Having same-day surgery through SVMC Orthopedics allowed me to begin the process of rehab and healing immediately after surgery and get back to teaching yoga sooner than I ever thought.
–Jane Jezouit
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is now a member of Dartmouth Health.
is
While we’ve been partners for years, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Dartmouth Health are coming even closer together to provide better care. As a member hospital, we bring you improved access, upgraded technology and expanded specialty care including cancer treatments, orthopedics and heart and vascular care.
So now, the great care you’ve always received from SVMC will be even better. All right here, close to home.
Yoga instructor Jane Jezouit’s chronic hip pain was no match for the skill and care of Dr. Michaela Schneiderbauer of SVMC Orthopedics. Delivering on the promise of exceptional care in our mission, Schneiderbauer performed same-day hip replacement that allowed Jezouit to walk out of the hospital shortly after surgery and begin recovery in the comfort of her home. Today, she’s once again practicing yoga without pain and feels confident about choosing SVMC Orthopedics to get her back the life she loves.
Learn more at svhealthcare.org
Michaela Schneiderbauer, MD, MBA SVMC Orthopedics
VERMONT SPORTS
PUBLISHER
ON THE COVER:
Paddling the Waterbury Reservoir, which has 27 remote campsites you can book at vtstateparks. com Photo by Nathanael Asaro.
Angelo Lynn - publisher@vtsports.com
EDITOR/CO-PUBLISHER
Lisa Lynn - editor@vtsports.com
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Shawn Braley
EDITORIAL INTERNS
Alaena Hunt, Lucia Lovell
MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Nathan Endres, Dr. David Lisle, Dr. James Slauterbeck —University of Vermont Robert Larner College of Medicine; Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation; Jamie Sheahan, M.S., R.D.
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
David Goodman, Brian Mohr, Phyl Newbeck, Leath Tonino, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
Dave Honeywell | (802) 583-4653 dave_golfhouse@madriver.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS, PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION editor@vtsports.com
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION OFFICE
Vermont Sports | 58 Maple Street Middlebury, Vt. 05753 | 802-388-4944
Vermont Sports is independently owned and operated by Addison Press Inc., 58 Maple Street, Middlebury, Vt. 05753. It is published 8 times per year. Established in 1990. Vermont Sports subscriptions in the U.S.: one year $25. Canada: (US funds), please add $5 per year postage. Email ads@addisonindependent.com
We love the Olympics because they bring us heroes.
7 News
New Land Conserved
From a stretch of prime river for paddling to grasslands for birds and a camp for LGBTQ+, some important conservation projects are underway.
9 Nutrition
5 Nutrition Myths Busted Truth or fiction: Pickle juice will help cramps. Find out the answers to this and other myths.
12 Opinion
Playing Games with the Olym- pics.
Wait a sec, how did all these new sports get into the Games?
14 Feature
Vermont’s Olympians
Meet the athletes who from the Green Mountain state who will compete in Paris.
18 Feature
The Heart of Dragonheart
Vermont’s inclusive paddling club celebrates 20 years and sends 100 members to the Worlds.
ADVERTISERS!
22 Feature
The Best of Vermont’s State Parks
Here’s where to mountain bike, paddle to a campsite, hike to a view or just swim and beach it.
28 Featured Athlete
The Keeper of the Parks
Paddler and snowboarder Nate McKeen shepherds our state parks.
30 Calendar
Race & Event Guide
34 Endgame
Once More to the Lakes This is required summer reading.
The deadline for the August issue of Vermont Sports is July 16. Contact lisa.lynn@vtsports.com today to reserve your space.
Celebrate 100 years of Vermont’s state parks by booking a campsite and plunging into one of the cleanest and clearest lakes in the state, Maidstone Lake. Photo by Nathanael Asaro
THE START
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
THIS SUMMER’S OLYMPIC GAMES ARE A CHANCE TO BE INSPIRED BY EXCELLENCE.
When the Summer Olympic Games open in Paris at the end of July, more than 3 billion people are expected to tune in worldwide to watch 39 sports.
For many people, there’s nationalism at stake: they want to see their teams and their countries win.
For me, it’s about finding inspiration.
To watch athletes put their lives aside and train for an event that only happens once every four years, is inspiring, whether they win or not. ‘‘
Sure, other competitions such as a World Championships may have stiffer competition (due to the fact that entries are not as limited). But the Olympics are something else, and for many, being an Olympian and ultimate goal.
There’s a reason that Elle Purrier St. Pierre, the dairy farmer from Montgomery, got a tattoo in 2021 of the five Olympic rings. It might have been to honor her 2020 Olympics. More likely, it was a constant reminder of her goal for 2024: Paris.
St. Pierre, already the 2023 World Champion in the 3,000 meters made that goal when she lunged across the line of the 5,000-meter Olympic Trials race on June 24. But what inspired her that week of trials? As we note in our story; it was a photo her brother sent to her of her great great grandfather’s sugarshack on the family dairy farm, a reminder of the back-breaking hard work that her family has put in sugaring and dairy farming over generations.
For Billy Bender, the 22-year-old rower from Norwich who will compete in the pairs, inspiration came from watching his sister set out to climb the highest point in every state before she was 18.
Often, we look around us for inspiration: we delight in seeing someone we can relate to achieve the highest level of excellence in their sport or pursuit.
This summer, as Steve Goldstein, a veteran journalist who has covered multiple Olympics reports, breaking (a.k.a. breakdancing) will debut in Paris and surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing will return for a second time.
These may not be common sports in rural Vermont but for a kid growing up on the urban streets of New York or L.A., they offer another level of inspiration and a chance to see people they can relate to
on the podium. Suddenly, sports that have not traditionally required teams of support crew, coaches and costly equipment are in the spotlight. That’s a good thing.
One more event that will make an appearance in Paris as a demonstration sport: dragon boat racing. As Alaena Hunt writes in “The Heart of Dragonheart,” this sport (which has 20 people paddling a 40-foot craft) by necessity fosters community.
Thanks to Dragonheart Vermont, that community is particularly strong on Lake Champlain. Many of the 100 people Dragonheart Vermont will send to the World Championships in Italy this September are breast cancer survivors. Other are folks who have never considered themselves athletes before.
All of them – the new-to-paddling dragon boat racer, the Olympic rower, the breaker in his or her first Games, the runner who sets records, the 55-year-old who handcycles up Whiteface, are inspiring. They show us that with determination, with practice, with hard work you can reach a pinnacle.
And that’s why we watch the Olympics. —Lisa Lynn, Editor
Flashing her Olympic tattoo, Elle St. Pierre of Montgomery set a new record for the 5,000 meters at the Olympic Trials and punched her ticket to Paris Photo Johnny Zhang
CONSERVATION
PRESERVED FOR PADDLING… AND MORE
When Billy Bender, a 22-year old from Norwich, Vt., rowed to fifth place in the 2023 World Rowing Championships, he knew he and his teammate Evan Olson in the pair had secured a place for a U.S. boat in that event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But Bender didn’t know if he would be in that boat. Olson went on to join the National Team’s 8-man crew and qualified for the Olympics. Meanwhile, Bender teamed up with Dartmouth alumn Oliver Bub of Westport, CT to compete in the Olympic Trials. In April, the pair crossed the line nearly three seconds ahead of the second place boat, earning themselves a spot in Paris this summer.
Another Vermonter who is likely to be at the Paris Olympics, Elle Purrier St. Pierre, 29, of Richford has continued her 2024 streak. In February she set a new American mile record (breaking her old one) at the Wanamaker Mile, running a 4:16:41. Then she won the World Championships in the 3000 meters in Glasgow, Scotland in March, also setting an American record.
Then at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore. she ran a 3:56 in the 1,500, a personal best that put her third behind Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji and Australian Jessica Hull. Purrier -St. Pierre will be back in Oregon at Eugene’s Hayward field at the end of this month to compete in the Olympic trials. The women’s finals for the 1,500 meters (the event she finished 10th in at the Tokyo Olympics four years ago) are the evening of Sunday, June 30. Stay tuned.
VLT SAVES AN ISLAND AND A CAMP
The Vermont Land Trust has also been busy preserving land in the Northeast Kingdom. The organization recentl worked with Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to raise $1.1 million for a conservation easement that will preserve the island in the middle of Island Pond. The 5-acre island will now be part of Brighton State Park, managed by the Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation and be open to the public for boating, exploring and picnicking.. The island features a state-significant Red Pine Forest and unique breeding habitat for bald eagles and loons.
This spring the VLT also worked with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to help help Outright Vermont buy a 100-year-old camp in Addison and Rutland Counties that has served LGBTQ+ youth for over 30 years.
The 146-acre lakefront property, known as Camp Sunrise, had served as a Scouting America camp since 1923 and already has a dining hall, cabins, docks, amphitheaters, and other camp structures. As the new home for Camp Outright, the land will enable Outright to expand its camp programming to serve more LGBTQ+ campers through extended sessions and more outdoor programming for families.
Dana Kaplan, Outright Vermont’s executive director said “[This]says to them, ‘You deserve to just be a kid at a typical summer camp where you can safely enjoy the incredible outdoors and the camaraderie of a shared experience full of roasted marshmallows, ghost stories, and laughter.’”
LAND FOR THE MEADOWLARK
This spring, Vermont’s Dept. of Fish & Wildlife bought a 110-acre parcel of land… for the birds. Well, not just for the birds. The grassland which is prime habitat for the threatened eastern meadowlark and other species was acquired with the help of the Vermont Trust for Public Land and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. The meadowlark’s population has declined by more than 95% over the last 50 years, according to the Vermont Center for Ecostudies. Vermont landscape of farmed fields and grazing meadows has been important habitat for birds such as the meadowlark. As farming recedes, much of that land is seeing either regrowth as forest or is being developed. The new parcel will be added to the Lemon Fair Wildlife Management Area and be open to the public. —with Emma Cotton/VTDigger
Cutline here Photo
Cutline here Photo
Cutline here Photo
NUTRITION
TRUTH? OR CONSEQUENCES?
THERE’S A LOT OF MISINFORMATION OUT THERE ABOUT SPORTS NUTRITION. HERE’S A TEST TO SEE IF YOU CAN TELL FACT FROM FICTION.
BY JAMIE SHEAHAN, M.S., R.D.
Ihate to be the bearer of bad news, but when it comes to nutrition, we still have a lot to learn. I don’t mean any offense to readers who feel they are well-read on this subject, but the fact of the matter is that the study of nutrition is relatively new and therefore our understanding and application continues to evolve. And sports nutrition is far from exempt as we aim to learn more about how to optimize our performance. Unfortunately, this leaves us prone to buying into many myths and misinformation. So let’s take some time to separate fact from fiction and break down what we know is actually true and what is false. At least for now.
CARB LOADING IMPROVES PERFORMANCE.
If only it were that simple. The goal of carb loading is to maximize glycogen stores, how our bodies stores carbohydrate. Studies have shown that carb loading provides performance benefits for activities lasting 90 minutes or more. However, for shorter duration events or those that do not require continuous activity
(e.g. sports like soccer) carb loading won’t help. Keep in mind that the goal of carb loading is to prevent energy stores from becoming depleted, not to make us faster or stronger. Just like a larger gas tank in a car won’t allow you to drive faster, carb loading will just allow you to go longer without needing additional fueling. Carb loading also entails a lot more than just eating a big plate of pasta the night before an event. A specific protocol of exhaustive exercise with low carbohydrate intake followed by a period of limited exercise and high carbohydrate intake must be followed in order for carb loading to
be effective. Still, it doesn’t make that pasta feast the night before a race any less satisfying! Verdict? Myth.
PROTEIN IS KEY FOR RECOVERING AFTER EXERCISE.
If you just went for a long ride, run or hike should you reach for that protein shake? Yes, our muscles are made of protein and thus consuming protein is essential to repairing and building muscle tissue. However, after endurance activities, protein shouldn’t be the star of the show. Studies have shown that the ideal post-workout meal or snack should consist of a mix of carbohydrates and protein with the majority being carbs. Studies suggest that a ratio of 4:1 carbs to protein hits the sweet spot for ideal recovery. This is why chocolate milk — which delivers on almost that exact ratio — tends to get top billing as a recovery drink. Verdict: Myth…sort of
DRINKING PICKLE JUICE PREVENTS MUSCLE CRAMPS.
The unmistakable sensation of a muscle seizing up during training or competition is all too common and the cause all too commonly
misunderstood. A muscle cramp is a sustained, painful and involuntary contraction of a muscle typically attributed to electrolyte depletion. Some athletes swear by drinking pickle juice to prevent or cure muscle cramps and limited research even backs up these claims. One such study found that individuals who drank pickle juice shortened the duration of their cramps by 49 seconds compared to those who drank just water. It would make sense to infer that the high sodium content in
You're out running and cramp up. Your friend swears that pickle juice will help. Will it? Here's our guide to some common sports nutrition myths and how to separate fact from fiction.
pickle juice eases or prevents cramping by replacing sodium lost in sweat. That would add up if muscle cramps were truly caused by a lack of sodium, but that is not the case. The majority of muscle cramps are actually caused by neuromuscular fatigue. So why does pickle juice seem to unlock that seizing calf muscle you get on your 100-mile ride? Scientists are still unsure of the exact mechanism, but it appears that the vinegar in pickle juice may send a signal to the nervous system to calm the neurons that are stimulating the muscle contraction. For anyone who has experienced a debilitating muscle cramp during exercise, the “why” it works is likely far less important than the relief that it brings. I’ll drink (pickle juice) to that! Verdict: True… but not for the reasons you think
EATING LATE AT NIGHT LEADS TO WEIGHT GAIN
We’ve all heard that late night eating is a recipe for weight gain. But let’s be real, when you are juggling work, family and training on top of that, sometimes there’s just no alternative. I regularly talk with clients who are stressing over whether to eat a late dinner after getting home from a long training ride or go to bed hungry. It’s understandable that this would be a source of stress considering how often we are told we should avoid eating late at night lest our food intake turn to fat as we catch some Z’s. The good news is that unless you’re a gremlin there is likely no magical hour at which we should stop eating. Very few human studies have examined the effect of eating at night on weight and those that have indicate it is not when you eat, but how much and what foods you are consuming that impacts weight. The main reason late night eating gets such a bad rap is because typically we are eating out of habit, boredom or entertainment as opposed to hunger. We also tend to reach for foods that are high in fat and sugar at night. You can’t honestly tell me that you’re curling up to watch Game of Thrones with a bag of
baby carrots. Instead of agonizing over the hour of your last meal or snack, just ask yourself; “Am I truly hungry?” If the answer is yes, then select a healthy portion-controlled option guilt-free. Verdict: Jury is still out
VITAMIN AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS PROVIDE ENERGY.
