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Athletes of the Year
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VT's Ryan Cochran-Siegle, a U.S. Ski Team powerhouse
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Ryan Cochran-Siegle racing the Birds of Prey Downhill at Beaver Creek in December, 2021 Photo by Dustin Satloff, USSA
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Athlete of the Year Megan Nick of Shelburne training in 2021, a year she earned two World Cup golds. Watch for Nick at the Olympics. Photo Steven Kornreich/USSA
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5 The Start
12 Feature
20 Feature
This may be the year to do something uncomfortable.
These Vermonters and transplants put on some remarkable performances in 2021. And many are poised to do even better in 2022.
More and more people are venturing into the water yearround. Here’s why.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
6 News
Exlplore Wild Ice
The longest skating trail in the U.S., a festival on ice and caves you can skate to.
20 Feature
9 Health
Vermonters make up six of the 8 members of the U.S. Biathlon Olympic Team. And three are in the Vermont National Guard.
Intermittent Fasting VERMONT SPORTS IS A PROUD MEMBER OF
10 Athletes of the Year
It was the No. 1 diet of 2021 and has plenty of health claims. But is intermittent fasting right for athletes? Here’s the science.
The National Guard Contenders
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THE START
BEYOND THE COMFORT ZONE WHETHER YOU ARE AN OLYMPIAN OR A MIDDLEAGED ICE SWIMMER, GETTING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE HAS ITS REWARDS.
Contestants test the water at the Lake Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival. Courtesy Kingdom Games
O
ne of the things I love the most about the Winter Olympics is watching some of the sports most of us never participate in. Sure, we go sledding. But have we ever luged? Yes, we skate. But how about curling? Crosscountry skiing is something that’s almost a given in this state. But doing that, and stopping to shoot at a target at the same time? How many of us have done that? While some of the athletes and Olympians we feature in our annual round-up of 10 Athletes of the Year were practically born into their sports (we’re looking at you, Ryan Cochran-Siegle), what is impressive is how many picked up their sports relatively late in life. Take Deedra Irwin, a runner who started Nordic skiing to stay in shape and pickeup biathlon in 2017. She is now headed to the Olympics as a biathlete. Or Megan Nick, a gymnast, who went to a free U.S. Ski Team aerials scouting camp as part of a high school senior project. She is now a World Cup-winning aerialist. We have a remarkable breadth of opportunities in the region to pursue just about any outdoor sport at the highest level. Ski jumpers can learn on small hills like those in the Upper Valley area, or head to Lake Placid, N.Y. —where you can also learn to luge or bobsled. The Vermont National Guard’s biathlon training site at Camp Ethan Allen in Jericho, offers training and a chance to learn biathlon for civilians as well as those enrolled in the Guard. Six of the eight members of the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team have been training in Vermont or are from here. Stratton Mountain School has no fewer than four grads competing in the 2022 Winter Games: slopestyle/big air skier Mac Forehand; cross-country ski racers Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern; and snowboardcross veteran Lindsay Jacobellis. Burke Mountain Academy grads Mikaela Shiffrin and Nina O’Brien
will be ski racing in China, as will University of Vermont’s former NCAA champion, Paula Moltzan. Green Mountain Valley School has also turned out its share of World Cup and Olympic contenders. What makes any of these athletes different from us, or the people we were growing up? The difference is these top-level athletes consistently push themselves beyond their comfort zones, something that humans are not conditioned to do these days. “Humans evolved to be able to handle stress and that physical stress just isn’t present in our lives today,” says ultra-marathoner Rob Williams who teaches the Wim Hof Method of breathwork and cold-water therapy. He makes an ice bath part of his weekly practice. That may be why cold-water swimming and ice baths are growing in popularity, as we write about in the “The Rising Tide of Ice Swimming.” Many of the people who are practicing this emerging “sport” are not hard-bodied young athletes but folks in middle age who are eager to push themselves into something new. “A lot of us are deterred from trying things because we think we can’t,” says Charlotte Brynn, 55, who has swum an ice mile in Lake Champlain. “The thing that struck me is this is actually achievable.” And if you do decide to ice swim with any of the groups we profile in this issue, you may also have a whole lot of fun. After rereading the stories in this issue, I came away inspired to do one thing this year. Call it a resolution or not, but I am going to find a new way to push myself out of the comfort zone. —Lisa Lynn, Editor
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NEWS
Explore Wild Ice IF YOU WANT TO SKATE OUTSIDE THE RINK, VERMONT HAS PLENTY OF SAFE WAYS TO EXPLORE WILD ICE.
The longest skating trail in the U.S., Lake Morey’s 4.3-mile trail is groomed all winter.
6 VTSPORTS.COM | JAN./FEB. 2022
F
or many people, ideal skating means circling a perfectlyZambonied rink with velvety ice. Perhaps there’s some music playing and, if it’s outdoors, some twinkly lights. There are lots of those rinks around Vermont. For others going round and round in a rink is a bit like running on a hamster wheel. They are the skaters who explore the frozen lakes, ponds and marshes of Vermont, often using Nordic skates with longer blades. But those surfaces are often rough, unpredictable and sometimes dangerous, especially for the newcomer not in the habit of practicing safety protocols. And while the Nordic skates help smooth out the bumps and can glide over air pockets or patches of packed snow, it still takes some skill to navigate. Fortunately, there are a few places in Vermont that combine the best of both worlds: the safe environment and cleared ice of a rink with the opportunity to skate in the wild, often over distances. While Canada has many such skating routes, with travel across the border in question, we’ve rounded up a few great places to wild skate at home this winter.
In February, Lake Morey hosts the Vermont Pond Hockey Championships — for both serious and more casual pond hockey players. Courtesy photo.
fireworks and, of course, skating on City Bay under lights. For kids (or adults), there’s a chance to drive a Zamboni and the North Hero Fire Department demonstrates ice rescue techniques. On Sunday, join in the Over ‘N Back Trek to Knight Island. Hike, snowshoe, or skate on an ungroomed path 1.7 miles out to Knight Island where the state park ranger station serves up hot chocolate, then head back.
SKATE LAKE MOREY
Perhaps the biggest and best known of places to wild skate is Lake Morey. At 545 acres, it’s a sizable lake and fairyl shallow, so freezes early. Starting Jan. 15, the Lake Morey Resort helps groom a 4.3-mile trail that loops around the lake, the longest such skating track in the U.S. As novelist Joyce Maynard described it in a New York Times article, the Lake Morey ice trail is “about as far removed from skating at a rink as attending a spin class is from biking the tour de France.” You can rent skates and lace up at the resort (or spend a weekend there, lakeview winter room rates start at $239) and skate out the front door. While there are also parts of the lake near the hotel cleared by Zambonis where pond hockey games spring up, skate a mile or two out and you are usually on your own – no one zipping past you or falling in front of you. The summer cottages are quiet and the hills of Fairlee rise up on the horizon. After, if you are staying at the hotel, warm up in the sauna or indoor pool. Some weekends are busier than others. The pond hockey classic, the Frostbite Face-off for the Yeti Cup,happens Jan. 28-30. And on Feb. 4-6 the Vermont Pond Hockey Championships take place here, with a ““league” division and a “pond” division for teams of 6 recreational amateurs who have never played in school or in a league. The winning team earns the Golden Sap Bucket. February vacation week (Feb. 18-24) features hotel discounts as well as candlelit snowshoe walks, marshmallow
EXPLORE INTERVALE SEA CAVES
A pick-up game of pond hockey gets going at North Hero’s Great Ice Festival. roasting and family trivia nights and bingo games.
JOIN IN THE NORTH HERO GREAT ICE FESTIVAL
While you can find good skating any time the ice is solid and clear in the shallow bays around North Hero, the time to head there is Feb. 18-20. That’s when the Great Ice Festival weekend takes place.
Courtesy photo.
Locals clear the ice for skating areas and pond hockey, make room for cars to park at sites onshore and put on quite the party. The weekend kicks off with dogsled rides at Shore Acres. A vendor village sets up on the ice with local breweries and distilleries such as Snow Farm and Wild Hart hosting tasting stations. There’s a bonfire of discarded Christmas trees,
Just on the outskirts of Burlington in the relative wilds of the Intervale lies a small pond in Arthur Park. While the pond itself may not rival a skating rink, it’s what lies at one end that makes it worth lacing up and heading out. Winter, when the ice is frozen solid is the best time to explore the Donohue Sea Caves. Left over from when the Champlain Sea retreated, and polished smooth by the repeated washings of fresh water seeping over the dolostone, the caves are keyholes in the pond’s edges. You can skate into them and see how Abenaki used them to huddle during winter storms and as a place to cache grains.
SKI THE HIGHLAND CENTER ART TRAIL .The Highland Center for the Arts and the town of Greensboro teamed up this year to create a small skating rink. But the real fun is to cross-country ski the two-mile trail that winds past the work of more than 20 artists. The HCA pioneered the art trail last winter and is bringing it back with a special Meet the Artists weekend on Jan. 29-30. The open-air café is also back serving outdoor lunch and warm drinks around firepits. For the second year, Highland Center for the Arts stages a ski-through art trail.
JAN./FEB. 2022 | VTSPORTS.COM 7
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Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Find out more wintersteiger.com 8 VTSPORTS.COM | JAN./FEB. 2022
HEALTH
IS INTERMITTENT FASTING FOR ATHLETES?
THE MOST POPULAR DIET OF 2021, INTERMITTENT FASTING, MAY HAVE SOME LONG-TERM HEALTH BENEFITS BEYOND WEIGHT LOSS. BUT ATHLETES SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE DOWN SIDES, TOO. BY JAMIE SHEAHAN, M.S., R.D.
T
his time of year, we are inundated with promises of a diet or supplement that can do everything from drop inches from your waist in a matter of days to those that purport to resolve any malady that ails you. These are enticing, but often seem too good to be true. What if I were to tell you that there was a diet that could not only help you lose weight, but live longer? Many popular diets make such grandiose claims, but few have provided any evidence to substantiate this—save for one; long-term caloric restriction. From a health standpoint, caloric restriction is essentially the fountain of youth. Caloric restriction has been studied for over 60 years in animals and has consistently proven that consuming a continuously low-calorie diet over many years can extend lifespan. This begs the question, if eating less means living longer then why isn’t everyone doing that? To put it simply; it sucks. Cutting one’s calories by 40% is tough. Ask anyone who has been on a strict low-calorie diet and they are unlikely to give it a rave review. Sure, they may have lost weight, but chances are they didn’t end up sticking with it long-term because ofnagging hunger pangs and serious FOMO anytime they saw a slice of pizza. Hence, there aren’t any long-term studies on calorie restriction in humans because most participants drop out after a few months of these drastic diets. That said, those in the medical community have begun to wonder if similar benefits could be achieved through an alternative method, intermittent fasting.
