Masters Moments: Busy week of action wraps up

It’s been a busy week in Masters regions across the country as competition heats up and we move into the meat of the racing season. Rocky Mountain continues with yet another speed weekend, while many regions host “Cup” races: Far West – The Bernard Cup, Intermountain – The Loritz Cup, and Eastern – The Janeway Cup.  Midwest hosted a slalom weekend at Welch Village, PNSA took the weekend off, some racers visiting other regions for their race fix, while others trained or rested.

It’s been a busy week in Masters regions across the country as competition heats up and we move into the meat of the racing season. Rocky Mountain continues with yet another speed weekend, while many regions host “Cup” races: Far West – The Bernard Cup, Intermountain – The Loritz Cup, and Eastern – The Janeway Cup.  Midwest hosted a slalom weekend at Welch Village, PNSA took the weekend off, some racers visiting other regions for their race fix, while others trained or rested. Northern hosted a slalom weekend, but no news was reported. So, as we move into the second half of the season, watch as old rivalries heat up and new, younger racers make their marks on results sheets, perhaps beginning their own Masters legacy. Take a look below at action across the country — proof that ski racing doesn’t end when you’re 18!!
— Barb Brumbaugh

The Rocky tour visits Keystone for GS/SG races
Rocky Mt Masters (RMM) visited Keystone this past weekend for a GS race on Saturday and a pair of Super Gs on Sunday. Always a favorite race venue, the hill did not disappoint. The GS course ran down Richter with open turns and a sweeping delay to help set up for the big right-foot fall-away turn before sending racers onto the flat section and onto the road. It is imperative that racers take advantage and set up so you don’t scrub speed entering the flat section of the course. The flats is where a racer’s tuck and glide ability determines how much speed is carried onto Lower Go Devil, the final steep pitch that drops precipitously into the valley below. With excellent snow conditions and a firm man-made base, the courses held up well for the 100 racers in attendance.
    After winning the first run for the men, Franz Fuchsberger eyed the finish on Lower Go Devil and cut a turn too tight, thus missing a gate resulting in a DQ. This allowed Richard Bradsby to climb aboard the top step on the podium to claim race victory for the men. Bradsby is a late-bloomer to the sport of ski racing and has become a contender at the national level. Second place went to the 2007 Rookie of the Year, DJ Otto. Running dead last on the course, Otto was only 0.04 seconds off of Bradsby’s time on a 75 second course. RMM president Jim Roberts finished in third place for the men after Fuxi registered his DQ.
    The women’s race was highly competitive with Jennifer Kaufman taking the gold medal and finishing sixth overall in the Elite Class, with Susan Roberts in second place and finishing just outside the Elite Class in eleventh overall. Carol Levine was the 2007 Rookie of the Year and finished the GS race in third place for the women, proving that in Masters ski racing age is not a determining factor in performance.
    Under blue skies, fantastic warm weather and firm snow it was an epic race day in the Colorado Rockies. Sunday’s Super G races were held on the same venue, but the start moved up the hill several hundred yards for additional gliding and speed generation. While flat light and snow were in the forecast, racers were in fact treated to another bluebird day at Keystone. Despite the significantly longer course, the winning SG race times were 4 seconds faster than the GS race; indicating the much faster speeds on the fast course set.
    Fuchsberger dominated the SG races by winning both races by handsome margins, and Jim Estelle was second in the first race with Bradsby in third. For the second race, Bradsby took second and DJ Otto was third. For the women, it was Montana-raised Jennifer Kaufman who won both races, with Susan Roberts in second and Tanya Muller-third for both races.
    It is becoming more and more challenging to host safe and reliable speed events these days, and the Keystone race department, led by Jay Sowers, is to be commended for setting a series of fun and challenging race courses that ran exceptionally well. Our courses have improved steadily over the years as evidenced by the ability of our youngest racers running at the back of the pack to finish with winning results.
    — Jim Roberts

