Masters: Mount Hood Family Affair
The 29th Annual Summer Fun Nationals put kids against parents. Guess who won?
Summer is about slowing down — unless you’re one of the masters racers who rev up for the Summer Fun Nationals at Mount Hood. For nearly 30 years, the event has been answering the need for speed, even when the snow takes on a down-tempo pace, as was the case this year.
“People thought the conditions would be bad, but they were awesome for racing!” says Meri Stratton, who has organized the race since it began in 1989. “We shortened the GS because there wasn’t enough snow at the bottom, but we made up for it in the slalom.”
In July, the 2015 Summer Fun Nationals saw “extremely comfortable” temperatures, reports racer Hugh Mitchell. “There was no need to either bundle up or seek shade,” he says. “It was one of those sweet weekends on Mt. Hood when racers wondered what could possess their friends to miss this annual gathering of summer-racing bliss.”
Stratton conceived the Summer Fun Nationals in 1989 while sitting at the top of the Timberline Ski Area with several other masters racers. “We were looking at the view,” recalls Stratton, “It was a sunny, warm day. Skiing was great. We thought, ‘We ought to invite our friends.'”
Meri Stratton, long time organizer and Chief of Race for the Summer Fun Nationals, sets a course with Gary Randall, Alaska Division’s Masters Chair. Photo credit: Franz Fuchsberger
The first year, the Summer Fun Nationals drew 50 racers; today, it can draw upwards of 175 athletes each summer. Numbers were a bit lower this year because of misleading snow reports and the fact that many racers in the Northwest hadn’t skied much during the 2014-1015 season, but those who came from across the U.S. got their fix of fun and speed.
“It took hours, and was so secret
that they forgot how to do it.”
One of the unique aspects of the Summer Fun Nationals is that juniors compete with masters. There’s also a team event in which parents can race with their kids, or, in the case of longtime masters racer Jim Estes, with grandkids.
“We used to have a super-secret formula for calculating the winning team that a couple of the original masters racers developed,” says Stratton with a laugh. “It took hours, and was so secret that they forgot how to do it. Now we simply add up each team member’s World Cup points in their class.”
Jake Keith en route to the overall title in the Summer Fun Nationals slalom. Photo Credit: Brian W. Robb
The marquee race in both the GS and the slalom is the men’s super seed, in which the top 10 racers of any age compete together the second run. Don’t assume the juniors are at the top of the heap. With athletes such as four-time Olympian Martin Bell, who raced with his daughter Reece, and masters world slalom champion Tim Hill in the mix, the competition is topnotch. Only two racers under age 18 (non-masters) qualified for the super seed.
Olympian and coach Martin Bell from Big Sky was one of many fast skiers at the Summer Fun Nationals. Photo Credit: Franz Fuchsberger
“This is truly a fun race,” says Stratton, “There’s no points, so there’s no stress of chasing points. This is the only opportunity families have to race together. During the winter, parents on the masters circuit race separately from their kids. Some families take ski camps together, then race. Summertime is vacation time, family time. It’s a chance for families to do something together they all love in a beautiful setting.”
It’s also a chance to win awards and swag. Some of the giveaways are from event sponsors such as Fuxi Racing, Atomic, K2, Reliable Racing, Saucer Wax and Komperdell. “Franz ‘Fuxi’ Fuchsberger regaled the crowd with his legendary soft-sell address, leaving no one in doubt of where you could go to get the best deals in ski racing equipment,” reports Mitchell. “It wouldn’t be the same without him.”
The awards given throughout the weekend included the Saltless Margarita Award to the course salter-of-the-year, Marcus Caston, and the Atomic Skier-of-the-Year Award to Bob Dreyer for his outstanding service to masters racing. Jake Keith and Reece Bell received the Putzi Cup for fastest slalom male and female skiers, and Eigenvector Fastest Family Award went to newcomers Ella, Ethan and Daniel Golik.
Where else can you wear your bathing suit to the final awards ceremony than at the Summer Fun Nationals? Photo Credit: Brian W. Robb
Perhaps the most telling aspect of the event was the post-race poolside celebration in which those over age 21 enjoyed complimentary Korbel champagne as the event concluded. “Ski racing in the summer is so different than winter,” says Stratton, “It’s so pleasurable! The views and the conditions are phenomenal even when it’s a low-snow year. It’s not cold. There’s no pressure to win points toward season-end awards. It’s family time when everyone can do something they all love in a beautiful setting.”
For information on the 28th annual Summer Fun Nationals, July 15-17, 2016, go to www.summerfunnationals.com.
2015 Summer Fun Nationals
Participants by State
The Summer Fun Nationals are always a gathering of masters racers and their families from around the United States. This year was no different. The event attracted competitors from 17 states and every USSA division:
About the Author: Lisa Densmore Ballard
