Last Updated: 08.Mar.2016

A magical event occurred at Great Glen on Saturday and Sunday: hundreds of young skiers gathered for winter fun and snow fell! This past weekend, the White Mountain Magic themed Bill Koch Festival was held at the Great Glen Trails in Gorham, New Hampshire. Keeping in line with the Festival’s whimsical theme, festivities kicked off with the opening parade, full of magicians, wizards, and witches.  Although racing was a focal point of the Festival, there were a slew of other fun activities for kids to participate in, such as a fairy house trail, a scavenger hunt, face painting, an obstacle course, tubing, and the naturally magical ski tour, complete with snacks and goodie bags!

Saturday was a fast and furious sprint day for all. The traditional Festival relay was replaced with a sprint race due to low snow. The races were conducted in a wave format, with five racers starting each minute. In the .5k grades 1/2 boys race, Thomas Kehler placed 10th. Craftsbury had a strong presence in the .5k 3/4 boys race, with Alan Moody in 1st, Sage Grossi in 3rd, and Charlie Kehler in 24th. In the girls 3/4 .5k race, Anika Leahy was 9th and Ruth Krebs was 17th. The 5th and 6th graders raced 1k, and for the boys, Cormac Leahy was 5th with Trey Jones close behind in 6th. Tzevi Schwartz was 13th, Orion Cenkl was 19th, and Charlie Krebs was 40th. In the girls race, Aliza Wright was 5th, Carly Trapeni was 33rd, and Maya Remick was 36th. The 7th and 8th graders also sprinted a quick 1k. Griffin Wright was 2nd, followed by Finn Sweet in 7th, Bjorn Westervelt in 16th, Jack Young in 23rd, and David Moody in 31st. In the girls race, Quincy Massey-Bierman was 3rd, Adrienne Remick was 12th, and Sydney Kulis was 65th.

Sunday brought sunny skies and skate racing. Thomas charged around the 1k loop for 8th place in the grades 1/2 boys race. The 3/4 boys raced 2k, and Craftsbury took up a majority of the podium positions, with Sage in 1st and Alan in 2nd. Charlie Kehler was 37th in the large field. In the girls race, Anika was 6th and Ruth was 20th. The 5th and 6th graders raced 3k. In the boys race, Cormac was 3rd, Trey 12th, Tzevi 15th, Orion 20th, and Charlie Krebs 48th. Aliza led the way for the girls in 12th, with Carly in 25th, and Maya in 36th. The green crew dominated the 4k 7th and 8th grade boys race, with Griffin in 6th, Bjorn in 8th, Finn in 9th, Jack in 20th, and David in 42nd. For the girls, Quincy was 2nd, Adrienne was 9th, and Sydney was 41st.

Congratulations to everyone on a great weekend of racing!