Fischer loppet(s)

The Fischer loppet is taking place from March 5-7.
The races include a sprint on the Friday, 20 and 40k skate races on Saturday and 20 and 40k classic races on Sunday. Should be a fun. I m planning on doing the 40km skate.

Registration closes Friday Feb 27 at 6pm.

i

http://hardwoodskiandbike.ca/index.php?view=details&id=103%3Afischerloppetjackrabbitraces&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=95

Gryphon men win silver at OUA Championships

Feb. 20-21: OUA Nordic Ski Championships

*ORANGEVILLE, Ont*. – The Guelph Gryphon men’s Nordic Ski team won the overall team silver medal at the Ontario University Athletics Championships today at Monora Park in Orangeville. The Gryphon women finished fourth overall.

The Lakehead Thunderwolves women won their sixth straight OUA title, while the Carleton Ravens are the new men's champions after dethroning five-time champion Lakehead.

The Carleton men earned a total of 43 points, ahead of the second-place Guelph Gryphons (95) and third-place Laurentian Voyageurs (117).

Skiers with Top 10 combined individual times earn OUA all-star recognition. Matti Little (Sudbury, Ont.) was the top Gryphon at the Championships finishing 5th overall. He was fourth in the men’s 10km classic and fifth in the 15km freestyle. Also finishing inside the top ten and an OUA all-star was Ian Ritchie (Penetanguishene, Ont.) finishing ninth in the men’s 10 km classic race and 12th in the 15km freestyle.

The Gryphon team of Erin McLean-Purdon (Owen Sound, Ont.), Ritchie and Little took relay bronze in a time of 44:53, with anchor Little only 9 s back of Carleton's Colin Abbot. Waterloo staged the upset of the day, with anchor Henry Reich out-gliding Abbott and Little on the final downhill to the stadium.

Vesta Mather (Wahnapitae, Ont.) was the top Gryphowoman and was named an OUA all-star. She finished eighth in the 10km freestyle race and 10th in the 5km classic. Also named all-star was Laura Hewitt (Orillia ON) after a seventh place finish in the 10km freestyle and 17th in the 5km classic, her best OUA result and a great reward in her graduating year.

Coach Richard Lay said he was so proud of his skiers, knowing the way they had worked together since the first team meeting back in the first week of school in September. "Everything adds up - a roller ski session in the rain tonight, an early morning in the gym tomorrow, a sunny afternoon blasting the hills up north on Saturday. This weekend's results were the past 5 month's results, and the past several year."


Men's Overall Champion: Colin Abbott (Carleton)
Women's Overall Champion: Alana Thomas (Carleton)
Coach of the Year: Hans Fischer (Toronto)

TEAM STANDINGS – MEN
*Carleton 43
Guelph 95
Laurentian 117
Waterloo 138
Lakehead 199
Toronto 251
Queen's 339
Nipissing 380

*TEAM STANDINGS – WOMEN
*Lakehead 58
Carleton 67
Laurentian 82
Guelph 117
Toronto 257
Queen's 291
Waterloo 340

*MEN'S 10 KM CLASSIC
*1. Colin Abbott (Carleton) 28:18.2
2. Evan Odell (Laurentian) 29:17.5
3. Henry Reich (Waterloo) 29:25.5

*WOMEN'S 5 KM CLASSIC
*1. Alana Thomas (Carleton) 16:10.0
2. Mary Thompson (Laurentian) 16:35.3
3. Adele Lay (Carleton) 16:42.7

*MEN'S 15 KM CLASSIC RELAY*
1. Waterloo 44:31.8
(Tim Rhodes, Andrew Jeffery, Henry Reich)
2. Carleton 44:44.8
(Matthias Purdon, André Marchand, Colin Abbott)
3. Guelph 44:53.3
(Erin McLean-Purdon, Ian Ritchie, Matti Little)

*WOMEN'S 7.5 KM CLASSIC RELAY
*1. Carleton 22:57.0
(Zoe Braul, Adele Lay, Alana Thomas)
2. Lakehead 23:20.0
(Britt Bailey, Kara Jaspers, Anna Crawford)
3. Laurentian 23:35.0
(Janel Sauder, Lindsay Anderson, Mary Thompson)

*MEN'S 15 KM FREESTYLE
*1. Colin Abbott (Carleton) 41:45.1
2. Evan Odell (Laurentian) 42:15.9
3. Matthias Purdon (Carleton) 42:55.9

*WOMEN'S 10 KM FREESTYLE
*1. Anna Crawford (Lakehead) 31:09.2
2. Alana Thomas (Carleton) 31:11.2
3. Mary Thompson (Laurentian) 31:13.8