Intermountain: Second annual Loritz Cup  
The second annual Loritz Cup had severe weather extremes, surprising defeats, amazing generosity and heroic race-saving by the Park City Mountain Resort Race Department.
    The Jans’ sponsored “Loritz Cup”, three days of Masters racing at PCMR, featured a super G, GS and slalom. The race was created for Park City resident Gary Loritz, who was instrumental in creating the Masters five-day-a-week training program, considered one of the best in the United States. Loritz, an excellent and well known racer, died last March of Lou Gerhig’s disease.
    Friday’s super G, the opening event in the 2008 Molecule F National Speed Series held on the long intermediate Payday run, required some serious prep by the Race Department after a foot of snow dumped overnight. The fluffy stuff was well slipped off by the time the race started. The men’s winner was Andy Baillargeon, in 1:00.48. For the women, Dana Alexandrescu-Leach, whose time placed her ninth overall among the men, won the women’s field in 1:02.83.
    Perhaps the most courageous racer of the day was Dard Aller, son of Eastern’s legendary Rod Aller, raced in his first ever Masters event, the super G. The 58-year-old man, living in Hawaii, has not skied for 35 years, signed up for the race last summer, then spent months thinking "What have I done!" He showed up early for a few days of training with the Skinners, and was surprised to find he needed  a) a helmet, and b) skis that were newer than 35 years old.
    Though Aller came in 77th, with a time of 1:26.25, he says, "I was so exhilarated. Now I’m addicted to Masters racing! It was absolutely thrilling!"
    Saturday’s GS had some surprises. "It was a picture perfect day. Everyone felt that Gary was looking over us," said head Masters coach Bill Skinner.
    There were also surprise victories. Masters racing is expanding, allowing younger racers to compete. Skinner explained, "We want younger racers to get into Masters, which is a lifetime sport. This weekend, we had a dozen racers from Weber State and BYU (Brigham Young Univ). As of this year, college racers who have USSA membership can race without having to purchase additional licenses."   One of those college racers, Natalie Brower, beat perennial women’s champion Dana Leach, 1:53.60 to 1:54.37; but Leach was gracious about her first loss in two years. Her husband, Ryan, who has been topping the men’s field since his marriage, took the men’s victory in 1:47.04.
    But the story of the weekend was how the PCMR race department pulled off a slalom under impossible conditions. High winds forced the resort to stop the lifts that went to the top, including the Eagle lift. This was after racers had already taken their race skis and packs to the start on Picabo’s. Suited and freezing racers were standing around the bottom of the lift, wondering if the race would be just delayed or actually canceled, and how they would get their stuff? That’s when the RD sprang into action.
    They took a s
nowmobile with a basket up to the start and brought down all the skis, backpacks and coats. They cut a crossover trail beside the terrain park on the Three Kings lift to the race hill, quickly rebuilt the timing start, and with the help of a dozen racers, quickly reset the entire course. Despite the wind and blowing sleet that reduced visibility, the RD held a perfect race, won by Dana and Ryan Leach in 1:16.79 and 1:10.16. It marked Dana’s former rival, Chris Katzenberger’s, return with a 1:21.60. The surprise of the super-seed; the top ten men, was Bill Skinner’s return to a competitive contest with his brother Bobby, who is the Master’s program men’s head night coach. Bob came in right after Ryan Leach with 1:10.93, Bill took third place with 1:11.37.
    The race was followed by the "Grand Finale," the awarding of the Loritz Cup for the best calculated results over the three days of racing. The names of the winners are inscribed on the beautiful bronze trophy every year, and the Cup itself is on permanent display at Adolph’s restaurant. The Cup winners this year were Bill Skinner, who beat brother Bobby by a mere 4/10ths of a second, and Nancy Auseklis. Also on the podium from the weekend’s overall results were the second place finishers, Bob Skinner and Anna Droege, followed by locals Keith McCauley and Glenn McConkey. Though there were younger racers who actually beat them out, the age handicap in figuring the winners made older racers the champs.
    But the heroes of the weekend, besides the PCMR race department, were our sponsor Jan’s/Rennstall who also donated over $1,000 to purchase all the food for the award parties at O’Shucks in Kimball Junction and Adolph’s, “Ernie” of Boot Works gave away over $1,000 worth of merchandise, including ski boots, insoles and other goodies.
    The Loritz event is part of the Jan’s Cup series. The next Jan’s Cup race will the Brett Pendleton Memorial Slalom to be held at Park City on Feb. 23-24,
    — Wina Sturgeon