As we all know, there are a multitude of products claiming to help athletes improve speed and endurance, but unfortunately popping a pill won’t deliver on such promises. To be clear vitamins and minerals are essential components of our diet and without them we certainly won’t perform at our best. However, vitamins and minerals themselves do not actually provide any energy. Among their many functions in the body, they serve as cofactors in the metabolic processes that convert food into chemical energy in the body. If an individual is deficient in a vitamin or mineral then technically a supplement may help them feel more energized even though the supplement itself provides no actual energy. Eating a well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats should meet all your vitamin and mineral needs. In case you are of the mindset that more is better, think again when it comes to vitamins and minerals. Studies show that taking mega-doses of vitamins or minerals does not improve health or performance and can in fact be harmful. Verdict: Myth.
Vacation Rental Directory
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CLASSIC STOWE CABIN WITH HOT TUB
This picture-perfect classic Vermont 2-bedroom, 1-bath cabin sits in a quiet valley not far from the slopes and backs up to miles of trails that are great for hiking or backcountry skiing. Just 15 minutes to the Trapp Family Lodge, town and Stowe Mountain Resort. airbnb.com/h/ stowe-vt-cabin-with-hot-tub
MIDDLEBURY COTTAGE ON LAKE DUNMORE
On gorgeous Lake Dunmore, this freshly-renovated 2-bedroom, 2-bath cottage sleeps 6, is central to great skiing at Brandon Gap, Killington, Pico, Middlebury Snow Bowl and Rikert Nordic Center. Yearround, skate, XC ski or swim right out your front door. airbnb.com/h/ lake-dunmore-cottage
COZY KILLINGTON CHALET ON MTN. ROAD
This cozy retreat is just one mile from main base areas and within walking distance to over a dozen restaurants and bars. It has a wood-burning fireplace, washer/dryer, porch, t.v., and wifi. This 2-bedroom, 1-bath, sleeps 4 people and will take dogs. vrbo.com/650909 or email rent.killington@gmail.com
STOCKBRIDGE YURT ON 40 FOREST ACRES
Ideal for nature enthusiasts. the yurt (or wall tent, too) is 4 miles from excellent hiking on the LT/AT. Near mountain biking at Killington, Rochester, and Randolph and the gorgeous White River. Pack it in and out, leave no trace. This is for folks looking for a quiet and peaceful experience.
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PLAYING GAMES WITH THE
OLYMPICS?
WAIT A SEC, HOW DID ALL THESE NEW SPORTS MAKE IT TO THE OLYMPICS? A VETERAN JOURNALIST OFFERS HIS PERSPECTIVE.
BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN
Blame ballroom dancing. Cleverly repackaged as “DanceSport,” the waltz-tangofoxtrot floor exercise tried to gain a foothold on the Olympic Summer Games in 1995. Yet, a few weeks from now in Paris, the City of Light, the world will be introduced to a new Olympic event: Breaking. Short for breakdancing. Yes, that moon-walking, head-spinning 80’s sensation will be a new event at the Paris Games.
Money is the mother of re-invention. Ballroom dancing aka DanceSport aka Breaking is in the club. Will there be DJs instead of coaches? Advocates of the new event liken it to synchronized swimming, a legacy sport updated to a kind of underwater ballet.
So what’s next? Synchronized pickleball?
“I think the Olympics has a real challenge to stay relevant and keep the younger audience engaged,” says Lea Davison, two-time Olympian in mountain biking from Jericho, now living in Sunderland. “I think that’s the problem that they’re trying to solve right now. And one way they’re trying to solve is by expanding to different sports.”
In addition to Breaking, for the XXXIII Olympic Summer Games three sports that debuted in Tokyo in 2020 surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing — will return, with the surf competitions taking place at the worldfamous break, Teahupo’o, off the French island of Tahiti.
Apologies to all you hip-hop throwbacks who revere the gyrations of such early sidewalk spinners as Vin Diesel, before he became a franchise. Break got anointed very fast, it seems, leaving me a bit, well, furious.
Lest these observations be dismissed as the rantings of a dilettante, I have some skin in the Games. As a journalist, I covered the Winter Games of 1980 and both Winter and Summer in 1984. At Lake Placid my beat was the blades: hockey and figure- and speed skating. So, I lucked into not only The Miracle on Ice but the miraculous Eric Heiden garnering gold in all five distances on
the speed skating oval. In Los Angeles, I witnessed a tsunami of medals by American swimmers and saw Carl Lewis dominate track AND field by taking gold in the 100- and 200-meters, the 4 x 100 relay and the long jump. And in
the frozen Balkan beauty of Sarajevo, I chronicled the Mahre twins going 1-2 in the slalom.
No, I’m not stuck in some nostalgia time warp. I was born at night— but it wasn’t last night. I know that things
have to change. Yet…yet.. something is being lost in the rush to appeal to a wider audience, even as the Venmo accounts keep chiming for the host organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Their coffers are full, but at what cost to the most prestigious athletic competition on the planet?
INCLUSIVE SPORTS?
Elizabeth Hanley, a former college gymnastics coach and a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians, said that the Olympic Games “are not as strong a draw as they have been in the past” so she accepts that change is inevitable, then adds. “But money is always at the bottom of everything …. Money, money, money talks.” More sports, more days, more tickets, more TV ads. There’s also the matter of inclusivity. “The IOC is keen to set a new standard for inclusive, gender-balanced and youth-centered Games. … All four are easy to take up, and participants form communities that are very active on social media,” according to the Paris 2024 Olympics website.
Davison admits to a fangirl-type affection for breakdancing and will try to see it when she travels to France as a spectator. She compares the movements to gymnastics. Her litmus test for wannabes eyeing the Olympic program? “Is it a sport? Does it require athleticism?
If the summer games came to Vermont, what Green Mountain sports would she want included, I asked her. “Mountain biking, for sure,” she said. “Trail running. Stand-up paddle boarding.”
Vermont, of course, has more of a footprint in the Winter Games, where event creep is at a snail’s pace compared to the summer follies. The good news is the inclusion in 2026 (Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo) of ski mountaineering, or Skimo, a Green Mountain favorite. The flip side is the continuing lack of a women’s event in Nordic Combined, despite heroic efforts by homegirl World Cup champion Tara Geraghty-Moats.
Leading breaker Miguel Rosario at the Pan Am Games in Chile in 2023. Photo courtesy Team USA.
In Tokyo, urban sports such as skateboarding and breaking made their debuts. Here, Scott Dillon airs it out at Manchester's skate park. Photo by Peter Cirilli
One of the oldest of winter Olympic sports, it remains the only one that is closed to women. Ironically, gender equality may be achieved if the sport pairing ski jumping and cross-country skiing is eliminated from the 2030 Games, as the IOC has threatened.
MAKING THE OLYMPICS?
So how are events chosen? If Davison was head of the host organizing committee, how much power would she have to shape the program? More than you might guess, is the answer.
The official party line of the Olympics organization goes like this: A proposal for a new event is put forward by the International Federation. That prospective event is subject to “a very strict review and decisionmaking process led by the Olympic Programme Commission, which involves representatives of athletes, International Federations and National Olympic Committees.”
The reality is, the tail wags the dog. The host Olympic committee and its national sport federations mostly get the events they want. Media and public interest must be taken into account by the IOC, since they are key determinants of a successful (i.e. profitable) Olympics. In 1984, the LA games featured 21 sports. In 2028 LA will host again with “at least” 35 sports. Say hello to squash, flag football and cricket, as well as baseball/softball and lacrosse.
“The choice of these five new sports is in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States. These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique,’’ IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement.
THE MODERN GAMES
History is a little fuzzy on this, but when Baron Pierre de Coubertin conceived the modern Olympic Games in 1896, it is highly unlikely he envisioned the roster of summer sports would include lacrosse or flag football. The Baron wanted to honor the ancient Games, which began as a one-day event and grew to five, with a program of running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian events.
Pankration was a primitive form of martial art combining wrestling and boxing, and was considered to be one of the toughest sports. Pentathlon, featuring running and jumping events and the discus throw became an Olympic sport with the addition of wrestling in 708 B.C.
The Modern Pentathlon, a fixture since 1912 that has included an equestrian event, has had a makeover due to the unsanctioned addition of horse-punching (thanks to a German coach who punched a horse in Tokyo.) We say adieu in Paris to equestrian and replace it in LA with, yes, obstacle racing, a sport long championed by Vermont’s own Joe de Sena who launched his Spartan races in Pittsfield.
The ancient games represented an ideal, a purity that could not realistically be sustained. None of the athletes wore commercial logos — probably due to the fact that the original, male-only Games were contested in birthday suits. Nike was merely a god, not a brand. Perhaps this stripped-down approach inspired the IOC to make beach volleyball a fixture beginning in 1996.
Dave Lunt, a historian of the
ancient Olympics, said “the original guidelines for beach volleyball had size requirements for women’s swimsuits — but it was a maximum number, not a minimum.” The result? One of the least “covered” — but most-watched events.
Lunt’s main gripe is when sports go through a revolving door, appearing one Games, then disappearing four years later. “I mean that is just, like, excruciating,” said Lunt, chair of the history department at Southern Utah University. Follow the bouncing ball: softball and baseball will not be on the menu in Paris, but they will be reinstated at Los Angeles28.
University of Delaware professor Matt Robinson, who studies the development of international sport, said the aim of the Olympic program is to “stay relevant, present sports of the future, and offer up a crowd-pleasing
selection.” He admitted, however, that there are no established qualifying events for many of the new sports, the traditional gateway to the Games itself. Having been to the five-ring circus twice, Lea Davison recognizes the lofty goals as well as the down to earth race for greenbacks. “The Olympic movement is a powerful thing, and yes, money has a lot to do with it,” she told me. “The Olympics also has the power to bring these sports to different places. So, it does have the potential to create opportunities.”
And hey, as Davison pointed out, is breakdancing that much different than gymnastics? Spinoffs are to be expected. By some weird karmic coincidence, rhythmic gymnastics was introduced at LA84 and will return to its Olympic birthplace at LA28. Already 94 athletes have committed to gyrate with hoops and ribbons — perhaps the Baron will be gyrating, too.
I’m all for keeping popular sports on the Olympic roster. But if popularity is wedded to relevance, leaving tradition at the altar, then who knows what’s next?
For example, Bruce Bosley, director of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame, enlightened me on the popularity of horseshoe pitching, which he asserted has more participants than tennis. Vermont’s own Debra Brown of Bristol is enshrined in The National Horseshoe Pitching Hall of Fame.
From horseshoes, it’s an easy segue to a sport spreading faster than kudzu — cornhole. Two thumbs up, said Bosley. “It’s American and LA is the perfect venue.” said Bosley.
Wait, wait … making its debut at the Summer Games of the XXXIV Olympiad—rhythmic cornhole!
Surfing will be an Olympic sport for the second time with the competition taking place in the world-famous break Teahupo'o off French Polynesia's Tahiti. Photo Adobe Stock.
Sport climbing is also getting traction. Paris 2024 will be its second Olympics. Adobe Stock
VERMONT’S OLYMPIANS
One is just 22 and just starting to compete internationally.
One is already a World Champion, a record-holder and a mother. One is an athlete influencer with an MBA and more than a million followers on TikTok.
What these three Vermonters all have in common is one thing: They have punched their tickets to compete in the Olympics in Paris this summer.
Montgomery native Elle Purrier St. Pierre, who finished 10th in the 1,500 meters in Tokyo qualified in June by setting a record pace in the 5,000 at the Olympic Trials. Burlington high school grad Ilona Maher, who also competed in Tokyo in 2020, was named one of the 12 players on the U.S Rugby Sevens in late June. And Norwich’s Billy Bender secured a spot for the two-man pairs boat by finishing in the top 5 in the World Championships in fall of 2023. He then
THIS SUMMER, VERMONT IS SENDING ALL-STAR ATHLETES TO PARIS FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES. HERE’S WHO IS GOING AND HOW TO WATCH THEM.
BY LISA LYNN
won the pairs Trials to punch his ticket. Here’s how they earned their spots.
BILLY BENDER: ROWING
When he was growing up in Norwich, Billy Bender would pile into a car with his family each summer for a road trip to
different parts of the country. “I grew up camping out and chewing on pine cones in state parks,” Billy Bender, now 22, says with a laugh.
The reason for these road trips? Bender’s older sister Kristen got the idea to climb to the highest point in each of
the 50 states. “I sort of followed along,” Billy remembers. He knocked off 40 high points by the time he was 11. At 18, Kristen, climbed Denali, her 50th, becoming the youngest woman to do so.
“I think watching Kristen set that big goal—and then make it happen—showed me that if you pursue something and work really hard, you can make it,” he says, noting that Kristen raised the funds on her own to climb Alaska’s Denali.
For Bender, who went to public high school in Hanover, that lesson was driven home early. Bender was introduced to rowing by a neighbor, Blair Brooks who had been a walk-on to the crew team at Harvard and went on to captain the college’s undefeated “Rude and Smooth” team. “Blair was our high school coach. He would drive me to practices really early in the morning. I’d go over to train at his house on the erg and he’d just yell at me ‘Go faster! Go faster!’” Bender
Norwich native and Dartmouth senior Billy Bender (below and at right, bottom photo) will row in the pairs at the Olympics with another Dartmouth grad, Oliver Bub.
Courtesy photo
remembers. “I wasn’t very good then and I’m a little sad that Blair never saw me get better,” he says softly. Brooks passed away in 2019 from cancer.”
As he approached his senior year, Bender was determined to row for Dartmouth. “I had good grades, I was captain of the crew team and captain of the ski team, but I wasn’t good enough then to get go to a D1 school for rowing,” he recalled. Bender stopped skiing his senior year to focus on crew. He applied to Dartmouth but didn’t get in.
