With the leaves changing colors and the temperatures starting to drop, we wanted to take a moment to look back on what was a really great summer for Ford Sayre’s Nordic Programs. From Bill Koch League (BKL) to the Junior Nordic Team (JNT) to Masters’ Club, everyone was out there improving their fitness and technique alongside teammates.
BKL
Rising seventh and eight grade BKLers had the opportunity to participate in two practices a week lead by Coaches Blaine Ayotte, Corinn Bryant, and JNT Alumnae, Sarah Glueck and Katie Davis. Monday practices focused on rollerskiing and often included thrilling agility courses, while Thursday practices were a combination of running, on-foot games, and strength. The eight graders were also invited to join JNT on Wednesdays for some inspiration from the big kids!
A highlight of summer programming for Ford Sayre as a whole but BKL in particular was, without a doubt, Ford Sayre Community Day, which was put on in collaboration with the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA). The event occurred at Oak Hill and included a coaches clinic, a community group run, and three youth activity stations (rollerski agility, laser biathlon, and the chance to try out the skiing jumping simulator) followed by a barbeque potluck. Check out a full recap from the event here.
Scenes from Ford Sayre Community Day with NENSA: Staying hydrated while riding the ramps (left) and trying out the laser biathlon rifles with guidance from JNT athletes (right).
JNT
With just less than 40 athletes, this was our largest group involved in JNT Summer Training yet, a trend we are excited to continue into this fall and winter. Great skiers are made in the summer, and the group met four days a week to put in the work. Tuesday mornings generally involved an on-foot workout followed by strength training in the evening. On Wednesdays, the athletes would be challenged with rollerski intervals, and Fridays mirrored Tuesdays with a morning session focused on aerobic development and strength training in the evening. Each week would conclude with an overdistance workout on the weekend in which the athletes would complete three to four hours of rollerskiing, running, or a combination of the two over the best terrain that the Upper Valley has to offer. Coaching was led by Head Coach Hilary McNamee and Assistant Izzy Seay with support from Nick Mahood, Jack Schrupp, Andy Rightmire, and Welly Ramsey.
Major highlights of the summer for JNT included continuing the traditions of Home Camp, Mountain Camp, and hosting the Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Field. We were also excited to finish Ford Sayre Clubhouse renovations at Oak Hill, where we now have our own weight room and no longer have to make the drive up to Thetford Academy to use their gym. The Clubhouse also includes four waxing benches and an office space.
Celebrating the final strength session at Thetford Academy and the completion of the new Ford Sayre Clubhouse with swimming in Jay’s backyard (left) and ice cream at the Lyme Country Store (right).
Home Camp
It has become tradition for JNT to kick-off Summer Programming with Home Camp, a long weekend of training, classroom sessions, and teambonding in the best spots the Upper Valley has to offer. This year, Home Camp included the following activities.
Thursday started with athletes completing the Canadian Strength test. The test involves completing as many pullups as possible in a minute followed by a minute rest. This cycle is then repeated with situps, pushups, box jumps, and dips. At the end of the summer, we repeated the test to see the strength gains made over the summer. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed pizza and ice cream together in the lodge at Oak Hill.
On Friday morning, the athletes met at Oak Hill and started the day with a distance skate rollerski that took them up East Wheelock Street to Tresscott Road before crossing Partridge Road and making their way to Dogford Road. During the session, coaches gathered video, which the group used to analyze technique afterwards. After lunch, the afternoon was filled with classroom sessions in which we talked about how to read a training plan and the importance of keeping a training log, learned about basic principles of physiology and training, and got to have a Zoom Q&A with Olympian and Vermont-native Ben Ogden!
Saturday morning the team met at the Ompompanoosuc Boat Launch in Norwich and classic rollerskied their way up Route 132 to Strafford. Then they met with Anna Terry of Total Athlete Care for a mobility session and learned techniques they can use to keep themselves healthy and moving well. Following lunch, they had a virtual meeting with Erin Ayala, PhD, CMPC of Skadi Sport Psychology in which they discussed how they can incorporate specific mental strategies to support their training and racing. The day concluded with a short run, a high-energy game of speedball, and swimming in the river.
