Darnton and Yankus win big in Frosty Freestyle

Michigan Cup: Frosty Freestyle

Sun, Jan  15, 2012 - By Mike Muha

It was a hard race over a relatively flat course, with no place to rest and no place to hide. Conditions ranged from a foot of hard packed snow to icy-snow barely covering the grass. But the competition was spectacular at the 2012 REI Frosty Freestyle Cross Country Ski Race.

10K champions

Déjà Vu. Cheryl Darnton(Cross Country Ski Headquarters) skied away from the competition to win the 10k Frosty Freestyle in 28:50, 1:53 ahead of Straits Strider Tracy Hardin (30:43). This is the third time Darntonhas won the Frosty and the third time Hardin has come in second. The two racers appear to own the top two positions on the Frosty podium.

Newcomer to Michigan, Hailey Harrison, crossed the finish line third in 32:18 in her first race in years.

The men's race started out tightly packed, but Team NordicSkiRacer/Priority Health's Daniel Yankus gradually gained each lap to finish first in 23:43. VASA Ski Club's Cliff Onthank took second in 24:29, followed by Alex Vanias (Cross Country Ski Headquarters) in 24:43.

Jo Keeling of Team NordicSkiRacer was the sole women's classic skier, finishing in 1:03:42 on a course with no tracks set. Adam Danes, James, Goebeski, and Brad Plymale finished 1-2-3 in the 10K classic in 41:21, 42:47 and 47:19.

5K top finishers

In the 5K race, Team NordicSkiRacer Lindsey MacDonald dominated the race from start to finish, crossing the line in first in 14:30. Emily Steffke and Kirsten Hallstrom tied for second in 17:26, 2:56 behind MacDonald. Fourth was Allison Bondie.

A pair of brothers racing for Team NordicSkiRacer claimed the top two spots in the Men's 5K. Nikolaas Vermeulen and Vincent Vermeulen finished 1-2 in 16:12 and 17:17. Richard Proctor of Ann Arbor took third in 18:13.

There were more classic skiers than skaters in both the women's and men's 5K. Top female classic finishers were Linda Gobeski, Jennifer Finkbeiner and Radhika Pasricha in 34:49, 35:05 and 37:29. For the men, it was Brendan Sullivan, Garnett Sessions and David Sasaki in 24:38, 25:56, 26:38.

Frosty Kids' Race - a first

Since the Frosty Freestyle was first conceived, we wanted to have a kids race. We finally felt ready for it this year. With the help of SELCRA, we put 43 kids through a 3 week learn-to-ski program that ended with a Kid's race at the Frosty. Each child received a custom medal for crossing the finish line.

Race conditions

Heroic measures were taken to ensure the race happened, include the use to two snowmaking guns, a manure spreader and lots of nail biting.

A backup race course was used when the weather failed to deliver enough snow to ski on the normal 5 and 15k loops. The backup course snaked back and forth up and down a slight elevation on the Huron Meadows Metropark golf driving range before darting into the woods for a tree-lined section. Out of the trees and back into the open, the trail reconnected to form a loop that post-race was about 1.3 kilometers long.

The air was still in hovering around 20F for the race, the sky overcast and snow showers falling. Conditions on the trail ranged from a foot of hard packed snow to just enough icy-packed snow to barely cover the grass. Because it was low cut golf course grass, the section in the driving ranged skied fairly well with minimal edge catching. A couple rough spots in the wood did catch the occasional ski, however.

Not knowing for sure how many skiers would race, the race was divided into four races, each starting an hour apart. The 5K men went first, then the 5K women, 10K men, and 10K women. This kept congestion on the course low.

Spectator friendly

The race course was exceptionally spectator friendly, with nearly the entire course visible from anywhere. This also kept all the racers totally in view of each other. There was no place to rest when you're within view of your rival or you see a target ahead. And the course, because it featured only minor elevation changes, left little place to rest.

Overall, 101 skiers raced in the 5K and 10K, plus 43 kids.

PHOTOS AND VIDEO SHORTLY...

