The Chisholm Ski Club, Black Mountain Ski Resort, and NENSA are combining to host the 2017 Qualifying races for Nordic skiers hoping to earn a spot on the Maine teams that will represent our state at Eastern High School Nordic Championships to be held on March 17-19, 2017 at Mountain Top Inn & Resort, Chittenden VT or picked for the NENSA U16 Championships to be held on March 10-12, 2017 at Titcomb Mountain, Farmington ME. The sole purpose of the Maine Nordic Team Selection Race is to pick the 24 Male and 24 Female Athletes who will represent Maine at the Eastern High School Nordic Championships and at the U16 Championships. Below is the schedule for the day.
Due to the predicted high winds and cold weather, the races which were scheduled for Saturday March 4th have been moved to Sunday, March 5th. Same schedule, first race at 10AM.
Rumford: Fabian Stocek of Jilemnice, CZE and skiing for Dartmouth College skated to Freestyle Gold in Day 2 of the 2017 Bates Carnival on Februaty 25th. Stockek completed the 20K mass start in 51:15.9 to grab 1st place. 
Williams College's Jordan Fields of South Woodstock, Vermont captured the silver with a time of 51:22.5. Williams' Eli Hoenig, the winner of the 10K Classical race on Day 1, took the bronze, crossing the finish line in 51:48.9. Rounding out the top 10 were Luke Brown and Gavin McEwen of Dartmouth, Juri Miosga of UVM, Braden Becker of Williams, Silas Eastman of Colby, Nick Gardnier of Williams, and Koby Gordon of Dartmouth.
In the women's race Dartmouth's Lauren Jortberg of Boulder, Colorado won the Women's 15K Freestyle, completing the foggy course in 44.44.5. Olivia Amber of Colby College and Lake Nebagamon, 
Wisconsin finished in 45.03.2 to win the silver, edging teammate Amy Bianco of Eli, Minnesota who was right with her at the finish line at 45.03.5. Other top 10 finishers were Elizabeth Gill of UNH, Hannah Miller of Bowdoin, Lydia Blanchet, Abigail Drach, and Taryn Hunt-Smith of Dartmouth, Lucy Hochschartnet of Saint Lawrence, and Zoe Snow of Dartmouth.
Race Photos are available at 
James, a graduate of Mt. Abram High School in Salem, Maine, capture first place by completing the 5K course in 16:05.2. She was followed by University of Vermont's Alayna Sonnesyn, who finished in 16:26.3. Grabbing the 3rd podium spot was Iris Pessey of Vermont with a time of 16:42.3.
The races also served as the Chummy Broomhall Cup Championship. The award, named after legendary Chisholm Ski Club member and two-time Olympian Chummy Broomhall, is 
awarded to the top Maine Nordic College Ski Team based on results in the Classical race. This year the award went to host Bates College. Ray Broomhall, standing in for his brother Chummy, helped Andy Shepard present the award.
Competition continues tomorrow with the Men's 20K and Women's 15K Mass Start Freestyle Races on Chummy's 5K course. The men's race is scheduled to begin at 10:00 am, followed by the women's race at 11:30.
Race Photos are available at
Black Mountain's historic cross country ski trails will be the site of the Bates Carnival, which will be the 2017 NCAA Regional Championships on Friday, February 24th and Saturday, February 25th. Friday's races will include the Men's 10km and Women's 5km Classical Races. These races will have a 30 second interval start using the 5km Ray's Course. The Friday races will also serve at the Chummy Broomhall Cup competition. The Broomhall Cup, named after Rumford's legendary Olympian Chummy Broomhall, is given annually to the Maine College who perfoms best in the nordic classical competition.
Racing will continue on Saturday with the Men's 20km and Women's 15km Mass Start freestyle. This race will be run on the 5km Chummy trail.
For up-to-date announcements, please visit the Virtual Coaches Meeting website.
Rumford, ME: Emma Charles, skiing for the Farmington Area Ski Team (FAST), completed the 2017 Jr. Sassi 3K Classical Race at Black Mountain Ski Resort in 11:27.4 to win the gold on beautiful conditions January 28, 2017. Finishing in the second spot was Eliza Skillings of Maine Coast with a time of 11:35.7. Taking the bronze was Charles teammate Bridget Reusch, who completed the race in 12:02.3. Other top finishers were Portland's Sierra Clark, Central Maine Ski Club's Cloe Sisson, Ella Raymond (Portland), Zuzia Varney (Portland), FAST's Moriah Reusch, Mia Digiralomo (CMSC), and Brynne Robbins of Farmington.
River Valley Graphics photos are available here.
Rumford, ME: The Mt. Blue Men and Womens Nordic Ski Teams made it a clean sweep at the 2017 Jonathan Sassi Memorial 5K Classical Race at Black Mountain Ski Resort on January 28th. Leading the girls team was gold medalist Julia Ramsey, who finished the course in 16:59.8. She was followed by Maranacook's Laura Parent (17:29.7) and teammate Meg Charles, who completed the course in 17:47.4. Other top ten finishers were Deering's Ewka Varney, Maine Coast's Louise Ahearne, Maranacook's Abb Despres, Gould Academy's Izzy Chase, Yarmouth's Hannah Corey, Freeport's Lily Horne, and Mt. Blue's Gretchen Huish.
In team competition Mt. Blue girls finished with 25 points to take the team championship, followed by Maranacook HS with 47 points and Yarmouth HS with 78.
In the men's race, Mt. Blue's Tucker Barber continued his outstanding winter by capturing the top spot by finishing the world's class course in 13:38.5. Freeport's Yacob Olins finished second with a time of 14:27.2, while John Lane of Yarmouth took the final podium spot, finishing in 14:30.6. Rounding out the top ten were Zach Holman of Marancook, Caleb Niles from Deering, Freeport's Bennett Hight, Maranacook's Mark McLaughlin, Cameron Bancroft of Oxford Hills, Nolan Rogers of Mt. Blue and Deering's Peter Jordan.
In a very tight race for the team championship, the boys from Mount Blue came in 1st with 39 points, followed by Maranacook with 40, and Freeport finished 3rd with 44 points.
For Complete Results, click here.
Race photos are available at https://rivervalleygraphics.smugmug.com/Skiing/2015-Sassi-Memorial-5K.
As I think back of all the races that we have hosted in Rumford, it amazes me what the Chisholm Ski Club and Black Mountain Ski Area have done for the River Valley Area through volunteerism. This started in the early 1900’s with the facilities on Spruce Street in Rumford, moving on to Scotty’s Mountain on the edge of town after World War II, and then on to the Glover Farm and our current location at Black Mountain in 1960.
There is so much history with the club and ski area in the River Valley and we have held some incredible events over the last 90+years. In 1950 Rumford became famous world wide for successfully staging the World Cross Country Ski Championships on a 48-hour notice. In 1951, the tryouts for the US Cross Country Ski Team were held in Rumford. In addition to these major competitions, we have since hosted National Biathlon Championships, U.S. Masters Cross Country Skiing Championships, National Junior Olympics, Chevy Truck U.S. Nationals, NCAA Cross Country Skiing Championships, Chevy Truck US Cross Country Championships, USCSA National Championships, and most recently the 2011 and 2012 US Cross Country Ski Championships. The list goes on and on.
at Black Mountain Ski Resort on February 24th. Hoenig completed the 10K course in 28"56.0 to take first place, finishing 9 seconds ahead of teammate Braden Becker, who won the silver. Grabbing the bronze medal was Connor Hrynuk of UMPI, who skied the course in a time of 29:36.9.
