Sognefjell in June. Can't Wait!
Long time. It has been busy and we apologize for the silence. It isn't because nothing has been happening. It has been a fun season and even though Junior Olympics in Minneapolis, and the Eastern High School Championships are over we are still in full swing. On the 23rd of March we head for Sun Valley, Idaho and the US Super Tour Finals; four race days with distance, sprint and hill climbing competitions. The field is coming from as far away as Sweden, and it promises to be a challenging show.
The current Burke team had a solid season with everyone showing improvement and putting down some good results. There were podiums, top tens, and personal bests. Three of our ten qualified for the New England JO team, and one was first alternate. We helped athletes from other teams to a slot on the US Scandinavian Cup J1 squad, and came home with distinction in numerous regional races. Most importantly the lessons of training independence and resilience are sinking in. The vets are building strength and technique on top of increasingly good foundations and that shows in the performance of our alumni.
BMA alums have been tearing it up on the EISA curcuit, nationally and internationally. Sam Tarling and Lucy Garrec have been regulars on the podiums at the College Carnivals, and a lot of other Burkie Nordics have also been in the upper reaches of the first page of results; Curran, McClelland, Buetow, Gill, to name only a few. Liz Stephen won the US Nationals middle distance title in January and went on to a 16th place at the world championships in Oslo in late February.
Lucy G finished in 8th in the NCAA champ skate finals and Sam Tarling ended up as the NCAA Champion in Skating. That is a major accomplishment for any American as the field usually includes some hot rods from Europe, and an even bigger accomplishment for a sophomore!
We have skiers on the teams at every major eastern school and it is always great to see them on the road. They ski well, they are having fun, and they are sticking with the game
There is a new "Sweden Trip" gearing up for June, and it looks as though there will be considerable alumni participation. It is really a "Norway" trip this year and will focus on a higher level of training both on and off snow. We will keep you posted on that one. There are not many spaces left.
The Northeast Kingdom BKL cutting it up at BMA!
The winter saw BMA as a frequent venue for the new NE Kingdom Bill Koch League. The gift of a grooming roller and comb from alum Andrew Smith has allowed us to have good tracks here on campus, and the little guys loved it! In the hands of the Kingdom Trails crew and a bunch of enthused parents no program at all turned into one with 60 kids! The Burke Nordic
Team helped out with the kids when we were not away at races, and that was a hit. Maybe one day in the future, we'll start seeing some townies flying BMA colors, and in any case they are out there skiing and we have been able to help 'em get there.
More later, and we promise to do a better job on the updates.