“So I went to talk to the coach to see what I needed to do,” Bender recalls. His erg time to row 2000 meters was 6:30 at the time. Bender knew he had to get that number down. “
“I remember coming back to my office, which was in the basement of the gym, and finding Billy sitting outside waiting for me,” Wyatt Allen, the Dartmouth coach remembers. “He was willing to work hard and persuaded me that he would only grow and get stronger. He was a long shot, but a good bet,” Allen says. “He had a belief in himself that is impressive. Over the course of six months of talking to him, his persistence became what led us to recruit him.”
At Allen’s suggestion, Bender took a year off after his senior year and headed to England’s Thames Club to train “I went from rowing one afternoon, five days a week (which was all we were allowed to do in public high school) for one season to getting to row several times a day, six times a week,” he recalls. His erg times began to drop. He had applied to Dartmouth, Brown and Cornell. “I was accepted at Brown, but I really wanted Dartmouth,” he says. Seeing his persistence, coach Allen put him on the list.
While it’s not quite a “The Boys in the Boat” story, for a public high school rower to make it onto a D1 college team they have to compete against rowers from elite boarding schools where training time is not limited, and the facilities are often top-notch. “Rowing is an incredibly rich, white sport that’s helped a lot of wealthy kids get into Ivy League colleges,” Bender says.
Yet he also credits the sport with teaching him life skills. “You have to work hard, be really disciplined and you have to be a team player. Those are all things that serve you later in life,” he said. He then added, “But Wyatt definitely took a chance on me because I was the worst guy out of the recruits,” Bender said.
“We had a hunch about Billy,” Allen said. He was right. Bender made the varsity heavyweight eight as a freshman. That year, 2021, he also made the U23 National Team and his 8-person boat won bronze at the IRA Nationals.
The challenge for Bender after that was whether to continue on the U23 team for the 2022-23 season or take a chance and try out for the senior National Team. He opted for the latter but failed to be selected for the 8-man boat.
While it is difficult to identify just how good a rower in an 8-person boat may be, each year at the Winter Speed Orders the best rowers in the country compete as singles or doubles, which makes it easier for a coach to assess individual skills.
For the 2023 event, Bender teamed up with Oliver Bub, a 2020 Dartmouth grad. The pair finished third among all the rowers, beating some of the best on the team. “The two pairs that beat us were the guys who make up our top boat, the four,” Bender said. “And we beat all the pairs who were going to make up the eight,” he added, with just a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “I realized then
that I was beating some of the best guys in the country and maybe I could try for the Olympics,” he said.
Bender decided to compete as a pair (meaning each rower holds one oar) at the World Championships in Serbia in September 2023, this time with Evan Olson. There, racing against the best teams in the world, they managed to secure a qualifying spot at the Olympics by finishing in the top five. The U.S. elite boat of 8 rowers did not.
However, in rowing, it is the boat, not the rowers who qualify. “Evan eventually made the 8 so I had to find another partner,” Bender said. He turned back to his friend Bub, from Westport, Ct. to compete in the 2024 Olympic Trials.
“We were friends, we got along really well and that’s key in pairs,” Bender says. “I have one oar and complete control over one side of the boat but zero control over
the other side. You have to be completely in sync or the boat will turn in circles. If you even apply force at different points in the stroke, that can make the boat wiggle, which is slow,” Bender adds.
For the pairs, time in the boat is critical. Bender and Olson have been training hard, putting in 280 kilometers a week — “the equivalent of a marathon a day,” Bender notes.
Yet for Bender, the fact that he was going to the Olympics —at 22, the youngest of 42 on the U.S. Rowing team— didn’t sink in until a package arrived for him in mid-June. He opened the box. It was Olympic team-issue gear, including a ballcap with the words “Made It!” printed under the brim.
ELLE ST. PIERRE: RUNNING TRACK
There are two photos that Elle Purrier St. Pierre posted to Instagram in late June that speak volumes. One shows her looking over her shoulder as she runs to an easy win in the preliminary heat of 5,000-meter trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on June 21. The other is of a sugar house on her parent’s dairy farm in Montgomery, Vt.
St. Pierre wasn’t expected to run the 5K in the trials—the 1,500-meters has been her sweet spot. Four years ago, St. Pierre ran the 1,500 meters at the Trials, not only winning gold but breaking the meet record with a time of 3:58.03. She went on to finish in the top 10 in Tokyo. She has also set the record for the American mile and for the two-mile distance. And this past winter, she
Franklin County's Elle Purrier St. Pierre with her son Ivan after setting a new Olympic Trials record at the 5,000 meters on June 24.
Photos Justin Britton and Johny Zhang
won the 3,000-meter indoor World Championships in Glasgow.
But a month before the Olympic trials, St. Pierre ran the 5K at the L.A. Grand Prix. She not only handily won by 2 seconds, but ran a 14:24.12, meeting the Olympic standard (often a threshold for Olympic qualification) and setting a personal best time. For comparison, the Olympic record for the 5K is 14:26.17, set in 2016. (However, in 2023 Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay broke the 5K world record at Eugene’s Hawyard Field, running an incredible 14:00.21. )
“I wanted to keep all the possibilities open and just see what I could do,” St. Pierre said after winning the first heat in the Trials by so much that she could look over her shoulder at the pack as she approached the finish. “I’m definitely focusing on the 1,500 but I thought if I have this opportunity to race the 5K, why not?”
For the finals, she seized that opportunity, winning gold and securing her ticket to the Paris Olympics. However, this time rather than looking over her shoulder she was lunging for the line as she edged Elise Cranny by a meager two-hundredths of a second. Still, St. Pierre’s time of 14:40.34 broke a record for the U.S. trials that had
HOW TO WATCH VERMONT’S OLYMPIANS
If you want to watch Elle St. Pierre race the 1,500 or Billy Bender row the pairs, or Ilona Maher’s rugby sevens matches, NBC Peacock will be broadcasting each of the 39 Olympic events live. Below are the actual times in the U.S. (adjusted for Paris’ six-hour time change) that competitions will be held and the Vermont athletes who may participate.
ROWING (Billy Bender)
July 28: Men’s Pairs heats, 5:00 am.
July 29: Men’s Pairs repechage, 4:20 am.
July 31: Men’s Pairs semifinals, 4:34 am.
Aug 2: Men’s Pairs Finals, A & B, 4:42-5:30 am.
RUGBY SEVENS (Ilona Maher)
July 29: Women’s Quarter Finals, 3:00-4:30 pm.
July 30: Women’s Semi Finals, 3:30 pm.
July 30: Women’s Bronze Match, 1:00 pm.
July 30: Women’s Gold Match, 1:45 pm.
TRACK (Elle St. Pierre)
1500 Meters
Aug. 6: 1,500 meters Round ,1 4:05 am.
Aug. 7 : 1500 repechage round, 6:45 am
Aug. 8: 1,500 semifinal, 1:35 pm.
Aug. 10: 1500 final, 2:25 pm.
5000 Meters (Elle St. Pierre)
Aug. 2: 5,000 meters Round 1, 12:10 pm
Aug. 5: 5,000 meter finals, 3:10 pm.
stood for 25 years.
St. Pierre beamed after she realized she had won and made a beeline to take her 15-month-old son Ivan, in her arms. Later in the week (after this issue went to press) she would also race the 1,500.
So how does a dairy farmer’s daughter from rural Franklin County end up as a World Champion, a record holder and a two-time Olympian? For St. Pierre, it comes down to one thing: hard work – and that’s where the second image, one of her great great grandfather’s sugar shack in Montgomery, comes into play. Her comment on the photo:
“Not your average pre Olympic trials pic I know.
As an athlete I’m often asked what motivates me, inspires me, drives me. Most of the time I just think well isn’t it obvious? The big goals are always to run fast, to win, to PR, to compete on a world stage, win a medal at the Olympics….. but is that always enough to keep me “motivated”, confident and driven?
I think motivation is multi layered and somewhat subconscious. On the days when the tasks at hand seem a little more daunting is when I start to dig deeper into the core of my inspiration which brings me to this photo.
A few weeks ago, I was out in LA getting ready to race a 5k for the first time in a while and I was feeling a little anxious. Unknowingly my brother texted me a picture from his day in the woods. A picture of an old leaning sugarhouse built by my great
grandfather which sits up in the woods on my family’s farm. Besides the mountain bikers and hunters that pass by, there are not too many people that even know it’s there. It’s looked like it was going to fall over for years and years, but she still stands like a treasure and stamp in time.
I just kept thinking about this picture and my family members who worked up there in that tough terrain so many years ago. Carrying buckets of sap in knee deep snow. Walking the 1/2 mile back home after finishing up a midnight boil. Hiding in the Sugarhouse on top of a wood pile to escape an angry bull. The stories go on and on of these incredibly hard working and tough relatives of mine.
It truly inspires me. I am immensely proud to share this bloodline of VT farmers, I’m grateful to have been told the stories and I’m MOTIVATED to continue their legacy both on the farm and in my running career. It translates! I’m always thinking the things I do in training and racing are hard but I don’t think I’ll ever work as hard or be as tough as they were.
The Olympic trials start today, and I have many races ahead. I am excited for this opportunity and will be racing with my family and my fellow VT farmers in my heart and mind.
ILONA MAHER: RUGBY SEVENS
Women’s rugby may not have the fan base that some other Olympic sports do, but there’s no denying that one of the most recognizable, and bankable, athletes at this summer’s Games will
be the 5’10”, 200-lb., Burlington High School grad, Ilona Maher.
It wasn’t until June 12 that Maher knew she would be heading to Paris as part of the U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens. But she was already being booked for photo shoots with Women’s Health magazine and Delta Airlines and doing endorsements for L’Oreal makeup and Secret deodorant.
The secret to Maher’s success as an influencer with 1.1 million TikTok followers? She is hilarious and refreshingly candid about everything from her cellulite (“everyone has it, even Olympic athletes”) to the fact that she sweats — a lot. She has also become an advocate for body positivity. “Hey girlies, just a reminder; that iced coffee you had at 9 a.m.? It is not enough, let’s go have a real meal. Maybe some eggs, toast.. a sandwich..” she says beguilingly into the camera in one post. In 2023, Forbes ran a headline “Is Ilona Maher Rugby’s Most Exciting Player?” and seemed to answer that question in the first line, describing Maher as “a pacy, elegant ball carrier who can also mow down opponents like a linebacker.” Maher usually plays center. In that role, she has to play both offense and defense, both running the ball and blocking opponents.
Maher, who graduated from Burlington High School, had been thinking of playing field hockey and studying nursing at University of Vermont. But then she joined in a local rugby game and she knew she’d found her sport.
She went on to play for Top-10
great
Ilona Maher lives up to her social media hashtag: #beastbeautybrains. Photo US Rubgy
ranked Quinnipiac College and the strength, speed and ball-handling skills she gained from playing field hockey, soccer and basketball in high school served her well. The fact that her father had played rugby for St. Michael’s College didn’t hurt either.
In 2017 Maher (or Lo, as she is often known) was given the MA Sorensen Award as the best female rugby player in the nation. By 2018 she was competing internationally. In 2020 she made the Olympics and 2022, the World Championship team. In 2021 she also earned her MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University, so she can have a future beyond rugby, as she notes on her LinkedIn.
It is hard to make predictions as to how the Rugby Sevens teams (which play short scrimmages with just seven, as opposed to the 15-member teams), will go.
In Tokyo, the U.S. women’s team finished sixth out of 12. The U.S. team finished fourth in the 2022–23 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series, which secured the team a spot at the Olympics.
In Paris, the U.S. women will compete in the first rounds as part of Pool C against France (which won silver in Tokyo), Canada and Japan.
But whether the team comes back with a medal or not, Ilona Maher is already a sports star, and one Vermont can be proud of.
ALICIA DANA, PARACYCLING
At 55, Putney’s Alicia Dana already has three medals from the Paralympics in 2016 and 2020 and 11 World Championship medals. The first week in July, she was headed to Loma Linda, Cal. to compete once again in the Olympic Trials on July 7.
“It’s a bit of a long shot this year,” Dana admits, even though she has consistently been on the podium in nearly every international paracycling event she has entered. But paracycling has a byzantine qualification system whereby athletes are ranked against a national standard that’s based on elite racing results. “My category of paracycling, H3, has the most depth internationally so it’s got a really tough standard. Only six to eight women across all disciplines are likely to make the team,” she said.
Dana, who was paralyzed from the waist down after she fell from a tree in high school, has also been facing musculoskeletal issues and some scoliosis and arthritis in her hands. “I’ve been working really hard to adapt my handcycle to account for all of that and it’s been interesting because I don’t really have anyone advising me,” she says. “I did a practice time trial this morning and by the end of 25 minutes my whole right arm was numb.”
Still, Dana is a formidable athlete. She again won her division at the Boston Marathon this spring and on June 1 competed in the Whiteface Hill Climb in the Adirondacks. “Climbing eight miles at 8% grade is not something, I would normally do as part of my training,” she admits.
But she did it and perhaps the lesson there is that Alicia Dana is not afraid of tackling steep climbs.
They may not be Vermonters but for at least part of the year, members of the Green Racing Project call Craftsbury Outdoor Center home as they train for their sports. And for Jacob Plihal, the 6-foot-10, 218-lb powerhouse from Washington state, cross-country skiing at Crafstbury has also made up some of his training for competing in Paris in the single scull. “Jacob is unbelievable, definitely the strongest on the team,” says fellow U.S. Rowing Team member and Vermonter Billy Bender of Plihal, 28. “He’s definitely someone to watch.
Plihal is the first American to qualify for the single sculls, which he did in May at a competition in
Switzerland where he won silver and earned the last open spot at the 2024 Games. Then it was back to Craftsbury for more training.
Crafstbury’s multisport Green Racing Project focuses on developing both athletic skill in sports as varied as rowing, running, skiing and biathlon and values around sustainability, diversity and community engagement. Of the 42 athletes U.S. Rowing is sending to Paris, six of Craftsbury’s 12 GRP rowers are on the team. They include Plihal, Emily Delleman and Grace Joyce in the women’s quadruple sculls, Daisy Mazzio-Manson in the women’s 4 and Emily Froehlich and Alexander Hedges as alternates.
Alicia Dana at the 8-mile, all-uphill Whiteface Hill Climb. Courtesy photo
Jacob Plihal (foreground) is one of 6 athletes who train at Craftsbury with the Green Racing Project who will be rowing in Paris.
Photo Row2K
The Heart of DRAGONHEART
AS THEY TRAIN FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SEPTEMBER, ONE OF THE STRONGEST DRAGON BOAT RACING CLUBS IN THE COUNTRY CELEBRATES 20 YEARS.
