Team New Hampshire won the New England U16 Championships! This is only the 3rd time that New Hampshire has won the cup in the last 25 years… and possibly in the 33 year history of the event.
The 2025 U16 Championships were hosted by Prospect Mountain in Woodford, VT. Each New England state and New York qualified up to 24 of their fastest boys and girls in the U16 category (ages 14-15). This year, teams from Midwest and Ontario joined in.
Athletes traveled, roomed and dined with teammates from their territory. They raced four events in three days: 5k Skate, 5k Classic, Skate Sprint, and a Mixed 3km relay! With the exception of the relay, the races began with a wave start, with one athlete from each territory.
Overheard on Saturday: “Isn’t it cool to be here with kids from other places? Normally we compete with them, but now we’re together on the same team!
17 Ford Sayre Skiers (recent BKL graduates or current JNT members) represented Team New Hampshire:
Caroline Chor, 8th grade, Hanover Anna Davis, 8th grade, Lyme Lila Marchetti, 8th grade, Norwich (1st in the 5k Skate and the Skate Sprint, 6th in the Classic Distance, 2nd in the relay and 2nd individual overall!) Lilian Van Citters, 8th grade, Hanover Jasper Breton, 9th grade, Lyme Hannah Eck, 9th grade, Hanover Ingrid Groff, 9th grade, Hanover (9th in the Skate Sprint) Rhys Jones, 9th grade, Hanover Olin Walker, 9th grade, Lebanon (2nd in the Relay) Nelson Barabas, 10th grade, Hanover Mallory Eshbaugh, 10th grade, Lebanon Isaac Fellows, 10th grade, Hanover (3rd in the 5k Skate and 2nd in the relay) Grace Healey, 10th grade, Hanover Annabelle Norris, 10th grade, Lebanon Grace Weinstein, 10th grade, Hanover Hannah Eck, 10th grade, Lyme
Lila in particular, had a phenomenal weekend given that this was her first U16 championship. She placed 1st in the 5k Skate and the Skate Sprint, 6th in the Classic Distance, 2nd in the relay and 2nd individual overall!
Pictured: Ford Sayre skiers from NH, holding the New England cup. Front row: Lily Van Citters, Anna Davis, Ingrid Groff, Lila Marchetti, Caroline Chor, Grace Weinstein. Back row: Isaac Fellows, Rhys Jones, Olin Walker, Mallory Eshbaugh, Also pictured: our very own Coach Hilary McNamee, Co-Lead for Team NH
On Team Vermont, these siblings of Ford Sayre skiers also did their state proud: Mary (Kasia) Sluka- 12th in the classic, 18th individual overall out of 112 Nick Cellini – 5th in the freestyle, 17th individual overall out of 119 Kasia and Nick also placed 6th in the mixed relay, together with fellow VT teammates.
Event recap:
Prospect Mountain still had impressive natural snow for March – and impressively gusty winds! Staff & volunteers came out in force – with NENSA – to welcome skiers, coaches, wax crews and fans.
The first race of the meet was a 5K skate race on Friday afternoon. Six Ford Sayre skiers finished in the top 20: Olin (4th), Isaac (11th), Rhys (18th) for the boys; Lila (1st), Mary (18th) and Caroline (19th) among the girls. Jasper and Nelson crossed the finish line 58th and 86th. Hannah finished at 26th.
Ingrid, Annabelle, Mallory, and Lily came in 40th, 43rd, 46th and 49th place, followed by Grace Healey in 51st and Anna (72nd) and Grace Weinstein (82nd).
Saturday morning saw temperatures dip after a snow squall that filled the classic tracks with powder. The snowy tracks were a problem for skiers in the first few waves of the classic 5km race, resulting in slower than expected times for them. Rhys finished 23rd, Nicholas 36th, Isaac 46th, Olin 51st, Jasper 55th and Nelson 97th. In the girls’ race, Lila suffered a pole malfunction and lost it somewhere on the course but amazingly still managed to cross the line in 6th place.. She was followed by Caroline, Annabelle and Ingrid in 23rd, 25th and 28th place; Lily and Mallory in 30th and 35th; followed by Grace Healey (44th), Hannah (55th), Anna (69th) and Grace Weinstein (71th).
After the morning race, athletes refueled for the afternoon with hot meals and baked treats served up by parent volunteers.
