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Kivort Steel growing in fundraising

Six years ago, Rob Kivort rode in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure for what he calls "pure exercise." It was only on the car ride home after that day's 75-miler that the owner of Waterford-based Kivort Steel made the connection.

"That's when it hit me," Kivort said, "that my brother has diabetes."

The next year, Kivort began his company-backed fundraising team, Kivort Steel, with the help of seven good friends. Last Sunday, June 5, in Saratoga Springs, the team, sporting matching orange-and-navy jerseys, added up to 129 riders and raised more than $88,000. Such numbers have made Kivort the No. 1 fundraising team in New York state so far this year -- a spot the team claimed in 2010 -- and No. 4 four among corporate teams in the U.S. But even exponential growth must be done step-by-step.

"I call us a pick-up team," said Howard Katz, a Kivort team captain who reached out to cyclists in the region this past year by spending every Saturday in a different area bike shop, passing out fliers and showing off the team jersey.

For Katz getting involved was a very personal matter. Diabetes claimed the life of his daughter, Jennifer, a year and a half ago, when she was 37. "Most people who are involved in this don't have diabetes, they know someone who does. My daughter passed away, so this became much more my passion," Katz said.

"But I know that without what Rob (and his business partner Michael Polischuk) are doing, I'd just be a guy in a store recruiting. They give me the tools."

Those tools included organizing spring training rides, where members of Kivort would map out routes and provide drinks and nutrition bars to team riders. Katz and Kivort were originally Sunday golf buddies before they came to channel their inner maillot jaune. "And at the time of the first ride," said Kivort, "Howard was like 'Oh shoot Rob's not going to play golf with me, he's on this silly bike ride.'"

This year's Capital Region Tour de Cure raised more than $650,000 for diabetes research.

Participating teams ranged from the size of Kivort or Gold's Gym (with around 100 riders who have raised close to $50,000) all the way to smaller squads like the 18-member team from Four Corners Luncheonette in Delmar, which raised more than $9,000 -- and brought along 1,000 of the eatery's "performance muffins" for the riders.

This piece was originally published by The Times Unionon June 10, 2011.

Fifer's Day shines

Well before Boxborough's annual event celebrating its role in the American Revolution existed, Mary Larson was embodying the qualities that would someday make her a Gold Fife recipient.

Larson, the 2009 Golden Fife Award winner for exceptional service to the town, is a long-time Boxborough resident who attended all four original town schoolhouses before she went on to graduate from Acton High School in 1946.

"We are privileged to have her as a role model and as the eldest member of our family," her grandson Jake Sims said at the June 20 Fifer's Day award presentation at Flerra Field.

She served as a Sunday school teacher and was chairwoman to the Boxborough Rummage Sale in addition to being involved with the town's Girl Scouts.

Larson also held the positions of town clerk and town accountant, working out of her house due to a lack of office space at Town Hall. She also helped organize the popular Wednesday night bowling night that Boxborough residents enjoyed for many years.

"I feel honored and grateful," she said. "Thank you one and all"

Although the tradition has certainly grown since 1967, Fifer's Day—which began as a small gathering at the fire station—still retains its small-town, old-time roots.

The event, which is named in honor of Luther Blanchard, the Boxborough fifer who marched at the Concord Bridge and was the first one wounded in the Battle of Concord in 1775.

"It's the idea of coming together as a community where everybody seems to know each other," said resident Brett Herrick. "It's a great way for us to celebrate our small but significant community."

The celebration began with the Fifer's Day Road Race at 9:30 a.m. and continued on with a parade from Blanchard School to the Field for the presentation of teh year's Parade Marshall and the Golden Fife Award.

Despite reports of rain, the run stayed out through midday, and with a constant stream of live music, hot food off the grill. With the tenacity of the annual volleyball tournament and dunk tank set-up, the festive atmosphere never waned.

"It brings the entire town together, everybody's here, there's all kinds of things to do for people of all ages, and it's just fun," said Jeff Fuhrer of the Boxborough Minutemen.

The annual Road Race, which covered a four-mile course starting and ending at Flerra Field, was son by Teddy Farley, 18, of Acton.

"I just like going my hardest and trying to bring out the best in myself and everybody else," said Farley.

The parade, which featured a caravan of police cruisers, fire engines, antique cars, motorcycles and, of course tractors, then made its way from Blanchard School to Flerra Field, tracing its route along Massachusetts Avenue and Stow Road.

In addition to the whine of sirens—for effect—and the drone of old engines, the fife-and-drum music of Boxborough's Minutemen filled the air along with the horns and snares of the Blanchard School band.

The parade also showcased four notable Boxborough residents, Parade Marshall Donna Corey; Eric Scherfling as Luther Blanchard; Michaella Kendrick as Lucie Hager; and Larson.

Corey, the Parade Marshall, was honored for her years of dedication to the town and was especially noted for her contributions to youth softball.

Scherfling and Kendrick, two Blanchard School students, dressed as Luther Blanchard and Lucie Hager, respectively, for the parade.

Also honored at the ceremony were scholarship award recipients Elizabeth Morse and William Spaulding, both of Boxborough and both of whom will be attending Endicott College in the fall.

This piece was originally published by The Beaconon June 22, 2009.

Trail racing

A great way to mix it up

For our regular cross country runners out there—those athletes training to race on three-plus miles of gravel and dirt—the rise of trail running is something of a “told-you-so” moment in running. Training on trails is fun? Told you so. Planning out a race schedule where the courses are varied each week is fun? Told you so. Logging miles and scenic vistas is fun? Told you…well, that is where trail running is unique. What follows is a first-person look at the fastest-growing sport in the United States, one that had 6 million Americans racing in 2012 after 4.8 million participated in 2009—and one where racing up mountains is no hyperbole.

Runners cruise through one of the flatter sections of the Western New Hampshire Trail Run Series’ final race, Lost a Lot 2014, in Lebanon, NH. The race was run in memory of series founder Chad Denning. Photo courtesy of Valerio Viti.

Firstly, why the appeal? Well, for as much as road racing (the other common series for many post-collegiate cross country runners, and Marx’s own Team Run) has its Grand Prix and local striders and pub runs, trail racing has its Mountain Circuit and weekend warriors and festival atmosphere. The Western NH Trail Run Series (WNHTRS), a group of nine different trail events occurring in the upper valley of New Hampshire and Vermont each summer, is one of several series in New England, the others being the North Shore Trail Series, South Shore Trail Series, Grand Tree Trail Series and, of course, USATF New England Mountain Circuit. (Tragically the founder of the WNHTRS, Chad Denning, passed away while hiking a section of the AT this past summer; the final race of that series, Lost a Lot, was run in his memory.) Trail running courses typically follow tight single-track, such as on old Mount Ascutney Ski Area’s mountain bike trails during WNHTRS’s “Frenzy in the Forest,” and often feature several calf-cramping ascents followed by quad-burning downhill sections into the finish. Indeed, it is precisely these elements that blur the line between cross country running and “fastpacking,” making for a unique racing challenge.

That’s not to say that trail running is its own bubble, however. Sure, there are those athletes who exclusively pencil in events like the Mountain Circuit and WNTRS on their race calendars, but more often the field is a meeting point for a variety of athletes; road runners from running clubs looking to mix up their season, high school Nordic athletes looking to improve their fitness before the winter, or veteran runners just having fun on the trails. This summer, while racing the WNTRS, it was not uncommon for the field to spread out to a 45-minute gap between the leaders and last finishers, with the leaders cheering the latter on to the finish line. And with course distances ranging between five miles and just under eight miles, a series like WNHTRS is feasible to race without half-marathon or marathon level of training.

So, all in all, if you have yet to try a trail race, time to mix it up. And get ready for some real hills!

This piece was originally published on Marx Running & Fitness's blog on October 24, 2014.

Beisel back to China

Heading back to China for World Championships, Beisel happier than ever

Sometimes, even when you’re staring at the bottom of a pool, a change of scenery still makes waves. For Saunderstown-born Elizabeth Beisel, 18, a member of the US Women’s Swimming and Diving Team, such change has meant an up-shift of gears.

Beisel competes at the University of Florida.

Indeed Beisel, a 2010 graduate of North Kingston High School who is currently competing at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai through July 31, recently completed her first year of school as a Gator at the University of Florida, where the already-energetic Rhode Islander injected even more life into her swimming career.

“Working with a different group of people like I’ve had in the first year of college has refreshed the way I look at the sport,” wrote Beisel via email as she traveled with the US team on her way to Shanghai. “And I’m starting to like [swimming] a lot more than I did a few years ago just because of the change.”