*MEN'S ALL-STARS
*Colin Abbott (Carleton) 1:10:03.3
Evan Odell (Laurentian) 1:11:33.4
Henry Reich (Waterloo) 1:12:32.6
Matthias Purdon (Carleton) 1:12:40.8
Matti Little (Guelph) 1:12:52.5
André Marchand (Carleton) 1:13:46.4
Andrew Jeffery (Waterloo) 1:14:37.4
Logan Potter (Carleton) 1:14:42.4
Ian Ritchie (Guelph) 1:15:07.1
Lee Hawkings (Carleton) 1:15:16.5

*WOMEN'S ALL-STARS
*Alana Thomas (Carleton) 47:21.2
Mary Thompson (Laurentian) 47:49.1
Anna Crawford (Lakehead) 47:54.3
Adele Lay (Carleton) 48:49.7
Janel Sauder (Laurentian) 49:01.3
Kara Jaspers (Lakehead) 49:15.8
Vesta Mather (Guelph) 50:04.9
Britt Bailey (Lakehead) 50:11.4
Laura Hewitt (Guelph) 50:28.6
Daphne Haggarty (Lakehead) 50:54.8

Gryphons haul the hardware in Hepworth

Same article sent to atheltics:

Gryphons haul the hardware in Hepworth

On Sunday February 7th, the Nordic ski team was at Georgian Bay Nordic (GBN) in Hepworth, ON, for the annual Suntrail Source for Adventure skate race. The race attracts a high volume of local racers from the Owen Sound region, especially those from GBN, which is renowned as one of the top racing clubs in the province.

With sun shining on the trails, fast snow, and moderate temperatures, a recipe for Gryphon success was in the cards. The women’s race was a 7km thriller, with the Gryphon team continuing to vie for gold. Laura Hewitt (Orillia, ON) finished the race in first, with a blistering time of 19:50. Joining her on the podium were teammates Vesta Mather (Wahnapitae, ON) and Lindsey Chapman (Aurora, ON).

The junior women also demonstrated their great racing talent over the 7km course. Jennie Hissa (Kenora, ON) and Gillian Rockwell (Parry Sound, ON) finished with silver and bronze, respectively.

On the men’s side, the Gryphon team continued to impress, and that they will be among the top competitors at the OUA Championships. The men’s team set out on a mission, and completed the race in the fastest times of the season thus far. Matti Little (Sudbury, ON) won the 14km race in a time of 34:58. Joining him on the podium was Ian Ritchie (Penetanguishene, ON), who finished a close second. Other Gryphons atop the standings were Erin Purdon (Owen Sound, ON) and Patrick Twohig (Mississauga, ON) who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The only Gryphon competitor in the junior men category, Scott Weersink (St. Mary’s, ON) continues to shine in his rookie campaign by claiming gold at Suntrail.

The team will now look forward to building on these results on February 20-21st at the OUA Championships at Mono Nordic in Orangeville.

Gryphon results in Hepworth:

Open Women – 7km skate:

1. Laura Hewitt 19:50
2. Vesta Mather 20:04
3. Lindsey Chapman 20:21
4. Annalee Winter 20:35
5. Laura Campbell 23:07
6. Jessica Blenkarn 23:09

Junior Women – 7km skate:

2. Jennie Hissa 22:03
3. Gillian Rockwell 23:09

Open Men – 14km skate:

1. Matti Little 34:58
2. Ian Ritchie 35:16
4. Erin Purdon 36:39
5. Patrick Twohig 37:11
6. Mike Weersink 37:41
7. Jordan Forsyth 37:51

Junior Men – 14km skate

1. Scott Weersink 36:40

Highlands Night Race Report

Recently, Highland’s Nordic was the site for a display of raw, unbridled athleticism not seen since the Bad Enough for Badenoch Rollerski Race of 2008.

On Friday February 5th a small assembly of gryphon athletes participated in the first (or second?) annual Highlands Nordic Night Classic Race.

Matti Little, Erin Purdon and Ian Ritchie all battled for position throughout much of the 3lap, 3km(ish) course. However, a brilliant tactical manoeuvre by Matti in the closing kilometres of the race won him the gold while Ian and Erin were forced to settle for so-so silver and shameful shameful bronze.

Annalee Winter demolished the women’s field, easily winning the gold.(Note: there were no actual medals)

We would like to thank the staff at Highlands Nordic for organizing the awesome event.



Matti, Erin and Ian jockeying for position

Highlands on Friday!