WHY TIMING MEALS MATTERS
Intermittent fasting (IF) refers to regular periods of little to no caloric intake. IF has become increasingly popular over the past several years with many touting it as the best way to lose weight without the usual rigmarole of counting calories or cutting out entire food groups. Although IF may seem like a recent diet craze it is far from a novel approach to eating. In fact, our ancestors ate this way for tens of thousands of years. That was the simple reality of the huntergatherer lifestyle in which food was not
derived from the body’s storage form of carbohydrates, glycogen, to fatty acids and ketones. This “switch” occurs after approximately 12 to 36 hours of fasting depending on an individual’s nutritional status prior to their fast. That means a 16-hour “fasting window” just squeaks into the lower end of the range. The reason relying on fatty acids and ketone bodies elicits so many potential health benefits is still a bit of a question mark; researchers have yet to definitively determine why our bodies seem to fare better health-wise when fueled from fat. Regardless of the how, many are also left wondering whether athletes can reap these benefits on an IF diet without seeing their performance suffer.
IS FASTING FAST?
By timing meals to fit in with workouts, athletes might still benefit from intermittent fasting. Adobe Stock Photos
always readily available. Our ancestors survived never knowing where their next meal would come from, subsisting with regular periods of little or no food intake. Today, the vast majority of individuals living in industrialized countries have just the opposite problem; the ability to constantly eat regardless of whether they need to, resulting in excessive calorie consumption. Thus, the question becomes can IF achieve the same benefits as calorie restriction? To answer this question, it is first important to understand what IF actually is. There are many different approaches to IF, the most popular being the 16:8 method. This style of IF entails abstaining from all food intake for 16-hours per day. For the remaining 8-hours adherents can eat normally with no need to count calories or avoid certain foods. One of the major draws to IF is the fact that you do not have to restrict what or how much you eat, but simply when you eat. Whether it’s early in the day or in the evening, there are clear “feeding windows” and “fasting windows.” Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It can take a while to adjust to ignoring a growling stomach at specific hours.
However, for those who can stick with it and adapt, the benefits may be worth it. When it comes to weight loss the results are clear; IF works. Studies have shown that individuals following an IF diet lost just as much weight as those on a calorie-restricted diet and reported lower hunger levels over time. But before you start fasting for 16 hours there’s a bit disclaimer. Studies indicate that IF is not a magic bullet for weight loss. That weight loss is relatively short-lived — almost all longterm studies observed that after a year IF participants regain the weight that they lost. Although disappointing, this is not altogether unexpected. That’s not to say there aren’t other important health benefits to be gained from IF. Reduced insulin resistance, cancer prevention, reduced risk of heart disease, improved cognitive function, reduced risk for Alzheimer’s, decreased inflammation, and the aforementioned increased longevity are all potential perks of IF. Researchers theorize that these health benefits are largely derived from the “metabolic switching” that occurs as a result of fasting. This “switch” is essentially the body going from its preferred fuel source of glucose,
Before IF became so trendy, some athletes were already trying to navigate periods of fasting with training and competition. For centuries, many religions have included traditions and rituals that incorporate various forms of fasting. Of particular interest is the Muslim tradition of Ramadan. For the monthlong period of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from all food and beverages from sunup to sundown. Although not a precisely a 16-hour fast, it comes pretty close and because of that, Muslim athletes have served as an ideal study population when considering how fasting can impact athletic performance. The bad news is these studies may leave us with more questions than answers. In one study conducted on professional soccer players there was a significant reduction in the players’ endurance, speed, and agility during the month of Ramadan. However, a subsequent study on elite judo athletes found little effect of fasting on aerobic performance or speed. Conflicting outcomes such as these are largely representative of the lack of consensus when it comes to the performance impact of fasting during Ramadan. So far, the body of research on athletes observing Ramadan seems to indicate that fasting has a negative effect on high-intensity sports. From a scientific standpoint this makes sense. High-intensity exercise relies predominantly on glycogen for a fuel source because it can be broken down quickly to provide energy for
JAN./FEB. 2022 | VTSPORTS.COM 9
working muscles without the need for oxygen. Fat can also be used as a fuel source but takes much longer to process and requires oxygen. Not exactly an ideal fuel when you’re gasping for air in a dead sprint. Studies have shown slower sprint times for athletes during Ramadan, which researchers speculate is due to depleted glycogen stores and a shift to fat as the predominant fuel source. It is important to note that although Ramadan entails a similar structure to IF, they are not one and the same. For one, the time during which individuals fast for Ramadan is based on the rising and setting of the sun and thus provides no flexibility for athletes to schedule their food intake around their training schedule. Just imagine how you would feel going out for a long run in the evening after not eating anything since the early morning hours. IF, on the other hand, allows followers to choose when they want their feeding window to be as long as it is consistent day to day. That same evening run would feel very different if your 8-hour feeding window started at noon and thus allowed you to have a meal prior to that run, to fuel during the run, and to have a recovery meal afterwards. Another major factor that
Although not exactly a 16-hour fast, Ramadan comes pretty close and Muslim athletes have served as an ideal study population when considering how fasting impacts performance.” must be accounted for is the ability to consume beverages. IF does not restrict the intake of water, tea or coffee during one’s fasting window, which could mitigate some of the negative
performance outcomes observed in athletes fasting for Ramadan. There are few studies that have examined the specific protocol of fasting for 16-hours and eating for 8-hours, and those that have been done show mixed results when it comes to athletic performance. Like the studies on athletes during Ramadan, most preliminary findings show IF to be detrimental to performance in highintensity exercise. However, this negative effect was reduced after a few days fasting, leading researchers to speculate that the body can adapt and experience no ill-effects on performance after this adjustment period. At best, IF seems to provide no performance benefit and at worst could negatively affect endurance exercise. Arguably the biggest concern for athletes considering IF is often the motivation behind it, weight loss. That’s because body weight represents more than just fat. Loss of muscle mass is a common outcome of “dieting” and can have negative effects on both health and performance. Calorie restricted diets typically result in 20% to 35% of weight lost from muscle. Not exactly ideal for athletes who train hard to build muscle for strength, power, and endurance. Fortunately, this is one area in which
IF can help. One study conducted on healthy-weight males who already engaged in strength training found IF subjects were able to lose body fat and still maintain their muscle mass. This is promising, especially for athletes looking to shed weight in their offseason and not have to worry about keeping up with more intense training and competition. As millions weigh the different approaches to dieting this year (pun intended), IF likely tops the list considering it was rated the most popular diet of 2021. When it comes to athletes, it seems IF won’t be a boon for performance and is best utilized in conjunction with resistance training for those whose primary goal is reducing body fat. Whether or not IF can deliver when it comes to increased longevity, decreased risk for disease, or weight loss remains to be seen. Jamie Sheahan, M.S., R.D. is the Director of Nutrition at The Edge in Burlington where she works closely with athletes to develop custom fueling plans to optimize health and performance. Sheahan is also an adjunct professor of sports nutrition at University of Vermont and an avid runner
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1O
YEAR ATHLETES OF THE
SOME WERE OLYMPIANS, SOME WILL BE. SOME LIVE HERE IN VERMONT, OTHERS WERE RAISED HERE. WHAT ALL THESE ATHLETES SHARE IN COMMON IS THIS: EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCES OVER THE PAST YEAR.
Ian Boswell became a gravel rider almost by default. That's just what northern Vermont dishes out. Photo by Ansel Dickey
I
t’s never easy to pick just 10 Athletes of the Year from Vermont. And in a year that straddled two Olympic selection processes – first for the Tokyo Games in July 2021 and then for this winter's Games in Beijing, it was even harder. Vermont has never had a stronger contingent heading to the Summer Games and in the Winter
12 VTSPORTS.COM | JAN/FEB. 2022
Olympics, Vermonters are dominating in teams such as biathlon where six of the eight Olympic team members make Vermont their training ground. But Vermont Sports is about more than just the typical sports that make up the Olympics. And our athletes often excel in ways that don’t involve winning or losing
or head-to-head competition. To narrow this list, we had to tighten our criteria this year. We looked for athletes who had made a significant accomplishment in their sport in 2021 and who still have strong ties to Vermont – they either live here, or their immediate families do. Some, like ski racer Paula Moltzan would have made the cut but
she’s on hiatus from the University of Vermont and living in Massachusetts We recognize that all athletes travel to compete and train, but we wanted to recognize those who keep coming back, who still have family here, and who keep making Vermont proud. Here they are, in alphabetical order.
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
A change of gear sponsors didn't phase Ryan Cochran-Siegle. Skiing on Head skis and boots with Hotronic heaters, RCS ripped up the World Cup Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek, Colo. on Dec. 2, 2021. Photo by Dustin Satloff/USSA
IAN BOSWELL, PEACHAM Ian Boswell didn’t bring home any Olympic medals. He didn’t stand on any World Cup podiums. In fact, the former Tour de France pro seemed almost like a reluctant competitor when he came out of retirement, so to speak, and entered gravel racing’s equivalent of the Daytona 500, the 200-mile race across Kansas, renamed Unbound Gravel. He came home with the winner’s trophy: a big fat belt buckle. Boswell had been living a charmed life with his wife Gretchen in Peacham, working for Wahoo Fitness as an athlete liaison, putting on the Peacham Fall Fondo, gardening and riding Vermont’s backroads for fun.
He wasn’t a sponsored athlete anymore and new to the pro gravel scene — Unbound was only his second gravel race. In short, he wasn’t expected to be a contender. But somehow he couldn’t help it. “I was going to all these races for my job, anyway, so I figured I might as well race,” he told Vermont Sports in June. He surprised even himself by upsetting reigning champion Colin Strickland and outsprinting an elite pack of former WorldTour riders that included Peter Stetina, Laurens ten Dam, and Vermont’s Ted King. That win could have been a fluke. It wasn’t. In August, Boswell went on to win the first running of the 100mile gravel sufferfest, the Belgian Waffle Ride, in Asheville, N.C., which
featured 9,600 feet of climbing. And he also won the Vermont Overland against a roster of top local talent. But perhaps the race he was most excited about was the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya, a four-day, 650K gravel ride through the Maasai Mara to help support Kenyan riders. “They really wanted us to ride our hardest so their athletes could gain experience and see what it’s like to race internationally. It was one of the most unique and influential races I’ve done. It was pointto-point every day and at night we’d set up camp with these different Maasai tribes. The terrain was a mix of ParisRoubaix and mountain biking,” he said. At the end of 2021, the question on everyone’s mind was what Boswell
would do next. Dangling before him was the new LifeTime Grand Prix series of six gravel events with a $250,000 prize purse. In December, Boswell announced he wouldn’t be competing. With a newborn daughter Maija at home and his job at Wahoo going full steam, he opted for his quieter life in Peacham.
RYAN COCHRAN-SIEGLE, BURLINGTON In December, Andrew Dampf of the Associated Press called Ryan Cochran-Siegle “The brightest prospect for an Olympic medal among the men on the U.S. Ski Team.” For anyone who knows the Vermonter, that would evoke a big “duh!”
