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CNSC Shines at EC Opener

20.Dec.2011

The TD Bank Eastern Cup Series began in a big way at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center last weekend. 

A beautiful, wintry weekend played host to New England's season opening races. The Outdoor Center's investment in snow making this summer paid off with a 1.5km loop approximately a foot deep, the only snow that survived last week's rain storms at the COC, and some of the only skiing to be had in New England.

This loop saw a lot of traffic this weekend. Saturday's events included both a sprint qualifier in the morning followed by a classic prologue in the afternoon (1 and 2 laps, respectively). Sunday's race was 3 laps of skating for the women, and 6 for the men. With over 400 competitors on each day, that's over 7,000 racer laps on the loop, not including warm up and testing! 

The Outdoor Center was pleased with how the course held up, and ecstatic that we were able to showcase our investment in a time of need to the New England ski community. 

The Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club did not disappoint on their home trails, either. In the six open races total, CNSC claimed 11 of 18 podium positions! Highlighting the weekends results, the GRP swept the podium in the 9.5km Skate, with Bryan Cook, Dylan McGuffin, and Nils Koons taking top honors. 

Other notable results included Clare Egan's 2nd and 3rd place finishes on Saturday, and Maria's two 2nd places in the longer prologue and skate races. Tim Reynolds and Patrick O'Brien went 1-2 in both classic races on Saturday as well, with Tim opting to double-pole the course, setting up an exciting battle of techniques for spectators gathered around the short loop.

Sunday's events also included a mass-start BKL race for all ages, one lap around the course. It was a great opportunity for the GRP and other EC racers to cheer about 40 youngsters around the loop after their own competitions, and a great finish to a fantastic opening weekend at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center.

A enormous thanks to all the Outdoor Center employees and volunteers who spent sleepless nights preparing the race course, moving and making snow, and long days in the cold collecting bibs, running the course, and making sure the event ran smoothly.