Beisel, who will compete in the 200-meter backstroke and 400-meter individual medley events to be held Friday through Sunday in Shanghai, swims at Florida under the direction of coach Gregg Troy, who has won 26 national titles during his time in Gainesville and will coach the US Men’s team at the London Olympics next August.

Troy, who has seen his fair-share of Gators-turned world-class swimmers—such as Beijing Olympic medalists Dara Torres and Ryan Lochte—can attest that Beisel’s reformed passion has already shown itself in the practice pool. (Beisel also competed at the Beijing games in 2008, though after posting the best time in the 400 IM prelims did not medal in the final.)

“She has taken her enjoyment of the sport to a new level,” wrote Troy via email. “The energy she brings to practice has created a very likable situation [and] the result has been a greater consistency in training.”

Yet for Beisel, this weekend in Shanghai will be the test to see if practicing consistently translates to sustained top results in pool competition. In the buildup to FINA, for instance, the University of Florida hosted the Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships in late February, where Beisel won the two events she will swim in China—and notably set an SEC record in the 400-yard IM in the process.

However, in the NCAA Championship meet a month later in Minneapolis, the SEC Freshman of the Year and soon-to-be All-American placed second and third in her two trademark events, the 400IM and 200 back, respectively. Still—and especially for an athlete who trained through sectionals and has only recently begun her seasonal tapering—mental toughness may very well take the day this weekend.

“Coach Troy drills into our heads that we need to be confident when we swim, no matter what,” wrote Beisel. “All you can do is depend on your mental capacity and how confident you are and that’s been a new mentality I’ve had in the last year that’s helped me improve a lot, especially going from club swimming to college swimming.”

Added Troy, “[We have a] training environment with a large group of very experienced athletes who focus on competition at the highest level, [combined with the] ability for us to consistently train at a level that is very intense.”

Indeed, since Troy is the Olympic men’s coach—which requires additional focus on long-course training and competition—Gainesville is more than your typical college pool and attracts swimmers, like Beisel, with international goals on the mind. And yet as Troy emphasized, Florida even goes so far as to make it a priority, gaining ample support from both administration and staff, such as from associate head coaches Martyn Wilby (1982-1986 British National Team member) and Anthony Nesty, a UF alum who won the first-ever Olympic medal for his home country of Suriname in the 1988 Seoul Games—and a gold at that.

“This allows us the ability to work with the athletes in a variety of different styles,” wrote Troy. “Our athletes like Elizabeth who have the opportunity to do something special at the international level will have even more training and racing opportunities than usual.”

And so for Beisel, who noted that she still misses home, where “everyone knows everybody,” she’s at the same time gaining a new sense of place, and one on a global scale.

“It’s going to be really exciting to see all of the other swimmers,” she wrote, “especially since the whole group didn’t taper together. We’re always going to be representing the University of Florida as well as our nations and we’re a really close-knit group. I can’t wait to see how they swim at Worlds.”

This article was originally published in The Standard Times on July 28, 2011. Photo courtesy of Mike Comer/Pro Swim Visuals.

McInerney medals

Westford resident medals at World Summer Games

In the world of horses, life is nonbverbal. Yet for David McInerney, 15, of Westford, that’s just the way life’s magic should be. McInerney, a tenth-grader at Westford Academy who is high-functioning autistic, returned home last Wednesday after competing as an equestrian rider at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece, where he won two silver medals and a bronze—and in the process displayed mastery of a sport in which verbal communication is rare.

“We kept saying that he needed to learn to say ‘walk, trot, and whoa’ in Greek,” said his mother Marcy, who traveled to Athens along with seven other family members to cheer on her son, “and I kept teasing him that the horses in Greece had wings.”

To which David replied: “I never used verbal commands, only physical…and of course a Pegasus doesn’t exist.” (A Pegasus is a white-winged horse in Greek mythology symbolizing wisdom and fame.)

Indeed, in many equestrian competitions, riders are forbidden from using verbal commands with their horses, yet that didn’t stop McInerney, whose formal diagnosis is PDD-NOS (pervasive development disorder, not otherwise specified, a condition that affects socialization and communication), from improving his own social skills or hearing the multilayered voices unique to the World Summer Games. In equitation, for example, where riders are judged on their posture while mounted, all seven coaches in the ring would translate the given English instructions into their riders’ respective language at the exact same time. Yet for McInerney, who had won several gold medals at the state finals and for whom this was his first international competition, the cacophony still didn’t deter him from securing a bronze medal.

“The state finals are at a local barn, and you know everyone who’s there,” said his coach Margaret McDaniel. “At the worlds, it’s different riders, different countries, different riding styles—sometimes a matter of hands and feet and leg positions.”

McDaniel, an instructor at Anidmar Stables in Billerica, first hatched the idea of McInerney competing at the World Games last summer. Then, after he was selected for Athens, the instructor traveled with her protégée to Team USA’s training camp in San Diego at the end of March, where, between many games of Uno, McInerney finally got to meet his fellow teammates, coaches, and ride a variety of different horses.

“He had to be prepared to accept others,” said McDaniel. [Before San Diego] “I had him ride with my own personal instructor, with different horses. And his personality has come out more and more, especially since he decided to do the World Games.”

Indeed, six years ago, at his first lesson, McInerney rode a horse named Poop while three instructors surrounded him on the horse, aiding his balance. Then, in Athens last month, McInerney rode a Greek horse named Cool Water, fitting for the self-collection it takes to ride and compete.

“I tested him and he was pretty good for me,” said McInerney, “and I was like, ‘I’ll keep this piece for this game of chess.”

“Riding has given him a lot of confidence,” added Marcy.

The McInerney family’s experience in Greece was more than just athletic, however, as their credentials gave them free admission to many sites and museums. And prior to the Games, which ran from June 25 to July 4, each country’s athletes went to a different part of Greece for team building, as well as to acclimate to the climate and the culture. (Team USA spent five days on the Isle of Rhodes, and Marcy noted that while in Athens the athletes were kept well away from any riots, although strikes on the metro made for a steep taxi bill.)

“And it was very interesting to run into other people with credentials and kind of say we’re here for the same reason,” she said.

Added his sister Patty McInerney, “and even if you couldn’t verbally communicate, you’d give them a thumb’s up.”

So now, back in Westford, David McInerney and the family are reflecting on the experience and already excited about the future. McDaniel, who had David cantering for the first time this year, hopes to have him jumping soon, she said. It’s a long way to come from sitting wobbly atop Poop.

“A lot of times on our way to horseback riding, he will fall asleep on the way there,” said Marcy. “And then he will have his lesson, and he will not stop talking on the ride home. It’s like he gets wired.”

Added David, “I have no idea how that’s even possible; it might happen like magic.”

This piece was originally published in the Westford Eagle on July 14, 2011. All photos courtesy of Marcy McInernery

Cultural council meets with Acton selectmen

In addition to its annual school theatre productions and summer concert series, the Acton-Boxborough community plays host throughout the year to a number of arts events and cultural programs that likewise contribute to the towns' vibrant atmosphere.

But while many residents are likely aware of the behind-the-scenes source of the latest performance of "Charlie Brown" or a show by Pink Floyd cover band "Gilmour's Breakfast"——the high school and the town recreation department, respectivel——they are perhaps less in the know when it comes to the promoter of such events as the recent Short Film Night in Boxborough. Enter the Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council (ABCC).

"These events truly make a town what it is," said ABCC chairwoman Reshma Singh. "Our goal is to bring people together in a community as diverse as ours."

The council, which was established in 1982, is composed entirely of volunteers who are dedicated to bringing cultural programming and artistic events to the Acton-Boxborough community. The council works with grant funds given by the overseeing Massachusetts Cultural Council in order to sponsor events such as jazz and classical music concerts, vocal performances, opera, and public art installations within Acton and Boxborough.

On June 8, at its annual oversight meeting with the Acton Board of Selectmen, the cultural council presented its accomplsihments from the past year and its plans for the upcoming year.

Since June 2008, in addition to having tables at Octoberfest and Acton Day, the council has brought the Delvena Theatre Production's performance of "The Titanic Sinks as Acton Sleeps," the "Our World International Film Festival," and the Longwood Opera's production of "Don Pasquale" to the Acton-Boxborough community. This upcoming year, the council will invite Longwood to Acton for the sixth straight year to put on Puccini's "Tosca" in October.

The council also plans to bring the successful International Film Festival to Acton for 2010 and is working on a green project for the future, one similar to its Arboretum project that has been done in the past.

In addition, this Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. the ABCC will present a free concert on the lawn behind Acton Memorial Library by local world-beat band Wildest Dreams as a part of the council's popular Our World series and as its second annual free concert.

