Nordic News

Of the five women named to the 2014 Winter Olympic U.S. Biathlon team this week, three are Dartmouth graduates.

Hannah Dreissigacker ’09, Thayer ’10, Susan Dunklee ’08, and Sara Studebaker ’07 are heading to Sochi, Russia, to try for the first-ever medal for the U.S. in biathlon—an ancient sport with military roots that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.

“We believe we are members of the strongest team U.S. Biathlon has ever fielded,” says Susan Dunklee ’08. (Photo by Ralph Orlowski/Reuters)

“We will have quite the Dartmouth contingent,” says Dreissigacker, the daughter of Olympic rowers Judy Geer ’75, Thayer ’83, and Dick Dreissigacker. “We have worked so hard together, pushed each other to be better, helped each other through the hard parts, and had so much fun together, and I am so glad that we all qualified for Sochi together.”

All three were members of the Dartmouth ski team, training under coach Cami Thompson Graves. They were also top students, majoring in engineering and studio art (Dreissigacker), biology with an ecology focus (Dunklee), and government and Latino and Caribbean studies (Studebaker).

Read the full story here:

http://now.dartmouth.edu/2014/01/three-alumnae-biathletes-selected-for-sochi-2014/

The Bretton Woods Nordic Club/Bill Koch League is organizing an event called “Ski for David’s House” that is taking place on February 1st at the Bretton Woods Nordic Center. The purpose is simple … raise money for David’s House, a home-away-from-home for families whose children are receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.

At the end of a day skiing, you’ll feel good, not only because you had fun skiing, but you also helped families who can’t be outside having fun … all of the info you need is online at www.davids-house.org/skiing. Your participation will help make this event a success and will help provide a home-away-from-home for the families of children at the Children’s Hospital. David’s House recently opened four additional bedrooms, which means the need for support is more critical now than ever. Visit www.davids-house.org/words to get inspired.

Thanks and we hope to see you on February 1st!

NORTH POMFRET, VT. —  The Cambridge Sports Union hosted the 30th Annual Bogburn Classic Cross-Country Ski Race on Saturday, January 4th.  More than 132 skiers from all over New England brave the frigid temperatures and turned out for a day of very exciting nordic racing.  Many Upper Valley skiers look forward to this event every season and there was a strong turnout by racers from Ford Sayre.

Ford Sayre skier Evan Nichols won the boys third- and fourth-grade race finishing the loop in a 10:53. Cormac Leahy of Craftsbury finished second in 11:39, and West River’s Wyatt Teaford came in third in 12:19. Other local finishers were Hugh Clark (4th, Ford Sayre, 12:42), Jack Lange (5th, Ford Sayre, 13:05), Simon Phipps (7th, Ford Sayre, 13:39), Christian Blix (9th, Ford Sayre, 14:35), and Andre Davis (15th, Ford Sayre, 19:28).

In the third- and fourth-grade girls race, Elsa Bolinger of Ford Sayre won with a time of 11:10. Phoebe Hussey of Frost Mountain finished second in 11:39, and Ford Sayre’s Ann Rightmire finished third in 13:11. Other Upper Valley racers were Sarah Glueck (4th, Ford Sayre, 13:52), Katie Davis (5th, Ford Sayre, 14:29), and Margaret Frost (7th, Ford Sayre, 14:56).

In the boys fifth- and sixth-grade race, Griffin Wright of Danville won with a time of 11:34. Chris Feist of EMBK finished second in 13:55, and Ford Sayre’s Daniel Bandler finished third in 14:33. A strong squad of local skiers claimed the next five places: Vincent Levey (5th, Ford Sayre, 15:49), Daniel Frost (6th, Ford Sayre, 16:05), Peter Burnham (7th, Ford Sayre, 17:21), Noah Phipps (8th, Ford Sayre, 17:23), and Erik Blix (9th, Ford Sayre, 17:37).

Quincy Massey-Bierman from Craftsbury Nordic skied the course in 13:20 for the win in the fifth- and sixth-grade girls race. Ava Thurston of Mansfield Nordic finished second in 13:51, and Ford Sayre’s Lucy Glueck finished third in 14:17. Other local finishers were Liz Rightmire (4th, Ford Sayre, 15:07), Carly Milliken (7th, Ford Sayre, 15:31), and Eloise Silver-VanMeter (9th, Ford Sayre, 16:23).

Frost Mountain’s Sam Hodges won the seventh- and eighth-grade boys race with a blistering time of 15:11. Thom Hussey of Frost Mountain finished second in 16:19, and Frost Mountain’s Cade Christner finished third in 17:19. Other Upper Valley skiers included Andy Rightmire (6th, Ford Sayre, 18:34), Jack Burnham (7th, Ford Sayre, 20:08), Oliver Wilson (9th, Woodstock Nordic, 20:55), and Malcolm Silver-VanMeter (10th, Ford Sayre, 23:06).

Perrin Milliken from Ford Sayre finished the course in 18:41 for the win in the seventh- and eighth-grade girls race. Ford Sayre’s Greta Bolinger (19:31) and Ingrid Miller (19:39) finished second and third. Other local finishers were Kennedy Lange (4th, Ford Sayre, 19:42), Cassandra Nichols (6th, Ford Sayre, 20:56), Olivia Brooks (7th, Woodstock Nordic, 22:25), and Tessa Cahoon (8th, Ford Sayre, 23:24).

Stratton Mountain’s Russell Boswell won the J2 (under age 16) men’s 7km race in a time of 25:19. Erik Lindahl of Ford Sayre finished 3rd with a time of 25:55 and Adam Glueck of Ford Sayre finished 5th in 27:38. Ford Sayre skier Richard Powell finished 1st in the Men’s master 5 standings with a time of  51:30 over 13km. Ford Sayre skiers Bryce Wing M6 (54:40), Colin Pogue J1 (55:46), Chris Powell J1 (57:54) and John Chaffee SR (59:44) also had strong finishes over the long course.

Norwich, Vt. skier Kirsten Miller finished 6th in the women’s J2 standings with a time of 32:41 over 7km. Ford Sayre skiers Rosalie Lipfert U23 (31:15), Peg Merrens M4 (33:03), Ellen Chandler M5 (33:21) and Cindy Glueck M3 (35:01) logged very good finishes in the women’s masters standings. Ford Sayre skiers Ann Osborn (34:50) and Sara Spencer (37:49) finished well in the women’s J2 standings.

View photos from Heidi Nichols and Laura Osborn of the event at:  http://losborn.smugmug.com/share/FordSayre

1/1/14 — Ford Sayre Nordic kids and parents know the right way to start off 2014. Approximately 40 kids and as many parents took part in a New Year’s Day Funfest at Thetford Academy. Low-key freestyle races for each age group featured a tight 360 turn. Then it was adults turn to race with parents and coaches giving it a try. The day culminated with an egg relay race featuring seven kids teams of mixed ages. Thank goodness the eggs were hard-boiled!  Plenty of cookies, brownies and hot cocoa were on hand to reward participants.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who made the day possible!

View photos from the event at:  http://losborn.smugmug.com/share/FordSayre

Dave Holbrook jumping at Oak Hill – 1939

Here is Dave Holbrook going off a jump at Oak Hill in 1939.  He was one of the first participants in the program.  But it goes full circle, as his children and grandchildren also went through the Ford Sayre program.  His daughter, Pam, is currently the Vice-Chair and Secretary for the Council.