The 2007 Aroostook Medical Center International Spring Series kicked off March 28, in 50-miles-per-hour winds, and ended on April 1, with spring-like warmth and sunny skies melting the snow under the spectators’ feet. Although the weather conditions may have felt more like the skis should be packed away, the athletes and fans enjoyed the weekend-long races.
On March 28, the Caribou Ski Center hosted the Northern Skiers Cash Sprints. The middle-school racers started their .75 kilometer sprints prior to the adult one kilometer races. Finishing in first for the girls was Laura Collins, from Caribou, with a time of 2:08. Other finishers in the top 10 from the area included Danni Anderson-Packard, from Presque Isle, in fifth; Lydia Kieffer and Carly Pinette, both from Caribou, in sixth and seventh; Dayna Michaud and Kendra Stevens, both from Union 122, in eighth and ninth; and Ashley Richards, from Caribou, in tenth place.
For the boys sprint race, Alex Jandreau, of Madawaska, finished first with a time of 2:03. Teammates Jonathan Lee and Darin Jandreau, made it a sweep as they finished in second and third, respectively. Other top 10 finishers included Royce Landeen, from Union 122, in fourth; Caleb Chapman and D.J. Flynn, both from Caribou, in fifth and sixth; Austin Bragdon and Gregoire Faucher, from Madawaska, in seventh and eighth; Christian Sleeper, from Caribou, in ninth; and Ethan Stetson, of Union 122, in tenth place.
At 5 p.m. the Women’s Freestyle Team Sprint Competition started. In the finals, it was Caitlin Compton and Lavra Valaas in first place; with Dasha Galazova and Brittany Webster in second; and Tazlina Mannix and Elizabeth Stephen in third. The men’s freestyle sprint race started at 5:30 p.m., and the team of Zack Simmons and Torin Koos took first with a time of 10:08; Brent McMurty and Alex Harvey took second place; and Colin Rodgers and Leif Zimmerman came in third.
On March 30, the skiers moved over to the Nordic Heritage Center for the U.S. National Pursuit Championship. This race was a combination of classic and freestyle cross country skiing. This meant that the skiers had to take a break in-between races to exchange skis. At 9 a.m., the men’s 30 kilometer race began, with the U.S. ski team’s Kris Freeman coming in first place with a final time of 1:12:23. Alex Harvey came in second; and Garrott Kuzzy, of the CXC Team, placed third. Maine Winter Sports Center’s David Chamberlain placed within the top 10, with a time of 1:15:20, putting him in eighth; and Thomas Keefe came in 17th, with a time of 1:17:47.
Following the men’s start, the women set off at 11 a.m. for their chance at the championship. In first for the women’s 15 kilometer race was Brittany Webster of the NTDC-Thunder Bay team with a time of 41:02. Second place went to Tazlina Mannix of the U.S. Ski Team; and third was Dasha Galazova.
At 12:30 p.m., the master men, junior women, and junior men all started their 10 kilometer competition. For the master men, Jeff Dubis and Paul Cyr, both from Fort Kent’s 10th Mountain Ski Club, came in first and second, with times of 15:24 and 15:56, respectively; and Prawat Nagvajara was third in the race.
Chelsea Tremblay, the only competitor for the junior women, at age of 12, finished her race with a time of 49:11. She was racing on behalf of club Tremblay.
In first for the junior men’s competition was Russell Currier of Stockholm, representing the Maine Winter Sports Center. He finished with a time of 29:29. Of the race, Currier said it felt great out there skiing.
“I wanted to support the junior division. I would have loved to have been out there in the masters, but I wanted to save some energy for the 50-K on Sunday,” Currier stated after stepping down from the awards podium.
April 1 was the final day of competition for the TAMC International Spring Series. In warm, sunny weather, the crowd gathered on the steps of the Nordic Heritage Center to watch the U.S. National Marathon Freestyle Championship.
The women’s 30 kilometer race started at 9 a.m. Tazlina Mannix, of the U.S. Ski Team and her teammate Elizabeth Stephen finished first and second, with times of 1:20:03 and 1:20:05, respectively. Brittany Webster was third, representing the NTDC-Thunder Bay team, with a time of 1:20:33.
Skiing for the MWSC in the race were Haley Johnson, finishing in fifth, with a time of 1:22:19; Beth Ann Chamberlain, in 15th, with a time of 1:28:18; and Sarah Dominick, in 27th, with a time of 1:36:41.
In the men’s 50 kilometer race, Kris Freeman, of the U.S. Ski Team, came in first, with a time of 2:01:01. Alex Harvey came in second with a time of 2:01:22; and Garrott Kuzzy, of the CXC Team, was third with a time of 2:04:13.
David Chamberlain, from the MWSC, came in 11th, and his teammate Russell Currier, placed 21 in Sunday’s race.
The juniors and masters men had their start at 11:05 a.m. for the 25 kilometer marathon competition. In first was Matt Briggs, of the Colby College Nordic Ski Team, with a time of 1:11. In second was Dylan Grald, from the Ford Sayre team, with a time of 1:12. MWSC skiers took third and fourth places, with finishers Nick Michaud and Phil Willey, at 1:12 and 1:15, respectively. Other finishers for the MWSC included Michael Yeo, in sixth, in 1:17:42; and Carl Soderberg, 12th, in 1:23:59.
Maine Nordic Ski Club members were also competing in the 25-K. The finishers included David Roberts, in seventh; Mike Marino, in 15th; and Mary Lou Lowrie, in 17th.
The citizen’s ski race was also held on the final day of the series. The only three competitors, all from the 10th Mountain Ski Club, crossed the line in what would be a photo finish. In the end, after the 12.5 kilometer race, since the women skied as a team, they were honored with a three-way tie for first. Kaitlyn Bernard, Jessica Caron and Andrea Mayo all finished in 54:29:8.
All the volunteers, skiers, coaches and families were invited to a final party at Quoggy Jo Ski Center for a barbeque, music, and finally, some relaxation!