"In the past we've done China Day and Russian Day and Brazil [as a part of the Our World series]" said cultural council treasurer Mitzi Garcia-Weil. "[The concert]" was so successful last year we elected that if we can we will put on a yearly musical event for the town."

Indeed, over 200 residents showed up to enjoy the music at last year's free concert and the council hopes for an even greater turnout this year. There will be henna painting, kids' crafts, dinner foods for sale from Savoury Lane and dessert treats from Dylan & Pete's old-fashioned ice cream truck.

At the June 8 meeting, the Board of Selectmen had nothing but praise for the cultural council, whose goals line up with theirs.

Said Selectman Terra Friedrichs, "We're looking to weave arts throughout the community."

This article was originally published in The Beacon on June 11, 2009.

Nordic at Junior Olympics and NCAAs

Entering Friday’s 20-kilometer classic mass start race at the NCAA Skiing Championships, Wyatt Fereday ‘11 was ranked second to last in the 39-man field. One hour later, the senior captain crossed the finish line in the top 25. Indeed, with his highest collegiate finish of 18th in the classic technique all year, Fereday placed a respectable 24th in a time of 1:08:13.6—and at nationals of all places.

“To be 24th in that field was amazing,” said head coach Tracey Cote. “He beat several [Junior Olympic] champions and former NCAA champions.”

Teammate Jake Barton, who was ranked 29th going in, covered the course at Stowe’s Trapp Family Lodge in 1:08:56.1, good for 26th overall. Barton and Fereday combined to pick up 30 points on the day and Colby placed 11th out of 17 scoring teams.

“Jake had a great showing,” said Cote. “And especially for a sophomore. Sometimes the places at NCAA nationals can look not that impressive, but if you live in the ski world and know the names—the results Jake and Wyatt pulled off were amazing.”

Two days prior, on Wednesday’s 10-kilometer freestyle technique race, Fereday and Barton finished in 26th and 38th places, respectively, in times of 27:38.1 and 28:27.6. Dartmouth, Colby’s familiar foe all season, took three of the top five spots. Norwegian Vegard Kjoelhamar of University of Colorado at Boulder was the top non-Big Green finisher in at a time of 26:10.3, just behind race winner Sam Tarling (26:05.7).

“It's crazy to be out there among so many fast skiers at NCAAs,” said Fereday. “Especially the Europeans from all the western schools. The crowds were amazing despite all the rain, and it was also pretty cool to be able to go cheer on our alpine guys [in the slalom] after the classic race.”

1,300 miles away, Levin Zars, Olga Golovkina and Jared Supple competed in the Junior Olympics at the City of Lakes Loppet Nordic Ski Foundation just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Where, notably, all competitors stayed in the same downtown hotel and were bused to the racecourse each day, making for the greenest Junior Olympics yet.)

“The courses were difficult, but the New England coaching staff was great at preparing skis for us,” said Golovkina. “The whole race was also very well organized.”

In the freestyle sprint on Monday, Supple placed 25th out of 56 competitors with a time of 3:20.90 while Golovkina placed 7th out of 33 racers with a time of 34:52.7. On Wednesday, in the 15-kilometer mass start classic on Wednesday, Zars and Supple placed 28th and 33rd, respectively, in times of 44:09.2 and 45:11.7 out of the 56-racer field. Then, in Friday’s 5-kilometer freestyle race, Golovkina placed 26th out of 33 in 13:46.5 while in the 10-kilometer freestyle race, Zars placed 17th in 24:33.0 while Supple took 45th in 26:18.2.

“The New England team won the Alaska Cup again [given to the best regional team],” added Golovkina, “and by a lot. It was fun to ski for New England but also to represent Colby.”

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on March 16, 2011.

The end for some, NCAAs and Junior Rings for others

It was the last of times or, for some members of the Colby Nordic ski team, the last of team times. Indeed, with the Bates Carnival concluding their season, the Mules either had one more shot to improve upon a season of work or, ideally, to qualify for one more race—the 2011 NCAA Skiing Championship in Stowe, Vermont or the Junior Olympics in Minneapolis, Minnesota, both to be held in mid-March. And so, with the fresh snowfall on Friday making the course at Black Mountain a winter wonderland, Colby put wax to flake once again, with the men taking fifth and the women 10th on Sunday and both teams placing seventh on Saturday.

“There was a lot of new snow, so conditions were a bit slow and tough,” said men’s captain Wyatt Fereday ‘11. “But everyone skied strong and finished off the year with great efforts.”

In the 10-kilometer freestyle race on Saturday, Fereday placed 16th overall in a time of 30:13.1, leading a Mule pack which also featured Jake Barton ‘13 (20th, 30:18.4), John Dixon ’14 (33rd, 30:53.6), Corey Park ’12 (37th, 31:16.8), Levin Zars ’14 (41st, 31:35.7) and Jared Supple ’13 (58th, 33:35.4). On the women’s side, Molly Susla ‘13 cracked the top 20 with a 19th in the 5-kilomter race (16:30.0) as Lizzie Anderson ‘14 (35th, 17:01.9), co-captain Missy Krause ‘12 (38th, 17:07.3), Emma Donohoe ’14 (49th, 17:43.2), co-captain Olga Golovkina ‘13 (55th, 18:11.2) and Maeve McGovern ’14 (58th, 18:44.8) rounded out the scoring. UVM, Dartmouth and UNH went 1,2,3, for the women’s team scores while Dartmouth, UVM and Bates did the same for the men.

On Sunday, the men’s team improved to fifth overall out of the 12 teams as Barton and Fereday traded places in the 20-kilometer classic mass start. Barton took 15th overall in a time of 1:04:49.0 while Fereday placed 18th in 1:05:03.5. Zars (33rd, 1:06:22.6), Dixon (40th, 1:08:32.0) and Supple (41st, 1:09:25.4) ensured every Mule finished in the top 50. Dartmouth and UVM retained the top two spots while Williams moved up to third. For the women, Anderson and Golovkina stuck together at the finish line, taking 25th (56:24.8) and 26th (56:28.1) respectively, while Krause (35th, 58:00.5), Susla (46th, 59:59.6), McGovern (48th, 1:00:25.6) and Donohoe (49th, 1:00:48.0) edged into the top 50 as well. Powerhouses Dartmouth and UVM in the team scoring went 1-2 while host Bates took third.

“It was pretty sweet to see so much snow,” said Fereday. “[Head Coach] Tracey [Cote] and [Assistant Coach] Nick [Kline] did a great job waxing on Sunday. Super fun weekend. Some parents brought some really great food for afterward, so our spread was holding its own against Dartmouth and Williams.”

Coming out of the weekend, both Fereday and Barton qualified for NCAAs at the Trapp Family Lodge from March 9-12 while Zars, Supple, and Golovkina will be headed to the Junior Olympics on March 7-12.

“We've had a very good season as a team, considering most of our top skiers are either freshmen or sophomores,” said Golovkina. “We are looking forward to next year to grow as a team and really do some damage."

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on March 2, 2011.

Nordic crashes a party at Middlebury

On Friday at the Middlebury College Ski Carnival, something unprecedented happened for the Colby men’s Nordic team. With the lead of third-place finisher and captain Wyatt Fereday ’11, the Mules took second place in the 10-kilometer freestyle technique, thereby breaking Dartmouth and UVM’s streak of carnival dominance. The Big Green and Catamounts had either won or taken second in every carnival this year, and the last time neither team finished in the top spot was at last year’s Middlebury Carnival, where St. Lawrence University took top honors. Fereday, who one of four Colby skiers in the top 20, covered the course in 24:58.3, while teammates Jake Barton ’13, Levin Zars ’14 and Corey Park ’12 took 10th, 12th, and 16th in times of 25:47.0, 26:11.5, and 26:44.9, respectively. Dartmouth won the meet as host Middlebury and UVM finished behind Colby in third and fourth.

“We made our goal of podium, which was sweet,” said Fereday. Molly Susla ’13 had one word for it: “Incredible!”

On the women’s side, Colby placed fifth out of the twelve teams, with Lizzie Anderson ’14 leading the Mules in 31:27.4—good for 20th overall—and teammate Missy Krause ‘12 finishing 24th in 31:37.1. Molly Susla ’13 (34th, 32:20.1), Emma Donohoe ’14 (43rd, 32:57.0) and Sarah Brockett ’14 (54th, 34:36.7) rounded out the scoring for Colby. The top-half result is all the more impressive considering women’s co-captain Olga Golovkina ’13 was out for the weekend with the flu.