BY ALAENA HUNT | PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN
Small gusts of wind ruffled the water in Burlington Bay as Lady, a blue dragon boat, glided out from the dock on an early evening in June. Twenty paddles hit the water in perfect timing like a 40-foot centipede moving its many little legs. “Paddles Up… Go!” John Dyer, the coach for the team called as the boat made its way out of the harbor.
Soon after, a second dragon boat, a
red boat named Champ, loaded up and departed. The little safety boat I was in followed. As the two boats went back and forth across the bay, I could start to hear the heavy panting of the paddlers as their drills went from warmups to fast sprints.
Then it was time for me to hop from the safety boat into the dragon boat, in the place where a drummer normally sits. As I sat down in the bow of the boat, staring back at me were the exhausted
faces of 20 paddlers. Brett Haug, the head coach was at the stern, standing tall with the steering oar in his hand. “Paddlers ready… Go!” he screamed.
Suddenly the boat lurched forward, and I grasped onto the sides. Each time the 20 paddles hit the water, the boat lurched forward again. Water started splashing up around my back. The crew paddled for about 40 seconds and when Haug called “Hold!” they all stopped. All
you could hear was heavy panting.
“That one was brutal,” I heard one of the paddlers say from somewhere in the boat. Colton Poulin, and Jamie Hayes, the two paddlers whom I was face to face with, started joking with each other. “You really need to get out in the sun more,” Hayes said to Poulin. “You’re so pale!” Everyone on the boat acted as old friends, even though most had only known each other for a couple of years.
The competition is fierce but fun at the annual Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival, held on August 4 this year in Burlington.
wanna go canoeing around the lake.” He soon learned, as did I, that dragon boat racing is nothing like canoeing.
Back and forth we went, running drill after drill. At some points, Haug had only half the boat rowing, at other times we were practicing 200- or 500-meter sprints. After two hours, as the sun started to drift behind the Adirondacks, we made our way back to the dock.
FROM CHINA TO VERMONT
On most weekday evenings, if you are lucky, you will see Dragonheart Vermont, a dragon boat racing club, practicing drills in Burlington Bay. The boat that I was sitting in held the “Dragonflyers,” Dragonheart’s premier mixed team, meaning the crew is mixed gender and 18 or older. This team will be one of five Dragonheart teams to compete at the International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy this September 3-8.
The club started competing internationally in 2012, and has come home with many gold, silver, and bronze medals since. This year, Dragonheart Vermont is celebrating its 20th year anniversary and will send 100 paddlers to the World Championships.
To understand how dragon boat racing, a sport that’s been practiced in China for over 2,000 years, got a foothold in Vermont you have to go back 50 years. In 1976, the Hong Kong Tourist Association held the first International Dragon Boat Festival, and in 1991 the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was born. The IDBF has made dragon boat racing a modern sport, and it now has 90,000 participants in the United States and Canada combined, 50 million in China, and many more across the world.
One thing that has spurred the growth of dragon boat racing, internationally and here in Vermont, is that it has been
adopted by breast cancer survivors. In 1996, the medical community believed that heavy exercise on the side that breast cancer survivors had had their lymph nodes removed could cause lymphedema.
After a breast cancer survivor told him she was advised not to paddle, Dr. Donald McKenzie, a sports medicine physician with the Canadian national canoe team, decided to test that theory. As an exercise physiologist, he believed exercise could actually aid in the healing process. He put together a team of breast cancer survivors called Abreast in a Boat. After three months of racing in Vancouver, Canada, none of the survivors developed lymphedema.
Since then, dragon boat racing has become widely popular for breast cancer survivors. It not only has huge physical benefits, but because of the massive size of the teams, creates a community for those struggling with the cancer journey.
Linda Dyer was living in Philadelphia and recovering from breast cancer when she was introduced to the sport. “After you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, you have to figure out what your ‘new normal’ is,” she said. “Dragon boating is a way to feel empowered again, to grow your fitness and friendships, and to have fun.”
In 2004, Linda Dyer and her husband John Dyer moved to Vermont. Linda took one glance at Lake Champlain and thought it would be the perfect place to start a dragon boat club, and that is when Dragonheart Vermont was born. The club was initially an organization for breast cancer survivors, but is now open to anyone.
The Dyers started off by borrowing boats that had been brought to Boston by the Hong Kong Economic Trade Council. After their first summer on the water, they knew they needed to purchase boats of their own. That winter the club ran fundraiser after fundraiser and raised $30,000 dollars to buy two boats, Lady
Breast cancer survivors have been at the core of Dragonheart Vermont. This summer dragon boat racing will debut as an exhibition at the Paris Olympics. Photo by Lee Krohn,
Poulin, a 22 year old Burlington High School graduate who now works for BETA, joined Dragonheart Vermont
at the invite of Haug, who used to coach his hockey team. When he was recruited, Poulin remembers thinking “I don’t
Linda Dyer founded Dragonheart Vermont after joining a dragon boat team in Philadelphia. Photo by Lee Krohn
and Champ. The next year they purchased two more. Today, Dragonheart Vermont owns seven standard 40-foot boats and two smaller 30-foot boats, along with two community boat launch docks.
The boats all have names that were voted on by the club. The boat Sittin’ Pretty is named after a mistake that John Dyer made when he was coaching the Sisters, their team of breast cancer survivors. The Canadians have a command at the start of the race where they say “sit ready.” John thought they were saying “sit pretty,” so at the beginning of every race for two years he would yell out “Sittin’ pretty!”
Another boat, Deborha Blue, is named after an original Dragonheart member, Debra Lantine who passed away from cancer. The Sisters always take that one out to honor her memory.
The Sisters is one of Dragonheart’s oldest and most competitive teams. In 2012, the Sisters won the opportunity to go off to World Club Crew Championships in Hong Kong. After many tough races in Victoria Harbor, they came home with gold and silver medals, along with two huge trophies. On their flight back, the pilots were so impressed by their victory that the trophies were given first class seats all the way home.
Beyond competitive racing, Dragonheart also hosts the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival every year. This year on August 4, the 18th annual festival will be held. It is open to the public and people are encouraged to gather teams of coworkers and friends to enter into the races.
While I was riding around in Champ, I kept getting recruited to join one of the 64 teams that will be racing on Lake Champlain. People couldn’t stop talking about what a fun day it is.
PADDLING BEYOND BREAST CANCER
The boat I was riding was crewed by the premier team at Dragonheart, or what many club members call “the youngsters.” In dragon boat racing, there are a number of different divisions. The youth group includes people who are eighteen or under. Then comes the premier division, consisting of people who are 18 and over. Senior As are 40 and over, Senior Bs are 50 and over, and Senior Cs are in their 60s and older. Due to high demand, Dragonheart Vermont is trying to have a Senior D division, which would be for folks in their 70s and up.
Within these divisions, there are two types of teams, those of mixed gender and those of single gender. Dragonheart has two breast cancer survivor teams and seven other teams.
Of more than 200 Dragonheart members, many train as elite athletes. Their in-season training, which happens from May to September, takes place at a minimum four nights a week, and sometimes six days a week. Practice is Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, Tuesday mornings, and training camps take place on the weekends.
The off-season training is no less intense. “Brett runs the best off-season training program of anybody around, so we actually work as hard in the winter as we do in the summer,” says Linda Dyer.
Haug says that the early stages of offseason training resembles what you would see at physical therapy. “We’re working on joint stability, we’re working on core strength, we’re working on rebuilding and repairing a lot of negative impacts that happen from such a
repetitive type motion.” Farther into the winter come the bigger exercises, such as squats, bench presses, and aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. Finally, the offseason finishes with high level intervals and sports specific movement so that the teams can start racing as soon as they hit the water.
Dragon boat racing is also much more than an upper body sport. “People think it’s just arms. But, if you do it well, you learn to rotate, use your core, use your legs, use your big muscles, rather than just your shoulders and your arms. It’s really a whole body sport,” says Linda Dyer. Because team members sit side by side, it’s somewhat of an asymmetrical movement. Haug often encourages people to switch sides as much as possible so that one side doesn’t become stronger than the other.
A DragonHeart Vermont, novice practice brings people of all ages and athletic backgrounds together to learn the strokes and how to paddle as a team of 20.
Teams from Dragonheart Vermont qualified to compete at the World Championships this September in Italy by placing at the Club Crew Championships in Florida last winter.
Where each team member sits on the boat is highly calculated. While I was out on Champ, Colton Poulin and Jamie Hayes who were sitting in the first row, said this practice was a challenge for them as they usually sit farther back. The first few rows of paddlers are called the pacers. They are responsible for setting the stroke pace of the boat. The next few rows are called the engine room because they supply a lot of the force. The last couple of rows are where the rockets sit. They are the most experienced paddlers.
Haug likes to switch people around on the boat because then his rowers can get a feel for every part of the boat. After the rowers have been placed in the boat, the real challenge begins, finding proper timing and a good rate of perceived excretion (RPE). Haug says “RPE is a way of understanding and managing energy based on a scale of one to 20.” He tries to keep the warmups around an RPE of 15, because that is a level of exertion that you can keep up for about 15 minutes.
A 200-meter race, which lasts around 50 seconds, Haug says is “just like a fast sprint, so the stroke rate stays high to try to maintain power.” It’s more of an anaerobic race, and Haug tries to keep his paddlers RPE around 19-20. The most important thing is that your body knows the plan of the race as well as the mind, Haug believes. “We’re trying to build awareness of our energy systems and of how our body’s feeling.”
Then for a 500-meter race, those become tricky, because “it’s like trying to sprint for minutes,” says Haug. While I was out on Champ, they were practicing 500-meter sprints, and let’s just say I was glad that I was just sitting and observing. During these sessions, Haug manages the paddlers RPE so that they can go the fastest possible during every part of the race.
A 2-kilometer race is a bit different. That stays a bit more steady around a 15 or 16 RPE in order to be able to make it through the nine to eleven minute race. This race goes in circles, so one of the most challenging jobs falls on the person who is steering the boat, usually the coach, to make sure that it doesn’t collide with others.
This is a hard job because the person steering has to stay balanced while standing up, even though the boat is lurching back and forth.
During the practice that I attended, I sat in the drummer’s seat. This seat usually has a person sitting with a big drum between their legs, and as the racers paddle, the drum syncs with the beat of the paddles hitting the water. The drummer seat is one of the coolest places to sit on the boat “because you’re looking
at the faces of these people and you see the effort that they’re putting into each stroke. It’s a beautiful perspective and you really are able to see what teamwork is,” says Linda Dyer.
At some point it doesn’t matter how strong a team is if they aren’t working together and hitting the water at the same time with their paddles. Because of this, Linda Dyer calls dragon boat racing the ultimate team sport. “There’s no star in dragon boating, there are 20 people all working as a team.” Success only comes when all 20 paddlers and the two coaches are thinking like one.
John Dyer has worked as a basketball coach for many years, so he understands the importance of teamwork. With dragon boat racing, he says that “a team of character beats a team of characters every time.” While I was sitting on the front of the boat, it almost seemed as everyone’s heart was beating in sync.
THE ULTIMATE TEAM SPORT
Dragonheart is as much about building a community as it is winning races. “Not only are we working hard to be the best
on the water, to be the best in the sport, but we are champions off the water too. We try to get the community involved and raise money for cancer support here in Vermont,” says Linda Dyer. “We have the most giving people. They give it all on the water, and they also give it all to help us with our community mission.”
The Dragonheart community is large, and it is strong. John Dyer calls the Dragonheart members “your middle of the night friends,” meaning you could call any one of them in the middle of the night and they would be there in a heartbeat.
Nikki Hayes is Jamie’s mother, and she has raced for Dragonheart and has been on Team USA at the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships. She told me that the entire Hayes family is involved in dragon boat racing in one way or another.
“If someone gets a call from Brett, who says there’s a member here that needs help moving furniture, or they’re not feeling well, it is instantaneous overwhelming support from many, many, many people in the organization,” Linda Dyer says.
Having this type of community support fosters the type of engagement
needed to help Dragonheart succeed. Nikki Hayes was able to go to Thailand last summer and compete in the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships. She said that the atmosphere there was almost like the Olympics, with heat after heat of boats racing in the water, culminating in a huge medal ceremony.
Not every member is vying for a spot on Team USA though, some members are just enjoying being on a team. Nikki Hayes pointed out that for many of the older members, Title IX had not yet been passed when they were in grade school. Therefore, they never got the chance to be a part of a team sport.
Nikki Hayes likes taking these members to Dragonheart’s gym and showing them what it’s like to get their heart pumping. Somehow, Dragonheart Vermont has figured out a way to be highly competitive while also extremely inclusive to all ages and experience levels.
Jamie Hayes says that one of her favorite things about Dragonheart is the impact that it has made on her mothers life after cancer. “It was really incredible to see my mom come back from being really sick and watch her start to rebuild her strength, rebuild her confidence, and just blossom into this whole other level of athleticism. She’s always been super athletic but to see her go after these goals of being in the World Championships and going after Team USA, that has truly been a really wonderful and magical thing to see happen.”
For Colton Poulin, the hockey player Haug recruited, being able to travel to Italy for the World Championship is exciting. “But what truly makes this experience special for me is that I get to go with the Dragonheart Vermont community,” he says.
After graduating high school four years ago, Poulin found a new set of friends with Dragonheart.
“Dragon boating didn’t just provide me with intense workouts or the sense of being part of a team again; it became a source of profound inspiration and joy,” he says.
“Seeing women who are battling or have battled cancer embrace this sport with such determination showed me that nothing can deter their spirit. Their resilience motivates me to tackle life’s challenges with the same tenacity.”
And when it comes down to it, the heart of Dragonheart Vermont is doing just that.
Nikki Hayes (left) got involved with DragonHeart after facing cancer. She has since been part of Team USA at the Worlds and gotten her daughter Jamie (right) and her whole family involved. Courtesy photo.
Linda Dyer (first row, far right) and the Sisters at Hong Kong'sWorld Crew Championships in 2012
Photo courtesy Linda Dyer
The Best of VERMONT’S STATE PARKS
SURE YOU CAN KICK UP YOUR FEET AND ENJOY THE VIEW BUT IF YOU WANT TO SPEND A WEEKEND PADDLE-TO CAMPING, HIKING OR BIKING, SWIMMING AND BEACHING, HERE'S WHERE TO GO.
