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Hello Biathlon Fans! . . . . . Download the PDF race announcement for RACE #6 and #7 March 10-11, 2007 . . . . Stevens Pass got lots of new snow prior to last weekend so all the trails were in great shape. The weatherman did not cooperate fully, though, and threw wind and snow at us most of the weekend. The wind chill and lack of sun made it colder than anticipated and gave competitors some challenging conditions for Saturday's modified Individual race (15k men's and 12.5k women's), and Sunday's Modified Super Sprint races (Penalty Loops for any targets still standing after 8 shots instead of a DQ.... much friendlier, don't you agree?). Snow continued to pile up on the trail during the races Saturday, making skiing a little slower, particularly on the climbs. Speedy skier Aaron Scott prevailed again in the Sr. Men's division even though 2nd place Dave Anana out shot him by one. Doug Reid, also a speedster on the skis, improved his shooting some more to finish 3rd. Steve Eastwood hammered Jay Bender by 36 seconds for 4th, Bender in 5th, followed by David Shaw in 6th. If Shaw gets his shooting on track Bender and Eastwood are in trouble! Max Limb followed closely in 7th. Jim Slyfield was 8th, Mike Lunenschloss 9th, Jack Whisler 10th, Cory Hoeger 11th, and newcomer Mark Turner, showing us what tenacity is all about, finishing his first Individual format race in 12th. You picked a tough day, Mark... baptism by fire! Veteran biathlete Carol Stuhley returned for her first race of the winter and won the Women's division handily with fast skiing and good shooting. She cleaned the final standing bout to seal the deal. Arminda Phillips was second while Marie Garrett and Mandie Majerus tied for third. Robin Pederson, always a joy to have at these events regardless of her ability to stay on course, skied fast, and farther than most due to an occasional course correction, to finish 5th. Sibylle Wilbert had to pull out due to a rifle malfunction, a frustrating day for the season points leader. In the Junior Boy's division, Dylan Wolfe skied and shot his way to another 50 points. Where are the other Junior guys? Dylan took on a challenging 10k course..... pretty tough, given the conditions and terrain at Stevens Pass. Good show Dylan! Sunday's weather was a little nicer, although still windy. The Super Sprint race is short ski loops with four shooting bouts, each with three extra shots available (hand loaded) if needed. Still, only Isabelle Anana and Marie Garrett were able to avoid skiing any penalty loops. Dave Anana and Alex Pavlinovic skied only one penalty loop each. Garrett's shooting carried her to a victory in the Women's division, with Arminda Phillips 2nd, Mandie Majerus 3rd, and Sibylle Wilbert in 4th. Dave Anana and Aaron Scott tied for 1st in the Men's division, while Dave Shaw found his shooting form to finish third with only two penalty loops. Doug Reid was 4th, Sean Kato 5th, Jay Bender 6th ahead of Steve Eastwood in 7th (the dogfight continues!), Jim Slyfield 8th, 2nd timer Jim Dahl 9th, Corey Hoeger 10th, Mike Lunenschloss 11th, and Jack Whisler 12th. Lone Junior Male Chris Fletcher racked up another 50 points in his last season as a Junior. Had he been in the senior men's race he'd have placed 4th! Junior Boy Dylan Wolfe was joined by relative newcomer Alex Pavilnovic on Sunday, but still prevailed over his new rival, despite Alex's great shooting. Isabelle Anana added another 50 points to her season total winning the Jr. Girls division. For full results please go to RESULTS Aaron Scott is still in 1st place in the men's Washington Cup points list, Dave Anana 2nd and Doug Reid 3rd. Sibylle Wilbert still holds her lead in the women's division, with Arminda Phillips 2nd and Marie Garrett in third. Points List You can also see photos at www.wabiathlon.org A huge thank you to Bob Vallor and Jack Seabrook for running the show. Also thanks to volunteer officials Jim Fletcher, Ann Eastwood, Rich Terry, and many others. Kudos to all those involved for the fantastic efforts, both with set-up Saturday morning, and break-down Sunday afternoon. Incredible! Afterwards all returned to the SPNC lodge for awards and prize raffle. Thanks to all our generous sponsors (see logos at right). You are the greatest! We gave away another Stone Grind from Nordic Ultratune ($100 value!), a Toko Wax Iron, courtesy Mike Power and Stevens Pass Nordic Center ($120 value), and numerous other great prizes from Toko, Leavenworth Mountain Sports, Der Sportsmann, Mt. Stuart Physical Therapy, Altius Handcrafted Firearms, and Marmot Mountain Works. We will have another great prize raffle on Sunday at the March 10-11 races. |