“The women were missing [their] top skier but skied exceptionally well without her,” said head coach Tracey Cote. “One of their best weekends of the year.”

On Saturday, both teams placed sixth in a freestyle sprint relay, for which the weather was, as Susla described, “windy as hell, and snowy and cold.” Dixon, Fereday and Barton combined for a time of 27:30.8 for the men as Donohoe, Krause and Anderson put together a time of 33:27.6.

Echoing Susla, Cote said that Saturday was “incredibly windy and cold.”

“The sprint relay was way fun though,” added Fereday.

This weekend the Mules compete at the Bates Carnival at Black Mountain in Rumford, hoping to qualify for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Ski Championships to be held at Stowe from March 9-12.

“We hope to carry the positive momentum into our races at Bates next weekend,” said Cote.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on February 23, 2011.

Nordic weekend

The hills were alive with the sound of swishing at the Vonn Trapp Family Lodge last weekend in Stowe, Vermont. Indeed, after capping off January with its fourth-straight victory in Chummy Broomhall Cup—and thus being crowned the best in Maine yet again—the Colby Nordic ski teams opened February with a top-half showing by the men and performance to build upon by the women.

Jake Barton ‘13 took 17th overall in the 20-kilometer classic mass start at the (officially named) University of Vermont Ski Carnival on Friday, covering the course with a time of 1:05:02.4. Teammates John Dixon ‘14 and senior captain Wyatt Fereday squeezed into the top 30 (29th and 30th, respectively, with times of 1:07:00.6 and 1:07:04.0) while Paco DeFrancis ’14 (1:07:21.9) Corey Park ’12 (1:07:58.0) and Levin Zars ’14 (1:10:12.7) rounded out the top 50. Friday’s showing was good for sixth overall, while in the Eastern Cup on Saturday the Mules came in fifth—both out of 13 teams. Dartmouth and host UVM were the top two squads.

“The mass start on Friday was really fun, and started off hard,” said Fereday. “The skate on Saturday was warmer and faster, which was nice. It was impressive to watch Dartmouth and UVM dominate the top ten both days.”

On the women’s side, Friday proved to be a bit more challenging as the team came in 10th overall. Still, in the 15-k classic mass start, captain Olga Golovkina ’13 led the way with a 33rd in a time of 58:57.6. Molly Susla ’13 (1:00:01.9), captain Missy Krause ‘12 (1:00:24.4), Maeve McGovern ’14 (1:01:15.4), Lizzie Anderson ’14 (1:01:28.2) and Emma Donohoe ’14 (1:02:21.9) filled out the finishing roster.

“The race this weekend was tough,” said Missy Krause. “We just started to taper (reduce our training hours), so we were still recovering from those weeks of more training. The team is learning to work together during races since many of us are really close to one another in results.”

Still, in light of the scenery, the hills were very much alive. As Fereday added: “Trapps was awesome, as always. Blue skies, lots of mountains, lots of snow. And on Saturday for the Eastern Cup there was a ton of people.”

This weekend the Mules race at the Darmouth carnival, home to—as was seen at Stowe—one of the best teams in New England.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on February 9, 2011.

Women’s XC own Maine, men left hungry

The finishing chute was set across Bowdoin’s soccer, softball—and on this day, ultimate—fields, yet in a flash of white jerseys the Colby women’s cross country team made it its own. The Mules placed four of the top six runners at Saturday’s State of Maine Championship en route to winning the program’s 11th state title. Sophomore Amy Tortorello took first overall on the 5-kilometer course in a time of 18:52.74—passing Bowdoin first-year Carolyn Baskir ‘14 in the final 400 meters—with teammates Berol Dewdney ‘13, Layne Schwab ‘13, and co-captain Emma Linhard ’11, finishing second (19:00.43), fifth (19:27.92), and sixth (19:28.37) respectively. Colby was 24th in the nation for Division III entering the race and will likely rise in the tables after Saturday. Only Middlebury (first), Williams (third) and Amherst (17th), lead Colby from the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

“I thought it was a great team effort from our runners,” said Coach Deb Aitken. “I knew that Bowdoin would be giving us a run for our money and they did. It was a very exciting meet with three different pack races going on the entire race within the top 14. Our runners ran a very patient and strong race…Berol passed Baskir with about 15 yds to go.”

Linhard, who fell in last week’s race, rebounded well to finish near the top of pack. “Kate Connolly ‘14, Claire Dunn ‘13 and Allie Rigby ‘14 have been a closing force on our team,” added Aitken. “Usually no more than three seconds apart, they put three Colby runners between Bowdoin’s fourth and fifth runners, clinching our win.”

On the men’s side, the race was a lesson in early speed. Bowdoin and Bates took off and never looked back, taking the top nine spots between them (five of which went to first-years). For Colby, Ben Cunkelman ‘11 finished 22nd overall in 27:01.63 over the five-mile course, with senior captain Andy Maguire ’11 (25th, 27:08.28), Tom Letourneau ‘13 (29th, 27:18.66), John Williams ‘13 (34th, 27:35.95) and Brian Desmond ‘13 (37th, 27:43.03) rounding out the Mules’ top five. Chris Halladay ‘12 (27:55.72), Matthew Cloherty ’14 (27:58.12), Matthieu Nadeau ’12 (28:31.19), Justin Rouse ‘12 (28:38.77) and Dylan Nisky ‘14 (28:44.63) all placed in the top half of the 140 runner field.

“Perhaps it’s not the giant leap you always love to see in this sort of situation,” said Coach Jared Beers, “but we need to remember that Bowdoin and Bates are currently ranked second and sixth in New England and are much improved over last year—and we still ended up better than last year.” Indeed, Colby’s top seven finished in places 22, 25, 29. 34, and 37 in 2010 as opposed to 18, 27, 32, 40, and 41 in 2009.

“The race went out hard, as expected,” said Maguire. “Unfortunately the nature of the course and the meet itself strung out the Colby runners and we weren't able to run together as well as we hoped. However, we did manage to run consistent with our strategy of pushing hardest over the second half.”

Added Rouse, “At a big meet like the State Championship you are always looking for a little magic, but it just wasn't there on Saturday. We are all really looking forward to the NESCAC Championships at Hamilton on the 31st and hope that the magic comes there.”

Next week the Mules have off in preparation for the NESCAC Championships at Hamilton. “Team running will be critical,” said Maguire, “and we expect the varsity group to make moves up on the competition together. Hamilton's course should play to our advantages better than Bowdoin's flat course.”

Added Aitken for the women, “we only have ‘big races’ ahead of us. We will have to run even better at NESCACs and the NCAA Regional Qualifier to place in the top four to five of each race. We have plenty of challenges ahead of us, but I believe this win was another step in getting to our ultimate goal—qualifying for nationals as a team.”

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on October 19, 2010.

Home kicks for XC

If cross-country simply means the joy of racing, whether it be over leaf-strewn trails or winter snow, then on Saturday the Colby men’s and women’s cross-country teams (of the former type) hosted their first and only home of the season featuring special guests (of the latter type). And over the five-mile course for the men and the five-kilometer track for the women, the Mules—of both types, that is—came out strong.

On the men’s side, senior captain Andy Maguire won his final race on the home course, edging out teammate Tom Letourneau ’13 with a time of 29:07.69 (Letourneau finished in 29:18.37). Then, as a testament to the strength of Colby’s Nordic team, the next three finishers—Wyatt Fereday ’11, Corey Park, and Paco DeFrancis—rounded out the meet’s top five with times of 29:26.01, 30:09.52 and 30:11.28, respectively. Indeed, among competing teams from Unity College, Thomas College, and University of Maine at Machias, Colby’s cross-country and Nordic squads took the top two spots. Also finishing in the top ten for Colby’s autumn race team were Chris Greenlee ’14 (30:39.41), Nick Papanastassiou ’13 (30:53.91), Alex Baier ’14 (31:01.48), and Ben Smith ‘14 (31:04.08).

“It was awesome to see Tom and Andy close the race with some fire,” said Brian Desmond ’13, who rested on Saturday along with several more of the Mules’ top runners. “Last race on our home course, so Andy wasn't about to let anyone beat him. And also some very solid performances by the first-years. Our course separates the men from the boys, and many of the younger guys stepped up to the challenge.”

