Masters Moments: Western Region team set

Despite high winds and subzero temperatures, the Skier's Edge Masters Western Region Championships at Vail Feb. 1-4 were a success.
DESPITE HIGH WINDS and subzero temperatures, the Skier's Edge Masters Western Region Championships at Vail Feb. 1-4 were a success.
    Rika Moore, PJ and Ski Club Vail did not take no for an answer when more than 100 masters from across the country gathered for a training day of super G and the super G event, with more than 10 inches of new snow to contend with. Masters never give up — PJ led the charge and with a group effort, cleared the snow, and two timed training runs were held despite 40-plus mph winds. On race day, to the surprise of the Rocky Mountain division, speedsters Tim Hill (PN) took the super G overall crown, edging traveling buddy Toby Chapman (NO) by .23 seconds.
    Dennis Wilhelmsen (NO) was third. For the women, it was the start of a weekend battle between Rocky division's Jennifer Kaufman and Intermountain's Dana Alexandrescu-Leach, with the super G going to Kaufman by less than a second. Elyse Tanner (RM) was third overall.
    For the start of Saturday's tech events, the temperatures rose and the sun made a showing as the field size increased to 143 racers. Alexandrescu-Leach showed her slalom style and moved ahead of Kaufman for the women's title and the return of Carol Levine (RM) surprised the field, as she took third. Pepi Neubauer (EA) opened the tradition battle with Knut Olberg (PN) and Bob Sarchett (IM) winning Group D men's slalom. On the other venue, the younger men were having it out in GS and the Rocky Mountain men ruled. Rich Bradsby won the first run and held off a charging Franz Fuchsberger for the overall win, while Erik Klemme claimed third.
    Sunday, groups switched venues. The young guns duked it out in slalom and the out-of-staters ruled again. Hill found the form that won him the super G and came back to win overall. Toby Chapman was runner-up and Kurt Belden (FW) placed third. On the GS hill, Kaufman smoked the second run to overtake Alexandrescu-Leach by just .02. Booka Smith (RM) was third. Neubauer led the older men with Bob Sarchett (IM) second and David MacKown (IM) third.
    The Skier's Edge Western Region Team was determined by the best age-class results for all three races. Neubauer, the runaway winner in men's Class 8, was not eligible for the Western team as he races for the East. Complete results can be found at www.ussamasters.org.

Skier's Edge Western Region Team 2007
Class 12  Gunar Gidlow (CN)
Class 11  Harold Wescott (FW)  Mary Inkster (PN)
Class 10  Carl Fullman (IM)  Barbara Sullivan (FW)
Class 9    Lee Kaufman (NO)  Carol Whelan (PN)
Class 8    Bob Sarchett (EA)  Glenn McConkey (IM)
Class 7    Victor Roy (PN)   Charlene Braga (FW)
Class 6    Stein Halsnes (RM)  Linda Crowell (FW)
Class 5    Franz Fuchsberger (RM) Victoria Valar (RM)
Class 4    Tim Hill (PN)  Susan Roberts (RM)
Class 3    Steve Lindemer (CN)  Jennifer Kaufman (RM)
Class 2    Toby Chapman (NO)  Dana Alexandrescu-Leach (IM)
Class 1    Dj Otto (CN)  Tamara Pogue (RM)

Masse scores “hat trick” in New England Masters racing
    New England Masters racing took on an international flavor last weekend as the Canadians came to town Feb. 2-4. Maxine Masse traveled with a group of six competitors from Quebec and he won everything in sight, including a SG, GS, slalom and combined. Brian Irwin (M3) was shut out of a speed win in the SG by only 0.02. In one of the closest races this season, Irwin held off Jerome Guerard (M3), Tip Kimball (M5) and Jim Nash (M5) as the top five men were all within 0.83.
    Sally White (W6) made a rare appearance on the Sise Cup circuit and was in awe of SG Lisa Densmore's run. “I wish I could've seen that run, it was just amazing — over THREE SECONDS, that's unbelievable!” Nadine Price (W6), Margaret Vaughn (W5) and Gay Folland (W7) rounded out the top five.
    The first speed event of the season, set snug in the middle of the trail, comforted the technical skiers and for the most part still satisfied the speed skiers. Peter Cornish and the Okemo crew provided a well-run, safe event that left racers craving more speed.
    A talent-packed field showed up for the Sunapee GS on Saturday. Jessie McAleer (W3) took a “hit” near the top of the course, tweaking her knee. Luckily, she was able to walk (albeit gingerly) away from the hill, and hopefully will be back soon to defend her title. Kerry Brennan (W2) re-emerged from several weeks off with confidence. She closed the gap on the second run, but was unable to catch Carolyn Beckedorff (W3). Brennan quipped that she was fresh off the J4-J5 circuit as a forerunner. “I crushed those little kids!” Edging Brennan in the first run was Abbi Lefebvre (pronounced “Le Fave”). Tracy Beckerman (W3) and Densmore (W5) held on to top-five finishes.
    Matt Aeschliman (M2) won the first run, but followed with an uncharacteristically safe second run to finish behind Masse. Steve Ouellete (M2) and Kimball (M5) exchanged runs to finish third and fourth, and Guerard followed in fifth. Bob Hill (M5) returned to place pressure on the field with the second-fastest second run, but had too much time to make up from the first run. It was his first appearance this season, as Hill is sacrificing his own racing for his kids: “Two kids racing, two cars, two different directions every weekend.”  
    Sunday, Gunstock: Completing her second win of the weekend, Beckedorff won the slalom and the combined, handing her 300 points toward the overall. Lefebvre eked out a 0.23 lead in class over Kim Wolff in the first run, but Wolff returned the favor and held onto 80 overall points. Ever-so-consistent Vaughn claimed fourth followed by Meg Nutter (W6).
    Masse's weekend would not be whole without completing his hat trick at Gunstock on Super Bowl Sunday, also giving him the combined win for a 400-point weekend. Max won the first slalom run, starting dead last. Dave Wolff (M4) won the second run, but settled for second, 0.24 shy of overtaking Masse. Mark Budreski (M3) and Aeschliman tied for third, followed by ex-Clarkson and Gunstock local Ben Green (M1). Also making it into the Superseed (second run showdown for top 10 of first run, regardless of class) was Ouellete, Mark George (M6), Kimball, Scott Berube (M4) and Rick Cesati (M2).
    In the first Superseed this year, nothing could be taken for granted as the top 10 racers jockeyed for position, racing together under similar conditions. Ouellete, with the third-fastest time of the run, charged like a bull down the course. George said in amazement after his run (following Ouellete), there was nothing similar about the course: “Ouellete didn't leave anything standing. He destroyed the course! I had to look for remnants — dye marks, tracks, then a stub of a gate here and there! I even had to dodge a gate laying in the track — it was still moving!” Ouellete snickered in the background. Good, friendly competition is what masters is all about.
    Finally, a warm welcome to all the new faces on the start lists this weekend. Keep comin
g back and bring your friends. Feb. 10-11, New England Masters heads to Pico and Okemo for a GS weekend. George and McAleer continue to lead the overall standings.
    Injured this season, Stacy Weston visited and provided excellent photography at Gunstock. Links to the photos will be on the Web site along with complete results at www.nemasters.org.