New England Sise Cup: Beckedorff won’t back down
The SISE Cup made its annual return to Bromley and Stratton Mountains for two days of heated competition this past weekend. The Bromley slalom was up first and on the line, a coveted spot in the super seed for the second run. USCSA collegiate racers, competing on a different trail, joined the masters on the mountain and sadly, absent were the hundreds of boy scouts who seem to descend upon the mountain at this race every year. The race hill had a ton of snow and conditions on the track for the later racers began to resemble a bobsled run.
    On the woman’s side Carolyn Beckedorff continued her winning streak and complete domination with two solid runs making it look easy. Margaret Vaughn took second place with Deb Adams skiing to a solid third. This was Deb’s first time on the overall “podium” in a masters race and to prove that it had not gone to her head, she was gracious enough to sign autographs after the event for all her fans and supporters. Rounding out the top five was Gay Folland and Michelle Woloshin.
    Proof that aging doesn’t mean slowing down, the men’s super-seed was comprised of three members from class 8, Pepi Neubauer, Dorin Munteanu (complete with his entourage of J4 cheerleaders), and Bill McCollom (who after the race expressed his secret desire to lead a country jug band as his next career!). Also in the top ten mix, four class 6 guys, Bill “Team Z” Zimmerman, Mark George, Rich Jefferson, and Chris Wilcox.  Pat McNamara  (“Paddy Mac“) took the overall win with a blistering second run. Neubauer finished second with Mark George in third. Canadian Maxine Masse battled from the trenches of class one to place fourth overall and Jefferson moved up to take fifth.
    Next up was GS at Stratton Mountain, infamous for its challenging terrain, long race track, testing the stamina of all; and its complete lack of any convenient parking spaces. Up for grabs, the prestigious Janeway Cup awarded to the fastest male and female over the age of forty. Perhaps inspired by watching her five year old son Harrison tear up the course as a forerunner, Carolyn Beckedorff won the race in resounding fashion with Kerry Brennan coming in a distant second. Nadine Price skied to third followed by Gay Folland and Margaret Vaughn, who recovered nicely from an early morning parking lot injury, from which she was nearly decapitated.
    For the men, Bob Hill took the victory with McNamara just four hundredths behind. New York’s Neubauer placed third followed by Scott Hardy and Alex Gadbois. The Janeway Cup was recently upgraded to allow for the names of the winners to be engraved on its base for years to come. Bob Hill was the winner on the men’s side. Nadine Price, the previous winner of multiple Janeway Cup trophies was “announced” as the winner for the women. Though, after pictures and ceremony, it was realized that in fact Carolyn Beckedorff had moved up to class four and was now eligible to win the award. Ever the good sport, Nadine conceded the prize and Carolyn was named the 2008 Janeway Cup Champion along with Bob Hill.
    With Alex Gadbois moving into the overall lead for the men, and Carolyn Beckedorff remaining unchallenged atop the women’s standings, the Sise Cup Tour heads to New Hampshire for races at Cranmore and Wildcat. 
    — Kerry Brennan