After the high-noon start for the men, the women then took to the course at a 12:45 gun and further proved the Mules’ distance depth, albeit while resting many of their top runners like the men. Nordic member Olga Golovkina won the race with a time of 19:17 and—after finishes from Husson and Thomas runners for second and third—places four through 11 were a Colby sweep. Morgan Lingar ’13 (20:04.29), Jessica Mullaney ’11 (20:17.78), Nora McCall ’11 (20:21.75), Jessica Moore ’14 (20:25.30), Rachel Frenkil ‘12 (20:28.93), Emily Arsenault ’14 (20:39.58), Lauren Dernbach ’14 (20:44.01) and Laura Duff ‘13 (20:49.40) all contributed to the 32nd-ranked Mules victory in the home meet, in which Colby Nordic, notably, finished second.

I was really pleased with our results,” said coach Deb Aitken. “It was wonderful to have Morgan, Nora, Laura and [senior co-captain] Debbie Merzbach back and running well. Lauren raced for the first time since the Bates Wave race, Jessica Mullaney had a season best race and Jessica Moore and Rachel Frenkil had big [persona records]. Overall, it was a very productive race for everyone that participated. I believe our depth just increased with the return of these runners.”

Added Merzbach, “the Colby women made Lower Trails look good at the home meet, running impressive times on a notoriously technical course. Finishing in strong packs (a huge goal and accomplishment in XC) has become a trademark of the season.”

The Mules next race is on Saturday at Open New Englands in Boston’s Franklin Park. For both teams, though, the eye of training is aimed at October 16 in Brunswick for the State of Maine Championships as the apex of the season—perhaps foreshadowed by racing with the snow-cross-country types—comes ever nearer.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on October 6, 2010.

Mules test their wheels in the Purple Valley

Sometimes teamwork occurs as a binary. On Saturday, at the Purple Valley Classic hosted by Williams in Williamstown, MA, captain Andy Maguire ’11 and Ben Cunkelman ’11 proved just that. In the heat of late September, the two seniors ran together for the length of the 8-kilometer course, finishing in 52nd and 51st places, respectively, and in times of 27:44 and 27:42. “I felt the pace was even throughout and Ben and I moved up past much of the crowds through the last three miles,” said Maguire. “Overall the team ran a solid race today, and accomplished our goals of scouting it out for the Division III New England race there in seven weeks.”

Indeed, Colby placed 13th out of 18 teams as fellow Mules Tom Letourneau ‘13 and Brian Desmond ’13 rounded out the Mule runners in the top 100, finishing in 82nd (28:14) and 85th (28:18), respectively. Five runners under 29 minutes (the fifth was Mat Nadeau ‘12 in 28:50) were the most for Colby in one 8-k race since 2006.

“[It was] definitely a valuable experience to preview the Div III [Championships] course, and good to see us run fairly competitively in a very high quality race,” said Desmond. “This was one of the best Colby performances at this course in a long time.”

In addition to the five-under-29 team performance, Mat Cloherty ’14 ran the second-fastest time for a Mule first-year on this course in 29:01, right behind John Williams ‘13, who finished with the same time but a place ahead. Mike Langley ‘13, Justin Rouse ‘12 and Dylan Nisky ‘13—who has been battling a cold—came in at 29:31, 29:35, and 32:02, respectively. “Nisky was sick, but gutted out the race,” noted coach Jared Beers. “Respect.”

“As a team this was our strongest performance on this course since I've been coaching,” said Beers. “Better than a rested NESCAC team from 2007. Encouraging in our second race, but many miles to go.”

Added Maguire, “Considering the level of competition, the difficulty of the course, and the heat we performed well. We feel confident in our training to prepare us to crush here in November.”

On the women’s side, Colby placed sixth out of 19 teams, with Amy Tortorello ‘13 and Berol Dewdney ‘13 leading the way and finishing in 23:12 and 23:13, respectively, and in 18th and 19th places. First-year Kate Connolly placed 43rd in 23:54, Claire Dunn ‘13 was 52nd in 24:07, and senior co-captain Emma Linhard was 62nd in 24:23. The Mules are currently 29th in Division III nationwide and seventh in New England.

Next weekend both teams will race at home as the Mules host the Colby Invitational. Gun time is high noon.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on September 29, 2010.

Women’s XC wins Supers

Saturday’s Pineland Super XC meet in New Gloucester should have been called the 2010 Super Soph Sprint. Racing at the same course for the second consecutive week, Colby runners took four of the top five positions as the women’s cross country team defeated NESCAC rivals Bowdoin, Bates and Tufts in the season openers for the Polar Bears and Jumbos (Colby raced Bates last weekend at Pineland). Leading the pack were 2013ers Amy Tortorello, Layne Schwab and Berol Dewdney, who swept places first through third with times of 19:12, 19:12, and 19:13, respectively. Co-captain Emma Linhard ’11 finished fifth in 19:23 and first-year Allison Rigby came in ninth in 19:29 while fellow Mules Claire Dunn ‘13 and Kate Connolly ’14 took 11th and 12th in times of 19:30 and 19:31.

On the men’s side at Pineland Colby didn’t fare as well team-wise yet still featured strong individual performances, as three Mules finished in the top 20 with Ben Cunkelman ’11, Brian Desmond ’13 and captain Andy Maguire ’11 leading the Colby harriers in fifth (26:38), 17th (27:13) and 19th (27:21) places respectively over the 8k course—the team’s first race of the year at such a length. Tom Letourneau ’13, Matthieu Nadeau ’12, Luke Doherty Monro ’12 and John Williams ’12 rounded out the Mules’ top seven, while Mat Cloherty and Dylan Nisky were the top two Colby first-years for the second week in a row.

After the meet, the captain was pleased with his corps’ work. “The race was an great step up from last week,” said Maguire. “We definitely had the advantage of being very familiar with the terrain after running here last week [against Bates]…We ran well in packs and worked off of each other. Getting to see some more NESCAC competition was valuable for marking our progress through the racing season.”

Added Desmond, “Not only did we have a lot of PRs, but we saw a lot of people run intelligently and competitively, which will be extremely important down the stretch. We aren't going to beat any of the top NESCAC teams, especially at this point in the season, but we are heading in the right direction. The focus is still October and November, and I think our attitude, training and racing is putting us in a great place to perform when those championship meets roll around.”

This weeked both the men’s and women’s teams travel to Williamstown, MA to take on Amherst, Tufts, Middlebury, Connecticut College and host Williams in the Purple Valley Classic. The Colby women are currently ranked 30th in the country for Division III, with Middlebury (third), Williams (10th) and Amherst (21st) as the only conference schools ahead of the Mules.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on September 22, 2010.

Cross-country opens at Bates

Early September, in the world of NESCAC cross-country, is a time of collective trial. After logging miles all summer, sometimes from different corners of the world, teams unite on the trails to test their mettle, push their limits, and shape their seasons. By the time November hits, however, it’s often easy to forget—lost in the dynamics of the fall—that personal strategies play a role. So it was that the Class Wave Meet at Pineland Farms on Saturday not only gave the Mules a chance harvest the early returns of summer training but also to adjust individual plans. All this, of course, while eyeing a close rival.

Indeed, with Bates as the host, the Mules ran four races at Pineland Farms: junior/senior romps and freshman/sophomore spins for the men’s team and sophomore/senior tracks as well as freshman/junior spurs for the women’s. The men’s elders began the day at 10:30, with four Colby harriers in the pack—senior captain Andy Maguire, fellow senior Ben Cunkelman, and juniors Matthieu Nadeau and Justin Rouse—running against eight Bates greybeards on the 6k course. Cunkelman led for most of the race against one of the NESCAC’s stronger runners, Bobcats senior Devin Dilts, but couldn’t hold on in the end and finished four seconds behind Dilts in 19:42. “I tried to squeeze the kick out of him but he still had some gas in the tank,” said Cunkelman. Maguire was with the lead group for the first mile and finished in sixth overall with a time of 20:35. Nadeau and Rouse finished seventh and tenth, respectively, with times of 21:13 and 21:32.

The fountain of youth race, interestingly, went off at a faster clip than the junior/senior flight with sophomore Brian Desmond pushing the pace and holding on for a third place finish in 20:04. “Desmond went balls to the wall,” said Cunkelman, “and tried to stay with the lead two Batsies for as long as he could before falling off a bit.” Fellow Mule Luke Doherty Munro ‘13 took sixth in 20:26—showing his grit as he out-kicked a Bobcat to the finish—and Tom Letourneau ’13, who has been consistently logging 100-mile weeks, came in eighth for Colby at 20:30. Among the first-years, Mathew Cloherty and Dylan Nisky led the way, finishing with the sixth and seventh fastest times on the team, respectively, in 20:41 and 21:02.

“The race was a good tune up for the up coming season and an chance for us to display our individual abilities with the end of preseason,” said Maguire. “Yet being a shorter and semi-informal meet, it’s more for personal adjustment than an indicator. ” Added Rouse, “it was great dress rehearsal for the team; a chance for everyone to toe the line and get a taste for what's to come this season.”