Camp wrapped up Sunday with a point-to-point overdistance run on the Appalachian Trail. Everyone started heading north from where the trail crosses VT Route 12 in Woodstock, and younger athletes finished when they reached Cloudland Road while older athletes continued down Cloudland and Barber Hill Roads to reach three hours of moving time.
Mountain Camp
At the end of July, for the second year in a row, the team made the trip to Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, ME for Mountain Camp. The focus of the four days was to finish out Summer Programming with lots of training hours and quality team time before pre-season for fall sports started. Downtime was filled with lots of pingpong, puzzling, dips in the river, and watching the Tour de France.
After arriving on Thursday afternoon, everyone headed out for an exploratory run and game of soccer while Izzy and Hilary prepared burgers, hotdogs, corn, and watermelon for dinner.
Friday included two training sessions. In the morning, the team did a long point-to-point rollerski on Long Falls Dam Road with a focus on double poling–this became extra challenging when they hit the big hill 15 km in! The afternoon session included an easy run on the Narrow Gauge Pathway followed by a game of sand volleyball and trying out the slackline.
On Saturday morning, the team did a skiwalking intensity session up the access road to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain. In the afternoon, they did a skate rollerski with technique work in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Mountain Camp concluded on Sunday with a big run in the Bigelow Mountain Preserve. Everyone started together and headed up the Appalachian Trail. Younger athletes peeled off to complete a shorter, ten mile loop with 2,500’ of climbing that took them by Horns Pond, while older athletes continued on across the ridgeline to Mount Bigelow and Avery Peak to make a longer, 14 mile loop with almost 5,000’ of climbing. We of course had to stop for ice cream on the way home!
Scenes from Mountain Camp: Picnic dinner and s’mores around the campfire (left), everyone at the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain after a hard skiwalking session with the Bigelow Mountains in the background (middle), and smiling for ice cream after a fun and tiring weekend (right).
Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Field
On Saturday, August 2, JNT hosted their annual Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Field. At the event, ticketholders were treated to a locally-sourced meal prepared and presented by JNT athletes, and all the proceeds went towards the Athlete Travel Fund, which helps offset trip expenses for qualification-based events, such as Junior Nationals, Eastern High School Championships, and U16 Championships. This year’s event was the most successful yet, as tickets sold out, and we were treated to a perfect summer evening.
Scenes from the Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Field: Guests enjoying their meal (left) and JNT athletes serving their homemade pies and Strafford Creamery ice cream (right).
MASTERS’ CLUB
For the fourth year in a row, the Ford Sayre held a camp in August for master skiers from across the region. This year was the biggest so far with 12 people attending and included three full days of training.
On the first day, the group was guided through rollerski technique drills by Hilary McNamee and Ben Theyerl, the Competitive Program Director at NENSA, on River Road in Lyme, NH. The next day, everyone looked to apply these lessons as they completed an over 20 mile rollerski up to Lake Tarleton. Much of the ski was uphill with grades as high as 14%, which made lunch and swimming afterwards extra enjoyable. On the final day, the majority of the group did a trail run up Mount Mossilauke, while three athletes made their way to to compete in an uphill running race up Stratton Mountain in Vermont alongside Jessie Diggins and other members of the SMST2 team.
Scenes from the Ford Sayre Masters’ Camp: Working on technique with Hilary and Ben (left) and at the summit of Mount Moosilauke (right).
Relay Day at Junior Nationals always occurs on the last day of a full week of racing. By design, it’s meant to focus the individual efforts of an entire winter by placing them in the context of a Team. Drive to the heart of our sport: a wintertime, cold, individual pursuit, made wonderful by the warmth of pursuing it together.
For Team New England this year, Relay Day represented another opportunity. After a sometimes frustrating week of near-misses on All-American finishes (top 10), there was a tangible way for skiers who had already accomplished much in the week of racing to boost their teammates to their goals. A strong relay leg, a last burst of speed against a tired field, by any one skier could be the difference.