JAN/FEB. 2022 | VTSPORTS.COM 13
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR For years, Cochran-Siegle has shown potential in short explosions, fireworks of glory, only to flame out with an injury. This past year was no exception, but the explosions were his brightest yet. In the first part of 2021, CochranSiegle, 29, earned his first World Cup podium, a silver in the downhill in Val Gardena, Italy and 10 days later won the super-G in Bormio. A few weeks later, on the training run for the famed Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuhel, Austria he placed first. But in the actual race, a bad crash saw him airlifted out with a season-ending fractured neck. Last spring, RCS was still wearing a neck-brace as he helped his cousin Tim Kelley boil sap for the family business UnTapped at the sugarhouse at the base of Cochran’s Ski Area. “It’s the first time I’ve been here in the spring in a long time,” said Cochran-Siegle. Reflecting on his past season he admitted, “So much of it is in my head. At this level, anyone can win it just depends on what kind of day you are having.” But by December he was back, skiing now on Head skis—a risky change in a year leading up to an Olympics. The gear change didn’t slow him down. Cochran-Siegle earned a sixth in The XFinity Birds of Prey downhill in Beaver Creek, Colo. Then, in late December, Cochran-Siegle came just 0.05 seconds shy of another podium, placing fourth in the Bormio super-G. This winter’s Games will be Cochran-Siegle’s second go around. His best finish in PyeongChang was 11th in the GS and 14th in the super-G. And he’ll have a family back home cheering for him that includes five other Olympic contenders including his mother, Barbara Ann Cochran, the Olympic gold medalist and coach who helps run Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond.
ALICIA DANA, PUTNEY Going into this summer, Alicia Dana had one Olympic medal, a silver she earned in the Rio time trial. In Tokyo 2021, the handcyclist from Putney was on her way to her first gold when the unthinkable happened. “I was feeling really good. I was 40 seconds ahead in the time trial when I had a mechanical,” she said. The chain came off her handcycle and then fell apart as a volunteer tried to help her get it back on. She watched as the field kept going. “It was devastating
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For Dana, those numbers matter more than races. “I don’t get to race a lot or train with others much,” she notes, though she is the team captain of the Challenged Athletes Foundation women’s handcycling team. “But for me, what matters most is how I feel like I’m doing, not just race results,” she says. While this may or may not be Dana’s last Olympics, she’s going to keep up her training. “Working out and being fit helps me in so, so many ways – as a single mother, as a Vermonter who has to take care of a house through the winters here, and as someone who lives life in a wheelchair and has to do everything with their upper body. It’s just so important.”
JESSIE DIGGINS, STRATTON
Alicia Dana was on her way to a gold in the time trial when a mechanical caused her to drop back. Still, the Putney handcyclist returned from Tokyo with two medals. Photo courtesy Alicia Dana
because I knew I was having the race of my life,” she said. She ended up 16th. But that didn’t stop Dana. In her next race, the H1-4 road race, she earned a bronze medal and then helped teammates Ryan Pinney and Freddie de Los Santos win a bronze in the mixed relay. She did all this at age 52. “I was in the best shape of my life this year,” says Dana, who has been paralyzed from the waist down since falling out of a tree at the Putney School when she was 17. Dana has been competing for nearly two decades and this was her third Olympics. “I thought about retiring but I also knew
I could keep doing better,” she said. “This summer, I got a silver in a World Cup in Belgium and I just felt then that I had more potential.” Last May, she switched coaches. While she had been training with someone who worked with handcyclists, her new coach, Jakub Novack, was a pro cyclist. “He really energized me. He never considered the factor of my age, he was just confident that I could keep improving.” she said. And Dana did. “I’d watch my numbers. The functional power threshold (FTP) gives you a sense of how strong you are. That number just kept getting higher. I used to be around 140 and by summer I was getting up to 172.”
For much of the summer, you could see Jessie Diggins running up Stratton Mountain where she owns a condo, working out in the gym there, or poling her way along a back road on roller skis with such determination you’d think there must be a finish line somewhere ahead. That finish line, for Diggins, is always there in her mind, always driving her to push as hard as she can, to crawl into the pain cave and sit there until she comes roaring out in a glorious burst of speed and stamina. In PyeongChang, Diggins and teammate Kikkan Randall became the first U.S. cross-country skiers to ever win an Olympic gold medal. In 2021, Diggins also won the grueling series of international races known as the Tour de Ski. To crown that achievement, she took the overall World Cup crystal globe for crosscountry, a remarkable achievement and the first American to do so. Going into this season, Diggins is looking just as strong, having already earned a half-dozen podium finishes by early January. She had two wins in the Tour de Ski before a fall during a collision moved her back in the rankings. She ended up in 8th, all while fighting off a cold. Still, she took home the individual sprint title for the Tour de Ski. For Diggins, racing is all part of her training. “Basically, all of this racing is how I get in shape. So for me, it’s using the Tour de Ski as part of my preparation for the Olympics. But whether or not I’m just working into
While a fall kept Jessie Diggins (center) from defending her overall Tour de Ski title this season, she held on as the sprint leader with a win in Lenzerheide on Dec. 28, 2021. Photo courtesy USSA
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
JAN./FEB. 2022 | VTSPORTS.COM 15
Mac Forehand (left) training at Mammoth Mountain last spring with Dicky Thomas. Photo byMike Dawsy/USSA
the season, and whether or not it’s part of the intentional prep phase – for me, every single race I hit it as hard as I can,” she said in a media call in December. And few people hit is as hard, or go as deep, as Diggins.
MAC FOREHAND, STRATTON Perhaps the biggest challenge in 2021 for Mac Forehand was securing a spot on the 2022 Olympic Team for slopestyle and big air skiing. To do so, the 20-year-old would have to face a superstar roster of American talent that included two-time Olympian Nick Goepper and Colby Stevenson, who was ranked second in the world. The U.S. men were only assured of four spots, even though they have the most depth of talent of any team. However, by midDecember 2021, Forehand knew he and Stevenson had amassed the points
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needed to officially make the team. We first wrote about Mac Forehand when he was just 13 and starting to win local events near his family’s ski home in southern Vermont. He enrolled at Stratton Mountain School and his family moved to the area. At 17, Forehand, made history by winning the overall World Cup for Big Air in 2019. Forehand then had to sit out the Covidshortened 2020 season, thanks to a torn ACL. He spent that time recovering, skiing and making videos with his buddy Cody Laplante, another Red Bull athlete, and training in Park City. In 2021 he was back and placed fourth in the World Championships for Big Air in Aspen and also fourth in the Dew Tour. Earlier this season, Forehand earned an 8th in big air at Chur, Switzerland. At the Mammoth, Ca World Cup in early January Forehand
finished fourth in slopestyle, behind Americans Alex Hall and two-time Olympian Nick Goepper, and Canadian Evan McEachran. Come February, the Americans will be the ones to watch.
BROOKE MOONEY, PERU For once, rower Brooke Mooney wasn’t competing at the Head of the Charles in Boston last October. But the member of the U.S. Team’s Olympic eight was there signing autographs with a huge smile on her face. For Mooney, 2021 was a year of ups and downs. A high point came early in the year. On March 25, Brooke sat down on a Concept2 RowErg and broke the world record for women pulling indoors over 2000 meters. “I knew what the record was and in the back of my mind, I knew what I needed to do for the first
half,” she says. “The beauty of rowing on an erg is you can see the numbers and stay fixated and motivated by them.” In 2017, at the University of Washington, Mooney had already impressed her coaches by breaking the school’s erg record with a 6:35 for the 2,000. Still, Mooney had to work hard to earn a spot on the Olympic team. The U.S. women’s eight boat had won gold medals in the three previous Olympics. But only two of the women would be returning to race in Tokyo. The rest of the team was selected after a series of 25 or more seat races, a grueling series of head-to-head duals with rowers being switched in and out of boats. fixated and motivated by them.” Mooney, who grew up in Peru, Vt., (where her family still lives), started out as a cross-country ski racer and podiumed four times at the Junior
Brooke Mooney, at right, set the world record for rowing 2000 meters indoors, then joined the engine room of the women's Olympic eight.
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
courtesy U.S. Rowing
Nationals. But then a coach at Craftsbury Outdoor Center suggested that Mooney, who is 6 feet, 2 inches, might try her hand at sculling. For her senior year, she rowed at Vermont Academy. For many, it wasn’t a surprise that Mooney was named to the U.S. Olympic Team’s women’s eight, where she rowed in the middle of the boat, the engine room. Going into the Tokyo event, Mooney had no idea how the team would fare, not having had the opportunity to race much due to Covid. The women’s eight finished a disappointing fourth but for Mooney, 25, the prize was making the team.
MIKAELA OSLER, JERICHO Mikaela Osler grew up in Jericho, Vt. near the base of Bolton Mountain. Her first hikes were to Butler and
Taylor Lodge. Last summer, Osler and her father hiked to the northern terminus of the Long Trail. He left her there as she set out to hike the length of the trail, unsupported,. Over the next six days, Osler, (according to her log) had bouts of “ loud, ugly, embarrassing crying,” sang at the top of her lungs, drew water from puddles when there was no clear water in sight, ran through the night, heard a moose huffing in the dark, endured torrential downpours, was constantly hungry, and dealt with trenchfoot that became so painful she could barely walk. She considered quitting multiple times. But in the end, she did what she set out to do: she set the fastest known time for an unsupported Long Trail hike for a woman. She finished in 6 days, 11 hours and 33 minutes, taking 7 minutes off Nika Meyer’s 2019 FKT. The supported women’s FKT was set by Alyssa Godesky in 2018: 5 days, 2 hours, 37 minutes. Osler, like Meyers, has completed the Triple Crown of trails – the Pacific Crest (2,650 miles), the Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles) and the Appalachian Trail (2,190.)
MEGAN NICK, SHELBURNE Shelburne native Megan Nick kicked off 2021 in a big way with the first two World Cup gold medals of her career. On January 17, in Yaroslavl, Russia the aerialist upset 2014 Olympic gold medalist Alla Tsuper of Belarus to take the top spot on the podium. Nick’s American teammate, Kaila Kun was third. As if to prove the win wasn’t a fluke, two weeks later Nick, then 24, repeated her winning full-double-full (two flips with three twists and a double flip in the second twist) to take home another World Cup gold, this time in Belarus. The first time Nick tried aerials was 2013. She was a student at Champlain Valley Union High School and doing
Aerialist Megan Nick had plenty to smile about in 2021, including two World Cup golds. Photo couresy USSA
gymnastics at Green Mountain Training Center in Williston. As part of a senior project, she began researching freestyle skiing and went to a training camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. Shortly after, she got a call asking if she would like to join the U.S. development team. She did and has progressed from there. Nick began ascending to World Cup podiums in 2020, earning two silvers, all while working on a master’s degree in environmental studies at the University of Denver.
Mikaela Osler's latest hiking laurel? She set the unsupported record for the Long Trail.
Photo courtsey Mikaela Osler
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ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Elle Purrier-St. Pierre, training with her New Balance teammates in Arizona before the Olympic trails last summer. Photo by Johnny Zhang
In October 2020, Osler also set an usupported FKT for women on the Colorado Trail, running the 485mile high-elevation trail in 10 days, 12 hours, and 36 minutes – taking a full four days off the record. The Stanford University grad sent three food drops to herself along the way but otherwise carried or foraged for what she ate. Osler’s was not the only Long Trail FKT for 2021. A few weeks later, on July 14, Ben Feinson, a carpenter from Richmond, Vt., set a supported record of 4 days, 11 hours, 44 minutes, taking an hour and two minutes off Jonathan Basham’s 2007 record.