10K RESULTS

10K CLASSIC WOMEN
Overall Female Open Winners
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall, Technique	Total Time	10K Overall
1	Jo Keeling	MI	42	1	1:03:42	11
Female 60 to 69
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall, Technique	Total Time	10K Overall
1	Carole Merwin	Weidman  MI	65	2	1:13:30	14
10K SKATE WOMEN
Overall Female Open Winners
1	Cheryl Darnton	Ann Arbor  MI	40	1	28:50	1
Female 20 to 29
1	Megan Ditty	Ann Arbor  MI	20	7	38:20	7
2	Sarah Mullkoff	Lansing  MI	24	10	56:16	10
Female 30 to 39
1	Hailey Harrison	Rochester  MI	34	3	32:18	3
Female 40 to 49
1	Stacy Stimac	Dexter  MI	40	8	44:19	8
2	Brenda Unceit	Springport  MI	48	9	44:49	9
3	Dianna Behl	Okemos  MI	45	11	1:03:58	12
Female 50 to 59
1	Tracy Hardin	Cheboygan  MI	50	2	30:43	2
2	Linda Weeks	Lansing  MI	57	4	33:47	4
3	Lexanne Creitz	Bethlehem  IN	57	5	34:51	5
4	Lisa Kanienski	Hartland  MI	50	6	37:13	6
5	Julie Hewlett	MI	58	12	1:05:17	14
10K CLASSIC MEN
Overall Male Open Winners
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall Technique	Total Time	10K Overall
1	Adam Danes	Northville  MI	44	1	41:21	54
Male 30 to 39
1	Dimitriy Masteror	Ann Arbor	30	4	1:10:33	61
Male 40 to 49
1	Brad Plymale	Northville  MI	43	3	47:19	59
Male 60 to 69
1	James Gobeski	Plymouth  MI	63	2	42:47	57
10K SKATE MEN
Overall Male Open Winners
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall Technique	Total Time	10K Overall
1	Daniel Yankus	Walled Lake  MI	30	1	23:43	1
Male 14 to 15
1	Lars Hallstrom	Ann Arbor  MI	14	34	31:39	34
Male 16 to 17
1	Alexey Vermeulen	MI	17	10	26:49	10
Male 20 to 29
1	Alex Vanias	Leroy  MI	21	3	24:43	3
Male 30 to 39
1	Aaron Ditty	Ann Arbor  MI	30	7	26:08	7
2	Scott Ries	South Lyon  MI	33	21	28:28	21
3	Christopher Anderson	MI	37	50	37:45	50
Male 40 to 49
1	Glenn Goodman	Bellaire  MI	45	5	24:49	5
2	Jonathan Morgan	Milford  MI	47	6	26:02	6
3	Julian Kuz	Ada  MI	47	13	27:25	13
4	Steve Vreeken	Grosse Pointe  MI	44	16	27:50	16
5	Mike Temkin	Troy  MI	49	17	27:52	17
6	Yvon Dufour	Brighton  MI	48	19	28:11	19
7	Allen Sorgenfrei	Bloomfield Hills  MI	47	20	28:18	20
8	Ryan Robinson	West Bloomfield  MI	45	27	30:10	27
9	Steve Steffke	MI	49	29	30:18	29
10	Tim Cook	Freeland  MI	48	31	31:02	31
11	Theo Von Wallmenich	Alma  MI	41	33	31:34	33
12	Brian Hallstrom	Ann Arbor  MI	40	35	31:39	35
13	Tim Feldkamp	Ann Arbor  MI	40	45	34:34	45
14	Dan Brickert	Peru  IL	42	46	35:16	46
15	Dale Ernst	Sandusky  MI	48	47	36:21	47
16	Ron Stack	Fenton  MI	41	49	36:50	49
17	Dave Reppen	Hartland  MI	40	53	41:17	53
18	Charlie Groh	Ann Arbor  MI	40	57	48:18	60
Male 50 to 59
1	Clifford Onthank	Traverse City  MI	58	2	24:29	2
2	John Gravlin	Cheboygan  MI	57	4	24:45	4
3	Jim Pryor Jr.	Saginaw  MI	53	8	26:36	8
4	Doug Heady	Ann Arbor  MI	54	9	26:39	9
5	Larry Kanaby	Bad Axe  MI	50	11	27:07	11
6	Douglas Cornell	Corunna  MI	52	12	27:08	12
7	Robert Fairman	Ann Arbor  MI	50	18	28:09	18
8	Frank Rynalski	Bay City  MI	57	22	28:39	22
9	Jeffois Moore	Northville  MI	55	23	28:53	23
10	Anthony Percha	Commerce Twp	52	24	29:04	24
11	Mark Bondarenko	Oxford  MI	54	25	29:15	25
12	Ted Bondie	Ypsilanti  MI	50	28	30:15	28
13	Herb Ashbeck	Davisburg  MI	51	32	31:11	32
14	Randy Kessler	Milford  MI	57	37	32:40	37
15	Mark Madorski	Leonard  MI	54	40	33:26	40
16	Karl Trost Sr	MI	53	42	33:57	42
17	Greg Worrel	Detroit  MI	57	51	38:57	51
18	Rex Donahey	Farmington  MI	56	54	42:01	55
19	Wolfgang Uhrig	MI	59	55	42:33	56
Male 60 to 69
1	William Kaltz	Pinckney  MI	64	14	27:26	14
2	Robin Luce	Farwell  MI	60	15	27:48	15
3	Steve Smigiel	Ada  MI	66	26	29:40	26
4	Reinhold Cordella	Ypsilanti  MI	60	30	30:43	30
5	Peter Johnson	MI	66	36	32:32	36
6	Lee Ries	Howell  MI	63	38	32:42	38
7	Dan Nolan	MI	60	39	32:58	39
8	Ernie Brumbanaugh	Rockford  MI	65	43	34:07	43
9	Greg Merwin	Weidman  MI	65	44	34:08	44
10	Richard Proctor	Ann Arbor  MI	67	48	36:41	48
11	Spencer Ruffner	MI	60	52	40:26	52
12	Gary Faria	MI	61	56	45:40	58
Male 70 to 79
1	Bill Haefner	Clarkston  MI	74	41	33:49	41