As it would turn out on the day, those race-defining, team-boosting efforts would begin and end with two skiers who had led their peers in the Eastern Cup all season: James Underwood and Lea Perreard, both out of Ford Sayre Ski Club in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire-Vermont.
At their end-of-season banquet this spring, the members of Ford Sayre Junior Nordic Ski Team (FSJNT) offered up just this honor for their Head Coach, Hilary McNamee. “One of the athletes compared Hilary’s abilities as a coach to her abilities as a flower farmer,” says Ford Sayre Assistant Coach Isabel Seay. “He described how just as she successfully grows a wide variety of flowers by knowing how to tend each of them, she successfully develops athletes of all levels by meeting them where they are at, understanding their goals, and providing them with the support they need (and more).”
To tend the metaphor then: as the seeds she planted for Ford Sayre have hit a full bloom, we’re honored to recognize Hilary McNamee as the 2024-25 NENSA Coach of the Year.
The Liatoppen is the world’s largest youth Biathlon festival with 1,100 U16 athletes competing in 2025. Isaac Fellows was a member of the US team of 22 biathletes from across the country who travelled to Norway for 3 days of training and 3 days of competition. This year there was almost no snow at the venue and they moved snow by truck up the mountain from a local downhill ski area to hold the competition.
Friday: Relay race 3 1K loops with 2 shooting sessions. Isaac (lane 26) skied the second leg of the top seeded US team with Lance Smith from AK and Elin Lunoe from AK placing 13th in the mixed relay category.
Saturday: Individual start. 2 x1x2 K loops with 2 shooting sessions. Isaac placed 52, 4/10.
Sunday: Mass start with 30 athletes in a wave. 3 x 1.5 K loops with 2 shooting sessions. Isaac placed 37, 6/10.
Q: How was your experience in Norway?
Isaac: The trip to Liatoppen, Norway was super fun, super cool, and a great overall experience. It was really cool to be in Norway for the first time where the ski culture is just everywhere and everyone is super friendly. What made the biggest impression on me is how focused on skiing the country is. A shopping mall will have 5 ski shops with a vast selection of equipment. Everywhere you look there is a ski area that includes a biathlon range. There was a school near the venue that trained Nordic skiers and biathletes with a range right beside the school.
The race venue was on top of a mountain with great views, and a really nice place to ski. It was great to meet everyone on the team and become friends with people from Alaska to Washington to Maine. The races were so much fun and even if you didn’t do well, everyone was happy to be there and enjoyed the beautiful sunny days. The weather was impeccable all week with sun and warm temperature everyday, so this combined with the amazing racing, stunning views, and new friends, made my week in Norway an incredible experience that I’ll always remember.
Ford Sayre skiers representing Team New England at the ‘25 Junior National Championship (photo by Izzy Seay)
The National Championships for junior skiers in the United States took place in Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, at the 2002 (and now 2034) Olympic venue, between MARCH 8-15, 2025.
Six Ford Sayre skiers (and one alum) represent Team New England:
James Underwood (U20 Men), Woodstock Joey Sluka (U18 Men), Woodstock Annie Hanna (U18 Women), Lebanon Lea Perreard (U18 Women), Hanover Lucille Dent (U16 Girls), Hanover Ollie Hanna (U16 Girls), Lebanon Sarah Glueck (U20 Women, now skiing for Colby College), Hanover
The U18 New England coach was none other than our own JNT Assistant Coach: Izzy Seay!
The NE team, photo by George Forbes, @the_xcskiman
Monday: Individual Classic Distance Race
The competition kicked off on Monday with the individual start classic races: a 5km race for U16s in the morning, followed by a 7.5km event for the U18/U20 women and men. Under blazing sunshine and an unseasonably warm 60°F—unfamiliar conditions for the Northeast crew accustomed to racing in frigid temperatures—athletes took on the challenge of racing at altitude.
Ollie delivered a solid performance, crossing the line in 18th place, while Lucille finished 41st, both showing strong form on day one. In the women’s U18/U20 race, Annie dug deep on the big hills and secured a spot on the podium with an impressive 2nd-place overall finish—just shy of a National Championship title. Lea battled back from a fall on the hilly course to claim 15th place overall (12th in U18), just outside the top 10, while Sarah finished 35th (7th in U20), rounding out a strong team showing.