ELLE PURRIER-ST. PIERRE, BERKSHIRE On June 22, Elle Purrier-St. Pierre’s quiet life as the daughter of two northern Vermont dairy farmers, and now the partner of another dairy farmer took an abrupt turn. She set a new personal record and meet record at the Olympic Trials in the 1500 meters, earning herself a trip to the Tokyo Olympics. It would be her second overseas competition. In the first, the World Championships in Doha, she finished 11th. Purrier-St. Pierre didn’t just win each of her Olympic trials heats, she won them easily. In the final, after being pushed off the track, she regained her balance, moved to the front and led the entire race. She hit the 800-meter mark in 2:09. In the last lap, she lengthened her lead, moving ahead until it looked like she was running alone. She crossed the line in 3:58:36. Right behind her were two of her New Balance teammates whom Mark Coogan, a former coach at Dartmouth, has also coached. Cory McGee finished 4:00:67 and Heather Maclean, a good friend of Purrier-St. Pierre, in 4:02:09, all punching their tickets to Tokyo. For Purrier, who set the record for the second-fastest indoor mile in history in 2020, it was a crowning moment; what she called the “highest honor of my life.” At the Olympics, Purrier-St. Pierre made the first qualifying rounds and moved into the finals. The top 10 women to do so were mainly veterans. PurrierSt. Pierre finished 10th in the world – a huge accomplishment for someone who has barely raced internationally. Since returning home Purrier-St. Pierre has been doing short runs on the Missisquoi Valley Rail trail and helping her husband, Jamie St. Pierre on their dairy farm. But now, it’s back to training. Look for the New Balance athlete to defend her title and American indoor mile record at the January 29th Millrose Games in New York.
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ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Hannah Soar, concentrating on her line during training in Utah in January 2021. Photo courtesy USSA.
HANNAH SOAR, KILLINGTON Killington’s Bear Mountain is ground zero for mogul skiing in the East. It’s a long, bumpy run that has turned out one of the best mogul skiers in history, Donna Weinbrecht. Now, another superstar has been raised on Killington’s bumps: Hannah Soar. Soar’s grandfather and father grew up skiing at Killington and still own condos there and that’s where she’s spent her weekends, skiing the moguls
or playing around the Bear Mountain Parking lot. The first sign of her mogul prowess came at age 8 when she finished fourth in the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge. Since then, Soar has skied that run hundreds of times, blond ponytail flying in an homage to Weinbrecht and wearing a tie-dyed outfit, when she can. Soar spent weekdays at her home in Somers, Ct. and went to public school there until attending Killington Mountain School for her senior year. In 2016, she was one of the top
three mogul skiers under 18, setting her up to make the U.S. Ski Team. In 2019, Soar earned her first World Cup win, skiing in Thaiwoo, China. Since then, she’s earned three more podiums, including two in 2021, in both moguls and dual moguls and was one of the first skiers to punch her ticket to the 2022 Games. During Covid, Soar stayed in shape by skinning and skiing every mountain in Vermont in six days. She then rode a century, her first, and then did another
to support Vermont Adaptive, an organization she’s become involved with. Soar still considers Killington home. “Every single person I’ve skied with at Killington has shaped the skier I am today. I’ve always skied with everyone – my friends, my parent’s friends — and we have one big bump gang,” she told Killington’s 4241 podcast in December. “I’ve had an opportunity to leave Killington and go somewhere else but I keep coming back. It’s my home.”
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THE NATIONAL GUARD CONTENDERS
SIX OF THE EIGHT BIATHLETES COMPETING ON THE U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRAINED IN VERMONT. THREE ARE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD. BY PHYL NEWBECK
S
panning 11,000 acres in Jericho, Bolton and Underhill, Camp Ethan Allen is a bustling place of training grounds and barracks, forests and trails. It is the home of the Army Mountain Warfare School, an infantry brigade combat team, an infantry battalion. As many as 20,000 members of the National Guard are stationed here each year, preparing to respond to both overseas conflicts and domestic crises. The training site is a place of constant motion with Guard members
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working on marksmanship, rappelling and rock climbing while practicing mountain survival skills, land navigation, engineering, and first aid. There is one exception to all the hustle and bustle: the firing range used by the National Guard Biathlon Team. Here, world-class ski racers come to a halt, center themselves, control their breathing and, in a moment of stillness, fire their rifles at targets. Then they grab their ski poles and head back out on the biathlon course.
SOLDIERS AND CONTENDERS Under the supervision of head coach Sarah Lehto, the members of the team get world-class training in both marksmanship and skiing. Biathlon rifles are different from conventional weapons so the biathletes get special training beyond the normal marksmanship drills that other soldiers go through. This winter, no fewer than five members of the Vermont National Guard Biathlon Team were competing for the opportunity to represent their
country at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Three of them made the U.S. Olympic team. Leif Nordgren of Hinesburg and Sean Doherty of Center Conway, New Hampshire have competed in two prior Olympics, but for the third, Deedra Irwin, of Pulaski, Wisconsin this is her first Olympics. They will join Vermonter Susan Dunklee and her fellow Craftsbury Green Racing Project teammates Clare Egan and Paul Brown in Beijing— meaning six of the eight members of the U.S Olympic biathlon team will
Deedra Irwin, a runner and cross-country skier, picked up biathlon in 2017 and joined the Guard to help her progress.
Sean Doherty was introduced to biathlon at age 12, in New Hampshire. Now he's Beijing-bound. Photo courtesy Sean Doherty
have trained in Vermont. Two more members of the Vermont National Guard – Vasek Cervenka and Maxime Germaine – were contenders for a spot For many, it’s no surprise the National Guard is sending three Olympians. The veteran of the group at 32, Nordgren, grew up in Colorado and began doing biathlon when he was 18. “I’d grown up cross-country skiing since I was two years old,” he said. “I didn’t start biathlon until 2007 but I basically followed my sister into the sport. I was already a decent skier when
I started so that helped a lot.” Nordgren didn’t come from a family of hunters but he had no trouble using a rifle. “I picked up shooting fairly fast,” he said “and the rest is history.” Now 26, Doherty grew up skiing in New Hampshire, initially competing in alpine skiing rather than Nordic. He was introduced to biathlon by a family friend in 2007 when he was 12. “I did some small races and then I started training with the junior national team’s coach,” he said. “I made some good progress and qualified to race in Europe and after that I was totally hooked.” In 2013, as a junior racer Doherty became the first athlete in US biathlon history to win three individual medals in world championship competition. Doherty also doesn’t come from a hunting background so the biathlon rifle was the first gun he had ever picked up. The 29-year-old Irwin, who did her first biathlon in 2017, is the newest to the sport. “I didn’t start skiing until I was 16,” she said. At the time, it was a way for her to train for cross-country running, her first sport. “I didn’t realize biathlon was a competitive sport until I was 17 or 18 and made my first junior nationals,” she says. Irwin competed in college and subsequently skied crosscountry for Sun Valley, Idaho’s Ski
"The target doesn’t
care who you are or how good you were yesterday or how much you trained. Shooting gives you more opportunities. You can win even if you’re 20th on the course." Education Foundation’s XC Gold team. In the summer of 2017 when Irwin was considering retiring from Nordi skiing, a friend suggested she attend the US Biathlon Talent ID Camp. Irwin had virtually no experience with weapons. But she looked at that ignorance as an asset. “They didn’t have to fix any bad habits,” she says. Irwin started doing biathlon full time in September of 2017 and qualified for her first international competition the following February. “The challenge of shooting really appealed to me,” she said. “Adding that
Photo courtesy Deedra Irwin
extra bit of pressure was intriguing and it introduced me to the National Guard, which helped me continue to make a career as an athlete.” The three biathletes enlisted in the Guard around the same time. Doherty was the first, joining in the fall of 2018. “I had trained at Camp Ethan Allen a lot,” he said. “The Guard was a way to further my career and have a support network.” Nordgren was 29 when he joined the Guard in 2019. He had recently gotten married and was thinking about starting a family. “I knew my sporting career was starting to die down,” he said. “The Guard was a way to get high level support for the remaining years of my biathlon career and have a good career after that.” Irwin also joined the guard in 2019, admitting that biathlon was the main reason. “It was getting harder and harder to pay my student loans,” she said “and in the Guard I could make a living in biathlon.” The three have different Military Occupational Specialties (MOS). Nordgren is part of the aviation unit and hopes to become a pilot; Irwin is a human resource specialist; and Doherty works in carpentry and masonry. Although all three put in their required two weeks of Guard training
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For Leif Nordgren of Hinesburg this will be his third Olympics. He has also won the Vermont Guard's Best Warrior Competition, which has 20 different events, both physical and mental challenges.
drills every year and as many weekends as they can. They recognize that their status as elite athletes means they miss some time with their units. All enjoy the time they spend on base but starting each November, they head to Europe for competitions. “In the winter everything is geared toward biathlon,” Nordgren says. “We pick up our guard duties in March when we get back.” Both Irwin and Nordgren have taken the leadership training course which can help them achieve the rank of sergeant. Nordgren won the Vermont Guard’s Best Warrior Competition in 2020 and Irwin was the winner in 2021. The competition has 20 separate events including marksmanship drills, obstacle courses, physical fitness challenges, medical evacuation tasks, a fast march over rough terrain with a heavy pack known as a ruck march, interviews, and written exams. TRAINING FOR THE OLYMPICS There are several different events that make up biathlon and Irwin is partial to the relay race. “When everyone can come together and have an amazing
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race it’s really incredible,” she said, noting that last year, the women’s team finished sixth at a World Cup relay race. “I’m very new and very much an amateur and the weak link on the team, but I’m getting better and I like how the relay race really unifies us.” Doherty likes the pursuit but he also enjoys the relay where he normally does the first leg. “I like the head-tohead competition,” he said. Nordgren’s favorite event is the mass start. “It’s also the most exclusive race so I don’t always qualify,” he said, adding that he also enjoys the relays. “We’re an up and coming team and we’ve come a long way in the past few years,” Doherty said. “We’ve been strong before and we have a good chance this year to capitalize on that experience.” Nordgren said that during the racing season, the athletes favor eating quick burning carbs, good proteins, and some good fats. “We’re training so much that you have to eat as much as you can,” he said. “We’re training four to six hours a day so you eat whatever is on site.” Irwin admits that in the past she has had a hard time staying fueled. “I’m an advocate for eating what you crave and
eating when you’re hungry,” she said “but coffee and donuts are my guilty pleasure.” Doherty notes that it is also important to pay attention to getting enough fuel after a competition. Before competitions he generally has a light, simple meal, often including pasta. Although it is Nordgren and Doherty’s third shot at the Olympics, the thrill is still there. Nordgren is hoping he can draw on the experience he’s gained since his first try in 2014. “Biathlon is a sport where you have to constantly be in a learning mindset,” he said. “Once you think you’ve made it, it can still come crashing down pretty quickly.” Doherty is sad that there probably won’t be a live audience but adds that the Olympics are still a special event. “This is a sport that takes a long time to get the hang of,” he said. “Retirement age is later than other sports so it’s cool that I have time and hopefully a few more years.” For Irwin, it’s reassuring to be training with two two-time Olympians. “It’s no pressure being with them,” she said “because they know what they are doing. It’s really easy to watch how they work and emulate them. It’s pretty incredible to be able to train with them.”
