Masters: Eastern Regionals at Whiteface

The 2009 Skiers Edge Eastern Regional Championships returned to Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY March 6-8 with racers hailing from New York, New England, Pennsylvania, Quebec, and Ontario.
The 2009 Skiers Edge Eastern Regional Championships returned to Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY March 6-8 with racers hailing from New York, New England, Pennsylvania, Quebec, and Ontario.

The competitive field was small, but those who attended were rewarded with clear skies and rainless days in which all four events ran as scheduled.

Vermont’s Mark George held off local Whiteface racer Terrence Fogerty and perrenial favorite Greg Sarkis in Friday’s super g for the win. The slalom portion of the super combined found many racers finishing with letters instead of numbers as the slalom claimed a third of the field. Fogarty took the win followed by Sarkis with the second fastest slalom run and New Hampshire’s Alex Gadbois moved up to third overall.

In the women’s race, Lisa Densmore took both the Super G and slalom runs giving her two solid wins. The women’s results also took a beating as Angela Schnuerch and Barb Reynolds, second and third in the SG faltered in the single slalom run allowing Barb Settel and Johanne Gosselin to move into podium positions in the Super Combined.

The best weather day on Saturday rewarded racers with blue skies and great visibility.

In the women’s race, Densmore again held off all-comers as Kerry Brennan and Schnuerch traded fast runs leaving Skier’s Edge teamster Brennan a step up on the podium.

New weekend arrivals Per Johansson and Torjus Berge showed Drapers Drop some straight line skiing down the final pitch to the finish. The reward for the Norwegians was the top two podium spots ahead of Central New York racer Jim Thoman. The competitive men’s field was tight with many racers within a second of each other, jostling for their final positions.

Many racers had never seen a Masters slalom race on such a formidable pitch as Draper’s Drop, but most were up to the challenge. Conditions were soft on Sunday, requiring Royce Van Evera’s NYSEF staff to lay down some chemicals to keep the courses firm and fair. The field was split on Sunday for the slalom giving the class 7 and younger racers their own course separate from the women and older men.

Sharon Caggianelli claimed her maiden Group C win with two strong finishes as Densmore walked out of her binding in the first run. Margaret Vaughn held on for second overall, followed closely by Quebec’s Johanne Gosselin.

In Group D, Greek Peak’s Bob Andree, found the finish line safely holding off Vermont racers Bill McCollom and Steve Foley. McCollom took the first run, but Andree scrambled and took the second run by over a second and a half.

The men’s A/B course followed the steepest line over Draper’s with slalom guru Mark George pouring it on winning both runs. Skier’s Edge team member Joel Solly kept his skis on for this event and narrowly edged out Terrence Fogarty for second overall. Highlights of the slalom included Jim Thoman with a pirouette in one run and a series of royale christies in another, purely unintentional, we think.

Great racing, friends, and sportsmanship is what draws many skiers to masters racing. One of those dedicated leaders among peers, is Bill McCollom. Giving endless hours to our sport he earned the annual Tobin Award for 2009. The Tobin Award is given each year for outstanding contributions to Eastern Masters ski racing. A dyed-in-the-wool Vermonter, McCollom has dedicated much of his life to ski racing. Bill, congratulations, and thank you for all your hard work.

The Eastern Region class championship is awarded to the racer in each age class who accumulates the most world cup points in the four events of the regional championships.

Pictured are members of the 2009 Skier’s Edge Eastern Regional Team. Results can be found at: https://www.ussamasters.org/reports/2009/er/ES-ERClassChampions-WCPoints-ByClass.html

The 2009 Skier’s Edge Masters National Championships will be held at Sunday River, Maine in late March, drawing racers from across the country competing in downhill, super g, giant slalom and slalom.