The skate sprint took place Saturday afternoon: a fast and challenging course on Prospect Mountain’s former alpine hill. One athlete reflected after her race: “I had more in me than I’d realized.”
Lila took 1st place for the second time this weekend and Ingrid arrived in10th, Caroline in 16th. Lily placed 27th, Annabelle 31st, Mallory 38th; followed by Grace Healey (47th), Anna (53rd), Hannah (61st), and Grace Weinstein (64th).
The skiers could finally relax on Saturday evening when they enjoyed a taco dinner with their team, followed by the awards. In the individual awards, given for the overall performance in the 3 races, Lila was 2nd! (podium photo in the Nensa recap here).
The skiers’ favorite race – the fun mixed relay – concluded the championship on Sunday morning. This event brought together 2 boys and 2 girls per team, with a mix of skate and classic techniques. Spectators enjoyed the high-energy mass start and an exciting handoff between each leg of the competition.
Here’s how the relay teams fared:
*FS names in bold
2nd – NH1 Olin Walker, Lila Marchetti, Isaac Fellows, Skyah Mclaughlin 7th – NH2 Rhys Jones, Elena LaRoche, Bridger Ekstrom, Madeline Ronci 11th – NH3 Ezra Boisseau, Mallory Eshbaugh, Andrew Clarner, Ingrid Groff 13th –NH6 Jasper Breton, Corva Hannon, Abe Hankens, Caroline Chor 16th – NH4 Sawyer Kress, Annabelle Norris, Ren Huston, Hannah Casey 26th – NH7 Sam Polson, LilianVan Citters, Ben Lewis, Grace Healey 38th – NH11 Nelson Barabas, Pearl Marvel, William Tindall, Anna Davis 39th – NH10 Kelby Frenkiewich, Grace Weinstein, Luke Hennessey, Molly Flynn
i
Olin, Rhys and Issac
Caroline, Anna, Lila, and Lily – the only 8th-graders on Team NH!
Nelson (in bib 481) at the start of the mixed relay
Issac in Bib 11
Lily Van Citters
Caroline Chor
Jasper Breton
Ingrid Groff, who also participated in the Eastern High School Championship the following weekend
Grace Healey
Lila in bib 211
Mallory
Annabelle
Hannah
Isaac tagging Skyah Mclaughlin from Dublin, in the relays
Lila, Anna, Hannah, Lily, and Caroline about to get on the bus
Lily & Caroline cheering on the boys (photo: Aricca VanCitters)
Hannah, with JNT athlete and U16 alum Heidi Davis and her sister Anna
Relays podium. Isaac, Olin and Lila and Skyah on the left.
Five Ford Sayre athletes traveled to Park City UT from February 24 – March 2, 2025 to represent the Eastern Division in the Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Junior National Championships.
Caroline Chor, Hanover NH
Dylan Cote, Lyme NH
Ava Joyal, Brattleboro VT
Wesley Leonard, Hinsdale NH
Celia Osborne, Sunapee NH (did not compete due to injury)
The ski jumping competition was held at Utah Olympic Park, and the nordic skiing race was held at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center. Ford Sayre athletes overcame warm weather challenges to win exciting victories and gain valuable experience.
From L-R: Wesley, Ava, Dylan and Caroline competing at Park City
The Ford Sayre group consisted of Junior National first-timers and returning athletes, all taking home personal bests and a few podium spots. Caroline Chor took home first place in the U16 female individual ski jumping as well as first in the individual Nordic combined race. Caroline teamed up with Islay Sheil of the Salisbury Winter Sports Association to win first place in the team ski jumping event, and with Paisley Rancourt of the Andover Outing Club to earn second place in the team Nordic combined relays. Ava Joyal secured fourth place in the team ski jumping event, paired with Piper Mouttet of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. In the co-ed Elimination Jumping Competition, Caroline finished among the final four.
Congratulations to all!
Caroline with East teammates Islay (top right) and Paisley (bottom right)Continue reading →
We are thrilled to announce that our very own Annie Hanna has qualified to represent the USA at the 2025 U18 Scando Trip in Gjøvik, Norway, from February 15–23!
This is an incredible achievement, and we couldn’t be prouder of Annie’s hard work, determination, and passion for Nordic skiing. She’ll be competing alongside the top young athletes from around the world, showcasing her skills on an international stage.