BY LISA LYNN
Ask Nate McKeen, the director of Vermont State Parks, which is his favorite state park (and we did, see page TK) and he’ll tell you there is a park for every purpos— be that hiking or mountain biking, fishing or swimming, paddling or just relaxing by a campfire with the night lit up by fireflies and the calls of loons echoing across the water.
Each of Vermont’s 55 state parks has many of the best attributes: great campsites, trails to hike, places to splash, logging roads to ride. But we rounded up our picks for our favorite places to pitch a tent for a weekend of outdoor adventures. Just reserve your site at vtstateparks.com
7 PADDLE-TO CAMPSITES
So many of Vermont’s state parks have access to waterways. And in nearly every county there’s a state park where you can rent a canoe or kayak for a nominal fee (usually $30 to $50 day). Brighton and Maidstone in the Northeast Kingdom, Kingsland Bay and Branbury in Addison County, Bomoseen and Lake St. Catherine in Rutland County and Woodford and Lake Shaftsbury in Bennington County are just a few examples.
But what makes some of the state parks really stand out are the remote campsites you can reach by boat. These are sites where you won’t have RVs or SUVs parked next door; places where you are more likely to be woken by the calls of loons than the rumble of a car’s engine. Paddle in, set up a tent, make a fire and go for a dip. You’ll often feel as if you have these places to yourself.
On the Connecticut River, just off Route 102 in Bloomfield, the 41-acre Lyman Falls State Park is a popular start for paddlers on the Connecticut River Paddler’s Trail. With primitive campsites you can only reach by boat, plunge pools and rapids below Lyman Falls, it’s a great spot for both paddling and fishing. If you are feeling adventurous, start from
Lyman Falls and follow the Connecticut River Paddler’s Trail south all the way to Wilgus State Park, in Weathersfield.
Burton Island may be one of Vermont state park’s most popular camping grounds and is easily accessible by ferry, but if you want to get away to a quieter island, nearby Knight Island and Woods Island State Parks have a handful of remote, paddle-in campsites (and on Knight, lean-tos). Both are on the placid waters of the Champlain Island’s Inland Sea and a short paddle from Kill Kare State Park, where you can rent boats.
One of the most sought-after reservations in Vermont is a remote campsite at Green River Reservoir, just north of Hyde Park. A designated “quiet” waterway, the reservoir is only open to human-powered craft or boats with electric engines that go no more than 5 mph.
At 653 acres, the reservoir has one of the longest stretches of undeveloped shoreline in the state – 19 miles – as well as islands and secluded inlets. There are 27 remote campsites, with fire pits and privies. The sites book up fast but it’s worth a call to the reservations number to see if there has been a cancellation.
Many of the remote campsites at Kettle Pond have lean-tos, tables and fire places Photo by Nathanael Asaro
A birds-eye view of Kettle Pond State Park, where remote campsites dot the shoreline. Photo by Nathanael Asaro
At Little River State Park in Waterbury you can rent a canoe at the southern end of the Waterbury Reservoir and paddle north to escape the bustle of the park’s southern campground. End to end, the reservoir is 6.5 miles. There are 27 remote campsites sprinkled along the 18 miles of undeveloped shoreline, with many at the northern end of the reservoir where boat traffic is limited to 5 mph. The campsites do require reservations and are primitive, but have fire rings and composting toilets.
Just 15 miles northeast of Barre off Route 2, Molly’s Falls Pond State Park is a popular spot for swimmers and picnickers. But come evening, the 411-acre reservoir grows quiet and there is little to no development along its shores. This is the time to retreat to one of the eight first-come, first-served remote campsites, each with a fire ring and composting toilet and tent platform. These are only accessible only by boat.
The 26,264-acre Groton State Forest is home to no fewer than 7 state parks, many with ponds that are ideal for paddling such as Ricker or Osmore or Lake Groton. But Kettle Pond State Park, with its 107 acres and long, undeveloped pond is a favorite for paddlers. While you can hike around the pond, the seven remote lean-tos and one tent site are more fun to reach by paddling. You can reserve the sites at Kettle Pond and rent a kayak or canoe by contacting New Discovery State Park.
5 MOUNTAIN BIKE BASE CAMPS
On most state-owned lands, mountain biking is prohibited except on gravel roads, forest highways (Class IV roads) and state park roads – with the exception of rail trails such as the D&H Rail Trail in Rutland County or the Montpelier to Wells River Rail Trail that crosses the Groton State Forest.
But as mountain biking has blossomed around Vermont, a few of the state parks have developed trail networks or connector trails that make them ideal base camps for a weekend of riding.
One thing many people don’t realize is that many of the bermed and flowy trails at Burke Mountain Resort are on land that comprises Darling State Park. While there are no developed campgrounds here, there are three areas of the park – some right off the trails – that are designated for primitive camping. The state’s primitive camping rules apply though: Camp 1,000 feet from roads and 200 feet from trails or property lines and 100 feet from streams. Carry out what you carry in. Use only dead trees or branches for firewood and spend no more than three consecutive nights in the
same area. Set up camp, bike into town for dinner and then be first on the trails in the morning.
Little River State Park is one of a few state parks that has developed single-track mountain bike trails, with more than 3 miles of trails. Roll into one of the waterfront campsites, unpack your camping gear and you can ride out your door to the Dalley Loops trail head. From there, connect to the singletrack on Stonewall or Bear Run trails. From the old logging road, Cottonbrook Road, it’s also possible to ride all the way to Stowe and connect with the Cady Hill or Trapp Outdoor Center Trails and Waterbury’s Perry Hill network is also a short ride away.
Killington is known for its downhill bike park, but recently huge efforts
have been made to improve the crosscountry network and some of the best new trails in the state have been put in at Gifford Woods State Park. Located just across Route 100 from Kent Pond and marked by a stone park house that was built by the CCC, Gifford Woods has tents and RV sites, lean-tos and even four cabins you can reserve. You will appreciate the showers after riding the new Sherburne Trail.
Built in 2023 by renowned local trailbuilder Lepesquer & Daughters, this trail runs one-way for nearly 3 miles of flowy fun and will be an important connector in the state-long Velomont Trail. Just across Route 100, other trails loop the land around Kent Pond. Or head up to Killington for some downhill or to Pittsfield for the Green
Mountain Trails.
Near Poultney, the Slate Valley Trail network is sometimes referred to as The Southeast Kingdom, thanks to its three growing network of trails, many built or maintained by local mountain bikers Hardy Avery and Caitrin Maloney of Sustainable Trail Works.
The area is not yet a hotbed for hotels or Airbnbs but it is hard to go wrong with a campsite at Lake St. Catherine State Park. Located on the eastern shore of the lake, the state park has 50 tent/RV sites as well as 11 lean-tos and a beach. From the park, you can cross the road and ride Endless Brook’s 7 miles of purpose-built hiking and biking trails up to some great views or take the Fairgrounds Connector to find 12 more miles of mostly singletrack.
From Mount Ascutney State Park, you can ride Swoops & Loops and the connect to the Ascuntey Trails on the north and west sides of the mountain.
Killington' Sherburne Trails are right at Gifford Woods State Park (left). From Lake St. Catherine State Park (right) .ride the Slate Valley Trails network
Photo Jeb Wallace-Brodeur; courtesy Slate Valley Trails.
There’s now even a new bike shop in Poultney, Porcupine Bikes.
Located in a wooded setting on the east side of the monadnock, Mount Ascutney State Park has a beginnerfriendly, 3.5 mile singletrack trail just across the road from its campground. Swoops & Loops, as it is called, is a perfect warm-up. From there take the Norcross Trail to connect to the purpose-built mountain bike trails managed by Ascutney Trails. Or ride the Toll Road to the summit for 360-degree views of the Connecticut River Valley and beyond—or to launch a hang-glider if you happen to have one. The campground has 38 tent/RV sites, 10 lean-tos and five cabins.
4 BEST BEACHES
Vermont may not have an ocean, but it has sand dunes, beaches and some great places to swim. Case in point: each year, Kingdom Games puts on a swim week, holding a different swim each day in seven Northeast Kingdom lakes alone.
But there around the state, there are park lakes that make for great swimming (or a day at the beach). Here are a few favorites.
More than 12,000 years ago, receding glaciers carved out a deep lake and filled it with cool waters. Maidstone State Park, northeast of St. Johnsbury was created on that lake in 1938 and has 34 tent/RV sites and 25 lean-tos. Because it has little or no surrounding agriculture or development and a vigilant lake association, the lake continues to have some of the best water quality in the state. From the small beach, you can walk into what are often crystal-clear waters.
Crystal Lake State Park sits on the shores of a 3-mile glacial lake that plunges over 100 feet, surrounded by granite mountains. Some of that granite was quarried by the CCC to build the beach house in the 1930s. While the park is mainly a day-use area with no campground, it does have a cottage on a sidewater, in the nearby town of Barton that can be rented for just $75 a night. It sleeps six and comes with a canoe.
In the Champlain Islands, it’s easy to feel the presence of the vanished ocean that once formed the Inland Sea. At Alburgh Dunes State Park, beach grass and sand dunes are the reminders. Though the sand dunes were once bulldozed to help replenish the beach here, the dunes have been protected and the sand. Because of its south-facing exposure to Lake Champlain, the water is shallow (ideal for kiting or windsurfing) but remains
100 YEARS OF VERMONT’S STATE PARKS
If you have ever walked, hiked or biked to the summit of Mt. Philo in Charlotte and looked west, out across patches of farmland, a swath of Lake Champlain and the peaks of the Adirondacks beyond, there are a few people you would have to thank.
Humans have been hiking to the summit since Mt. Philo, as we now know it, was an island in the inland sea that is now Lake Champlain. According to Rich Holschuh, chair of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, the Abenaki called it Mategwasaden or Rabbit Mountain.
During the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, Mt. Philo was a lookout point and, according to author and historian Judy Chave, in the 1840s people even used it for a rapture experience to witness a second coming.
James and Frances Humphreys were a wealthy couple from Massachusetts who came north in the summer to stay at the Mt. Philo Inn, owned at the time by Frank and Clara Lewis. The Humphreys fell in love with the place and bought 400 acres surrounding the mountain. They developed the carriage road to the top, kept the viewing area cleared and in 1901 put in railings at the summit.
In 1924, the two couples decided to deed the mountain to the state to create what was at the time called “a state forest park,” Vermont’s first state park.
The notion of creating public land for outdoor recreation wasn’t new. In 1872, Ulysses S. Grant signed The Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, creating the first national park and in 1884 Niagara Falls became the first state park in the nation.
But Vermont’s state park system would not have grown into what it is today – 55 developed state parks and 39 campgrounds that draw more than a million visitors a year – had it not been for another person: Perry Merrill.
In 1924, Merrill was an assistant state forester. Four years earlier, he had completed a
fellowship in Sweden where he learned to ski – both alpine and Nordic. Merrill figured skiing might be a way to help finance state parks, an idea that served him well as ski hills with rope tows (such as the one Bunny Bertram pioneered at Gilbert’s Hill near Woodstock in 1934) began to take hold.
As ski hills began to mushroom around the state, as Vermont’s first Commissioner of Forests and Parks Merrill began to negotiate lease agreements for the public lands. In the 1930s Merrill also saw a good way to use President Roosevelt’s federally funded public works project, the Civilian Conservation Corps, to help cut ski trails and hiking trails, to build state park lodges, fire towers and access roads.
Originally, only four CCC camps were slated for Vermont. In his autobiography Merrill wrote: “This nationwide program was originally designed to enroll about 250,000 youth who must be physically fit, unmarried and unemployed, have dependents and be willing to send an allotment home to their families. Vermont was originally given an enrollment of 750 youths, which would require five camps. The CCC enrollees were given $30.00 per month, of which they sent $25.00 monthly to their parents.”
Merrill pressed for more and between 1933 and 1942 there were approximately 34 camps set
up around the state, with 40,868 men enrolled, about a quarter of them from Vermont.
As a result, as he wrote: “Recreation developments were also made on some state forests especially where there was water frontage. These projects included skiing facilities, picnic and camping areas, and bathing beaches... A major contribution was in the area of fire prevention. Seven new steel fire towers were built; three new wooden towers and eight new lookout cabins were constructed. Telephone lines were built or extended, and valuable fire roads were constructed. Recreational roads were built, wildlife habitat was improved, and ski trails were laid out.”
Many of those fire towers, lodges and leantos, fire rings and ski trails still stand. At Mt. Philo the CCC built the access road, campgrounds, rangers’ quarters and the summit lodge.
In 1928, Allis State Park became Vermont’s second state park and the CCC put up a massive wood pavilion on the park’s hilltop. At Elmore State Park, the CCC workers built the beach house. They erected stone fireplaces at Wilgus State Park and stone steps up to Owl’s Head. At Townshend State Park, they quarried stones from the nearby forest to build what stands as the park manager’s headquarters, and constructed tent platforms, still in use today.
Perhaps one of Merrill’s longest lasting contributions to Vermont’s state park system was negotiating the ski area leases with the proviso that the revenue be used to enhance outdoor recreation, in all seasons.
Today, thanks to Merrill, more than $2.5 million of Vermont state park’s annual $16.1 million budget comes from the seven ski areas that lease public land (Burke, Jay Peak, Smuggler’s Notch, Stowe, Killington, Okemo and Bromley.)
The lodge at the top of Mt Philo, the first of Vermont's state parks, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Below, Perry Merrill, Vermont's first park commissioner.
Photo Vermont State Park
cleaner
protected, deeper waters just offshore, it’s an ideal location for swimming or paddling. The park has 36 tent sites and 7 lean-tos and, like Crystal, a full cottage that rents for $80 a night and sleeps six. Kayaks and canoes are also available to rent. Just across Route 125, are the hiking and mountain biking trails of the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area and the impressive Falls of Lana.
4 GREAT HIKE-TO VIEWS
Hike to the top of any mountain in Vermont and you might expect to find great views. Not so. While the Long Trail, the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the U.S., may traverse the summits and ridgelines of the Greens, there are not many spots that offer open views.
However, take a side trail up from these state parks and you will find clearings (or ridgelines) with views to the horizon and the chance to see a stellar sunset – or sunrise if you are an early riser.
From Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak, you can see west to the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain,
than some of the areas in the surrounding islands that can be impacted by agricultural runoff.
