MARA Giant Slalom Kicks Off Race Season

The Chisholm Ski Club and Black Mountain of Maine hosted a successful Maine Alpine Racing Association Giant Slalom on January 8th. Over 260 racers ranging from classes U8 to U14 registered for this first alpine race of the season under excellent conditions.

In the Under 8 boys, Hunter May, skiing for Gould Academy Racing Program, took first place with times of 49.88 and 49.41 for a two run combined time of 1:39.29. Callan Schofield of Prospect Hill Racing team took second with a combined time of 1:40.38, while Finnley Ward cof Gould came in third at 1:47.78.

In the boys U10 division, Winchester Massachusetts skier Henry Infurna of Gould took the gold with runs of 42.30 and 43.02 for a 1:25.32 total. Portland’s James Malin, skiing for Carrabasset Valley Academy took second with a 1:28.27 total. Paul Thompson of Gould was third at 1:29.16.

The U12 boys race was won by Silas Wills of Gould with runs of 38.49 and 38.01 for a 1:16.50 combined time. Boden Folger David of CVA was second at 1:37.30, with Luke Holman of CVA coming in third with a combined time of 1:19.29. 

The final boys class was the U14, and Tucker Infurna of Gould was victorious with runs of 36.15 and 35.35 for a combined time of 1:11.50. Nicholas Klemperer of CVA was right behind Infurna with a total time of 1:11.56. The final podium position was taken by Gould’s Blake Kingsley of Falmouth, Maine with a total time of 1:15.84.

In the girls Under 8, it was Hadley Weymouth of Camden, skiing for CVA, taking the gold with runs of 51.08 and 51.10 for a combined score of 1:42.18. Taking the silver medal was Newry’s Victoria Borowski, skiing for Gould, with a combined score of 142.96. Third place went to Gould’s Alice Boulanger with a total of 1:44.63.

The girls U10 division was won by Keira Livesay of CVA with runs of 44.35 and 45.13 for a total of 1:29.48. Coming in second was Elise Duda of CVA with a 1:32.33 total, while teammate Brooke Servidio took 3^rd with a combined 1:32.80 score.

The U12 girls race was a clean sweep for the Gould Academy Racing Program, with Lillian Ward of Greene grabbing the gold with runs of 38.94 and 40.02 for a 1:18.96 combined time. Teamates Madison Lambert of Bethel (1:19.48) and Gracie Infurna (1:21.52) took second and third respectively.

In the girls U14 division, South Berwick’s Hazel Martin, skiing for GACP, came in first with times of 35.46 and 36.09 for a combined score of 1:11.55. Second place went to Freeport’s Farley Ordway, skiing of Gould, with a time of 1:13.74. Taking the bronze was Sophie Sunshine of Gould with a two-run total of 1:14.14.

The Chisholm Ski Club would like to thank Black Mountain and all the parents and volunteers for helping to make this a wonderful event for our young racers.

Complete Race Results

Race Photos are available at 

Black Mountain & Chisholm Ski Club Deliver

Jeff Knight and Crew Rise to the Occasion 

Chief Groomer Jeff Knight

What do you do when you are scheduled to host a State Championship Nordic Weekend with all high schools in the State of Maine and over 300 skiers participating and Mother Nature throws you a challenge? You call on Black Mountain's Jeff Knight and crew to take on the challenge and groom the John Roderick Trail System to a safe and  competitive venue. On the night before the competition was to begin, Black Mountain in Rumford received a sustained overnight downpour with temperatures reaching near 60º on race day. That was the first challenge for the crew commissioned to set tracks for the classical races that were to be held on opening day of the competition. 

And set the tracks they did. Even so, with the temperatures as high as they were, inevitably there was some standing water in parts of the course. Adding salt to the wound was the weather forecast that was predicting a drastic temperature drop and gale force winds overnight. At the coaches meeting on Day 1, TD Dan Warner made the wise decision to eliminate "High School Hill" on Day 2 because it would be "just too fast". The coaches all agreed with that decision. It would be safe to assume that the coaches had some trepidation about the ability to transform water and eventually ice to a safe skiable course.