5K RESULTS

5K CLASSIC WOMEN
Overall Female Open Winners
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall Technique	Total Time	5K Overall
1	Linda Gobeski	MI	59	1	34:49	7
Female 30 to 39
1	Jennifer Finkbeiner	MI	35	2	35:06	8
2	Radhika Pasricha	MI	33	3	37:20	9
3	Lea Maurer	Ann Arbor	30	4	38:08	10
4	Kari Hadrill	MI	39	5	40:12	11
5	Becky Getsoian	MI	34	6	42:39	12
Female 40 to 49
1	Jennifer Browner	MI	42	7	51:57	13
Female 50 to 59
1	Janet Dicarlo	Pinckney  MI	50	8	1:03:18	14
5K SKATE WOMEN
Overall Female Open Winners
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall Technique	Total Time	5K Overall
1	Lindsey MacDonald	Ann Arbor  MI	20	1	14:30	1
Female 11 and under
1	Anneka Hallstrom	Ann Arbor  MI	10	5	20:26	5
Female 14 to 15
1	Emily Steffke	Weidman  MI	15	2	17:26	2
Female 20 to 29
1	Allison Bondie	Ypsilanti  MI	24	4	18:04	4
Female 40 to 49
1	Kirsten Hallstrom	Ann Arbor  MI	40	3	17:26	3
2	Sandra Vermeulen	MI	42	6	21:51	6
5K CLASSIC MEN
Overall Male Open Winners
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall Technique	Total Time	10K Overall
1	Brendan Sullivan	Warsaw  IN	13	1	24:38	6
Male 20 to 29
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall Technique	Total Time
1	Erik Anderson	Owosso  MI	28	4	27:05	9
Male 30 to 39
1	Garnett Sessions	Canton  MI	30	2	25:56	7
2	Deepak Dashairya	MI	32	8	56:11	13
Male 40 to 49
1	Mark Irish	Milford  MI	40	5	28:20	10
Male 50 to 59
1	David Sasaki	MI	50	3	26:38	8
2	Bradley Newman	Rochester  MI	54	6	35:40	11
Male 70 to 79
1	Marvin Stevenson	Rochester  MI	77	7	35:40	12
5K SKATE MEN
Overall Male Open Winners
Place	Name	City	Age	Overall Technique	Total Time	10K Overall
1	Nikolaas Vermeulen	Pinckney  MI	15	1	16:12	1
Male 11 and under
1	Vincent Vermeulen	MI	11	2	17:17	2
Male 12 to 13
1	Garrett Ruffner	MI	13	4	21:48	4
Male 50 to 59
1	Daniel Rimer	Farmington  MI	58	5	22:24	5
Male 60 to 69
1	Richard Proctor	Ann Arbor  MI	67	3	18:13	3