With one of the longest beaches in Vermont, Branbury State Park on Lake Dunmore is a summer hot spot.
The Vermont Sun Triathlon series is run from here and with the shallow, sandy beach running 1000 feet across, with
Maidstone Lake, formed by glaciers some 12,000 years ago, has some of the cleanest and clearest waters in the state.
Photo by Nathanael Asaro/Adobe Stock
At Crystal Lake State Park, you can rent this cabin by the week or night. It comes with a canoe, too. Photo courtesy VT State Parks
There are at least four trails from Underhill State Park that lead to the ridgeline of Mt. Mansfield, most with spectacular views westward.
north to Jay Peak and Canada, east to the White Mountains and south along the spine of the greens.
To access the summit or the ridgeline that stretches between the “Nose” and ‘The Chin,” (elev. 4,393 ft.) there is no better base camp than Underhill State Park. With no drive-in access, just 13 tent sites, 13 lean-tos and a sheltered tent site built by the CCC, this is the place to start from to avoid the crowds. Four trails lead to the ridgeline and there are a myriad of options to do loops along the Long Trail and back to camp. Note that this summer, due to construction, there is no running water so come prepared.
Vermont’s first park, Mt. Philo State Park may have a lower summit (just 968 feet above sea level) but it also provides sensational views out across farmland, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks, and is often directly in the path of spring and fall bird migrations. The CCC built the access road to the summit as well as the summit lodge and many of the campground facilities. The north side of the park has a small campground with 7 tent and 3 lean-to
sites. Set up camp and wait until the day visitors have gone and you will have the summit to yourself.
One of the most photographed views in Vermont – especially during foliage season—is from the top of Owl’s Head in New Discovery State Park near Marshfield. It’s a short easy hike from the parking lot up the stone steps that the CCC put in nearly 100 years ago. At the top, a view unfolds across Kettle Pond and the miles of undeveloped land of Groton State Forest. The park’s main campground with its 38 tent/RV sites and 15 lean-tos (plus 8 horse camping sites) can get busy. Opt instead for one of the four remote lean-tos or 3 remote tent sites at Osmore Pond or over to nearby Kettle Pond.
Vermont’s newest state park, the Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park, offers a very different type of view. The park’s 204 acres in Hubbardton include a manicured Japanese garden at the top of a steep trail and gorgeous views west across the Taconics. There are trails and wildflower meadows to explore but no facilities and the park closes at sunset.
Photo Adobe Stock
From Owl's Head, the view out across Kettle Pond and Groton State Forest. Photo Nathanael Asaro
THE KEEPER OF THE PARKS
Name: Nate Mckeen, Age: 59
Occupation: Director of Vermont State Parks
Family: Wife (Jane); kids (Brooke and Morgan)
Lives in: West Springfield, VT
Sports: Snowboarding and kayaking
Nate McKeen grew up in Maine, roaming the woods as a young boy, a passion that led to his profession. McKeen went on to study forestry at the University of Maine and then to work for Connecticut State Parks. In 1990 he joined the Peace Corps and spent two and a half years in Senegal doing environmental education and forestry work. Upon returning to the United States, he visited Vermont and became deeply involved in the community, managing the snowboard department at Jay Peak in the winter and working as a seasonal park manager at Little River State Park near Waterbury in the summer. Nate fell in love with the forest, natural waters, and communities that characterize Vermont State Parks. He became the Chief of Park Operations in May 2007. He truly appreciates the privilege of witnessing people’s passion for the outdoors and the joy emanating from the campgrounds. —By Lucia Lovell
How are state parks created? For such a small state, we’re blessed with a very robust state park system. In the 1930s a lot of land was acquired or already in public ownership. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built projects in 13 parks in the 1930s. Many of the structures that were built are still standing and in use. Perry Merrill was one of the first commissioners of forest parks and recreation. He really was, in a lot of ways, the founder of the park system. He accomplished a lot in a relatively short time. Since then, the creation of parks has been a variety of acquisitions and some donations.
There are now 55 state parks. How have they grown?
The 1960s and 1970s were really a growth period for outdoor recreation, a time people called Vermont “The Beckoning Country.” For various reasons, folks started getting outside
again and hiking and camping. Some federal funding also came in during that period. I feel like now we’re kind of in another big era in the importance of outdoor recreation and seeing expansion of the park system in a different way.
What is special to you about Vermont State Parks?
As the chief of operations for the state parks I went to almost every park every year. Without fail, each visit made me think, I have to bring my family here, particularly if it was my first time there. They’re each so unique and special. They can all fit a certain experience you’re looking for. We have the busiest state parks like Mount Philo, Branbury, and Grand Isle— they’re all beautiful
"It is really important that we recognize the past … and how we came to have such an amazing, robust state park system. I also see this anniversary as a stepping stone to looking ahead for the next 100 years."
but developed so you never feel too cramped.
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Townshend and Allis State Park in Brookfield. New Discovery State Park in the Groton State Forest is amazing— there are actually seven state parks within that forest and they each offer something a little different.
What is most important to you about the 100th anniversary of the Vermont State Parks?
I think it is really important that we recognize the past and understand where we’ve been and how we came to have an amazing, robust state park system. I mean we’re one of the best state park systems in the country. Not to get too hung up on that, though,
because we really need to look ahead and make sure we’re getting new audiences and that facilities are being adapted to the needs of the current population.
What steps are parks taking to become more accessible to diverse populations?
We are really focusing on The American with Disabilities Act to improve our facilities so that they are accessible to everybody. We have a very strong partnership with the Vermont State Parks Forever Foundation. They help raise funds to improve our work.
Another important part of what they do is park access. They fund raise and make business partnerships which are able to provide passes to state parks for folks who have a barrier to entry. Last year, they gave out 13,000 passes to foster kids groups which allowed them transportation to parks and engagement with the parks.
Through our pass program, you can get a season pass for $30 and that can get you into any state park all summer long. Our vehicle pass program is $90 which can get eight people into any state park all season.
How easy is it to get into camping at our state parks?
We’ve partnered with different groups, like REI, where they provide the gear for those who do not have it. Camping is not always easy so we
It's the 100th anniversary of Vermont's state parks. As Director of Parks, paddler and snowboarder Nake McKeen, is shepherding the 55 parks into a new era.
try to help people who aren’t used to camping. I mean it’s kind of like skiing. It takes work to get out there, have the right equipment, and do it. We try to make that a little easier.
In the past, we have also had partnerships with RV dealerships where we will rent campers for the year. Then we set them up for people like pop-ups. We're not doing that this year, but I think that's something that we could grow back into to make it a little easier for folks trying camping for the first time.
Last year many of the state parks were damaged by floods. How are you faring now?
We need to prepare for more impacts from climate change. Being more resilient is really, really important. I think we can look at some of our infrastructure and realize it is already really resilient, but in other areas, we need to be sure we’re planning for weather patterns that we’re not used to. I see this anniversary as a stepping stone to looking ahead for the next 100 years.
Those of us who have the privilege of being here right now, you know, we’re all temporary. We just want to make sure we do the best job that we can to help the folks that come after us. I really see it, more than anything, as a privilege to be here during this 100th anniversary.
How are you honoring cultural aspects of the state parts, like the history of the Abenaki?
I don’t want to say that it is just geared toward the 100th anniversary, it’s something we want to do much more of than we have in the past. This year, we have 17 Park Interpreters who are stationed at some of our bigger parks to acknowledge the Abenaki history and celebrate it.
The Park Interpreters have had a week of training, they’re able to tell the story of each park and the Abenaki history that comes with it.
With the legislation that was passed a couple of years ago, every state park sign will be replaced with a new sign that will have the current park name and the Abenaki name for that park.
What are some of most interesting things you’ve discovered in state parks?
Jamaica State Park is a beautiful park with about 20,000 acres of state land where you can hike around, swim in the West River and then walk from your campsite to town to get a pizza or beer. The West River Trail was actually a route the Abenaki used for their seasonal migration of the Abenaki and about 15 years ago, we had a marvelous archeological dig there at an old Abenaki encampment. The dig found arrowheads, old fireplaces, and pots.
How has attendance been at state parks in the most recent years?
We’re at an all-time high for attendance and visitation with 1.1 million people visiting our parks. People have really learned a lot during Covid about getting outdoors, the value of being outdoors, and being active. People were kind of forced to take a step back and think about what is important in their daily lives and what they want to do.
What initiatives are you taking to engage the community with the 100th anniversary of the Vermont State Parks?
Some of our visitors’ families have been coming for generations and generations. We’re really trying to encourage folks to go to our 100th-anniversary landing page on our website and submit videos and photos from their years of using the parks to tell us their stories about what Vermont State Parks mean to them
There are always so many good stories that come out of camping at a state park. We’re collecting those to help inform us on what is important to folks. Why have some people been coming for so long? Why aren’t other people coming? We’ll be able to use that material for a few years to look ahead.
Editor's note: For a list of special events happening at Vermont's State Parks, many in celebration of the 100th anniversary, see Calendar, p. 32.
VERMONT SPORTS
LISTING YOUR EVENT IN THIS CALENDAR IS FREE AND EASY. VISIT VTSPORTS.COM/SUBMIT-AN-EVENT OR E-MAIL EDITOR@VTSPORTS. COM. ALL AREA CODES ARE 802. ALL LOCATIONS ARE IN VERMONT, UNLESS NOTED. FEATURED EVENTS, IN YELLOW, PAY A NOMINAL FEE.
RUNNING & HIKING
JULY
3 | Montpelier Mile, Montpelier Kick off Montpelier’s Independence Day parade with Vermont’s fastest mile! This classic onemile race runs through historic downtown Montpelier in front of thousands of spectators and kicks off the evening festivities. Stick around after the race for the parade, food vendors, music, and fireworks! onionriver. com
4 | 42nd Clarence DeMar 5K Race, South Hero
A flat and fast 5K on paved roads of South Hero, starting at Folsom Elementary School. gmaa.run
4 | Harry Corrow Freedom Run, Derby
A 10-mile, 10K, 5K, and 1 mile run and walk on the Newport-Derby Bike Path and the Memphremagog Ski Touring Foundation Trails. kingdomgames.co
6 | Sun Mountain Challenge, Peru Bromley Mountain expands its second annual trail race event to include 5K, 10K, 25K and 50K races on its trail network. All racers get free access to Bromley's Adventure Park and the winner in each category (men and women) get a free winter lift ticket. Bromley.com
RACE & EVENT GUIDE
7 | Mad Marathon, Waitsfield
A USATF-certified marathon and halfmarathon, this has been dubbed one of the most beautiful marathons in the U.S. Run it as a relay (up to 5 people) or a half marathon. Options for a 5K or 10K. madmarathon.com
7 | Running of the Bears, Stratton Run this 5K for a chance to win a Stratton gift card. Awards for overall and age categories stratton.com
13 | Bear Swamp Run, Middlesex A 5.7 mile run starting at 9 am at the Rumney School. cvrunners.org
13 |46th Goshen Gallop, Goshen Tackle either the famous 10K— or the equally awesome, but more merciful 5K run. Runners looking for an exceptional backcountry course find it here… in the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. From a natural obstacle course to a stunning surprise view from the south end of Hogback Mountain, the Gallop’s elevation profile and rugged terrain have earned the race the nickname “the toughest 10k in New England.” Proceeds go to the Blueberry Hill Outdoor Center. blueberryhilltrails. com/goshengalloptrailrace
19-21 | Vermont 100 Endurance Race, West Windsor
Featuring unrelenting rollers that add up to 17,000 feet of climbing, the VT100 trail race winds its way over country roads, through forested trails, and alongside breathtaking views of the southern Green Mountains. Part of the Grand Slam of ultrarunning, this event is open to horseback riders. It benefits Vermont Adaptive. Vermont100.com
20 |Hurrican Hill Trail Race, HartfordLocated in the Hartford Town Forest and the Hartford Conservation Area, both courses start on a relatively flat logging road but you soon encounter 2 short but steep climbs that'll
have you questioning your sanity for doing this! No worries, because the rest of the course will be a breeze in comparison! The 5K is mostly downhill from this point. The 10k is more of a rolling course and includes 585 feet of elevation change with a downhill slope for most of the final 1.4 miles. wnhtrs.com/
20 | Seek the Peak, Mt. Washington, NH Mount Washington Observatory’s (MWOBS) largest annual fundraiser will return for its 24th year with a hike-a-thon and Après Hike Expo, inviting hikers of all ability levels to raise vital funds for the Observatory and celebrate adventure in the Whites. mountwashington. org/event/seek-the-peak/
10 | Girls On The Run Round Church Women's Run, Richmond Run a 5K or 10K out-and-back on Cochran Road, starting and finishing across the historic Round Church. The course is paved with a few rolling hills. Women and non-binary athletes welcome. gmaa.run
27 | Magnificent Bastards Challenge, East Corinth. A last-man-standing style race consisting of 1 mile loops, 300 feet of climbing, 20 minutes to complete Repeat until there is one person lef. The 24th mile (which is also the minimum to receive a medal) will be a fast lap for anyone that wants to test their speed. There will be a special prize for the person who completes this lap in the fastest time. racemozey.com
27 | Moosalamoo Ultra, Goshen, Starting and ending at the picturesque Blueberry Hill Inn, just a short drive from Middlebury. Long challenging climbs, black bear sightings, stinging nettles are hallmarks of this race. Loaded with tough, yet beautiful mountain singletrack taking you to the top of Mount Moosalamoo with a spectacular view of Lake Dunmore. The 14-miler has about 2400 feet of elevation gain and the 36-miler has more than 5000 feet of gain. ironwoodadventureworks.com/ moosalamoo-ultra
AUGUST
3 | Paine Mountain Summit Race, Northfield. The Saturday afternoon 7-plusmile race will start and finish at the base of Paine Mountain. Run moderate to challenging single-track on wooded and grassy trails to the summit of Paine at 2,408 feet and back down. Open to all levels with awards for top 3 overall and in age divisions. norwich.edu/shaw
3 | GMAA Red Rocks 5K, Burlington
A 5k on the trails of Red Rocks Park. Trails are dirt and gravel, with moderate hills through woods. - This race benefits the GMAA scholarship for local scholar-athletes. gmaa. run
10 | Slate Valley Scramble, Poultney Run this fun 8K or half-marathon trail race starting from Slate Valley Trails' Fairgrounds. Also a free kids' fun run. slatevalleytrails.org
10 | Kingdom Heritage Trail Ramble The Kingdom Heritage Trail system features a continuous ~20 mile footpath (and side trails) across former Champion International Paper timberlands in the far reaches of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. This event offers the unique opportunity to challenge yourself to complete this "footpath" in a day, fully supported. 22 miles and 4,300 ft of elevation of gain and loss over some of the most beautiful terrain you could experience in the north east. ultrasignup.com/register. aspx?did=112848
10 | Cate Farm Tomato Trot 5K, Plainfield. A scenic trail run/walk through farm fields and on woods roads. The first kilometer snakes along the Winooski River and is relatively flat; the rest of the run is over small rolling hills. Each runner/walker will receive a pound of Cate Farm tomatoes upon finishing. catefarm.com.