On the women’s side, the Wave Race was a clinic in Colby speed. Mules took the top four spots in the sophomore/senior race over the 2.87-mile course, with sophomores Berol Dewdney, Amy Tortorello and Layne Schwab and senior co-captain Emma Linhard finishing in first through fourth, respectively, in times of 17:42, 17:42, 17:43 and 17:46. In the freshman/junior race, first-year Allison Rigby complimented Dewdney’s victory with a bullet of her own. Rigby covered the course in 17:34, closely trailed by fellow Colby gunners Kate Connolly ’14 and Sophie Weaver ’14, with times of 17:37 and 18:02, respectively.

“The race on Saturday was such a thrilling way to start the season,” said Linhard. “The [first-years] not only made an incredible debut by having the fastest overall times of the day, but each girl on the team worked so well together throughout the entirety of the races by doing their part to take turns leading and each supporting one another.”

Added senior co-captain Debbie Merzbach, “We are really excited to see what the team can do this year. The wave race was a great start to our season, and we have a lot of talent coming from the freshman class as well as strong returning runners.”

Next week both the men’s and women’s teams return to Pineland for a race against Bates, Bowdoin and Tufts. The race will be the 2010 season openers for the Polar Bears and the Jumbos.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on September 15, 2010.

Woodsmen’s spring meet

As the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) celebrates its centennial, Dartmouth College will host and participate in the 63rd annual Woodsmen Weekend, which will feature the Northeast qualifier of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Challenge presented by Carhartt, in addition to the first STIHL TIMBERSPORTS women's collegiate lumberjack event. The competition, which takes place Saturday, April 25 at 2 p.m. ET, will include more than a dozen schools from the Northeastern region.

For the first time, there will be a dedicated women's event in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Challenge. The lumberjills will compete in three disciplines, the single buck, stock saw and underhand chop to determine who reigns queen. The top lumberjill will receive a Keech competition ax and the honorary title as the winner of the first women's STIHL TIMBERSPORTS collegiate competition.

"We're excited to host the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Challenge as part of the Dartmouth Outing Club's Centennial Celebrations," said Rory Gawler, program coordinator and general manager of the DOC. "We're also very pleased to be the first school to host a women's competition, and we pushed hard to make that happen. The longevity and history of the Outing Club show how important the out of doors is to Dartmouth's sense of place."

Recognized as one of the only private, four-year liberal arts institutions to participate in and host the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series, Dartmouth's Outing Club is the oldest and largest collegiate outing club and encompasses year-round outdoor recreation. It was created in 1909 to stimulate interest in outdoor winter sports. Today, the club has more than 1,500 student members and acts as an umbrella organization for about a dozen member clubs which each specialize in an aspect of outdoor recreation.

"We're very pleased to be a part of the Dartmouth Outing Club's anniversary celebration honoring outdoors sports," said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for STIHL Inc. "The Northeastern conclave is always an exciting event because of the high level of skill that these students have. In fact, our 2008 collegiate champion, Matt Bolton competed in our Northeast qualifier last year and won a slot in the 2009 professional series that starts this June."

The men's Northeast Collegiate Challenge will feature the top lumberjacks competing in a head-to-head battle in the single buck, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop. Competitors will be judged based on the professional STIHL TIMBERSPORTS rules. The event will be televised on ESPNU later this year.

The Northeast Collegiate Challenge wraps up the regular season of the Collegiate Series that consists of five regional events. The regional champions thus far are Central Oregon Community College's David Green, Western champion; Brad Sears of the University of Arkansas-Monticello, Southern champion; Adam LaSalle from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Midwestern champion; and Matt Slingerland of Haywood Community College, mid-Atlantic champion. Each earned a $1,000 scholarship from STIHL for his school, as well as a place in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship to be held June 2009 in Columbus, Ga.

In Columbus, the five regional winners and one wildcard pick will go head-to-head to claim the 2009 Collegiate Championship title. The Collegiate Champion then earns a place in the professional ranks in the 2010 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series presented by Carhartt.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on April 29 2009.

Mudmeet time

Other than Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, The Clash guitarist Joe Strummer, and Thomas Crapper, who popularized the flush toilet, perhaps no other name correlates better to its subject than Mudmeet, especially considering Saturday’s weather. Still, although the Colby woodsmen’s team annual home meet was held in a misty-rainy fog, which rendered the PV=nRTers’ field an over-saturated arena for the day’s competition, the 2009 Mudmeet brought out the best in all choppers, burlers, and fire-starters.

This year’s edition of the meet featured 16 teams from seven different schools, including woodsmen squads from Unity College, University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth College, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Colby brought three teams to the meet, which was the third Mudmeet to feature the “Jack and Jill” format, where each team is comprised of three men and three women and thus women and men compete with each other throughout the events.

Said Sara Hutchins ’09, “It’s fun to compete with members of the team you don’t normally compete with, plus it’s fun to mix it up every once and a while.”

Overall, Colby’s “A-Team” won the meet. The squad took the pulp toss, an event in which two teams of three compete throwing four pieces of wood between two spikes, and also a new event created by the Mules’ own Steve Tatko ’10, the pulpwood relay. The relay is drawn from old logging practices, and features two draggers who pull a long piece of wood up a grooved ramp , two others who race to saw off the end of the plank, and two throwers who then compete in a short pulp toss. The Colby teams also placed in the first three slots in the Packboard relay event, which involves a relay with a pack carrying materials to make a fire through a muddy swamp and other forestry obstacles. In this case, Colby’s team “Sneak Attack” won the event, with Andy Notopolous ’11 and Hank Wyman ’11 beating out the competition in the waterboil part of the relay. Colby’s team “Pottery Club” came in a close second and the A-Team came in a close third.

In the burling competition, which pits two competitors against each other on a rolling log, as each tries to knock the other off and is done in a double elimination bracket-style format, Tom Nicol ’09 and Jenny Helm ’11 brought the excitement. Described as “incredible burlers” by Hutchins, Nicol and Helm faced off twice with Nicol coming out on top for the A-Team each time.

Other events at the Mudmeet were the poleclimb, where an individual with spikes on his or her feet races up a pole, the axe throw, the single box, and the bowsaw event. Doubles featured the horozontal saw, vertical chop and the crossscut of death.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on April 8, 2009.

Alpine skiing preview

Winter: the sound of Nikes squeaking on the hardwood, slap shots echoing in the ice rink rafters and ecstatic cheers mingled with the scent of chlorine. Yet for the members of the Colby alpine skiing team, nothing signals the arrival of winter better than guns. Big guns.

Indeed, with Sugarloaf firing up its snowmaking this week and the mountain set to open on Saturday, Nov. 22, the Colby alpine season is set to begin. The team has been dryland training in the off-season, but now that the mercury has dropped to acceptable levels, dryland becomes frozenland, and these Mules are ready to take off.

Colby returns most of its lineup from last season, in which three skiers traveled to Bozeman, Montana to compete in the NCAA Skiing Championships, held at Bridger Bowl Ski Area. All three of those skiers, Dana Breakstone ’10, Josh Kernan ’10, and Vincent Lebrun-Fortin ’11, will lead the Mules in their upcoming 2008-09 campaign. Last season, Breakstone placed 14th in the giant slalom at the Eastern Championships held at the Middlebury College Ski Bowl, making her the top Mule finisher from the women’s team. The junior also placed 10th overall for Colby in the giant slalom at the Williams College Ski Carnival held at Jiminy Peak.

Lebrun-Fortin, the Mules’ dynamic sophomore from Montreal, Quebec, looks to build on a rookie season that culminated in a bevy of awards and accolades. Indeed, as a first-year on Colby alpine, Lebrun-Fortin was named to the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) All-East first team, the EISA Male Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-American for his performance in the giant slalom and slalom at the NCAA Skiing Championships, in which he placed seventh and fifth, respectively. Lebrun-Fortin also won the slalom at the Williams Ski Carnival, placed second in the slaloms at the Eastern Championships and the University of Vermont Ski Carnival, and earned thirds at St. Lawrence University Ski Carnival and the Dartmouth College Ski Carnival in the slalom.

Thus, overall the team looks to benefit from a strong returning foundation and hopes to improve its national standing. The Colby alpine team placed 13th in the nation at the NCAAs last year.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on November 19, 2008.

