Masters Moments: Racers back to work at Killington

Mother Nature certainly is fickle here in New England. Another Masters season is under way as racers gathered at Killington for an abbreviated opener.
ANOTHER MASTERS season is under way as racers gathered at Killington for an abbreviated opener. An impending Nor’easter threatened and most of the races in New England on Sunday were cancelled ahead of time. Most made a mad dash home after the slalom to finish Christmas shopping or score hits on their “honey-do” lists.
     Racers battled it out on Highline on what racer Kerry Brennan typically calls a “Glalom,” a kind of wide open, GS-influenced section on top. Most racers, having not slammed a gate since last season, didn’t complain. That extra nanosecond of time between turns on the pitch, on a bulletproof surface, was enough to spark muscle memory and remind us we were up and racing.
     Carolyn Beckedorff led a small but experienced group of women as she took the opportunity to show the boys she hadn’t skipped a beat and wasn’t backing off. It wasn’t until later in the men’s race when Beckedorff lost the overall lead and eventually settled for seventh, knocking several slalom aces down the list.
     Showing a great deal more consistency in results, Kerry Brennan came knocking on the door, letting Lisa Densmore know she had to step it up a notch. Densmore kicked into slalom mode in the second run moving closer to the lead and leaving Brennan in third overall. Someone forgot to tell speedster Nadine Price that she doesn’t like slalom as Price claimed fourth overall over Margaret Vaughn.
     Doug Carpenter topped the men’s list for the first time in a technical event. “It’s the first time for a two-run race,” Carpenter said, as he has previously only won in super G.
    Carpenter led a formidable list of racers, beating Mark George by eight-tenths in second. Making the long drive from Pennsylvania worth it, Randy Detrick held off the fastest second-run charge by Ben Green to keep third place overall. Terrence Fogarty lost a step in the second run to move back to fifth overall after claiming the second-fastest first run.
    In the tightest age class race — Class 3 — Alex Gadbois and Brian Irwin kept their titles. Irwin looked confident, taking the first run by 2.72 seconds. Gadbois answered emphatically, taking the overall class win from Irwin by 0.12 seconds after taking the second run by an even more impressive 2.84 seconds.
     The New England Masters Series resumes Jan. 5-6 at Ragged Mountain, Danbury, N.H.