NordicSkiRacer maintains narrow lead in Brumbaugh Cup
Fri, Jan 26, 2024 - By Ernie Brumbaugh
Day 1: The Cote Dame Marie
At the Cote Dame Marie Freestyle race at Hanson Hills in Grayling, Michigan, the men go 26K and the women 13k. This race day was cold (below zero in the morning) but the groomers did an excellent job of compacting the track and giving racers good corduroy to ski on. The men headed off first and the Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team left no doubt that catching Team Nordic Ski Racer was a team goal. Jorden Wakeley (Hanson Hills Cross Country Ski Shop) won the race in an incredible 1:12, more than 9 minutes ahead of second place. After Jorden, GRNST had 5 of the next seven skiers (Ryan Harris, Denny Paull, Eric Parrott, Aaron Ditty and Stephen Smigiel) to win the men’s Brumbaugh Cup division with 23 points. Jorden led HHCCSS to second with 52 points and Kevin Vasquez brought TNSR in third with 62 points.
As good as the GRNST men were, the HHCCSS women equally as good or better, placing all three of their scoring skiers in the top five. Mandy Paull, first, Rebecca Davis, third, and Heather Compton, fifth delivered the goods with a total of 9 points. Cross Country Ski Headquarters, led by Mariah Frye was second with 20 points and TNSR was third with 24 points led by Sarah Newmister.
2024 Brumbaugh Cup Team Scoring after Cote Dame Marie
| Team | Frosty Freestyle | Krazy Klassic | Cote Dame Marie | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team NordicSkiRacer | 61 | 32 | 86 | 179 |
| Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team | 83 | 71 | 61 | 215 |
| Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop | 91 | 108 | 61 | 280 |
| Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 82 | 75 | 128 | 304 |
| Vasa Ski Club | 101 | 95 | 108 | 304 |
| University of Michigan | 116 | 111 | 167 | 394 |
Day 2: The Boyne Mountain Classic 10K Classic
The Boyne Mountain Classic 10K Classic race on the Innsbruck course originally designed by Vojin Baic. It is truly a world class race course. Temperatures were in the mid-teens when the racers toed the line. Jorden Wakeley proved that yesterday was no fluke, winning today’s race by 4 minutes. Denny Paull, Ryan Harris, Eric Parrott and Don Camp brought GRNST in at first place with 38 points. Jorden’s teammates, Weston Willoughby, Bob Smith and John Britton delivered HHCCSS in second place with 48 points. Allen Sorgenfei and Yvon Dufor captured third place for TNSR with 63 points.
Mary Schlimmer (HHCCSS) won the women’s race completing a first place podium sweep for HHCCSS in the weekends races. Wendy Anderson, CCSHQ, was second overall, 2 minutes back. Along with teammates, Gwenn Stevenson, third, and Linda McGinnis, fifth, Wendy led the Headquarters to first place with 10 points. HHCCSS was second with 13 points and GRNST led by Katie Fuelling, third with 16 points.
2024 Brumbaugh Cup Team Scoring after Boyne Classic
| Team | Frosty Freestyle | Krazy Klassic | Cote Dame Marie | Boyne Classic | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team NordicSkiRacer | 61 | 32 | 86 | 81 | 260 |
| Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team | 83 | 71 | 61 | 54 | 269 |
| Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop | 91 | 108 | 61 | 61 | 321 |
| Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 82 | 75 | 128 | 78 | 363 |
| Vasa Ski Club | 101 | 95 | 108 | 90 | 394 |
| University of Michigan | 116 | 111 | 167 | 103 | 497 |
And the race gets tighter. Team NordicSkiRacer came in with a 61 point lead over GRNST and 64 points over the Headquarters. After four races Team NordicSkiRacer, is still leading but is only 9 points ahead of GRNST and 61 points ahead of HHCCSS. Looks like we are in for a real thriller. Next up in the Brumbaugh Cup is the Michigan Cup Memorial Classic at Forbush Corner on February 4.