By the time the men took to the course, the snow had transformed into thick slush, making the downhills just as grueling as the climbs. James powered through to finish 26th overall (9th in U20), while Joey crossed the line in 47th (29th in U18), wrapping up a demanding opening day of racing.
Annie, Lea, Izzy
Sarah & Annie
Classic race top 10 podium. Annie in 2nd place.
Wednesday: Sprints
All boys and girls competed in the morning’s skate sprint qualifier, where the top 30 from each age group advanced to the heats. James and Joey narrowly missed the cut, both finishing 32nd in their respective categories.
The girls delivered an impressive showing in the qualifier. Ollie posted the 3rd fastest time among U16s, while Lucille secured 14th, well within the top 30. In the U18 division, Annie dominated with the fastest time of the morning, followed closely by Lea in 8th. Sarah also earned a spot in the heats, qualifying 15th for U20s.
The afternoon brought grueling conditions—hot weather, soft snow, multiple crashes, and race delays. In the quarterfinals, Lea placed 3rd in her heat despite a fall, while Lucille finished 5th. Annie and Ollie both advanced to the semifinals but suffered crashes in their respective heats, ultimately moving on to the B finals. Meanwhile, Sarah snagged a semi-final lucky loser spot, earning a place in the U20 A final, where she finished 5th overall. Annie closed out the day in 9th place, and Ollie finished 12th overall.
Heats: Top L to R: Annie, Lea Bottom L to R: Lucille, Ollie
James in sprint qualifier
Annie, Lucille and Lea in the sprint qualifier
Ollie and Lucille
Joey, Lucille and Sarah photos: @the_xcskiman
Boys, James, Joey
U18 start skate @the_xcskiman
Friday: mass start skate race
The mass start skate races took place on Friday under increasingly challenging snow conditions, as the course became more chopped up throughout the day.
In the morning races, Ollie finished 36th, followed by Lucille in 42nd. James delivered an impressive performance, securing 5th place overall and finishing as the top New England skier. In the U20 15k race, Sarah put in a strong effort to place 14th. Joey also had a standout race, cracking the top 20 with a 19th-place finish in the U18 10k event, where the deteriorating snow conditions made for an exceptionally tough race.
By the afternoon, race delays and shifting weather—from hot and sunny to cold and windy—added to the challenges. After multiple off-course crashes in the U18 men’s race, officials delayed the women’s race to salt the course in an attempt to firm up the snow. Despite the tough conditions, Lea powered through to finish 15th, while Annie wrapped up the day in 27th.
James 5th place overall!
Saturday: Mixed Classic Relay Race
A perennial favorite, the mixed gender relay took place on Saturday morning: classic style (4×3.33km, boy/girl/boy/girl). The Ford Sayre athletes put on a show!
New England teams:
U20 Team 1: James UNDERWOOD (8:04.9), Margo NIGHTINGALE, Micah BRUNER, Beth MCINTOSH 2nd place overall U20 Team 2: Anders LINSEISEN, Caroline TARMY, Abrahm GEISSINGER, Sarah GLUECK (10:32.8) 6th place overall
U18 Team 1: Beckett COTE, Mary HARRINGTON, Joseph SLUKA (9:41.4), Annie HANNA (11:29.8) 3rd place overall U18 Team 2: Fritz SANDERS, Ella RONCI, Matthew MCINTOSH, Lea PERREARD (11:22.2) 5th place overall
U16 Team 2: Eli MCENANEY, Astrid LONGSTRETH, Patrick HOLLAND, Ollie HANNA (12:00.1) 8th place overall U16 Team 3: Matthew NORTHCOTT, Lucille DENT(13:17.4), James LANGAN, Leila GRIFFITH 16th place overall
U20 competition: James skied the scramble leg for NE Team 1 and passed off to his teammate in 3rd place–third fastest time of the U20 men! The team was able to maintain their position and with a strong anchor, finished on the podium in 2nd place on the day! Sarah skied anchor for NE Team 2 and helped them to a 6th place overall finish out of 28 teams.