Please join us in congratulating Annie on this well-deserved honor and wishing her the best of luck as she represents Ford Sayre and Team USA!
Dear Ford Sayre Families, As we gear up for the exciting 2024-2025 season, we want to share some important news regarding adjustments to our program fees. We recognize that fee changes can raise questions, and we want to be transparent about the reasons behind these decisions.
This past week marked the end of summer programming for the Ford Sayre Nordic chapter. Starting in June, 27 JNT and high school athletes and 12 middle school athletes took part in a variety of training opportunities around the Upper Valley and beyond. Solid summer training is a cornerstone to having success in the winter, and the coaches are very proud of the progress they saw over the past couple of months and can’t wait to see how it translates on snow this coming winter. In the meantime we’ll be cheering on the athletes as they compete in fall sports for their high schools, and we’ll also soon be starting up again with fall programming for both the JNT and BKL programs.
BKL
BKL summer programming consisted of a rollerski practice on Mondays, an on-foot practice on Thursdays, and an additional rollerski practice combined with JNT on Wednesdays for rising eighth grade athletes. These practices were led by Head Coach Hilary McNamee, current JNT Assistant Coach Izzy Seay, former JNT Assistant Coach Andy Rightmire, and BKL alum Zach Edson.
A highlight of the program was a visit from NENSA during which the athletes got to have fun skiing through their new youth rollerski agility kit. The course included a variety of obstacles such as a slalom to weave through, arches to tuck under, 360s to navigate, and a bean bag toss. It was a particularly hot day, so they even had to watch out for coaches waiting at the ready with fully loaded squirt guns. Check out NENSA’s reel from the practice!
JNT Assistant Coach Izzy Seay leading the BKL kids through the agility course.
Planking it out during a strength focused practice.
The program concluded with an extra fun practice in which the athletes exercised their creativity to make a music video. Although practices always included a lot of laughs, it’s safe to say this one had an above average amount.
Outside of Ford Sayre programming, several BKL athletes also jumped at the opportunity to attend camps at GMVS and SMS where they were able to get to know some of their peers from around the region and learn from other coaches.
JNT and High School
JNT and high school programming consisted of rollerski or on-foot practices on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and some weekends, strength sessions twice a week, and two multi-day camps. These practices were led primarily by Head Coach Hilary McNamee and current JNT Assistant Coach Izzy Seay with occasional help from former JNT Assistant Coach Andy Rightmire.
Home Camp
Summer programming for this group of athletes kicked off with Home Camp in late June. Camp started off on a Thursday evening with an ice cream social before three full days of training and classroom sessions around the Upper Valley. The overarching goal of the camp was to provide athletes with a focused start to their summer training while also giving them the space to bond with each other and learn about important aspects of skiing beyond the physical training.
On Friday morning, athletes met at the Dartmouth Skiway where they completed an uphill run test starting at the AT and going south to finish at Holt’s Ledge. They started on 15 second intervals and took around 15 to 20 minutes to complete the 1.25 mile climb with just over 1,000 feet of climbing. All the athletes put in great efforts, and several came away with personal records, which was great to see!
After lunch, the athletes sat through the first of three classroom sessions of camp in which Hilary presented on “Physiology 101”. They learned about training fundamentals and how training causes the body to adapt to become a better skier. The classroom session was followed by strength training at Thetford Academy.
On Saturday morning, the athletes met at Barrett Hall in South Strafford where they started the day by watching videos of professional skiers to examine their double pole technique. With their observations in mind, they then headed out for a long distance classic rollerski with an emphasis on double poling. After finishing the two plus hour session, they returned to Barrett Hall to examine videos of themselves that the coaches took during the workout.
Joey, Tomas, and Isaac during the double pole workout.
Saturday afternoon started with the second classroom session in which Izzy presented on recovery and explained the importance of recovery in order to adapt to training and gave examples of what proper recovery looks like. Following the classroom session, the athletes went on a short trail run before doing a teambuilding activity and playing a game of handball.
On the final day of Home Camp, the athletes met in Woodstock for a point-to-point over distance run on the AT. Ten miles later, the team returned to the Howe Library for the third and final classroom session in which they got to do a Zoom call with current professional skier Erin Bianco. Erin spoke candidly to the athletes on her unconventional path to becoming a professional skier, gave them great advice on how to approach training and racing as a high schooler, and even told a story about being in an elevator with Klaebo.