But, after a successful Day 1, the race crew met with Jeff Knight to devise a plan for Day 2. After the competition, Chief of Competition Roger Arsenault stated "We talked with Jeff last night to form a plan for grooming today and we trusted he and Rob to pull it off. They more than exceeded anything we could have imagined." He added, "We finished a heck of a season in style today. Even though yesterday was a challenge for everyone, no one complained. No one expected to get what they got today. The look on everyone's face today was priceless. The real heroes today were Jeff, Landan and Robb. Dan said it best and I echo him in that without their effort and skill, we would have been dead."

Skiers and coaches were pleasantly surprised, perhaps even shocked, to see the transformation that had taken place overnight. Not only was there no water or ice, the 5k course was groomed to a perfect surface for the freestyle pursuit race that was to occur on Day 2. Leavitt Coach and Maine Principals Association liaison Dustin Williamson wrote, "I would like to thank all of the Chisholm Ski Club members and to Black Mtn for hosting a very successful MPA Class A/B/C Nordic Championships.  The club and the mountain went above and beyond to make sure that the state meet was safe, fair, successful, and simply the best for every racer.  There were several worries about how the snow conditions would be with the crazy weather but everything was fantastic.  I am very grateful and appreciate all of the work that went into hosting the championships."

White and Streinz are Class C Freestyle Champs

Fort Kent Girls and Mt Abram Boys are State Champs

The 2022 MPA Class C Nordic State Championships concluded today at Black Mtn witn the freestyle pursuit.  After a classical day of 60 degrees, it was fast and cold for the freestyle. 

On the girls side, Ruth White of Orono is the 2022 Class C Freestyle State Champion.  Her winning time was 15:03.2.  Nancy Martin of Fort Kent was second with a time of 15:43.3 and Rowan Tanguay also of Fort Kent was third with a time of 15:45.1. 

On the boys side, Luke Streinz of Southern Aroostook is the 2022 Class C Freestyle state champion.  His winning time was 11:59.0.  Abrahm Geissinger of Spruce Mtn was second with a time of 12:08.1 and Alex Hemingway of Mt Abram was third with a time of 12:34.1. 

The Fort Kent girls and the Mt Abram boys are the 2022 MPA Class C Nordic State Champions.  Waynflete girls and the Fort Kent boys were second.  Ruth White of Orono and Alex Hemingway of Mt Abram are also the 2022 Class C Pursuit State Champions.  Also congratulations to the Orono girls and to the Waynflete and Ashland boys for receiving the MPA Sportsmanship award.   RESULTS 

Bell and Redfield are Class B Freestyle Champs

Maranacook Girls and Yarmouth Boys are State Champs

The 2022 MPA Class B Nordic State Championships concluded today at Black Mtn witn the freestyle pursuit.  After a classical day of 60 degrees, it was fast and cold for the freestyle.  On the girls side, Kayley Bell of Caribou is the 2022 Class B Freestyle State Champion.  Her winning time was 14:20.9.  Emma Haims of Maine Coast was second with a time of 15:06.6 and Ali Dening of Leavitt was third with a time of 16:14.4. 

On the boys side, Owen Redfield of Yarmouth is the 2022 Class B Freestyle state champion.  His winning time was 12:02.6.  Max Olmstead of Maranacook was second with a time of 12:05.9 and George Ferland of Caribou was third with a time of 12:10.1. 

The Maranacook girls and the Yarmouth boys are the 2022 MPA Class C Nordic State Champions.  Leavitt girls and the Freeport boys were second. Kayley Bell of Caribou and Logan Ouellette of Leavitt are also the 2022 Class B Pursuit State Champions. 

Also congratulations to the Leavitt girls and to the Leavitt boys for receiving the MPA Sportsmanship award.  RESULTS