Photo courtesy Nordgren.
For Irwin, the passion of the sport and its fans is what drives her, but she also appreciates the fact that on a given day, anyone can be a winner. “Someone can come in and shoot clean or have their best ski day,” she said. “When you’re immersed in it, it’s a really cool experience to be part of the culture.” Doherty describes his sport as an uncompromising challenge. “It’s two events that are quite opposing,” he said. “It’s a combination of skills that keeps me interested. The target doesn’t care who you are or how good you were yesterday or how much you trained in July. Shooting gives you more opportunities. You can win even if you’re 20th on the course.” Nordgren refers to biathlon as a balancing act. “The winner isn’t necessarily the best skier or shooter,” he said. “I’m definitely not the best in either of those disciplines, but the way those two combine make it possible that anyone in the field, if everything lines up, can come out on top. That unknown aspect makes it exciting for me.”
Photo by Daniel Schechner
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THE RISING TIDE OF
ICE SWIMMING AROUND VERMONT, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE EMBRACING COLD WATER BATHING – WHETHER IT’S SWIMMING IN THE ICY WATERS OF LAKE MEMPRHEMAGOG OR IMMERSING THEMSELVES IN A BARREL OF ICE WATER. BY LISA LYNN | PHOTOS BY ROBBIE and ROBERT BAILEY
O
n New Year’s Day, a small group of women stood on the shores of Lake Willoughby and disrobed. One by one, they walked slowly into the icy, 30-degree waters at the south end of the lake for their weekly ritual. Charlotte Brynn, a marathon swimmer
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and executive director of The Swimming Hole in Stowe, began swimming, her fluid freestyle strokes slicing the glassy water as she avoided the sharp-edged shards of ice. Lynton Moore, a mental health counselor, immersed herself up to her neck, placed her palms together beneath
the water, and stared across the gray expanse, controlling her breathing and sitting for a minute or two, practicing the Wim Hof Method. before she took a few tentative strokes. “Each of us comes into this with a different approach,” Brynn said by
phone a few days later. “I’m out there thrashing about and pushing myself to get stronger while Lynton is in a more meditative state. But we all get this huge benefit from it and when we get out, there’s this rush of endorphins,” she said. “Plus, there’s just great camaraderie. We
As soon as the ice starts to break up in April on Lake Memphremagog’s Derby Bay, marathon swimmier Charlotte Brynn is out training. Photo by Kathleene Callicott
all know it’s going to be really hard at first, but it will feel great later. It’s just a feeling of pure joy.” For Brynn, 55, one of the goals of cold-water swimming is to help her train for her fourth attempt at an English Channel crossing, one she hopes to do
this summer. “Swimming in really cold water helps you build endurance,” says Brynn, who grew up in New Zealand. For years, she would swim at Green River or Waterbury Reservoir as late in the season as the ice would allow. “If you can do that, you can do anything, right?” she says.
In April, 2014, she completed her first sanctioned “ice mile,” a 1.19-mile swim in Lake Champlain in water under 4.8ºC (40.8ºF). She swam it in 40:48. That same year she was nominated for World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
For Moore, 54, the weekly coldwater immersion is part of a practice: “I don’t like the word ‘spiritual,’ but it’s part of a practice that includes yoga and breathwork. Going into the cold water feels like a purification. It feels like connecting with the divine.”
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Flags from the swimmers home countries and states fly around the icy pool on Lake Memphremagog at Kingdom Games’ Winter Swim Festival. Photo by Robbie and Robert Bailey
Both Brynn and Moore recently moved to Newport —Brynn from Stowe and Moore from Telluride, Colo. “I saw this other woman coming out of the lake on one freezing day and thought, Wow! There’s another one!” says Moore, who didn’t know of Brynn’s swimming background at the time. Four or five other women—ages mid-twenties to midseventies—soon joined what became a weekly group swim. “We started in Memphremagog and we’ll just keep moving around each week looking for lakes that are not frozen,” Moore says. On Februar y 26, Brynn, Moore, and the others will drop into a 25-meter pool cut into the ice on Lake Memphremagog in the 8th running of the Lake Memprhemagog Winter Swimming Festival. Some may do just one event. Others are signed up to race as far as 200 meters. “We have a team, the Shark Bait Sheilas. Charlotte, who is a Kiwi, came up with the “Sheila” term and I’ve already ordered shark hats,” says Moore with a giggle.
WINTER SWIMMING’S PIED PIPER Newport’s Shark Bait Sheilas. The Fair Haven Jailbirds. The Muffin Tops of Middlebury. The Red Hot Chili Dippers of Burlington. Around Vermont, more and more swimmers (and dippers) are heading into the open water yearround, when the ice isn’t a factor. “I see a growing trend,” says Phil White who puts on the Lake Memphremagog Winter Swim Week. White, 73, sporting a long white beard that makes him a dead ringer for St. Nick, is the pied piper of open water swimming in Vermont. As a former member of
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The hat contest — a lap sporting your most creative design — kicks off the Winter Swim. Here, Karyn Stannard of Fair Haven seems to have found her own octopus’ garden. Photo by Robbie and Robert Bailey
Newport’s Chamber of Commerce and a director of the IROC fitness center, White launched a series of athletic events that became a business: Kingdom Games. There was The Moose bike ride through the NEK; and races such as the Dandelion Run and Fly to Pie. And then there were his swim events, which grew to include open water swims on Lake Memprhemagog of up to 25 miles as well as his summer Kingdom Swim Week where swimmers, accompanied by paddlers, swim all the lakes in the NEK. But the most improbably successful event he initiated was the Lake Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival, an annual late February swim race that takes place in a two-lane, 25-meter ‘pool’ that’s cut out of the ice in Lake Memphremagog “It started as a bad joke, took a wrong turn, and it became an adventure,” White likes to say, with a chuckle, by way of
explanation. “In 2014 I was watching these guys use this huge saw to cut ice blocks out of the lake to use for an ice maze or igloo or something,” he says. “So I took a picture of it, posted it on Facebook with a caption as a joke, saying ‘Anyone want to come swim?’” Remarkably, White got a response. Before long, he had connected with the new U.S. Winter Swimming Association. “They had just formed but didn’t have a venue. We had a venue but no idea how to put on an event like this,” he says. The first year was a struggle. The US Winter Swimming Association contingent didn’t arrive until the day of the event. The ice was so thick White had to find extra long chain saws. The morning of the event it was 10 degrees, and the surface had frozen again overnight. He had to recruit locals to chop the surface with axes. Still, swimmers showed up, coming from as far as Europe and the Eastern
Bloc countries where winter swimming is a serious sport. The next year, White resolved to make the event fun for the less serious swimmer, as well. The first event would be a 25-meter “hat race” —what is now the most hotly contested event of all. “The idea was for people to make these crazy hats and if they wore the hats and did the breaststroke, they wouldn’t dunk their heads in the water which makes it much safer,” he says. He started an awards pajama party with dinner following at the East Side Restaurant. “If you show up in your pajamas, you get a free shot of Barr Hill Vodka,” he explains. “After a cold-water swim so many endorphins are released it’s always a great party.” Awards took the form of beef jerky or maple syrup. Even the safety protocols are infused with humor. Volunteers who walk the swimmers to and from the changing house (to ensure they are not hypothermic or slip on the ice), are “Escorts.” Others who disrobe the swimmers and help them dress again at the other end of the pool are “Strippers.” And during each lap, volunteers walk alongside the swimmers with a pool hook, in case anyone needs to be pulled out. They are, of course, “Hookers.” Brynn and others helped him organize the event and White reached out to other international swimmers with ties to Vermont. The second year, there were around 30 paying participants. By 2020 there were 90 and for 2022, White had to limit the field to 135 and it has sold out. Ages range from Derby’s 14-year-old marathon swimmer Margaret Rivard to Anne Coen, 79, of Canton, Ohio.
The event draws serious winter swimmers such as 17-year-old Vera Rivard (above right) who has swum the English Channel. But ringleader Phil White (at left, among four swimmers) keeps it fun. Photos R. & R. Bailey
THE LOWS AND HIGHS OF COLD WATER White’s Memprhemagog Winter Swimming Festival may be the only one of its kind in North America, but it is part of a growing international league. “Ice Swimming,” is a term first coined in 2009 by the International Ice Swimming Association which was founded the same year. The sport is defined as “swimming in a water temperature of 5.0C / 41.0F unassisted, with a silicon cap, pair of goggles and standard swimming costume.” In other words, no wetsuits. IISA focuses on more extreme events such
as “ice miles,” while the International Winter Swimming Association (IWSA) puts on shorter events that usually follow typical swim race formats: 25-, 50-, or 100-meter lengths, relays and a choice of strokes. Two Charlotte Vt residents Julie Postlewaite, 49, and Susan Blood, 54, — went on to compete in the IWSA 2020 Winter Swimming World Championships in Bled, Slovenia after having attended the Lake Memphremagog Winter Swim. Postlewaite hopes to swim in the World Championships in Russia in March of
2022 and has been training by swimming in Lake Champlain every day, yearround.“That January day when it was -10 degrees and the schools were closed? We went in. It felt good,” she says. But as any experienced ice swimmer will warn, cold-water swimming is something that takes training. “It’s not something I share with my students,” says Karyn Stannard, an assistant principal at Middlebury Union Middle School. She lives in Fair Haven, Vt. and swims until her nearby lakes freeze over. “It can be dangerous if you don’t do it correctly.
I won’t swim with anyone who hasn’t been practicing this,” says Stannard, who usually swims in Sunset Lake in Benson or Lake Bomoseeen with her husband and two brother-in-laws. When Stannard first started swimming later in the season she used a wetsuit and gloves. “But after I started reading about ice swimming, I started shedding gear. I now swim with just a bathing suit.” The reason: it takes a while for a wetsuit to warm up and it’s often hard to get off when you get out. “Ice swimming is pretty exciting and the first few times it is a little frightening,
too” says Brynn. “But once I got in and relaxed and focused on my breathing, it was just a really incredible experience. It’s very calming. And it’s beautiful out there. A lot of us are deterred from trying things because we think we can’t. And I think the thing that struck me is this is actually achievable.” Brynn recommends taking it slowly and working your way up to colder and colder temperatures and staying in longer and longer. Being able to warm up in a car or house after is important and expect your body to stay cold for some time after a swim, or experience an “after drop,” in temperature. Brynn also notes that the cold water saps your energy: “I swam 400 meters in a pool in November and it took me 5 minutes, 41 seconds. A few days later I swam just as hard in 39-degree water and it took me nearly 7 minutes.” She cautions people to read and learn before trying this. “When you come across something that your mind and your body aren’t used to, the initial response is fear, anxiety and discomfort and you have short, shallow breaths,” Brynn says. However, she adds “after repeated exposures to the cold water in a controlled environment, and by focusing on relaxing, with long, slow inhales and exhales, you can reduce that incidence of shock.” Nearly every ice swimmer will tell you that focusing on your breath is critical. “You really have to train your body and breath,” says Moore who has been practicing the Wim Hof Method and teaches it to some of her clients. Before her swims she does 30 to 40 minutes of rigorous yoga to warm up her core and 30 rounds of deep breaths, followed by a long inhale and exhale, repeated three times. “By then my cardiovascular system is ready and after two minutes the water feels like a warm comforter. I don’t feel the cold anymore.” For Moore, the practice has been a healing process she recommends to clients as well. “I used to have a fair amount of PTSD. I don’t seem to have those symptoms anymore,” she says. “A lot of mental health issues are caused by inflammation and the cold water helps reduce that. And it produces endorphins and all these feel-good hormones. Plus, you’re not out there doing it alone so when you come out of the water there’s this sense of belonging and feeling part of a community,” she says. “You have so much energy. All your filters are down. You just get to be your wild self. It’s really rejuvenating for anyone who is going through any kind of suffering because if you can do this, you know you can get through it.”