New York Masters: Sprockhoffs’ dominate the weekend
Holimont and Holiday Valley held two pair of GS and slalom races this past weekend by hosting a small field of NY Masters, largely from western NY. A sizeable group of racers was missing as they headed to Bromley and Stratton to represent NY for a challenging weekend.
    In the first GS, Joel Solly ended up sandwiched between Tyler and Brett Sprockhoff, class 1 racers hailing from Northfield, Ohio. In the second race, Jim Thoman, making the trek from Syracuse, stepped up to the plate but couldn’t break up the Sprockhoff grip with Tyler once again taking the race, followed by Brett in second.
    For the women, it was local Cindy Goodin snatching the race and both runs from Angela Schneurch. Michele Ambor-Hutz held onto third by a slim margin. With Goodin and Ambor-Hutz missing from the second race, Schneurch took the win easily over regular NY racers Amy Slade and Margit Brazda-Poirer.
    On Sunday, racers headed over to Holiday Valley with much the same result as Solly once again battled the Sprockhoffs taking second, this time with Brett winning and Tyler in third. In slalom race number two, Brett and Tyler, separated by only seven hundredths kept Solly back in third.
    Schneurch took both slalom races over Amy Slade, with class 6 Nancy Fella as the only other women’s survivor taking third. Ambor-Hutz grabbed third in the second slalom.
    The NY Masters head to Greek Peak for giant slalom action on the Odyssey Trail on Super Bowl Sunday.
    — Barb Brumbaugh

Far West: Belden and Rolfe shine in the Bernard Cup
A dry spell has hit the Far West Division, but the annual Bernard Cup race was successfully held January 26-27 at Squaw Valley USA.  Both the Viva Italia Cup at Heavenly and the Kirkwood races were canceled due to storms that would’ve impressed the Donner Party. The Bernard Cup was an answer to pent-up demand for racing, as the previous two events on the schedule had fallen victim to a “feast-or-famine” snow situation, leaving everyone to wonder when the next race  could actually be held.
    With Mother Nature finally seein
g fit to cover the rocks with huge dumps of fluff, the Squaw Valley race crew outdid themselves with hill preparation, course maintenance, and hospitality. The GS course was set down the face of Exhibition, providing plenty of opportunity to satisfy the need for speed. According to tradition, the course began on a steep pitch, where it was intersected by a tricky and highly respected launching pad known simply as “the road.”  before continuing through another series of flats and steeps, and finally to finish arena. Of all the venues on the Far West schedule, the Squaw GS course seems to inspire the most colorful descriptions – and has certainly generated more than a few legendary tales. The combination of a great and well-prepared course, and racers eager to see action, provided for an exciting competition that was fun to watch and even more fun to race.
    The Bernard Cup is sponsored by Bob Bernard each year at the Squaw Valley race weekend. Bob played a key role in growth of masters ski racing in the 1980’s and 1990’s and created the "Bernard Cup" age handicapping system to provide a way to recognize outstanding skiing across the entire wide spectrum of masters age classes. The Bernard Cup, awarded to the top man and women racer in the overall standings of the race weekend, is one of the most challenging races on our Far West calendar and has been won by outstanding racers of all ages.
    On the men’s side, the formidable Mammoth Mountain team placed three racers in the top ten on Saturday and two on Sunday. Mammoth coach Pierre Jeangirard was close on the heels of Squaw Valley’s Kurt Belden, but home hill advantage and a pack of ardent J3 fans gave Belden just the edge he needed to hang on and claim victory. On the women’s side, the race was between Linda Crowell and Julie Rolfe, who were separated by a mere eleven-hundredths of a second after Saturday. On Sunday, as the weather blew in and conditions became challenging, the number of competitors dwindled, but not the willpower of Rolfe or Crowell. Rolfe ultimately triumphed, ensuring that the Mammoth team went home with the women’s Cup and bragging rights for the year to come.
    Far West welcomed several new racers into the fold at the Bernard Cup. Former high school or college racers, folks who hadn’t raced in decades, and two brave souls who’d never raced before, all joined for the weekend to see what the excitement was all about and to enjoy the camaraderie of the après-ski party that has become an annual ritual. At the party, President Sam Crowell invited each new racer to introduce himself or herself, and welcomed each with a gift. The enthusiasm that our new racers had for the experience was impressive, and we certainly hope to see them all at the next event – our speed series at Mammoth Mountain, Feb 1 – 3. In fact, we hope to see plenty of folks from outside the division come enjoy what is guaranteed to be a first class event put on by the Mammoth race crew.
    — Elizabeth Kennedy