The sound of the axe

For many Mules on Mayflower Hill, the equation PV=nRT signifies nothing more than the ideal gas law, a chemistry formula that likely brings to mind lectures in Keyes 105. But to the members of the Colby Woodsmen’s Team, PV=nRT conjures up the smell of freshly cut lumber, the sound of chainsaws, the smell of wood smoke, and, hopefully—after their weekend competitions—the taste of victory. Indeed, for this final goal, the team traveled to the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. last Saturday for their final meet of the fall season, where the Colby Woodsmen (and women) competed against counterparts from University of Connecticut, the University of Maine at Orono, Unity College, Dartmouth College, and of course hosting U.N.H.

The morning featured singles and doubles events with many Mules out-sawing, out-throwing, and out-chopping the competition. In single buck, where competitors race to cut through a 19” round piece of wood with a saw, Haley Harwood ’11 left the field of Wildcats, Huskies, Black Bears, Rams and Big Green in her (saw)dust, placing first for the Mules. Likewise, teammate Bailey Cunningham ‘09 won the pulp toss, an event resembling track and field’s shot put but with four-foot long pieces of wood. In the hard hit, where competitors try to cut through wood with an underhand chop in the least amount of hits, Sara Hutchins ’09 took first as she broke through her 6”x6” piece of pine in seven hits.

In doubles events, the men’s duo of Marc Poore ’11 and Harry Curme ’10 won the cross cut to death, where each team’s pair races to cut through a 19” round with a crosscut saw. “They had a great saw to beat out ten other teams,” said Hutchins.

In the afternoon, the Colby women won three of the four team events, and thus took first overall in the meet—the taste of victory indeed. Then, in the last event of the day, both the men’s and women’s teams won the Logger’s Relay. In the relay, which Hutchins described as “epic,” two members of each team first paddle across a lake with firewood in their canoe. Then, one member packs the firewood, hatchets and other fire-building tools in a packboard and sets off running through a designated course, ultimately handing off the pack to another runner, who brings the tools to two more team members whose job it is to build a fire. These two woodsmen—along with the second runner—then construct a fire as fast as they can to boil over a can of soapy water. Eventually, as soon as they arrive on the scene, the canoers and other runner join in the fire-build, making for an intense final stage with all the teams blowing their best lungs forward.

The team acknowledged the relay’s unique approach. “It’s an exciting event that has never been done before,” said Hutchins. “All the elements exist on their own, but we’ve never seen them all together, so it was really fun to watch and do.”

Likewise, senior Emma Balazs reflected on the team’s successes and the unconventional relay. “UNH likes to have events that are slightly non-traditional,” she said. “The women’s team dominated the competition and took first. The men’s team also performed very well and placed in several events. The Jack and Jill [co-ed] team competed very well and many first timers got some good experience. The whole day was a great success.”

So, with their final meet of the autumn behind them, the members of Colby Woodsmen’s can take the taste of victory with them into the winter, and look forward to the sound of chainsaws resuming their grind in the spring.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on November 5, 2008.

Alpine skiing

The Colby men’s and women’s alpine ski teams put together solid races at the annual Dartmouth College Ski Carnival held on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9 at the Dartmouth Skiway, an event that featured giant slalom races on Friday and slalom on Saturday. On the hill, Colby skiers competed against familiar NESCAC opponents Williams College, Middlebury College and Bates College as well as skiers from the University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire, St. Lawrence University, Saint Michael’s College, Harvard University, and of course, racers from hosting Dartmouth University.

On the men’s side, Vincent Lebrun-Fortin ’11 lead the Mules in Friday’s giant slalom with a combined two-run time of 1:55.71, good enough for 11th overall. Not far behind were Josh Kernan ’10 with a time of 1:56.16, Jody Centauro ‘08 (1:56.19) and Matt Clunan ‘10 (1:58.93). In the overall team scores, the Colby men placed sixth for the giant slalom, edging out Bates by 14 points. With a slalom course set up for Saturday on the Skiway, the team had their strongest showing of the weekend, amassing 88 points and placing third overall with three skiers in the top 14. The finish was the best for the Mules in the past two years, and again it was Lebrun-Fortin out ahead, taking third overall with a two-run total time of 1:34.58. Centauro was eighth overall (1:35.71) and Kernan placed 14th (1:37.10).

Unlike the men, the Colby women’s best performance of the Carnival weekend came on Friday in the giant slalom, where the team placed sixth overall. Emily Colin ‘10 was the Mules’ best finisher, coming in 20th overall with a two-run time of 2:02.33. Following her lead were Dana Breakstone ‘10 (2:03.03), Brett Wagenheim ‘08 (2:07.11), Julia Coffin Peck ‘09 (2:07.23), Ali Brandeis ‘10 (2:08.47) and Alissa Consenstein ‘08 (2:09.70). On Saturday, the Colby women placed seventh overall on the slalom course, with Breakstone leading the team with a two-run total of 1:49.51, placing eighteenth overall. Colin took 23rd with a time of 1:51.63. The next finishers for Colby were Wagenheim (1:52.60), Consenstein (1:55.59) and Brandeis (2:00.15). Both the men’s and women’s teams look to improve on the best performances of their season at the Williams Carnival, to be held at Jiminy Peak on Feb. 15 and Feb. 16.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on February 13, 2008.

Maine Ski Summary - Sunday River and Sugarloaf

As one exits Sugarloaf mountain, driving down the access road past parking lots and rows of ski-condos, a sign appears on the left side of the road flashing a simple quip directed at the departing rider: “Bye.” Nothing else is on the sign, no promotional black-and-white photos of smiling, goggle-clad kids or even a cozy fireplace shot. Just one simple word, simply put, and indeed, passing by, it feels right—that nothing more needs to be said after a day spent on one of Maine’s largest mountains.

About 50 miles southwest of The ‘Loaf, Sunday River has installed a similar sign-for-the departed on the road leading away from Barker Mountain Lodge, yet it reads quite differently: “Thank you, please come again” is the message bestowed upon exiting riders. And although it is certainly unlike Sugarloaf’s message, it also feels right, consistent with a riding experience advertised as “8 peaks, infinite snow” at a family-oriented resort where congeniality is the feeling permeating the air.

As a Colby snowrider, skier or boarder, it is inevitable to feel the draw of the mountains that loom so invitingly just a short drive from Mayflower Hill. Sunday River and Sugarloaf, the two areas featured on the Maine College Pass (just $299), are two of the biggest ski areas in the northeast, and considering that they sit accessibly near to campus, both places are frequently tapped by Colby students. When it comes down to separating the two, the key is to know the benefits of each area and then to capitalize on these distinct highlights when they become manifest. Just like all New England ski areas, weather can turn in the course of a day, and there are no guarantees of complete coverage deep into the season. So following conditions and understanding the snow quality are essential to the Maine ski experience. After considering all the factors, the great feeling is making the right choice and then reaping the rewards—hopefully in the form of a powder day or a great and uncrowded weekday session.

Sugarloaf, just over an hour’s drive from Waterville, is a ski area built on a burly mountain with trails that drape from one peak but cover a vast amount of area and a wide range of terrain. Sugarloaf loves to groom, which is great on the warm days (“warm” in Maine means 25 degrees and up) with no wind. On these days, ripping corduroy with your skis or board holding a constant edge delivers a great sense of satisfaction. Throw in some sun and hey, you just might make sugarloaf.com’s “Photo of the Day.” Yes, that is you, looking like an afore-mentioned promotional ad. However, in the deep-freeze days of December through February (note: all of JanPlan) Sugarloaf gets cold. Real cold. The key to making the most of FrozenLoaf is to first check conditions, for if it is cold but with great snow, absolutely make the trek, and second to know where to go. When the mercury drops and cover is good, head for the Spillway East lift and the X-Cut traverse, which allows you to drop in on a few wonderfully windy and ungroomed terrain that will keep you moving and thus keep you warm. In the same vein, take the King Pine quad to dip into a ski-area-boundary-nudging glade or more ungroomed delights to skier’s left of the woods. The steep groomed stuff at The ‘Loaf can be accessed via Spillway or the Superquad, with these lifts servicing trails such as Narrow Gauge (hailed as the only trail in the East capable of hosting all FIS events including World Cup Downhill), Gondola Line, Competition Hill, Hayburner, and King’s Landing. Tote Road, a nice gradual run that is also the longest trail on the mountain, leads off from the top of the Superquad but can also be accessed from the Timberline quad, which brings riders to the very summit of Sugarloaf mountain, where one is just a short hike away from dropping into the Snowfields. Sugarloaf’s Snowfields are the only lift-serviced (meaning Tuck’s doesn’t count) above-treeline skiing in the East, and with enough snow all winter to build up a base, the ‘Loaf will usually drop the ropes on the Snowfields for some great spring skiing terrain. And even if the Snowfields aren’t open, on a sunny day the Timberline quad is awash all afternoon and the ideal place if one is in the mood for an easy afternoon of gradual, groomed terrain under the sun. The terrain park and pipes at Sugarloaf are always some of the best in the east, which is to be expected with the mountain catering to Carrabassett Valley Academy phenoms. The Stomping Grounds, accessed mainly from the Superquad, features a halfpipe, a section with half a dozen rails and boxes, and some nice tabletop jumps at the bottom. The Superpipe is located off the Double Runner lift on the lower section of the mountain and to put it bluntly, superpipes look bigger in real life than they do on TV. Making the most of a day at the Loaf is all about skiing what the mountain gives you, and when you get great coverage on the long, steep, terrain on a warm day, heading north to Sugarloaf is a no-brainer.