Hey folks,

I'm thinking of driving to Highlands tomorrow afternoon for their night race and was wondering if anyone else is interested in going. We'd be leaving the stadium at 3:30 to register at Highlands by the deadline at 5:30.

Classic race: start at 6:30, ski by lights on 3km loop - men ski 9k, women ski 6k (see race notice link below)

http://www.htbxc.com/uploads/Highlands_Night_Races_Flyer.pdf

Let me know if you are interested! (email/comment here)

Annalee

Matti and Ian on video Easterns Mass Start

check out the photos and YouTube footage from Nakkertok at


From Marilyn Scriver http://www.flickr.com/photos/scriverpaddleski/

From Dave McMahon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HOPp50rdKg

posted by Richard

Gryphons clash with Canada's best in Ottawa

Same article has been sent to Athletics:

Gryphons clash with Canada’s best in Ottawa

This past weekend (January 30-31st) the Gryphon Nordic ski team competed at the 2010 NorAm Eastern Canadian Championships at Nakkertok Nordic ski club located in Cantley, Quebec. This event is one of the top cross-country ski events in the country, with Universities and clubs from all over Canada, totaling over 600 racers competing in an atmosphere more exciting than the National championships. The course at this location combines everything a good race course should have, including steep climbs, testy downhills, and rolling terrain that provides a true test of a racer’s ability. The events this weekend for university racers marked the second set of qualifications for the Ontario championships, which are to be held on February 20-21st in Orangeville, ON.

On Saturday, the event was an individual start skate technique race, at a distance of 5km for the women, and 10km for the men. The male Gryphons demonstrated strong races all around. Ian Ritchie (Penetanguishene, ON) had his best showing of the season thus far, finishing 6th out of the Ontario university racers in the event (30th overall). Erin Purdon (Owen Sound, ON) also had an outstanding race, finishing 12th (55th overall) but notably beating former World Cup gold medalist Pierre Harvey (Mont St. Anne, QC) by 1.3 seconds.

The Gryphon women continue to impress, finishing within seconds of each other, and showing that pain is primarily a French term for bread. Vesta Mather (Wahnapitae, ON) lead the way for the Gryphons, finishing 14th in the OUA circuit (52nd overall). Close on her heels were Analee Winter (Penetanguishene, ON) and Lindsey Chapman (Aurora, ON) finishing 15th and 16th respectively.

Sunday proved to be a true test of endurance and mental strength. The events on this day were a mass start classic technique, at various distances depending on the age category. All Gryphon racers performed excellently in the fast ski conditions and tight competition in a mass start race with the top skiers in Canada. Notable performances go out to Analee Winter, who was the top female Gryphon, finishing the 15km race in 10th out of OUA racers (19th overall). For the men, Matti Little (Sudbury, ON) was able to have a solid race despite a lingering sickness he battled throughout the weekend, finishing as the 3rd OUA racer in the 30km race.

Gryphon skiers will take the next few weeks to continue preparation for the OUA championships, hoping to carry on with these strong results and improve on last years showing. The OUA championships are hosted by Guelph at Mono Nordic ski club in Orangeville from February 19-21st.

Gryphon results in Ottawa:

Saturday
Open Men 10km Skate race (all results are based on OUA racers):

6. Ian Ritchie 26:43
8. Matti Little 27:03
12. Erin Purdon 27:47
18. Scott Weersink 28:14
20. Mike Weersink 28:23
22. Jordan Forsyth 28:52
23. Patrick Twohig 29:00

Open Women 5km Skate race

14. Vesta Mather 16:27
15. Analee Winter 16:32
16. Lindsey Chapman 16:34
18. Kyla Vanderzwet 16:40
21. Laura Hewitt 16:55
26. Jennie Hissa 17:44
33. Laura Campbell 18:54
39. Jessica Blenkarn 19:42
40. Gillian Rockwell 20:01

Sunday
Junior Women 10km Classic race

12. Jennie Hissa 38:38

Open Women 15km Classic race

10. Analee Winter 50:21
11. Kyla Vanderzwet 50:35
12. Vesta Mather 51:02
13. Lindsey Chapman 51:04
14. Laura Hewitt 51:42
16. Laura Campbell 59:09
19. Jessica Blenkarn 1:03:22

Junior Men 15km Classic race

12. Scott Weersink 44:06

Open Men 30km Classic race

3. Matti Little 1:24:54
5. Ian Ritchie 1:26:19
7. Erin Purdon 1:28:53
8. Mike Weersink 1:30:16
11. Patrick Twohig 1:30:59
15. Jordan Forsyth 1:33:40

Full results can be found at www.zone4.ca