Midwest Masters: Maxwell rules slalom
A double slalom weekend at Welch Village with temperatures in the mid-20s, hero snow, tight and twisty SL courses, and a BBQ post race!! Sounds like fun, and it was!! Special thanks go out to St. Croix Orthopaedics (www.stcroixortho.com) for sponsoring the race and donating two more pairs of race gloves. The lucky winners are Dr. Bruce Bonde and Pat “Killer” Hiller. Additional thanks to Bob Beedle, owner of Power Massage (www.powermassage.net), one of MWM’s newest sponsors. Bob was in the race shack giving free massages to anyone willing to “feel the burn”. Bob specializes in muscular regeneration, and has helped several world class athletes including Kristina Koznick and Sterling Grant.
    The first day of slalom was a fight to get out of the start gate and (up the hill?) over the knoll. It was just the first challenge in a particularly twisty set on Welch Village’s Bakkalika, one of the near-metro’s best hills for racing. The steep pitch on the face of “Bakk” makes for a challenging SL run, where any mistake generally costs the racer a DNF (or at least a hike). Flat light in the first run gave way to some sunshine in the second. Developing ruts kept the Race Crew on their toes and required four course resets.  Peter Maxwell cautioned from the start house about ruts in the course and class 12 Gunnar Gidlow responded, “I’ve seen more ruts than you’ll ever dream of seeing”. Gunnar’s as tough as nails!
    A broken heel-piece on a Matt Mattice Atomic binding started conversations of class-action lawsuits, while sponsor, Hoigaards, was there to save the day and attached another heel-piece between runs on their portable bench under the tent. Chris Gydesen oversaw the installation of the heel-piece, and made sure that Mattice’s DIN was cranked well over 4.5.
    In race one, Peter Maxwell scorched the field, followed Steve Lindemer and Mike Auge. For the women it was Patty Hoben taking the win, but not without a fight from Lindsey Shields. Gina Tester rounded out the podium. A repeat for Pete in race two as the podium remained the same for the men, just a little tighter race as Lindemer and Auge stepped up to the plate. Race two for the women saw Hoben and Shields only eleven hundredths apart, again followed by Tester.
    Sunday’s second day of slalom racing brought crisp early morning temperatures, but hero snow and bright sunshine were both helpful in tackling the fun and challenging courses set on “Bakk” by our awesome race crew…the best in the nation!!
    Surprised by an unexpected visitor, Steven Kalina, just returning from two Marine duty tours to Iraq, Kalina foreran the afternoon courses and shredded them up with grace and ease. Hopefully, Steven will be joining us again at future races.
Maxwell again with the win by over three seconds with Casey Weiss and Nick Sargent following in second and third. Patty Hoben continued her slalom streak, this time taking the win convincingly over Nina Sargent and Judy Woellner.    
    Maxwell, showing no signs of backing off the pace again relegated Weiss and Sargent to the bottom steps of the podium in the second race.
    Lindsey Shields pushed Hoben over the brink, registering a first run time only 0.03 off the pace to force Hoben to push it in her second run. Shields easily took the win over Sargent and Woellner after Hoben registered letters (DNF) instead of numbers for her run.
    Midwest Masters head to Giants Ridge for four GS races this weekend.
    — David Buyse

Results links
Central https://www.midwestmasters.org/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsItemID=175
Far West https://www.farwestmasters.org/results/results.asp
Intermountain https://www.intermountainmasters.org/2008/results.html
New England https://www.nemasters.org/sched08.html
New York https://www.nymasters.org/results.htm
Northern https://www.northernmasters.org/linkPages/results.htm
PNSA https://www.pnsamasters.org/currentresults.htm
Rocky https://www.rmmskiracing.org/