Page 8 - April_2014

Dion National
PROSPECT MOUNTAIN, WOOD-
BURy, VT — From Feb. 28 to March 2, race
Snowshoe
the slopes and woods of Prospect Moun- r
tain, a previously closed ski area turned- ecap

Nordic ski center, became host to over
400 competitors, as well as families and
Championship spectators for the Dion Snowshoes 2014

US National Snowshoe Championships.
The national championships are
Photos and text by Evan Johnson
held every year. Competitors who quali-
fied in earlier races in the season came

from points as close as Bennington, Vt.,
which acted as the host community, to
as far away as Italy, Canada, Australia,

Sweden and Great Britain. Competitors
also varied in age. The youngest was eight
years old – the oldest was 85.
The weekend featured a series of

races, including junior men’s and women’s
5k and a senior 10k divisions for men and
women on Saturday. The courses were,

designed, marked and maintained by lo-
cal resident and cross country ski coach
Tim Van Orden, and featured 4 kilome-
ters of climbing and 4k of descent. The

courses extended across the front face of
Prospect Mountain on and off the trails
in snow conditions ranging from flat and

firm packed trails to shin-deep powder
with a crusty surface.
Mitchell Ryan, 18, from Platts-
burgh, N.y. took first in the boys 5k race,

followed by Carter Stripp of William-
stown, Mass. and Zach Marshall from
Hinesburg, Vt.

For the 18-year old Ryan, who
competes on the cross-country and track
teams at SUNy Cortland, the national
championship was only his third race on

snowshoes. The top finishing girls for the
event were Jeanette Cudney from Caze-
novia, N.y., Rachael Jones from Fair-
point, N.y., and Chloe Mattilio, from

Paul Smith’s College.
In the senior 10k championships,
David Le Porho and Joel Bourgeois, both

from Canada, took first and second re-
spectively for the men’s division with Eric
Hartmark, from Duluth, Minn. taking
third.

For the women’s division, first place
was captured by Amber Ferreira from
Concord, N.H., followed by Kristina Fol-

cik, from Northwood, N.H., and Ashley
Krause from Easthampton, Mass., in
third.
The weekend concluded with team

relays and a hill-climb competition, with
racers charging up 100 meters of deep
loose snow for the coveted prize of Ver-
From top, counter-clockwise: Am-
mont pure maple syrup.
ber Ferreira, the winner for the wom- “The sport seems to grow every
en's 10k race, crosses the finish line; year,” race director Mark Ellmore said
a racer offers a hand to an exhausted following the championships on Sunday
competitor; and a smiling finisher after
the women's 10k race. In addition to afternoon. “And the experiences people
the 5k and 10k races, the weekend also have keep them coming back year after
featured the hillclimb — with runners year. We completely smashed our previ-
(some in costume) competing for ma-
ple syrup. For an expanded photo gal- ous record from last year.”
lery, see our website at www.vtsports. Planning for next year’s race in Eau
com.
Claire, Wis. started the next day.

8 Vtsports.com
April 2014