One of the major differences between Sunday River and Sugarloaf from the Colby perspective that should not be ignored as a deciding factor in trip planning: simply, Sunday River is farther away. Compared to a drive that takes just over an hour to get to Sugarloaf, heading to the River takes around two. On days when the roads are sloppy, meaning after Maine has been blanketed with snow, both places will have good snow and the Loaf is the right decision when you need to be there early for fresh tracks. However, there are still some benefits of Sunday River that make it worth the trip west, even if it is longer.

For one, Sunday River does not get as cold as Sugarloaf. This is mainly due the fact that its eight peaks do not rise as high as Sugarloaf’s one, and the wind is not as much of a factor. If the temperature difference is enough to be worthwhile, and even in these cases the River should also have more open terrain, then grab an early breakfast and drive west. Another plus is that Sunday River also seems to organize its terrain by peak, so it is beneficial that if you’re looking for cruisers under the sun, then head to the terrain close to the big lodges in the center of Sunday River. If you want to ski glades and bumps, then the Jordan Bowl and Oz sections of the mountain provide those digs. And due to these peaks being the farthest from the main lodges at Sunday River, they are usually sparsely skied, if not empty, even on the weekends.

Ah, the weekends. Here is where Sunday River’s weaknesses are exposed. For one, the River is certainly more of a family resort than the Loaf and closer to Boston, so sometimes one might be weaving through the crowds on a trail rather than actually skiing or riding down it. Also, Sunday River’s shorter stature (think of it as Brain to Sugarloaf’s Pinky) means short runs, and its wide build (think of it as Garfield to Sugaroaf’s Odie) means a lot of traversing. Consequently, it is common to feel that while at Sunday River, one has spent more time traveling (especially rough on snowboarders) from peak to peak and on the lifts than riding down the mountain. But like Sugarloaf, the key here is knowing where to go.

White Cap peak, at skier’s far right, features some of the steepest terrain within the area and has some nice bump runs and glades. Barker and Locke Mountains, the original terrain at Sunday River, feature nice gradual runs but are always the most crowded areas of the mountain. The North Peak Lodge, located on-mountain to skier’s left of Barker, is a great place to stop, warm up, and grab lunch. Farther left, Aurora peak accesses one of the River’s longest gladed runs, Celestial, and from there the terrain joins up with the most difficult and sometimes most enjoyable parts of the mountain in the Oz and Jordan Bowl areas. Sunday River also has great terrain parks and pipes that are even better than the Loaf’s freestyle terrain. The Rocking Chair terrain park, right near Barker Lodge, features a wide variety of rails and boxes, with several well-built, sizable tabletops and even a wallride at the bottom. They also provide a large rail garden off the Spruce Peak quad, where they will occasionally mix in some jumps. The superpipe at the River is also consistently cut better than the one at the Loaf, so for pipe riding, Sunday River is the place.

Overall, as a Colby student, the conditions, weather, and open terrain would have to add up in a perfect storm for one to pass up a day at the Loaf. Then again, if you’re looking for more gradual terrain on the whole and don’t want to go inside for hourly warm-ups, Sunday River is the place to be. Either way, whatever the mountain tells you as you leave, there is nothing like the satisfaction of a solid day skiing or riding and knowing that you can always go back for more.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on February 6, 2008.

Women's soccer

MB and NC

Coming off their last New England Small College Athletic Conference match, a 1-0 loss at Tufts University on Sept. 13, the Colby women's soccer team traveled to Hartford, Conn. on Saturday, Sept. 20 to face Trinity College with redemption on its minds. Last season, the Mules and Bantams played to a 0-0 tie in Waterville after two tight overtime periods. On Saturday, the script was familiar with the game going into overtime knotted in a scoreless stalemate. However, Colby broke through in the first overtime period for a crucial 1-0 win.

The game-winning goal was scored by first-year Julie Denison, a mid-fielder from Northbrook, Ill. It was the first collegiate goal for Denison, coming at 4:30 into the first overtime period.

“The goal was off a turnover by their defense,” said Colby Head Coach Jen Holsten to Sports Information Director William Sodoma. “Julie was inside the 18-yard line on the left side and shot it inside the near post. She buried it and we charged the field.”

Although Trinity dominated ball possession in the first half with nine shots on net, Colby goalkeeper Loni Pisani ’11 saved every one. In the second half, Trinity even had a chance to put the game away with a penalty kick with nine seconds left. However, Bantam sophomore Caroline Washburne shot the ball over the crossbar, which forced the game into overtime, and subsequently Denison’s winner found paydirt for the Mules.

For her efforts against Trinity and earlier in the week in Colby’s 1-0 OT victory over the University of New England, Pisani was named NESCAC Co-Player of the Week. Against UNE, she stopped seven shots in the shutout and then in Hartford posted 10 saves despite taking on 21 shots from the Bantams. Pisani has not allowed a goal in 231 minutes of play so far this season.

The win against Trinity moved the Mules to 4-1 overall on the season and 1-1 in the NESCAC, tying them for second in the conference standings with Middlebury College (2-3-2 overall, 1-1-0 NESCAC). Colby hosts the Panthers this weekend on Saturday, Sept. 27 in its first home conference game of the season, which begins a streak of three straight home conference games (with Williams College and Wesleyan University up next).

The Mules’ victory over the Bantams already surpasses last season’s conference win total. Last year, the team tied two NESCAC opponents, Connecticut College and Trinity (as mentioned before), yet were not able to clinch a playoff berth. Saturday’s win is promising for the squad because it comes so early in the season with a bevy of conference games left on the schedule.

This article was originally published in The Colby Echo on September 24, 2008.

Alpine Skiing Preview

The Colby Men’s and Women’s Alpine Skiing teams are starting anew this fall, with much turnover from last year’s squads. In May, the College announced the hiring of new head coach Danny Noyes ’02, who in fact did not ski for the Mules during his years at Colby but was a wide receiver on the football team. Noyes was won the Millett Award in his graduating year, given to the senior with the most contributions to Colby athletics in their career. And what a career he had. Noyes still holds the College’s records for receiving yards in a game (209), season (977), and career (2,466), as well as career receptions (164).

Still, when it came to skiing, Noyes did not shy away from his love of a sport he tore up in high school. After the 2001 football season ended, Noyes worked as an assistant coach with the Mules’ Alpiners during his senior year. He also stayed on for the 2003 season, coaching four All-Americans. From there Noyes has coached at St. Lawrence and Colby-Sawyer, where is studious style led to a third-place finish at the United States Collegiate Skiing Association (USCSA) Championships held at Sugarloaf/USA this past March. Interestingly, Noyes believes that his athletic decisions at Colby benefit him as a coach. “Not skiing [in college] gave me a different perspective on things. I became more of a student of the sport watching, learning and instructing others. The coaching and teaching part of the sport escalated to a different level for me.”

For the 2007 season, Colby looks to rebound with a new-look lineup after losing many of last year’s stars. Abbi Lathrop ‘07, who won the NCAA Division I giant slalom in Steamboat Springs last year, has graduated, and Colby has also had to wish farewell to Charlie Reed ’07 on the men’s side. Yet Mules are stubborn, and thus the Alpine team’s resiliency is rooted in its talented upcoming skiiers. For the men, Jody Centauro ‘08 looks to build on his 16th-place showing in the slalom in Steamboat Springs as well as four top-10 finishes in Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association competition. For depth, the Mules boast the likes of Jack Malia ’08, Sam Witherspoon ’09 and Christian Talmage ’09. On the women’s side, the solid 2006 seasons of Alissa Consenstein ’08 and Brett Wagenheim ’08 bode well for the 2007 season. In all, Colby’s Alpine teams should provide us with yet another exciting year as they tease gravity and knock down not only the gates of the course, but also those guarding this year’s NCAA Skiing Championships held in Bozeman, Montana.