Skiers race to victory at varsity league championship

Skiers race to victory at varsity league championship

A skier weaves poles on Mohawk Mountain Feb. 19.

Photo by Alec Linden

CORNWALL — Temperatures in the twenties and bright winter sunshine made for great racing conditions for the Berkshire Hills Ski League varsity championship Feb. 19.

Nearly 60 skiers — some even clad in tutus and penguin costumes — carved their way down a perfect course, courtesy of Mohawk Mountain’s impeccable grooming.

“Mohawk always does the best job of keeping the slope in good shape,” said Housatonic Valley Regional High School Coach Bill Gold. While the snow in the woods was brittle and icy from the recent freezing rain, the course was smooth and grippy.

The race marked the culmination of the inter-conference league’s season, following six races held either at Mohawk, Butternut or Catamount. The league standings amongst the six participating schools had already been decided prior to the Feb. 19 event, with Dutchess Day School claiming the title, followed by Washington Montessori School and Rumsey Hall School in second and third, respectively.

HVRHS narrowly missed the podium in fourth, with Harvey School just behind and Marvelwood School rounding out the ranks.

The day began with a giant slalom race in the morning, after which the skiers enjoyed a brief break before returning to the starting gates at 2 for the slalom competition. The skiers raced twice, with both scores combining for a total time.

An awards ceremony took over the lodge deck where winners in three categories were announced, divided by girls and boys: slalom, giant slalom, and best overall — the fastest times from both races.

Addie Bergin of Washington Montessori took the win for the slalom race, with a total time of 38.05 seconds. She also held the fastest time on the course for the day of 18.79, beating the winner of the boys’ slalom, Addy Garcia of Duchess Day, by 0.01 seconds.

Ethan Viola of Dutchess Day reigned on the GS course with a total time of 1:18.08. His 38.43 second run also was the quickest of that event for the day, but again narrowly: Anna Chas, also of Dutchess Day, put down a 38.45 second run, taking the victory for the girls side with a total of 1:18.75.

Chas returned to the podium to claim the girls’ combined score win, joining her teammate Addy Garcia as the overall winners of the day.

After the cheers died down, pizza was delivered and the focus quickly moved away from skiing and toward the steaming pies.

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less