NM2009 - Latest National Masters News

Update: March 9, 2009 -- NM2009 In The Books, NM2010 On Tap Next January!

A truly enjoyable NM2009 long weekend in Anchorage, Alaska was capped off Sunday with a picture-perfect Tour of Anchorage 50/40/25km fleet of races under ideal conditions. As the finale to the NM2009, the Tour of Anchorage served as the distance freestyle National Masters Championship with official distances for each age/gender category.

With a pad of fresh packed powder from the Thursday evening storm, skiers departing from three different start locations only challenge for the day was slightly chilly conditions (temps in the teens) as both the trail and weather held stable throughout the day. Storming across the city with a final 15km along the incomparable Anchorage Coastal Trail, all three distances ultimately wound up at the Kincaid Park stadium to a hero's welcome of friends, family, and prior finishers.

The American XC Skiers (AXCS) would like to thank the wonderful hard-working team of Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage officials and volunteers headed up by Tim and Anne Stone for their efforts to put on a fantastic NM2009 event.

AXCS invites master skiers from coast-to-coast to start making plans now to attend the 2010 National Masters at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Vermont -- January 28-30, 2010. Tentative plans for the NM2010 will have activities begin with a Thursday (January 28) afternoon 10km freestyle race for all age/gender categories followed on Saturday (January 30) by the 800+ skier classic technique Craftsbury Ski Marathon. The AXCS Board of Directors will be determining official NM2010 age/gender category distances for the Craftsbury Marathon (both 50km and 25km are offered) later this spring.

Full information on the 2010 National Masters can be found right here on the pages of xcskiworld.com as well as throughout AXCS membership media in the coming months. If you have not already done so, join/renew AXCS today and discover all that masters skiing can be!

Update: March 9, 2009 -- 2009 U.S. Masters XC Ski Team Named

The honorary 2009 U.S. Masters Ski Team has been officially named based on best two-of-two scoring of individual races at the 2009 AXCS National Masters in Anchorage, Alaska. Each athlete on the Team will receive a distinctive uniform piece provided by Podiumwear by Borah.

Scored races to determine the 2009 Masters Team included the Sunday, March 8 Tour of Anchorage official category distance results combined with Thursday, March 5 10km classic. Scoring for the U.S. Masters Team involves a modified World Cup point system with points awarded for placing within age groups. Skiers must complete all scored races in order to be eligible for the Masters Team award.

Congratulations to all 2009 U.S. Masters XC Ski Team designees!

2009 Men's Team
M0 -- Mackie Derrick
M1 -- Adam Reimer
M2 -- Seth Downs
M3 -- Mike Truskowski
M4 -- Todd Boonstra
M5 -- Ken Leary
M6 -- David Ford
M7 -- Atz Kilcher
M8 -- Jim Burkholder
M9 -- Don Lokken
M10 -- Reno Deprey

2009 Women's Team
F0 -- Natalie Dawson
F1 -- Inge Scheve
F2 -- Kelli Boonstra
F3 -- Diana Carbonell
F4 -- Cheryl Dubois & Nancy Pease
F5 -- Lisa Beck
F6 -- Aase Haugen
F7 -- Ann Mize
F8 -- Berit Flora
F9 -- Barbara Lewis

Update: March 6, 2009

A fantastic and fun-filled Sprint Relay was the main event this evening with literally perfect conditions (packed powder, clear skies, light wind). A robust field of coed combined age teams shared the track with a big field of women's teams followed by the a spirited group of men's teams in the 3 skier x 3 laps x 800m loop around the Kincaid Park stadium

Following the relay a casual dinner and awards/raffle followed at the Kincaid Chalet.

Now all attention turns to the many area attractions on Saturday (featured event being the Iditarod ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage) and then the 50/40/25km Tour of Anchorage (nearly 1,600 skiers anticipated!) turns the city into a skier's paradise on Sunday.

Due to the length of time to complete age group results for such a large event, the 2009 U.S. Masters XC Ski Team will be announced on Monday morning here on xcskiworld.com as well as via press releases to nationwide XC ski media.

Update: March 5, 2009

The 10km Classic tonight was snowy (and windy) fun for a healthy-size field. Results will be posted on the NM2009 website as soon as possible.

For Friday's Sprint Relay, a start list will also be posted on the NM2009 website asap. If a team that should be listed is not, a representative from that team should plan to arrive at Kincaid Park at least 90 minutes prior to the scheduled category start so that organizers can get that team onto the start sheet. Remember that it is required that all team members already have paid and entered the relay. At this point it is a major undertaking for the O.C. to add new registrations to the system. Please do not ask for favors in this regard. There are still several registered skiers not on teams on the start sheet that are presumably looking for teammates -- so if everyone shows up early enough you can theoretically get on the start sheet. But PLEASE be realistic and do not expect to be able to get a team on the start sheet at the last minute.

Update: March 2, 2009

For the benefit of lower 48 skiers, Snow Conditions in Anchorage are reported to be "perfect" from folks in Anchorage and the weather forecast for the week looks about as good as a skier could hope for with highs in the 20s and lows in the teens, slight chances for snow, and generally stable patterns.