16 | Last Mile Run/Walk, Randolph
The 5K run and walks begin at 6 p.m. with registration starting at 4:30 p.m. at Gifford Medical Center. Registration is $25 per person. Participants are encouraged to create teams with friends and family. giffordhealthcare.org/lastmile/
25 | Race to the Top of VT, Stowe Hikers, bikers, and runners from across the U.S. and Canada climb Mt. Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak to benefit the Catamount Trail Association. The course ascends the historic Mansfield Toll Road. It is 4.3 miles in length, and has 2564 feet of elevation gain. rttovt.com
27 | Barre Heritage Fest Trail Run, Barre A 5K trail race on primarily single track trails through the historic Barre Granite Quarries. Terrain is wooded, rocky and lots of roots. Walkers are encouraged to participate. cvrunners.org
31-Sept. 1| Jay Peak Trail Fest, Jay A 2-day trail running event with 7 races. Races range from an epic kids trail race to what has been called, the hardest 50k in the East, the Jay Peak Ultra 53K. Choose from Three different 5k's (yes, you can run all 3) on Saturday or on Sunday, an 11,- 22-miler or the 53K ultra. JayPeakTrailRun.com
SEPTEMBER
18 | Westmore Mountain Challenge, Westmore Climbe Moose - Hor - PisgahHaystack - Bald 1 Day. Run, hike or climbe five mountains in a day over 26 miles. The Westmore Mountain Challenge is about landscapes, endurance and recreation, but it is also about community. The work of NorthWoods staff and youth crews in the NEK over the past 30 years is one of the reasons this trail system is able to be hiked today. northwoodscenter.org/wordpress/trails/ westmore-mountain-challenge-18/
CYCLING
JULY
13-14 | Highland Skills Clinics, Stowe
Strengthen your core skills and refine your riding techniques so that you’re prepared to transition seamlessly from your local network to world-class DH terrain. Held at the Trapp Family Lodge.highlandmountain.com/highlandskillsclinic/
20 | Raid Lamoille, Craftsbury Whether you choose the 55-mile or 25-mile route, you’ll be treated to some stout climbing on quintessential Vermont gravel. You will be selfnavigating and, essentially, self-supported. But there is a great party awaiting you at the finish, with cold craft beer and some tasty grub to match. grvl.net/raid-lamoille
26 | Mountain Bike Clinic Weekend, Cochran's, Richmond Vermont Cycling Clinic’s MTB Weekend for women and genderdiverse riders will take you through the full breadth of foundational mountain bike skills and maneuvers. Participants will be grouped by experience level with lessons and progressions scaled for beginner to advanced riders. Cochran’s boasts excellent terrain for technical descents, flow trails, climbing, and practicing efficiency and momentum on the bike. vermontcyclingclinics.com/
27 | Grateful Gravel, Waitsfield A concoction from the minds of cycling enthusiast Dead Heads in the Mad River Valley that blends the worlds of endurance sports and music festivals into one event. Grateful Gravel provides a challenging cycling event featuring some of Vermont's most picturesque landscapes and gravel roads that segues into a face melting gathering of community and friends to enjoy the song catalog of Hunter, Garcia, and the rest of the Grateful Dead. The day begins with a 35, 44, or 60 mile gravel ride starting from Sugarbush Resort's, Mt Ellen that makes your legs scream louder than Donna Jean during a mid-70’s Playing in the Band. https:// gratefulgravel.com/
AUGUST
10 | Last Mile Ride, Randolph Choose road and gravel routes from 11 to 24 miles. Event=, begins at 9 a.m. with registration starting at 8:30 a.m at the Randolph Rec Field (30 Park St.). at the Randolph Recreation Field. giffordhealthcare. org/lastmile/
10 | Detoor, East Fairfield Race or ride 35 or 75 miles of Northern Vermont's finest dirt for under $30! Entry includes one aid station and wood-fired pizza. bikereg.com/detoor
24 | Vermont Overland, Ascutney
Ride 55-mile (distances fluctuate based on years/course) on dirt roads featuring close to 7,000 feet of climbing, eight sectors of Class 4 Roads (unmaintained ancient public thr ough-ways), two sag stops, a magnificently scenic route and an awesome party afterwards. It’s the ultimate overland adventure ride. Open dirt roads, amazing scenery and an epic course unlike any you’ve ever ridden before. vermontoverland.com
SEPTEMBER
7 | 19th Kelly Brush Ride, Middlebury Vermont's own Kelly Brush Foundation is excited to announce the 19th Annual Kelly Brush Ride powered by Union Mutual will be on Saturday, September 7! The day will be jam-packed with fun-filled activities kicking off with a gorgeous bike ride through the Champlain Valley and ending with delicious local food, cold brews, prizes, and live music. Join us in person at Middlebury College and ride one of our fully supported
road routes (10, 20, 50, or 100 miles), or our 32-mile gravel ride. kbf.akaraisin.com/ ui/2024kellybrushride
26-29 | Fox US Open, Killington Professional and amateur mountain bikers from around the world compete in the Open Class Downhill for one of the largest cash purses in racing, and as always, the Fox US Open also offers amateur racing classes in Downhill and Dual Slalom. Also a Next Gen Youth and Best Whip contest. killington.com
28 | Peacham Fall Fondo, Peacham Ride 50 miles, with the option to finish the ride at 25 miles at the Peacham Library pie stop (half of the figure-8). Included is a postride meal of choice, beer/cider/NA drink and a pair of custom Peacham Fall Fondo socks. peachamfallfondo.com
MULTI SPORT & OTHER
JULY
6 | NEKOWSA Championship of Champions, Newport
Total distance is 12 miles. We start a 6.5mile swim at 9 am. At `1:30 pm we start the 3.5-mile leg. At 4 pm we finish with a 2-mile leg. This is the first year we have offered this event. kingdomgames.co
6 | The Great Race, St. Albans
A canoe triathlon/duathlon which is a tradition 44 years in the making. This familyfriendly sporting event was recently taken over by the Town of St. Albans. Mixed Ages on a team will be average age to category excluding youth category. facebook.com/ TheGreatRaceVT
6 | Kimball Dock Triathlon, Vergennes
A free triathlon approximating "sprint" distance (0.50 mi swim; 12.4 mi bike; 5k run). trisignup.com/Race/VT/Vergennes/ KimballDockTriathlon2023
11-14 | Whitewater National Championships, Charlemont, MA
The best Downriver and Wildwater racers return to the Deerfield and the infamous Zoar Gap to compete in the Nationals. If you want to prepare for the race and check out the course, be sure to plan to be at the Zoar Gap Plunge on Sunday. neckra.org
13 | Missisquoi Paddle-Pedal, Richford
This fun race combines 6.5 miles of paddling down a Wild and Scenic section of the Missisquoi River and 5 miles of cycling on the adjacent Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. Proceeds benefit the Northern Forest Canoe Trail's stewardship program. northernforestcanoetrail.org
21 | Vermont Sun & Branbury Classic Triathlons, Salisbury
Race a 600-yard swim, then a 14-mile bike and a 3.1-mile run in this USAT State
Championship Race. Race starts at Branbury State Park and course runs by beautiful Lake Dunmore. Awards for top 3, age group, top 3 and relay teams. Event repeats on Aug. 18. The Branbury Classic Triathlon: Paddle 1.5 miles, Bike 14 Miles, Run 3.1 miles. Each event offers an Aqua Bike (no run) and TEAM options. vermontsuntriathlonseries.com.
27 | Lake Champlain Antique Classic Boat Show, Burlington
This event offers a spectacular waterfront setting, and a display of an eclectic mix of vintage boats from runabouts, utilities, outboards, sailboats, canoes, and cruisers constructed from either wood, fiberglass, or metal. lcacbs.com
AUGUST
2-11 | NEK Swim Week, Northeast Kingdom Lakes
NEWK Swim Week involves swimming 8 lakes over the course of 9 days, fortotal 4660 miles. Swim one. Swim several. Swim them all. Aug, 3, Crystal 5 miles ; Aug. 4., Island Pond, 4 miles; Aug. 5, Massawippi, 9 miles; Aug. 6, Lake Seymour, 6.2 miles; Aug. 7, Echo Lake, 6K or 12K; Aug. 8, Lake Memphremagog, 6.5 or 12 miles; Aug. 10 Lake Willoughby, 10 miles; Aug. 11, Caspian, 3 miles. kingdomgames.co
t4 | Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival, Burlington
The Festival is a charity event that supports cancer survivors in our local community, including Dragonheart Vermont and a pledge partner–in 2024 Osher Integrative Oncology at UVM Cancer Center. We have three divisions for racing: Community Teams, Breast Cancer Paddler teams, and Sport teams. secure.dragonheartvermont.org/ event/lcdbf2024/E
30 - Sept. 1 | Kingdom Climbing Weekend, Averill
Quimby Country hosts climbers for an inclusive weekend just a short distance from Black Mountain, Vermont’s premiere crack climbing destination. The weekend includes accommodation and food for up to 40 climbers in charming rustic cottages on the shores of Forest Lake and Great Averill. Immerse yourself in the vibrant climbing community, forge new bonds, and tackle the
Ethan Allen Biathlon Club
2024 Summer Race Series
DATES July 11, 18, 25, August 8, 15, 22
Ethan Allen Rd., Jericho, VT TIMES WHERE
5:00 pm - Mandatory Safety Clinic
5:30 to 6:00 pm - Zeroing 6:10 pm - Race Start
Ethan Allen Biathlon Club
BATTENKILL BICYCLES 1
99 Bonnet St., Manchester Ctr, VT
802-362-2734 | battenkillbicycles.com
IKE SHOPS
AROUND THE REGION
Manchester's bicycle shop since 1972, Battenkill Bicycles is a Trek and Specialized dealer offering advice and sales to meet all your cycling needs. The service department offers tune-ups and repairs for all brands. Come rent a bike or get information about group rides. Battenkill Bicycles is the number one e-bike seller in southern Vermont and an authorized e-bike service center.
BERKSHIRE OUTFITTERS
RR 8, 169 Grove St., Adams, MA 413-743-5900 | berkout@bcn.net
A full-service bike shop at the base of the Mt. Greylock State Reservation. We also border a beautiful 12-mile paved rail trail. We carry Jamis, Rocky Mountain and G.T. We offer sales, repairs and rentals for the rail trail.
3
BOOTLEGGER BIKES
60 Main St. Jeffersonville, VT 802-6448370 & at 82 Main St., St. Albans. 802.782.8747 bootleggerbikes.com
A full-service shop near Smugglers' Notch and a new shop in St. Albans. We offer new, used and custom bikes as well as custom-built wheels for mountain, road, gravel, fat bikes, bikepacking and touring. Rentals offered at our Cambridge Junction shop on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. Bikes are a passion here.
4 THE BOOT PRO
44 Pond St. Ludlow, VT
802-228-2776 thebootpro.net
A full-service bike and ski shop staffed for sales & service of mountain and gravel bikes, E-bikes, kid’s bikes. Rentals: Mountain & E-bikes. Guided rides: Mountain bike & gravel. Wide selection of clothing & accessories. Level-2 Specialized certified E-bike technicians. On the corner of the Okemo Access Rd.
BURROWS SPORTS 5
105 Main St. Brattleboro, VT 05301
802-254-9430 | burrowsports.com
There’s no off-season for sports in Vermont! Burrows Sports provides year-round sporting goods, services and repairs in Brattleboro, VT and surrounding areas. For 90 years, we’ve taken a personalized, small-town approach to providing our customers with the equipment they need to fully enjoy the area - skis, snowboards, tennis, bicycles, e-bikes, cargo bikes, running gear, skates, and all the accessories! Brands you can trust from Cannondale, Bianchi, Trek, Diamondback, GT, K2, Rossignol, Rome, Saucony, Salomon, POC, Darn Tough, Skida, Turtle Fur & Vermont Glove.
CHUCK’S BIKES
45 Bridge St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-7642 | chucksbikes802. com
40 years selling the best brands in all categories of bikes. Transition Norco Jamis KHS & Devinci. We have the largest inventory and best service in Northern VT. PS Be kind to trails and do trailwork Mon.-Wed, & Fri 105, Sat & Thurs 10-2. Be well by being smart.
Earl’s Cyclery has been serving Vermont’s cycling and fitness needs for more than 65 years. With over 12,000 square feet, Earl’s has the largest selection of bikes from Trek, Norco, Giant, Electra, Bianchi, and more. The service center at Earl’s has professionally trained technicians who are certified to work on all makes and models of bicycles. Whether you need a flat tire fix, or a suspension rebuild, the service staff is ready to help. Estimates are free! Stop on by or give us a call!
439 Route 114 East Burke VT 802-626-3215 eastburkesports.com
Located in the heart of town, we pride ourselves in expert knowledge and friendly customer service. A full-service shop awaits you and your repair needs. We have 100 rental bikes with an enormous selection of clothing, parts, and accessories. Hours: 9 - 6 daily.
8749 VT RT 30, Rawsonville, VT 21 S Access Rd, West Dover, VT 802-297-2846 | equipesport.com
16 Pleasant St., Randolph
GEAR HOUSE
802-565-8139 gearhouseVT.com
A family-friendly shop located in the center of Vermont, we offer Rocky Mountain, Salsa, Bianchi, KHS, a rotating inventory of used outdoor gear, and full service repair shop. Randolph has newly revived mtb trails that combine classic old-school singletrack with machine built zones. Start the 12/12a loop from the shop for 38 miles of well maintained pavement, or map countless gravel rides from town. The shop is also home to ROC's trail hub featuring topographical and printed maps. Stop by and plan your next adventure!
