HANOVER — The Ford Sayre Ski Council has sent just two athletes to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Junior National Cross Country Championships in the past nine years. The club apparently is making up for lost time, as seven Ford Sayre athletes have qualified for next month’s championship races in Anchorage, Alaska.
The news solidified upon the completion of the Eastern Cup season on Sunday at the Cheri Walsh Memorial races in Holderness, N.H. Ford Sayre’s Sam Murray, Jack Lange, Evan Nichols and Elsa Bolinger earned spots in the U16 division, while Kennedy Lange, Greta Bolinger and Keelan Durham earned spots in U18 competition.
Athletes earned spots for junior nationals based on points accumulated in Eastern Cup events. Murray was fourth and Lange sixth among the boys, while Elsa Bolinger was fifth among the girls. Nichols was an automatic qualifier. A combined 15 skiers made nationals among U18 and U20 athletes.
The group will also be part of a New England team competing for the Alaska Cup at junior nationals. The award goes to the best team performance at the championship; New England has won it 14 times in the 33 occasions in which it has been handed out, while Alaska has taken it 16 times.
Durham led Ford Sayre at the Dublin Double in Dublin, N.H., placing sixth in the men’s 1.5K freestyle and ninth in the 3K free. Bolinger placed 21st in the women’s 1.5K and 16th in the 3K.
Sunday’s Cheri Walsh race brought wins for Ford Sayre’s Sarah Glueck (U14 girls) and Elsa Bolinger (U16 girls). Murray was fourth and Lange sixth among U16 boys. Durham took second among U18 boys, and Greta Bolinger was eighth in the U18 girls race.
LYME CENTER — Although heavy winds cut short the final NHARA giant slalom state qualifier of the season on Sunday at Dartmouth Skiway, Ford Sayre still won the Western Division team title and will be sending a plethora of skiers to NHARA U12 and U14 championship races next month.
Hailey Pastel led the girls’ field on Sunday, posting a single-run time of 54.44 seconds to win by more than 2 seconds. Reese Hamlin, Campbell Madden and Dahlia Fuld finished 3-4-5 for Ford Sayre. The club’s Gavin Munson (52.39) and Andrew McGuire (52.49) took the top two spots among the boys.
Based on finishes during qualifying season, the following Ford Sayre racers will be headed to the following NHARA championship events:
NHARA U12 State Championships, March 9-10, Wildcat Mountain: Maggie Higgins, Dahlia Fuld, Hailey Pastel, Reese Hamlin, Campbell Madden, Allie Vogelien, Harper Traendly, Campbell White, Sam Ames, Andrew McGuire, Gavin Munson, Ty Christensen, Abraham Musty, Henry Ruth, Ian Holmes, Wynn Bushell, Hayden Clapp.
NHARA U14 State Championships, March 9-10, Mount Cranmore: Lucy Curtis, Mia Madden, Kate Levy, Grace Bean, Sadie Higgins, Casey Navrda, Ashley Cotter, Elena Trempe, Ava Kocher, Ethan Munson, Nicholas Reiss, Zachary Tracy, Sam Loescher, Zander Doyle, Schuyler Clapp, Adam Goodney, Charles Forbush, Noah Winchester, Ben Woods.
NHARA U12/U14 State Finals, March 1-3, FSC: U12 — Sadie Ross, Nora Holmes, Amelia Holthoff, Lila Muirhead, Sofia Tomlinson-Sanchez, Rachel Kohl, Millie Larrick, Mathilde Senter, Mary Westrich, Ben Ames, Bjorn Bungener, Burke Pekala, Gus Thompson, Alexander Muirhead, Henry Steffen, Ely Steffen. U14 — Virginia Adams, Ava Holthoff, Izzy Pepper, Maeve Crowley.
HOOKSETT, N.H. — The Upper Valley Storm Peewee I youth hockey team won the New Hampshire Amateur Hockey Association Tier II state championship on Sunday, while the Peewee II squad went 1-2-0 at the NHAHA Tier IV state tourney in Rochester, N.H.
Storm I went undefeated at states, including a 5-3 win over Lakes Region in the final. The Storm came back twice — from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 — before ultimately sealing the victory.