Finishing up the over distance run in Woodstock.
Mountain Camp
At the end of July, fifteen athletes made their way to Maine for Mountain Camp. The focus of the camp was on getting in lots of training hours and quality time together. On Thursday, after arriving at Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA), which is ideally located at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain, the athletes went for a run before enjoying a summer cookout around the campfire for dinner.
The team enjoying dinner outside
Playing volleyball at CVA.
Friday morning started with mobility and breakfast before driving to Long Falls Dam Road for a point-to-point classic rollerski. Double pole technique has been a central focus this summer, and the long gradual uphill provided a great opportunity for the athletes to practice what they’ve been working on. After lunch and some downtime, the team headed out from CVA for a run on the nordic ski trails at the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center followed by a game of volleyball. Let’s just say there’s a reason these kids ski and don’t play volleyball!
On Saturday morning, the athletes did a continuous threshold ski walking session on the access road to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain. From the top, they were able to look out and see the Bigelow Range on which they would run the next day. After making their way back down the mountain, the team enjoyed a refreshing swim in the river. For the afternoon session, the team did a skate rollerski with some specific technique drills from CVA through the neighborhoods at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Safir and Caleb ski walking up the access road (left). The team at the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain after finishing a threshold ski walking session up the access road (middle). Izzy, Maya, and Annie cooling off in the river after the session (right).
Mountain Camp wrapped up on Sunday with a big over distance run in the Bigelow Range. The older athletes did a 14 mile loop with over 4,500 feet of climbing in which they got to summit Mount Bigelow and Mount Avery and experience some fantastic views. The younger athletes did a slightly shorter loop, also with some great views, and got to spend some time at Horns Pond.
The team running in the Bigelow Range.
Ada, Maya, and Lucille at Horns Pond. .
In between training sessions, the athletes enjoyed spending quality time together at CVA. Between the game room, puzzles, watching the Olympics, and a great outdoor space, there was not a shortage of fun activities. Overall, the team could not have asked for a better weekend!
Running in the Presidential Range and Rollins Roll
The final week of summer programming included two particularly exciting days. On Wednesday, the team left bright and early to spend the day running in the Presidential Range. Older athletes completed the entire Presidential Traverse, a well-known almost 20 mile route with over 8,500 feet of climbing that runs north to south to span the Presidential Range and summits some of the highest peaks in the White Mountains, including Mount Washington. Younger athletes stayed with the group until Mount Washington, where they then backtracked to descend off of Mount Jefferson to complete a slightly shorter route. Clear weather provided some spectacular views, and everyone was still smiling after the eight hour day!
The team completing the Presidential Traverse (left). John, Olin, and Ollie with Mount Washington in the background (right).
On Sunday, some of the athletes headed to Mount Kearsarge to compete in the Rollins Roll. The uphill classic rollerski race starts at the base of Rollins State Park and climbs 1,500 feet over the course of 3.5 miles to the summit of Mount Kearsarge. Ford Sayre athletes successfully strided their way through the clouds that were encompassing the mountain. Lea Perrard was the overall winner of the women’s race with a time of 30:30. Annie Hanna followed closely behind and finished third overall with a time of 31:27. Izzy Cellini and Ingrid Groff also put in strong efforts to finish in eighth and eleventh overall, respectively. On the men’s side, Noah Branchflower finished in a time of 27:30 to claim third overall and second junior. Isaac Novosad and Tomas Masterson followed in ninth and tenth overall, respectively. After a strong start, James Underwood unfortunately experienced an equipment malfunction but still managed to make it to the summit on one rollerski with a smile on his face.
Isaac striding his way up Mount Kearsarge (left). Noah crossing the finish line to finish in third overall and second junior (middle). Lea and Annie being recognized for their first and third place overall finishes (right).
Fundraising Dinnerin the Flower Field
Outside of training, the team hosted the second annual Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Field. For the event, the athletes worked together to cook and serve guests a locally sourced, family-style meal in the flower fields of Cloca Mora Floral. 29 tickets were sold and $2,500 was raised for the JNT Athlete Travel Fund, which offsets qualification-based championship race trip expenses for members of the team. Thanks to all who played a part in making the event a success!
Scenes from a successful Fundraising Dinner in the Flower Flower field at Cloca Mora Floral.