Sales, Service and Rentals of mountain and gravel bikes. Carrying brands from GT, Rocky Mountain, Santa Cruz and Jamis. Stop in to either of our locations near Stratton and Mount Snow. Open 7 days. GREEN MOUNTAIN
HOLLOW BIKES
74 Main St., Middlebury, VT 802-388-6666 | froghollowbikes.com
Take advantage of the most advanced and courteous service and sales in our region, with quick turnaround in our shop downstairs. Upstairs, we offer a variety of road, gravel, mountain, lifestyle, electric and children's bikes and gear. Brands include Trek, Cannondale, and Open that offer superior products that balance innovation and performance with reliability and value. We also offer bicycle rentals and weekly group rides. MondayFriday 10 -5, Sat. 10 - 4.
Located in the heart of the Green Mountains, we are surrounded by terrain that calls to mountain and road bikers alike. Whether you ride twisting trails or back-to-back gaps, we service, sell, and rent all styles of bicycles, featuring Kona, Jamis, Juliana, Raleigh, Santa Cruz, Transition, and Hinderyckx bikeshand crafted by our own Rochester boy Zak Hinderyckx. So STOP READING and RIDE YOUR BIKE! Hours: 7 days a week, 10 – 6. 12
105 N. Main Rochester
800-767-7882 | greenmountainbikes.com
EAST BURKE SPORTS
EQUIPE SPORT
BIKES
2733 Main St., Lake Placid, NY 518-523-3764 | highpeakscyclery.com
The Adirondacks' source for cycling and outdoor gear and adventures since 1983.RIDE THE ADIRONDACK RAIL TRAIL. Lake Placid to Tupper Lake and Beyond. Paddle. Bike. Hike. Fish. E-Bikes. Guides. Shuttles. Tours Adventure.
We are Stowe's local bike shop. Located adjacent to the Cady Hill trails in the Baggy Knees shopping center. We are your source for all things MTB and gravel. We have you covered with everything from sales and service, to clothing, parts, and accessories! In store you'll find bikes from Rocky Mountain, Cervelo, Otso Forbidden, Chromag, and more!"
20 Hanover St. Lebanon, NH 603-448-3522 | omerandbobs.com
The Upper Valley's bike shop since 1964. Offering mountain, hybrid, road, gravel, electrics, and kids bikes from Electra, Norco, Specialized and Trek. Featuring a full service department, bike fitting, bike rentals, mountain and e-bikes demos, and a kids trade-in, trade-up program. Hours: Mon.-Friday, 9am-5:30pm, Sat., 9am-5pm
19
89 Main St. Montpelier, VT 802-225-6736 | onionriver.com
VT's premier bike, rack and outdoor gear shop. Friendly and knowledgeable sales and service. We carry Specialized, Rocky Mountain, Salsa, Surly, and Seven Cycles and a variety of clothing and accessories including Giro, Smith, Club Ride, Patagonia, Pearl Izumi and more. Visit our website to learn about our clinics, events and rentals.
POWERPLAY SPORTS 22
35 Portland St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-6557 powerplaysports.com
North Central Vermont's Trek and Giant Dealer nestled in the heart of bike country. Selling new and used bikes for every budget and every type of rider from beginner to expert. We service all manner of bike and sell tons of accessories and apparel. Bike rentals for the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail just 200 yards down the road.
We are a full service bicycle sales and service center offering a variety of bikes from Cannondale, Scott, and Kona. We also offer a full line of tools, clothing, and accessories. We have 4 Park Tool School Certified technicians with a combined 52 years of industry experience offering a full range of services including in-house suspension work and full build-outs.
Ranch Camp is Vermont's MTB base lodge and your hub for bikes, gear, food, and apres! Ranch Camp offers a full service trailside bike shop, tap room, and freshcasual eatery all under one roof. We're proud to work with some of the best brands in the business and carry bikes from Ibis, Yeti, Revel, Norco, and Trek. Located at the foot of Stowe's Cady Hill Forest we've got a demo fleet of pedal assist and analog bikes so you can try before you buy.
Trailside, 2099 Darling Hill Rd. East Burke, VT
802-626-8444| villagesportshop.com
Established in 1978, we are a family-owned, passion-driven sporting goods store serving customers for four seasons of adventure. Strongly focused on bike and ski, we have highly skilled knowledgeable technicians and sales staff to assist in all needs of purchase, rental and service. With a location trailside on the world-renowned Kingdom Trails, we’re here to make your adventures happen!
Located trailside on the 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail! Lamoille Valley Bike Tours has been getting riders out on the rail trail with local knowledge and friendly service since 2016. We offer E-bike and Bike tours, rentals and sales and a new Rail Trail Bike Shuttle service. We carry E-bikes, bikes and gravel bikes from Diamondback, Batch Bicycles, Cannondale, Izip and Surface 604 with a wide selection of used E-bikes available for sale. We offer private consultations and a try-before-youbuy customer experience. We service Bosch and Shimano E-bike systems. Come visit us at our fully stocked Trailside Bike Center at mile 55 on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail
MOUNTAINOPS
4081 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT
802-253-4531 mountainopsvt. com
WATERBURY SPORTS 28
SKIRACK 24
85 Main St. Burlington 802-6583313 | skirack.com
Locally owned and operated since 1969, Skirack provides the best selection of outdoor gear for running, downhill & cross country skiing and snowboarding. We specialize in all things bike and e-bike: service, rentals, car racks, expert fitting and knowledge. Head to Skirack.com for updated hours and more information.
STARK MOUNTAIN 25
We offer bikes along with fast, friendly service. Dealers of Niner, Scott, Devinci and Jamis, we carry a large assortment of mountain and gravel bikes including a 60bike demo fleet. Our techs have years of experience and our local trail knowledge is second to none. Our converted 1893 barnturned-bike-shop houses a huge selection of bike and lifestyle clothing and parts and accessories. Looking for a more mellow ride? Rent one of our cruisers for a trip down the Stowe Rec Path right from our parking lot!
OGE is an award-winning, premier bike shop with knowledgeable, friendly, and honest staff. now with three locations. We offer a wide range of gravel grinders from Marin, BMC, and Niner. Our selection of mountain bikes from Marin, BMC, Niner, Pivot, Rocky Mountain, Transition, SCOR, and Yeti will blow you away. Plus, we offer super affordable kids' bikes, commuters from Batch Bicycles, and fat bikes. We also have consignment bikes as well as a demo fleet. Our efficient service department is capable of everything from tuning your vintage road bike to servicing your new mountain bike and offers full Fox shock service. Get fully outfitted for bike packing, touring, or fat biking to the slopes for a multi-sport day—any conceivable adventure!
144 Main Poultney, 802-884-8429 | porcupinebikes.com
Friendly hometown service near Slate Valley Trails with all your bicycle needs in one place: repair & service, new & used bikes, bike rentals, accessories & apparel. Brands including Transition, Esker, Salsa, Woom, Strider, Skida, Wild Rye, Troy Lee, Sock Guy & more.
9 RTE 17, unit b Waitsfield, VT 802-496-4800
Find us on Facebook
Located at the lowest spot in the Mad River Valley so you can coast in when you break your bike on a ride! 21 years of advice,directions and fixing anything that pedals. Thinking about a Yeti? Come ride one of ours,we have been selling Yeti since 2006! Hours: Tues-Fri 9-6*, Sat 9-4, and Sunday 10-2. *Closes at 5 on Thursdays for the Shop Ride.
46 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT
802-882-8595 | waterburysportsvt.com
A full service bike shop selling Trek and Giant bikes in one of Vermont's most convenient locations. Nestled in downtown Waterbury a short distance from the Perry Hill MTB trails, WBS services all bikes and can handle any repair you might have. We also have a fleet of demo bikes and an excellent selection of parts and accessories. Open 7 days a week!
49 Brickyard Lane, Putney, VT
802-387-5718
westhillshop.com
Right off I-91 Northbound! Proud to be a tier-1 Specialized shop, and one of the longest-standing independent shops in the region, with bikes also from Banshee, Cannonade, Devinci, Evil, Transition, and Salsa. Our curated garment selection from Patagonia, POC, and Specialized is based on what we have chosen for our own use in all of Vermont’s glorious conditions. The WHS service department is widely recognized as one of the best in the region. Call about walkin service availability on Fridays and Saturdays. Ask us about custom wheels, suspension service, and set-up.
VILLAGE SPORT SHOP
WEST HILL SHOP 29
ENDGAME
E. B. White is perhaps most famous for writing Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web, true children’s classics. But had he never put pen to paper or conjured the Stuart, the mouse, the pig Wilbur and the eponymous spider Charlotte, he’d deserve our appreciation for coauthoring the seminal Elements of Style and, especially, for for his essays.
“Once More to the Lake,” an essay published in 1941 in Harper’s magazine and included in the collection One Man’s Meat, is especially haunting.
A quick ten pages, it is about White’s return to Great Pond in Rome, Maine where he spent his childhood summers. White brings his son along and repeatedly loses track of time: Am I watching my kid discover the delights of this waterbody or am I watching my younger self?
The central theme is the unchanging aspects of summers at the lake, the miraculous continuity of place. Despite the passage of decades and the world’s myriad transformations, here by the familiar curving shoreline—ah, yes— the canoes still glide, the bass still jump, and the afternoon storms still excite.
I first read “Once More to the Lake” when I was 20, at the suggestion of a college professor. (Masterful, he said. Lots to glean from this.) Now I’m 38 and I’ve reread the piece nearly every year since. Though my personal allegiance is to Vermont and Lake Champlain—587 miles of jigsaw coast, 80-plus species of flickering fish, 6.8 trillion gallons of sloshing beautiful mystery—I appreciate the skill with which White, the Mainer, evokes a seasonal vibe shared across New England’s lakeside “camp” communities. Musty boathouses with crooked windows. Bare feet on root-braided paths. Early sunrises and sunsets that linger. Fireflies. Screen doors slamming. “Summertime, oh summertime, pattern of life indelible,” he writes, overbrimming.
Without really intending to do so, I’ve made White’s words a part of my own annual pattern, and it turns out that I’m not alone in this habit. Recently, I learned that my sister, an English teacher at the high school we both attended in Hinesburg, routinely assigns “Once More to the Lake” to her freshmen.
From Memphramegog and Willoughby in the north of the state to Bomoseen and Lake Saint Catherine in
ONCE MORE TO THE LAKES
THERE IS A COMFORT IN RETURNING TO THE RITUALS OF SUMMER BY A LAKE— AND IN REREADING E.B. WHITE’S FAMOUS ESSAY THAT CAPTURED THE MAGIC OF THOSE RITUALS. BY LEATH TONINO
the south—from Lake Morey in the east to vast Champlain in the west—untold like-minded folks partake, I suspect, in this cyclical, biblio-aquatic pastime. A magazine editor I know in Maine assures me that he reads the essay “ritualistically.”
The pleasure of White’s clean, stylish prose can’t be the only thing that keeps drawing us to the text, though, can it? As the Zen master is reputed to have said: Don’t pay attention to my finger… look what I’m pointing at… the incredible moon! In this case, the “moon” is that ongoingness of place and season. Of swim trunks and billowed white sails and mounting thunderheads. Of summer and the way we meet it, engage it, enjoy it—swan dive into it at the behest of heat and humidity, wrap ourselves laughing in the towel of its ease.
Towel of its ease? I’m not delusional. I understand that clinging is futile, that ultimately, we puny vulnerable Homo sapiens can’t expect our climate, our political institutions, or even our physical health to stay stable, reliable, safe. Still, I seek that which does persist. In fact, the flux and dynamism of human existence actually reinforces my commitment to discerning the through-lines, the enduring elements.
As White found an ongoingness in Great Pond, I find a similar ongoingness in his essay. Each summer, there it is, on my shelf, asking for an hour’s focus.
But to reiterate, the Zen master’s finger (White’s elegant prose) doesn’t matter so much as what it points toward, what it highlights.
For me, it’s the glassy calm at dusk surrounding Thompson’s Point, the cormorants flying to their roosts on Four Brothers Islands in an undulating chain, the ear-whir of mosquitoes, the smoke-scent wafting from a bonfire, the polished driftwood log that offers a perfect bench, the midnight skinny dip. These are my moon, the object of my fundamental desire. And heck, the moon itself deserves a spot on the list as well—a gibbous moon arcing behind the black silhouettes of cedars and pines, lifting the gaze to infinity.
I first read “Once More to the Lake” at 20. Now, at 38, I’m muddling through the confusion like everybody else, taking a brief break from stress and overwhelm—from wars and extinctions and bad headlines galore—to reread and revitalize.
Late June, just past the solstice, apex and apogee, all blue sky and wandering cumulus clouds. I slip the
book and a beer and a bag of salty tortilla chips into my knapsack, bicycle to Town Farm Bay in Ferrisburgh, and bushwhack to a secret mossy boulder, a “dock” I’ve been visiting my whole life.
Many people aren’t lucky enough to lounge by Lake Champlain, eavesdropping on the timeless conversation between gentle wavelets and pebbly shore, and those of us who are lucky can’t count on remaining in that blessed condition forever. Change is the only constant: Heraclitus was right. Then again, improbably, impossibly, so was E.B. White, who at the close of his moving essay recognizes the fact of his own evanescence, his own mortality—a fact that reaffirms (at least in my reading) the ongoingness of something else, something larger and older.
I crack the beer, crack the bag of chips, crack the book. A wind is rising, stirring up whitecaps, rows of galloping white-maned horses that race and race and race, as they did last July and the year before, as they will next July and the year after.
Such a riot of water. Haphazard, chaotic, bewildering. Energized and energizing. Oddly reassuring.
Pattern of life indelible.
Instead of reading, I just sit there and stare.
Few pieces of prose have captured the visceral feeling of summers spent at a lake than E.B. White's "Once More to the Lake." Photo Adobe Stock.
HALF MARATHON, RELAY & 3-MILE FUN RUN
MIDDLEBURY, VT
• BEAUTIFUL, SCENIC ROUTES with views of the Green Mountains and Adirondacks.
• A mix of TRAIL (10%), PAVED (45%), & DIRT roads (45%) for the half marathon; all paved for 3-mile fun run.
• USATF-CERTIFIED COURSE that is well supported, with rolling hills & foliage views.
• WELL ORGANIZED, GREAT SWAG, INSPIRING MUSIC ON COURSE