U18 competition: NE Team 1 featured Joey as the men’s closer (third leg) and Annie as anchor, while NE Team 2 had Lea anchoring and also included NH skier Ella Ronci of Plymouth.
After a strong performance by Ella, NE Team 2 entered the third relay leg in 6th place. Meanwhile, NE Team 1 had Joey heading out in 11th place, facing a sizable 14-second gap to the skier in 10th. Joey wasted no time, surging onto the course and closing the gap by the 2km mark. He maintained a strong pace on the course’s long, steady climb and powered up the final hill, overtaking three skiers. Navigating the tricky S-turn into the stadium—where the snow was soft and chewed up—he handed off to Annie in 8th place, having impressively erased a 46-second deficit. His time was the 4th fastest of the day for U18 men!
Lea was next on course, starting the final leg in 9th place with a 30-second gap to the 5th-place skier. The Ford Sayre girls had their work cut out for them over the 3.3km course in their push for a top-5 finish and All-American status. Both Annie and Lea wasted no time closing gaps and passing skiers. By the top of the final hill, Annie had surged NE Team 1 into 2nd place, while Lea wasn’t far behind in 6th.
Unfortunately, the soft snow on the descent tripped Annie up, causing her to fall and lose a pole. Quick action from a New England coach got her a replacement, and she recovered in time to secure a podium spot, bringing NE Team 1 across the line in 3rd place. Meanwhile, Lea unleashed a gutsy sprint to the finish, moving into 5th place and missing 4th by just 0.8 seconds.
Lea clocked the 3rd fastest U18 girls’ time of the day, with Ella Ronci 4th and Annie 5th. Both teams earned All-American status, finishing among the top five out of a field of 39 teams!
U16 competition: Ollie anchored NE Team 2, while Lucille skied the second leg for NE Team 3. At the handoff, Ollie set out in 14th place. Over the 3.3km course, she powered up the hills, passing six skiers and closing a 27 second gap to secure an impressive 8th-place finish for her team—finishing ahead of NE Team 1 in a field of 34 teams! NE Team 3 wrapped up the day in 24th place.
Relays top 5
Photos in order: James, coaches and teams U18s, NE Team 1, NE both teams, NE Team 2 hug, Annie, Joey, Sarah, Lea
Relay U20 team, with James 2nd from left
Relay race pics:
Sarah Glueck Nominated for the Dave Quinn Award
Each year at the Junior National Championships, an athlete is presented with the Dave Quinn Award. The award is given by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Sport Committee based on results as well as sportsmanship in the memory of U.S. Ski Team racer Dave Quinn, who died in 1976 at the peak of his career. Each region nominates one of their athletes to be considered, and this year New England elected to nominate Sarah. Her nomination can be found here.
James Underwood and Lea Perreard Recognized as Mike Gallagher Award Winners
In addition to Sarah being nominated for the Dave Quinn Award, James and Lea were recognized within Team NE as this years’ Mike Gallagher Award winners. The award formally recognizes the season’s Eastern Cup Champion based on consistent excellence within New England’s premier race series. Coach Izzy’s presentation of them can be found here.
A Few Thoughts from Coach Izzy
In 2018, I competed at Soldier Hollow as a U18 in my second Junior National Championships, so to be there this year as the U18 girls coach for Team NE was a very full circle opportunity that I really enjoyed. While my priority was to support the U18 girls, I was able to see most of the other races and cheer on all our Ford Sayre skiers. It was rewarding for me as a coach to see them all put together races that they should be extremely proud of, as I know firsthand doing this at the end of the season and in a hyped up environment such as JNs can be difficult, and have the opportunity to form bonds with other skiers from NE and the rest of the country. All this to say, the way they carried themselves on and off the snow made me proud to be there representing Ford Sayre!
James Underwood and Lea Perreard are Celebrated as 2025 Eastern Cup Champions with Mike Gallagher Award – New England Nordic Ski AssociationDownloadContinue reading →