Due to a fantastic situation where the number of women over 40 are far higher than projected, the O.C. has adjusted the categories for the Friday sprint relay. The adjusted combined age (all three skiers added up, ages as of 12/31/08) categories are as follows:

Women and Men: 75-149 years, 150-179 years, 180+
Coed: 75-149 years, 150+ years

If you still need to form relay teams for Friday evening, you should contact other skiers when you arrive in Anchorage (particularly on Thursday evening). You will need to be pre-registered for the relay, but there is a good chance you can find other skiers to form a team at the last minute.

A final reminder to all skiers that for Sunday's Tour of Anchorage you are welcome to ski any distance you wish (50km, 40km, 25km) -- however -- if you want to count towards the U.S. Masters Team overall (best 2 of 2 races) honorary age group titles, you must ski and complete the assigned distance for your age/gender category. The actual award you get for being in the top three in various Tour distances would be exactly the same whether you are racing an "official" NM distance or an "unofficial" NM distance.

The official NM Tour of Anchorage distances for age/gender categories (ages as of 12/31/08) are:

-- 50km for all men up to 59 years and women 25-29 years;
-- 40km for men 60-74 years and women 30-64 years;
-- 25km for men 75+ years and women 65+ years.

If skiers have any questions or problems requiring the help of an AXCS representative, National Director J.D. Downing will be available at Kincaid Park beginning around 2pm AST on Thursday, March 5.

Update: February 28, 2009

Information about the selection process for the U.S. Masters Team is found here.

Update: February 18, 2009 -- Anchorage Ready For 2009 AXCS National Masters

Master skiers from across the U.S. are gearing up for a long weekend trip to Anchorage, Alaska in just a few weeks time as the 2009 AXCS National Masters Championships returns to the great white north -- March 5-8, 2009.

The AXCS (American XC Skiers) National Masters is North America's largest championship event and features official age groups starting at 25-29 up until 90+ years young. No qualification or licenses are necessary. Skiers sign up and take part regardless of ability level.

The NM2009 begins with 10km classic events on Thursday, March 5 evening for all categories (male and female). Then on Friday, March 6 the fun continues with an evening freestyle sprint relay featuring 3 skiers x 3 legs each x 750m laps. The NM2009 will conclude on Sunday, March 8 with "official" distances assigned to various age/gender categories in the popular Tour of Anchorage freestyle ski marathon.

Both the NM2009 classic race and sprint relay race will be conducted at Anchorage's incredible Kincaid Park trails with on a portion of the stadium sprint course utilized for the 2009 National Championships in January. Well known local Masters are forming formidable teams and planning to continue the local dominance that has marked the last two National Masters Championships held in Anchorage. Organizers are hoping for some competition from outside in all the age categories.

Up to 150 skiers are expected for the Thursday and Friday evening events with as many as 1,500 skiers possible for the Tour of Anchorage.

"For anyone from the Lower 48 that has dreamed of skiing in the Tour of Anchorage -- this is the perfect chance, says J.D. Downing, AXCS National Director. "This amazing American Ski Marathon Series event actually crosses nearly the entire city of Anchorage and features one of the truly incredible finishing stretches along the Cook Inlet ending at the world-famous Kincaid Park stadium. No XC ski race fan can really claim to have been there and done it all without taking in the Tour of Anchorage at least once in their lifetime! To have two bonus shorter NM events prior to this year's tour makes for a perfect masters long weekend."

Tim Stone, Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage Organizing Committee Chair says that currently ski conditions in Anchorage are very good and the forecast is for moderate temperatures and snow showers for the next two weeks.

Says Stone, "The Tour trail is in excellent condition and, barring a major meltdown, we predict very good conditions for the races. The sprint and classic race courses are posted on 2009nationalmasters.com along with detailed race schedule. Our sponsors have provided great prizes for drawings at the Masters and Tour banquets. Despite the low entry fee, participants will receive a memento of the event and other goodies. The event will be informal but highly competitive and conclude with a fun filled dinner and award ceremony."

The long-standing traditional awarding of the U.S. Masters Team will continue for the NM2009. Featuring awards to all honorary team members provided by Podiumwear by Borah, the U.S. Masters Team will be based on a best two-of-two race format in 2009 using the 10km classic and official distances in the Tour of Anchorage. Skiers of any age are free to ski any distance (or technique) they wish in the Tour of Anchorage -- but only official NM distances for age/gender categories will be used for the U.S. Masters Team or the designations of Masters National Champions.

Several former Olympians, including Adam Verrier, Todd Boonstra and Tiger Demers are among the early registrants. Multi-World Masters Champions, Dick and Ann Mize, are ready to add some unique awards to their collection as are too many former U.S. Masters team members to list.

The Inlet Towers and Hilton Garden Inn are offering discount rates for the NM2009 with information posted on 2009nationalmasters.com. The ceremonial start of the Iditarod in downtown Anchorage is on Saturday, March 7 and there are spots along the race trail throughout the city where visitors can watch the dogs and mushers. In several places the Iditarod trail coincides with a section of the Tour of Anchorage trail. If you like to watch ski jumping the Junior Olympics Jumping Championships will also be hosted by NSAA during the week.

For those lower 48 skiers still considering a trip up north, a quick check of popular on-line travel agencies show that prices for airfare up to Anchorage are at or below price levels from Fall 2008 -- making this long weekend trip much more affordable than you might think.

Additional updates and information can be found on 2009nationalmasters.com or over the next three weeks. American XC Skiers looks forward to once again seeing the masters nation in beautiful Anchorage soon!