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Taking the Plunge Why so many are following the Wim Hof Method.
I
f you see someone dunking themselves into a barrel of ice water in February, don’t be surprised. Cold water therapy, a regular practice in many countries that rim the Arctic Circle, has long been used by athletes to reduce inflammation. For instance, coaches such as former Stowe resident Bud Keene, long-time coach of such star snowboarders as Shaun White, swear by it to help relieve sore muscles. Studies have shown that in addition to decreasing inflammation, that ice swimmers or people who regularly immerse themselves in cold water have a higher antioxidative defense system, lower blood pressure, and boosted immune system. Some studies have also shown ice swimming can increase insulin sensitivity, cause a drop in triglycerides, and increase cortisol, according to a meta study published in Dec. 2020 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. For some, cold water immersion is about swimming, for others, such as Lynton Moore it is part of a practice that has been popularized by the Dutch extreme athlete and cold-water guru, Wim Hof. Hof has the record for running a marathon barefoot in snow and ice and swimming 57.5 meters under ice, and developed a practice of cold-water therapy, meditation, yoga and breathing now known as the Wim Hof Method. Today, he has an international network of instructors who make taking short ice baths a practice. Rob Williams, 54, of Waitsfield is a Level 1 Wim Hof certified instructor. He teaches cold water therapy as part of his Peak Flow coaching program, which focuses on multiple modalities of breathwork. Williams, a former ultrarunner, hosts events all around the country and last summer was teaching the Wim Hof method at the Burlington Surf Club. “The Wim Hof approach has three pillars – ice, mindset and breath—and it helps build resilience,” he explains. “As humans, we evolved to deal with all the stresses of the natural world – cold, hunger, you name it. But today, we have so little physical stress in our lives, by inducing this little bit of stress and training our bodies to deal with it in small doses, it creates a hormetic effect that’s been proven to help as we age,” says Williams, a journalism professor with a Ph.D. in history. Williams recommends beginning with cold showers. “Now, I have a trough from my yak farm that I fill with ice and a few times a week I’ll submerge in it and I come out feeling energized,” says Williams. “It really clears your mind.”
For Stowe’s Tim Bettencourt, the mind is what led him to become a certified Wim Hof instructor. “I’d hit this rock bottom stage in my life where I was drinking too much, not eating properly, had career troubles and I needed a change. When my father was diagnosed with Alzheimers, I started reading more and more about brain health. I discovered that inflammation has so much to do with how your brain functions and mental health, and repeated sessions in cold water can help” he says. “I’d also played football in college and knew what a few concussions can do to your brain.” At the encouragement of a coach, Bettencourt changed his life drastically – working up to running the Catamount Ultra Marathon near his house in Stowe. He left his career as a financial analyst and started his Vigor Outdoors coaching program, using the outdoors as a gym and incorporating the Wim Hof Method as one of his offerings. This year, he based some of his classes out of Spruce Peak at Stowe where he teaches the Wim Hof Method. Participants do a core workout in the fitness center, learn the breathing techniques and then submerge themselves in a barrel filled with ice. Classes are $30. “I wanted to keep this affordable,” he says. “I really think that anyone can benefit from this.”
Waitsfield’s Rob Williams teaches the Wim Hof Method as part of his Peak Flow breathing curriculum. Photo courtesy Rob Williams/Peak Flow
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BRINGING NEPAL TO VERMONT Name: Ongyel Sherpa Lives in: South Burlington Age: 42 Family: Wife, Jessica; daughter Sabrina; son Sonam Principal sports: Hiking, running, mountaineering Profession: Runs US Sherpa, importing authentic Nepali knitwear.
O
ngyel Sherpa’s story is the kind they make movies about. Raised in poverty in Nepal, he had the good fortune to meet a mountaineer and ophthalmologist Dr. Geoff Tabin, who brought him to Vermont to help care for the Tabins' children. After graduating from Rice and then Champlain College, Ongyel Sherpa launched his own business here, US Sherpa, importing authentic Nepali wool hats, mittens, and socks and setting up trekking and home stay vacations in Nepal. The business has grown and supports more than 300 people back home in Kathmandu. Now, Ongyel Sherpa is in turn, sponsoring one of Nepal’s most acclaimed Sherpa mountaineers to come to the U.S. Tell us a little bit about growing up in Kathmandu? I was the youngest out of three. We were outside a lot playing hide and seek, going to the river, jumping off the cliffs, and going to the forest. My parents lived a very hard life growing up in the remote mountains without any education and later moved to Kathmandu. They worked as porters in the mountains at first, carrying heavy loads on their backs in a doko basket. They slowly gained knowledge of the mountaineering profession the very hard way, by doing it, despite any education. Later on, my parents got a job working for this family from New Zealand as live-in au pairs. For a long time, I was extremely shy towards Westerners. Did you spend much time in the high mountains? Around age 14, I started doing longer and bigger hikes and then camping trips around Kathmandu at about 5,000 ft. Then, I started joining my father’s trekking expeditions as a paid Sherpa staff. I got a chance to work for groups from Germany and Japan doing 7-day camping treks at 8,000 ft. elevation, then later on, a 19-day trekking expedition going as high as 14,000 ft. Back then, most were expedition-
30 VTSPORTS.COM | JAN./FEB. 2022
Ongyel Sherpa, second from left, with students he guided to Mt. Everest's basecamp. He imports the Nepali hand-knit wool hats like the ones in this photo. wearinwearing used by guides.
style camping treks where everything had to be transported on your back. I also worked in the mountain village in Nagarkot at 7,100 ft. where I would stay at the lodge then do short halfday guiding trips and sell souvenirs and posters to tourists who came to experience the spectacular sunrise over the Himalayas. Then you had a big change in your life. Tell us about that? At 16 years old, I felt like I was grown enough to support myself and should be economically independent. I had applied for a labor job to go to Japan but I didn’t get the job and I was extremely disappointed. That morning, I cried and was depressed all day. Then, the same afternoon, I happened to pick up a phone call from Dr. Geoff Tabin who was working at this eye hospital nearby where he had started the Himalayan Cataract Project. He had called to let us know that he had brought a small gift for my family from the U.S. My uncle was one of the Sherpas who had summited Mt. Everest in 1988 with Dr. Tabin and they had kept their friendship over the years. My father asked me to go with him to meet this doctor. At that meeting, we asked very shyly if he could help
me come to America. He wrote me a sponsor letter on the yellow pad right then. I was absolutely shocked and amazed by what had just happened. We came home and my mom was knitting on the porch. We told her what had just happened, then all of us started jumping with joy and tears in our eyes. What happened next? Within one month, I flew to America. That was April 1998 and I had about $150 cash with me. Everything was new to me: the people, smell, food, road, language, culture, and I will never forget my first trip to the supermarket. I was amazed at how large it was and the amount of food I saw. My new life with Dr. Tabin’s family, involved taking care of his children, helping around the house, and going to school full time. Later, the family decided to help me with my education so I was granted a student visa and graduated from Rice. I was very homesick for a long time as I did not see my parents for 6 years. At times I would say I am going back to Nepal but I stuck to my dream of making my life in the United States. I lived with Dr. Tabin’s family for close to five years. I learned so much about hard work, passion,
loyalty, courage and dedication. This experience really helped me become who I am today. Dr Tabin’s family still calls me their son from Nepal. What was life like with the Tabins? They were this loving family who lived a very active outdoor lifestyle: climbing mountains, hiking, skiing, rock/ice climbing, running, having friends over and traveling around the world. I got an opportunity to meet some of the world’s best athletes/mountaineers, climbers, Olympic skiers, prominent entrepreneurs, and humanitarians. The fact that Dr. Tabin was just starting this non profit organization curing blindness in Nepal meant a lot to me. The Tabin family started connecting me with doctors and medical students who wanted to go to Nepal to work at his hospital and go trekking. That’s when I started seeing these huge opportunities to connect them with my family for guiding and home stays. Around 1999, my father, uncle and brother-in-law started a guiding company called Nima & Neema Treks. Where are some of the places you have guided? We did Thorung Pass at 17,769 ft in the Annapurna region in 2007,
on orders in 2020 and one of our producers had to change a location due to the decrease in business. Overall, the tourism business in Nepal was down close to 80% in 2020 and in 2021, they were down close to 65%. We have seen incredibly high costs in air freight, longer transit time, challenges in finding materials and longer delays.
Kalapatthar peak which is at 18,519 ft. in 2009, Everest Basecamp and Kalapatthar in 2010, and the Thorung Pass/Annapurna Circuit trek in 2012. I also went to Everest Basecamp and Kalapatthar in 2013, did the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek in 2017, and the Everest Trek in 2019. How did your guiding business help start US Sherpa? Growing up in Nepal, my mother would knit hundreds of hats, mittens and socks. She would get a contract job from the expedition outfitters to knit hats and mittens which would then get used by Sherpas going up on the mountains. I started seeing the opportunities and market for these functional, handcrafted products in the Burlington area. In the beginning, I would ask our trekking clients to bring back some hats. In 2005, I launched US Sherpa, part of a project for me at Champlain College, and importing them. Right then I clearly knew that I wanted to bring trekkers to Nepal. And from Nepal, I wanted to bring handcrafted, natural-fiber products that are functional, simple and suitable to the U.S. How have you helped folks back in Nepal? US Sherpa has been providing jobs now to over 300 artisans for the last 10 years.
Ongyel Sherpa, at home in the Green Mountains.
