Maine skier Christina Kouros has been nominated as one of the Ultimate Female Athletes for Girls Sports Month. I can’t imagine a better recipient or role model!  Vote for her here.

Craftsbury, VT – Northeast and national adaptive cross-country race series culminated in grand fashion today in Craftsbury, Vermont during the multi-stage SuperTour Finals.  This year marks the first time that an adaptive tour has been integrated into the exciting cumulative race series that draws skiers from around the country and world.  It was a unique opportunity for adaptive skiers and one that the Craftsbury Outdoor Center provided with their trademark high quality.

During the Tour the race crew at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center raised the bar for ski events in this country.  Their efforts to make, move, and manage snow after days of record high temperatures to provide high quality courses and races can be described as nothing less than Herculean.  In addition, they approached incorporating the adaptive Tour into their event with the same high standard that has come to reflect the events at their venue.

The adaptive mini-tour included a 2.5km prologue, a 4.5km/6km distance race and a sprint.  Overall champions were determined by cumulative times for each race, including time bonuses.  At series-end, the champions were Kristy Vaughn and Augusto “Goose” Perez in sit ski classes and Julie Smith in the women’s stand-up category, all earning prize money and delicious local goodies for their efforts.

With their victories in the SuperTour Finals, all three competitors also clinched Northeast Adaptive Race Series (NEARS) titles.  The series, rolled out for the first time this winter, included ten races throughout the region during the season.  Final NEARS standings were determined by each athlete’s top three results.  Joining the trio on the podium, but not present at the SuperTour Finals, was the men’s stand-up champion David Leach.

Rounding out the SuperTour Finals podium in the men’s sit ski class were Dan Santos and Kenny Lacome.  Mikayla Briere was runner-up in the women’s sit ski category, giving Kristy Vaughn a last minute challenge for top honors with a tie in today’s sprint competition.

Despite warm temps (topping out in the low 80s!) for the last 5 days, the folks at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont have been hard at work to preserve their piece of winter.  And preserve it they have.  A track of white corduroy snakes through the fields of mud and puddles, awaiting the hundreds of skiers who have come in from around the country to compete in the cumulative SuperTour Finals and distance National Championships.  For the first time this year, there will be a 3-race adaptive mini-tour in conjunction with the series.  Adaptive athletes will compete in a 2.5km prologue on Saturday, a 5km (women) and 7.5km (men) distance race on Sunday, and a sprint on Monday.  The cumulative winners at the end of the series will be crowned tour champion and are entitled to prize money in addition to the traditional bragging rights.  Check in throughout the next few days for updates on the Tour.

Heavy machinery prepping for the start of SuperTour Finals at Craftsbury

Eleven adaptive skiers braved the blizzard that descended upon the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT this Saturday to participate in the final adaptive race of the regular season.  The competition brought some new participation to the Northeast Adaptive Race Series, including USA World Cup skier Eric Frazier in from North Carolina for the weekend.  Competitors skied on a 1.1km course (4 times for the women and 5 for the men), looping through the scenic trails at Trapps.  Thanks to the race crew at Trapps for being so helpful in making this race happen on such short notice!

Here are how things shook up at the end of the day:

Men’s sit ski: 1. Eric Frazier, 2. Dan Santos, 3. Brian Genovese, 4. Patrick Standen

Women’s sit ski: 1. Kristy Vaughn, 2. Alicia Dana, 3. Christina Kouros

Women’s stand-up: 1. Julie Smith

Women’s Visually Impaired: 1. Heather Berg

Men’s Stand-up: 1. James Tabares

Well, the winter keeps throwing us curve balls but the New England ski community doesn’t give up easily and, turns out, we are quite adaptable.  The adaptive race that was slated to be run in conjunction with the Eastern Cup at the Holderness School in NH was rescheduled to be in Craftsbury VT (one of the few snow meccas of the east this winter), run by the Ford Sayre crew from the Upper Valley in NH.  Confused yet?  We were too, but the important thing is that we ended up with a great course (thanks to the dedicated and professional crew at Craftsbury) and were able to integrate with a full day of racing (thanks to the hard work of the adaptable folks at Ford Sayre).

Skier who raced yesterday got a sneak preview of some of the SuperTour Finals courses, racing three laps on a 1.5km loop.  The course snaked through a couple picturesque fields and included some challenging terrain, all which got good reviews from the skiers.  At the end of the day Dan Santos of Northeast Passage (NEP) proved that his World Cup experience earlier in the winter paid off, putting up the fastest time of the day at 22:15.  In second in the men’s sit ski was Patrick Standen of Northeast Disabled Athletic Association in Burlington, VT with a time of 25:43.  Hot on his tails, and first in the women’s sit ski was Kristy Vaughn (NEP) with a time of 26:50.  In the wome’s stand-up field, with a time of 33:55, was Julie Smith of NEP.

Thanks to all the hardworking volunteers and racers who made this race happen!

Dan Santos on his way to victory

Julie Smith reminding us what it is all about!

Kristy, realizing all the pain she went through in the race was worth it. Chocolate prizes!

Winners