Tyler Christian powered the championship-game effort with two goals. Carter Simmons, Nolan Morlock and Jackson Davies also scored, Jack Clary had three assists and Gwyn McGee and Cavan Benjamin both had single assists. Davies tacked on a behind the back, cross-seam pass to Christian for the final goal.
Davey Bradley anchored the Storm in goal for all four games. Defender Braelyn Park and wings Jack Wilkinson, James Barnett and Logan Caffrey had significant contributions. Owen Nichols, Maddox Castro, Nate Dube and Nick Daniels provided depth and balance all weekend long. The Storm will play in the New England regional tournament in Conway, N.H., on March 15-17.
Storm II opened with a 4-0 loss to Manchester on Friday in its Tier IV state opener, but bounced back with a 3-1 defeat of host Rocheser on Saturday morning. That sent the Storm to the tourney semifinals, where Back Bay eliminated Upper Valley in a 1-0 overtime decision.
DOVER, N.H. — The Hanover Wild U14 girls hockey team swept to the East Division crown of the New England Bay State tournament last weekend.
Hanover opened with a 7-0 shutout of the Lady T-Hawks (Mass.) behind the goaltending of Mattie Cetin, who allowed only one goal all weekend. Biddeford (Maine) notched it but no more in a 4-1 Hanover win, then the Wild edged Oyster River, 1-0, to complete group play. Claire Falcone had five goals and Cam Callahan contributed three scores to help the Wild advance.
Hanover had a rematch with Oyster River in the finale, pulling out a 2-0 win. Danielle Rudd scored the game-winning goal on a pass from Callahan, who later teammed up with Rudd for an empty-netter. The two rivals will meet again at the NHAHA U14 Tier IV state tournament in Hooksett, N.H., this weekend.
NEWPORT, Vt. — Four members of the Upper Valley Aquatic Club spent the weekend in the frigid waters of Lake Memphremagog as part of the Memphremagog Winter Swim Society’s Kingdom Games Winter Swimming event.
More than 80 competitors from around the Northeast participated in races held over an open-water stretch of the lake that was carved from its ice. Three UVAC youths — Esme Kimber, Margaret Rivard and Vera Rivard — took part, as did 44-year-old Sean Uiterwyck.
Kimber had UVAC’s one race victory, taking the women’s division of the 50-meter freestyle. Vera Rivard earned second-place results in the 200 free, 25 breaststroke and 200 relay, and Kimber contributed a runner-up in the 25 free. The Rivard sisters also won the weekend’s fun event, a 25-yard swim in which the victors were determined by the creativeness of their headwear.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Members of the Upper Valley Aquatic Club swim team raised more than $12,000 during their swim-a-thon earlier this month.
Receiving pledges either for laps completed or total distance, swimmers earned an event-record $12,510 for their efforts. A portion of the money is bound for the UVAC’s scholarship fund, to help with new equipment, meet fees and athlete travel. Other funds have been earmarked for the USA Swimming Foundation in support of the sport.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The Upper Valley Curling Club will hold its latest short course on the sport for newcomers on March 13 at 6 p.m. at Wendell A. Barwood Arena.
The clinic is geared toward people new to and curious about the game, which has grown in popularity since its relatively recent inclusion into the Olympics. The UVCS provides all equipment; participants need only dress in warm clothing and wear clean shoes with non-skid soles.
The cost is $25 per person, and pre-registration is required. Email uppervalleycurling@gmail.com for more information or to sign up.
LEBANON — Registration is underway for the Shamrock Shuffle 5K, the unofficial start to the Upper Valley’s outdoor running season.
The 18th edition of the Shuffle is scheduled for March 16, with an 11 a.m. start for the kids 1-mile fun run and a noon start for the 5K run around downtown Lebanon. The race begins and ends on Colburn Park in front of Lebanon City Hall.
Once registered, runners can pick up their race packets on the night before the race, from 6-8 p.m. at city hall and can also be received the day of the race. Runners are encouraged to register online through www.shamrock5k.com; pre-registration (through March 10) is $22.50 for ages 17 and older, $17.50 for ages 13-17 and $12.50 for ages 12 and younger; late registration fees increase $2.50 across the board after March 10. Long-sleeve T-shirts are guaranteed to all pre-registrants to desire to have one.
Call Lebanon Rec at 603-448-5121 for more information or assistance.