow course. Lauri Landau again had a solid third place showing. Lisa Grey and Michele Powers are new to Club racing and will be working their way up the ladder as they gain experience.
There was a Club-sponsored Women’s Race Clinic on Friday with coaches from Sugarbush’s Ski and Ride School. Eight members braved the early morning cold and had exclusive use of the Racer’s Edge course before it opened to the public. Improvement was seen between video runs and a good time was had by all. We predict seconds will be shaved off race times!
Doug Day, the only one in a race suit (now green instead of pink) due to the cold, took the top position with the two fastest runs of the day. Bob Kogut was in second, And a determined Dave Gould took the third spot over Peter Wicklund by .04 seconds. It was his first podium finish.
Once again, the next five racers were less than a second apart. In order, they were Wicklund. Phillipe Marielle, David Ellison, David Seymour and Jim deFau. In another close challenge not far from the leaders, Gil Edwards edged Ray Bollerud. Doug Schick, back after a brief layoff, was just behind that group.
John Wilson closed to within .8 seconds of Alvan Carr. Richard Brady jumped ahead of Peter Menkes this week. Veteran Bob Stevens had a good day, moving ahead of a few racers that normally finished near him. Just behind, the Pistilli, Needleman, Apigian group continued to mix it up. New racers Ken Peters and Denis Bowen are expected to to start moving up in the standings. Race results can be viewed here.
The post-race party was held at The Mad River Barn who were great hosts. The great room was filled to capacity with more than 85 members and guests to watch the video of the race and socialize. Dinah Simonini won the largest 50-50 of the year, so far. The drawing for Kate Murray-Jones‘ Mardi Gras themed basket caused a lot of excitement. It was originally been won by The Flying Frenchman, Phillip Marielle, who re-donated it – perhaps to avoid possible distractions on his ride back to NYC. It was then won by Rich Jones after a number of tickets went unclaimed. He declined citing a conflict of interest but after a bit, the large crowd voted there was no conflict. After all, the Jones’ were once from New Jersey.
The Club’s next race will be Thursday, February 12th. It will be the season’s featured race on the Legend’s Course on Spring Fling. That race will run from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The following week, February 19th, the club will return to Racer’s Edge starting at 10 AM. There will be no race February 26th. Adult enthusiasts who are not members of the Club can join in the fun. Contact the Race Chair Laurie@sugarbushracingclub.com.
The Club’s Winter Dance was held February 9th at the Terra Rosa. Dance photos can be viewed in the gallery.