DUBLIN, N.H. – Amelia Circosta, Claire Serrano, and Charlie Kehler of the Craftsbury Ski Club (CSC) are all headed to Fairbanks, Alaska, to compete at the U.S. Junior National Cross Country Ski Championships in March as part of the New England team. After eight races from December to this past weekend, the points were tallied from each skiers top four races. Circosta placed first in the Under 16 (U16) division and Claire Serrano was fourth. Serrano secured her spot this past weekend by winning the 6 km classic race, the final race of the series. Kehler grabbed the sixth and final spot in the boys U16 division by placing second and third in skate sprint and 6 km classic races, respectively, this past weekend. Three other CSC skiers finished just outside the top six with Ruth Krebs, ninth, and Anika Leahy 10th in the girls U16 group and Sisu Lange 10th in the boys U16 division. Leo Circosta was the 13th U18 skier in New England.
Craftsbury Green Racing Project Skiers Go Second and Third at SuperTour
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In a 20 km mass start freestyle race, pacing and patience are the keys to success. In the seven-lap race, a group of nearly eight skiers in the front pack were waiting for someone to take off and try to break free. It was Alayna Sonnesyn of the Stratton Mountain team that made the move. Craftsbury Green Teamers (GRP) Alex Lawson and Margie Freed went with her but after the sixth lap, Sonnesyn had opened up a 10-second gap. Lawson and Freed paced each other in the chase and were 15 seconds ahead of the next skier. They closed the gap to five seconds in the final lap but Sonnesyn held on for the win. Freed out-sprinted Lawson in the final stretch by 0.3 seconds finishing in 59:17.2. Braden Becker of the men’s GRP team had one of his better races of the year finishing eighth. Michaela Keller-Miller and Annika Landis (both GRP) finished 12th and 13th. These skiers head to northern Wisconsin next week to compete in the American Birkebeiner, the largest marathon in North America with over 10,000 racers.