Over the years, I have also directly sponsored several family members to get US visas and green cards. In the last few years, we have also been helping Nima Doma Sherpa who was married to my cousin Chirring Ongchu Sherpa. He died on Mt. Everest in an avalanche in 2014 leaving his wife and two young children. Overnight, she became the sole breadwinner for her young family. To break the cultural barrier and discrimination against widows and to fullfill her late husband’s dream, she and one other widow
What has kept you in Vermont? I have been in Vermont now 23 years and I love it here. My business logo has the skylines of Mt. Everest on the top and the skylines of Mt. Mansfield on the bottom, followed by the color red which represents the national color of Nepal and green which represents Vermont. Blue represents US Sherpa where they two meet. This is a place where you work smart and play hard. I still do business with summited Mt. Everest in May 2019. She the Peace & Justice Store and Outdoor later also summited Mt. Amadablam Gear Exchange whom I first sold to 22,349ft. In the last four years, Nima about 15 years ago. Doma has been guiding for US Sherpa I am beyond proud to live and and is one of the US Sherpa brand raise my kids here. My daughter, 6, is ambassadors. I am trying to bring her starting to ski at Cochran’s and my son, to the U.S. How has Covid impacted your 3, is slowly making progress toward being outdoors in the winter. family and business? It was beyond my wildest dreams It was a very scary and stressful time in to come to the U.S., work for a family, 2020, lots of uncertainty for business get a college education, start my own and worrisome for our own health. Lakewas Morey QP 11-2021 VTsports.psd business and start my own family. International travel cutResort down —L.L. significantly. We had to cut down
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RUNNING/HIKING/ SNOWSHOEING JANUARY 28 | Snowshoe Romp, Montpelier Join Onion River Outdoors' annual snowshoe romp from 6-8pm. Fun, festive and free! Demo snowshoes are available for the 1/2 mile lantern-lit loop, along with hot chocolate, ice cream and a warm fire. Come by the old shelter in Hubbard Park and celebrate but please have a face covering, socially distance, and follow the state Covid-19 guidelines. onionriver.com
FEBRUARY 4-5 | Snow Devil Ultra Snowshoe Race, Pittsfield Race anywhere from a 10K to a half marathon to a marathon to a 100-miler at this ultra event on the Green Mountain Trails. peakraces.com 12 | Millstone Madness Snowshoe Race, Barre Town Forest A three-mile snowshoe race on the double and singletrack trails of Millstone Trails. 10 a.m. start. cvrunners.org 12-13 | Southern Vermont Primitive Biathlon, Manchester A primitive biathlon is a fun and challenging wilderness competition of target shooting and snowshoeing at Skinner Hollow Farm on Rte. 7a The event is open to all muzzleloading firearm enthusiasts, regardless of their skill level or athletic ability. svtpb.org 12 | Cupid 5K, Shelburne Running single this year? Our bib numbers will have "single" on those who have indicated that they are, so if you see a hottie, strike up a conversation (socially distanced of course). This 5K course is an out-and-back. racevermont.com
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RACE & EVENT GUIDE 12 | FNLC Snowshoe Ski, Highgate Snowshoe and cross country ski to help fund the Friends of Northern Lake Champlain clean water efforts. Groomed 5k ski trail and shorter snow shoe trails designed for the entire family. Refreshments available. friendsofnorthernlakechamplain.org 19| Wild and Woolly Snowshoe Race, East Charleston The NorthWoods Stewardship Center welcomes experienced athletes and novices for a 5K and 10K snowshoe race or 1K fun run/walk. Wild and wooly costumes and wood snowshoes encouraged. northwoodscenter.org 25 | Sugarhouse Snowshoe 5K/10K, Shelburne A unique race for competitive athletes as well as more relaxed race walkers. This year with a 10K division. Starting at Shelburne Sugarworks. racevermont.com
MARCH 13| Leprechaun Dash 5K/10K, Shelburne Dress in green and race to the pot of gold! First place overall finishers (all 4 of them), plus one lucky post-race raffle winner, will each receive free entries to Race Vermont's series. racevermont.com
APRIL 9 | Half Marathon Unplugged, Burlington . The start and finish will be at Waterfront Park and the course will be outand-back along the Burlington Bike Path with a two-mile loop in Colchester midway through the race. runvermont.com 16 | Paul Mailman 10-Miler and 5K, Montpelier A race primarily on dirt roads, this race has been the Road Runners Club of America Vermont 10-Mile State Championship and part of the Central Vermont Runners race series. cvrunners.org
MAY 5-14 | Peak Bloodroot, Pittsfied Race through the rugged foothills of the Green Mountains in the 500-miler on Wednesday, a 100-miler on Friday, followed by the 50-miler, 30-miler, 10-miler and kids’ hike on Saturday. peakraces.com 1 | Sap Run, St. Johnsbury Join a 5k run and/or pancake breakfast at the Welcome Center. The Street Festival will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. -3 p.m. on Railroad Street. All part of the World Maple Festival. worldmaplefestival.org
7 | Shelburne 5K/10K/Half-Marathon, Shelburne Run past the Shelburne Museum, Meach Cove, vineyards, and orchard, and through gorgeous countryside before heading back. Almost entirely on quiet back country roads. Racevermont.com 8 | Adamant Half Marathon and Relay, Adamant This scenic figure eight course runs past the hills and ponds of Calais and East Montpelier. Part of the Central Vermont Runners race series. cvrunners.org 15 | Vermont Sun Half Marathon, 10K & 5K, Lake Dunmore Starts and finishes at Branbury State Park on Lake Dunmore, a spectacularly beautiful and pristine place to run. Amenities include digital photos, post race food and music, aid stations every 1.5 miles, awards to top 5 overall, top 3 in every 5 year age group, tech shirts, Massage, finishers medals and more. vermontsuntriathlonseries.com 21 | Kingdom Games Dandelion Run, Derby Choose between a half marathon, a 10K, a four-mile, a two mile, or a one-mile run or walk through the dandelion fields and the hilly but beautiful Northeast Kingdom. kingdomgames.co 21 | Barre Town Spring Run 5K, Barre Central Vermont Runners hosts this race from the Barre Town Recreation facility. cvrunners.org 29 | Vermont City Marathon, Half Marathon & Relay, Burlington The marathon is back! Run the streets of Burlington and out the bike path to return with views of Lake Champlain. Half marathon and relay options, too. runvermont.com
JUNE 5 | 30th Covered Bridges Half Marathon, Woodstock Run 13.1 miles through scenic covered bridge, starting at Suicide Six Ski Area. Currently sold out. cbhm.com 11 | 42nd Annual Capital City Stampede, Montpelier Central Vermont Runners hosts this 10K road race out and back, half on paved roads and half on dirt. cvrunners.org 29 | 20th Annual Basin Harbor 5K & 10K A 5K and 10K at beautiful Basin Harbor – a spectacular seasonal resort on the shores of Lake Champlain. Racevermont.com
BIKING JANUARY 22 | Uberwintern, Stowe A day of fatbike revelry on powder-packed singletrack. In its 10th year, Uberwintern will be staged out of the Backyard restaurant, adjacent Ranch Camp on the Cady Hill trailhead. A new remote aid station, a.k.a party central, will be set up for attendees to enjoy some light fare and brews. ranchcampvt.com 29 | Rikert Fatbike Roundup, Ripton Guided group rides for all abilities, with limited rentals. a veggie or chicken chili and waffle lunch by So-Full Sisters included in $25 event fee. rikertnordic.com
FEBRUARY 13 | Frozen Onion, Montpelier Come race, watch and learn about the fun sport of winter fat biking. Race starts/ends at North Branch Nature Center and uses the groomed trails of North Branch River Park. Multiple distance options, and a kids’ race, too! Registration includes hearty vegan soup and bread. Helmet and 3.8”+ tires required. Free demos of fat bikes, snowshoes & Altai Ski Shoes 11:30 - 3:00. onionriver.com 13 | Stowe Derby Fatbike Race, Stowe Join in what has been a legendary race from the slopes of Mt. Mansfield into town. The fat bike race starts at 1:30 pm from the Toll House area. mmsc.org
MARCH 5 | Winterbike 2021, East Burke Demo fatbikes, participate in group rides fo all levels, attend clinics and more at this epic wintertime celebration of all things fatbiking on the trails of Kingdom Trails. kingdomtrails.org
APRIL 23 | Muddy Onion, Montpelier Onion River Outdoors puts on the season opener with rides of 36.9 or 21.3 miles and divisions for everything from fat bikes to singlespeeds. Come for the mud, stay for the BBQ post-ride. onionriver.com
30 | Rasputitsa Gravel Ride, East Burke Rasputitsa is back. Ride 40k or 100k (there's already a waitlist) on the muddy, icy, gnarly back roads of the NEK. Race it or ride it. rasputitsagravel.com
JUNE 11 | The Moose, Derby T A 103 mile "timed event" on wide open, "car hungry" roads through Moose Country in Essex and Northern Caledonia Counties. We start with our hands on the bar and finish with our hands on the bar, Mike's Tiki Bar with 30 beers on tap. It's not a sanctioned race: you have to stop at all stop signs, but, hey, there are only three during the entire ride. We encourage teams of 3 to 10 riders to compete for the Moose Wheel. ythe fastest three times in each team determine the winner. kingdomgames.co
SKIING JANUARY 12-16 | The Flurry: Vermont Snow Sculpture Competition, Suicide Six Snow sculptures comes to life while you ski by or take a break on the deck. Vote on your favorite sculpture. The winning team may go to the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition. suicide6.com 16 | Silver Fox Trot & Citizens Race, Rikert Nordic Center, Ripton Join Nordic ski racers of all age on the trails of the Rikert Nordic Center, part of the Zak series. nensa.net 27 | Higher Love: Climbing and Skiing the World's Highest Peaks Zoom in for the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum's Red Bench discussion with extreme skiers and mountaineers Rob and Kit DesLauriers, 7-8:30 pm. vtssm.com
FEBRUARY 4-6 Bill Henchey Memorial Races, Craftsbury A combined SuperTour event, an Eastern Cup event, a Junior National qualifying event, and a UVM college carnival. With a skate sprint Friday, classic interval on Saturday, and skate pursuit Sunday. craftsbury.com 5 | Camel’s Hump Challenge, Huntington A rigorous wilderness 13-mile ski tour and race where backcountry skiers traverse around the perimeter of 4,083-foot Camel’s Hump to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia. act.alz.or 13 | 75th Stowe Derby, Stowe Ski from near the top of Mt. Mansfield’s Toll Hous trail all the way to town or wherever the 20 km course runs. Also a 6K short course and 16K fat bike division. mmsc.org 18-19 | Middlebury Winter Carnival, Middlebury Snow Bowl The Northeast’s best Div. 1 NCAA racers compete at the Snow Bowl and Rikert Nordic Center. middleburysnowbowl.com
9-20 | 100th Anniversary Harris Hilll Ski Jump, Brattleboro More than 40 of the world’s top ski jumpers compete on a 90-meter jump, and soar more than 300 feet at speeds of nearly 60 mph. The event has a festive atmosphere for the whole family with food, music, and a beer tent. harrishillskijump.com 20 | Road To Ruin Race, Magic Mountain A throwback to the classic 80’s ski movie Hot Dog with a flat-out mass-start freeski/ride race top-to-bottom on Black Line. Nothing fancy, just first across the finish line wins. There are no style points. $1500 in prize money. magicmtn.com 25-27 Extreme Challenge, Smuggler’s Notch The Smugglers’ Notch Ski and Snowboard Club hosts this exciting event - an opportunity for junior and adult freeskiers and riders to show their big mountain skiing on the most difficult terrain the East has to offer. smuggs.com 23 | NENSA Women’s XC Ski Day, Rikert Nordic Center, Ripton A day of fun learn-to-ski clinics with women instructors; the emphasis being on relaxed, fun learning in a supportive and encouraging environment. All ability, skill, and experience levels are welcome, open to women and nonbinary. nensa.net 23 |Prospect Mountain XC Sprints, Woodford Join Nordic ski racers of all ages for the cross-country ski race on the trails of Prospect Mountain. Part of the Zak series. nensa.ne 29 | Winter Wild Skimo Race, Mt. Ascutney Start at 5 pm and bring a headlamp. The race is 3.1 miles long with 800 vertical feet of climbing. This course will challenge ALL your trails skills. teamampactive.org 29-30 | Craftsbury Nordic Marathon, Craftsbury Race the Classic races on Saturday and freestyle on Sunday. The 50k will be Saturday, with the Sunday race coming in around 30k. craftsbury.com
MARCH 2 | Kandahar Mountain Race, Mad River Glen The Kandahar is a race from the top of the mountain to the bottom, over variable terrain incorporating both freeski and alpine racing technique. This event is open to all. madriverglen.com 6 | High Fives Fat Skiathon, Sugarbush Ski laps and raise money for the High Fives Foundation. sugarbush.com
12 | Blauvelt Banks, Bolton Valley Pro riding legend Jake Blauvelt creates a banked slalom course for this wild snowboard event, which makes for great spectating. boltonvalley.com 13 | Endurance Society Skimo Race, Pico, Mendon Race a single 2,000 ft. climb to the summit or three different climbs (6,000 ft.) The LeMans mass start is at 8 am for AT, telemark and splitboard. endurancesociety. com 12 | Winter Wild Skimo Race, Magic Mountain Course distance is ~3 miles & 1,450 vertical feet. Up Hocus Pocus to Wand to Trick to Upper Magic Carpet to Summit, then down. Mass start is at 7:00 am. magicmtn.com 12 | Master of the Mountain, Magic Mountain The final extreme comp to crown the East’s best overall skier/rider! A one-run race, a top-to-bottom of Black Line timed event with up to 9 seconds reduced on your overall time by how well you do in the freeride comp before swinging right into the Giant Slalom gates. $1500 purse on the line for the top 3 finishers. magicmtn.com 26 | Mad River Glen Triple Crown Family Tournament, Mad River Glen The original Father-Son race dates back to 1942 when it was held on Mount Mansfield (Stowe). Now open to anyone who wants to participate. Racers complete a familyfriendly GS course where a racer’s best time from two runs is counted. The time is then added with other family members (by blood). madriverglen.com
OLYMPICS SCHEDULE Note that these are the times for live events, in Easter Standard TIme. Check your local listings for broadcast updates. ALPINE SKIING 2/ 5: Men’s Downhill - 10:00 pm 2/ 6: Women’s GS – 9:15 pm 2/ 7: Men’s Super G – 10:00 pm 2/ 8: Women’s Slalom – 9:15 pm 2/ 9: Men’s Combined ¬— 9:30 pm 2/ 10: Women’s Super G — 10:00 pm 2/ 12: Men’s GS — 9:15 pm 2/ 14: Women’s Downhill — 10:00 pm 2/ 15: Men’s Slalom — 9:15 pm 2/ 16: Women’s Combined DH — 9:30 am 2/ 17: Women’s Combined SL — 1:00 am 2/ 18: Alpine Team Event — 10:00 pm FREESKIING & FREESTYLE 2/ 5: Men’s Moguls — 6:30 am 2/ 6: Women’s Moguls — 6:30 am 2/ 7: Women’s Big Air — 9:00 pm 2/ 8: Men’s Big Air — 10:00 pm 2/ 10: Mixed Team Aerials — 6:00 am 2/ 13: Women’s Slopestyle — 8:30 pm 2/ 14: Women’s Aerials — 6:00 am 2/ 14: Men’s Slopestyle — 8:30 pm CROSS COUNTRY SKIING 22/ 12: Women’s 4x5K Relay C/F — 2:30 am 2/ 13: Men’s 4x10K Relay C/F — 2:00 am 2/ 16: M/W Team Sprint Classical — 4:00 am 2/ 19: Men’s 50K Freestyle — 1:00 am 2/ 20: Women’s 30K Freestyle — 1:30 am BIATHLON 2/ 5: Mixed Relay 4x6K — 4:00 am
WATER & MULTISPORTS
2/ 7: Women’s 15K — 4:00 am 2/ 8: Men’s 20K — 3:30 am 2/ 11: Women’s Sprint 7.5K — 4:00 am
FEBRUARY 25-27 | Lake Memprhemagog Winter Swim Festival, Newport Join in a hearty group of ice swimmers who compete in a 25-meter pool cut in the lake ice. Prizes for best hats as well as plenty of other fun. Registration is limited. kingdomgames.co
MARCH 12 | Penguin Plunge, Burlington It's back for the 27th running. This Vermont tradition promotes awareness about the needs and accomplishments of people with intellectual disabilities, and raises essential funds for Special Olympics Vermont penguinplunge.org/burlington/
2/ 12: Men’s Sprint 10K — 4:00 am 2/ 13: W/M Pursuits — 4:00 am 2/ 15: Men’s Relay 4x7.5K — 4:00 am 2/ 16: Women’s Relay — 2:45 am 2/ 18: Men’s Mass Start 15K — 4:00 am 2/ 19: Women’s Mass Start 12.5K — 4:00 am SNOWBOARD 2/ 5: Women’s Slopestyle — 8:30 pm 2/ 6: Men’s Slopestyle — 11:00 pm 2/ 8: Paralell GS Finals — 1:30 am 2/ 9: Women’s Snowboardcross — 1:30 am 2/ 9: Women’s Halfpipe — 8:30 pm 2/ 11: Mixed Snowboardcross — 9:00 pm 2/ 14: Women’s Big Air — 8:30 pm 2/ 15: Men’s Big Air — 12:00 am
JAN./FEB. 2022 | VTSPORTS.COM 33
ENDGAME
O
n a Saturday morning in early January, I was up at 3 a.m. Worry and duty awoke me, and I summoned my husband to help gather breakfast sandwiches and a Thermos of hot chocolate. If I know anything about teenage boys, it’s that you can’t lead with emotions and concerns. A bag full of food, however, might let you see the whites of their eyes long enough to assure you of their welfare. It was still dark when we left the house. We took back roads that followed the river until that river led to the lake. My husband and I have co-parented with mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests. When our boys were little, I’d wake early, pack a stove, water, mugs, and cocoa mix and we’d snowshoe up hiking trails until their little legs begged me to stop. And there, we’d warm the water and stir in the chocolate—enough sweetness to encourage the trip back down. As my husband and I drove in the dark that night, I thought of our trip to the south end of Lake Willoughby one hot summer day when my son Nolan was much younger. He had found a spoon lure and line in the water. He attached it to a branch and was catching multiple rock bass, cast after cast. His passion was never built from fancy fishing excursions or high-priced gear but rather from appreciation that lakes, streams, and ponds; forests and fields were the only playgrounds we could afford. Every season marked a new adventure from turkey hunting to ice fishing. Now 15, Nolan had decided to spend the night camping out with two friends on the ice that covered the waters of Lake Memphremagog. The occasion: The Northeast Vermont Bass Anglers was hosting a tournament. The rules of the game looked like this: pike tournament, $25 entry, cash payout to the top six, fish from 12 a.m. to 3 p.m. With that, three teenagers, as wild as anything they might encounter, journeyed onto the ice just before dusk on a Friday evening. They left with a pop-up shanty, an ice auger, a bucket of tip-ups, a small propane heater, a bag full of venison, a cast iron frying pan, a few collapsible stools, and some batterypowered LED lights, the penchant for adventure leading their way.
I
t had been twelve hours from when we had dropped the boys off. As we traveled alongside the lake my mind raced with a million thoughts. The anxiety of allowing your son to camp
34 VTSPORTS.COM | JAN./FEB. 2022
A NIGHT ON THE ICE
THREE TEENAGERS SET OUT TO SPEND A NIGHT ON THE LAKE ICE FISHING. HERE’S WHAT THEY CAME BACK WITH. BY HEIDI MYERS
W
For a night, Nolan Myers made this tent a home in a pop-up community of fishermen. Photo by Heidi Myers
“
The laurels of ice fishing still rest in a reliance and trust in nature which earns even the poorest a moment in time to be lakefront property owners. And if victory doesn't take the form of weighed fish, contestants take home resilience, hope and camaraderie.” out without even the ground below him conjured flashbacks laced with guilt. Should I have allowed such recklessness? As my doubts turned to confidence, we turned the corner into an old mill adjacent to the railroad and could see the lake beyond. A glow of lights and lanterns
lit the ice. There was a community of frosty fishermen, population 116 — that’s bigger than some towns in the NEK. Ice fishing is downright Yankee ingenuity at its finest. There is no proper setup or equipment. You’ll find old campers, wooden huts, and portable shelters that make pitching a tent look complicated. Often, an industrial-style sled is used to transport gear across the ice. Though I assume that an older crowd (which was most of what surrounded these three boys) might have more sophisticated interiors in their shanties, what I found in my son’s shelter was quite on par, arranged with the housekeeping of a teen. It was clear the focus was on the fishing in both appearance and attitude. The sustenance was quickly removed from my hands and my presence was dismissed until afternoon pickup When we returned at day’s end, still no fish were to be seen. Everything reeled in was deemed too small and tossed back. But there was no disappointment on their faces, either. Instead, the open conversation revolved around revised strategies.
e often think of the Northeast Kingdom as this economically deprived region that lacks infrastructure and progress. Some people look at its residents as uneducated traditionalists who lack modern etiquette and refinement. But for all I’ve compromised in living and raising children here, whether that be career, income, education, or housing, I’ve gained. That bounty is reflected in my children’s understanding, respect, and pure passion for the natural world. The rugged landscape and a flat economy bode well for land protection because to live here you must revere one and learn to deal with the other. What’s often missed is the presence of community. The desire to live in a place brings unity more than the decision to live in a place. We desire to live here despite the challenges of climate and geography and the lack of access to amenities. We don’t, however, decide to live here for job opportunities, economic prosperity, or ease of lifestyle. That commonality connects us in the same way as the first icing over of a nearby body of water caused three teens to spend their first real taste of freedom in nature. On the ice, we are removed from all that disconnects us. I saw with my own eyes the lost art of shooting the shit resurface between crowds from one shanty to the next, expectations and results were traded for existence and solitude, and the constant surge of data and media replaced by the visceral appreciation for small tokens like a tip-up or a hot beverage. The laurels of ice fishing still rest in a reliance and trust in nature which earns even the poorest a moment in time to be lakefront property owners. And if victory doesn’t take the form of a weighed fish, contestants take home resilience, hope, and camaraderie. If that all sounds too romantic, the pragmatic look to such tournaments as a way to reduce the abundance of Northern Pike, an aggressive predator that threatens native species. In short, one could argue that good fishing makes for good fishing. While the rest of the world works tirelessly for more: more things, more accolades, more unnecessary, I rest confident in less. The Kingdom’s intentional desire for less development, less noise, and less wealth has made it the richest place I know to raise a family. For a weekend, my son had the best view of the lake that money can’t buy. Heidi Myers is the founder of the Rasputitsa Gravel Ride and Associate Dean of Marketing at Sterling College.
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