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Congratulations to the team with the great season!
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2/21/2013
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Lakes Region Championship at Dublin school yesterday concluded the school racing schedule for the 2013 season. Congratulations to Mikaela Paluszek with the WIN, Craig Calhoun with the THIRD and Jamie Lumley with 9th! Great season for these and entire team! Good luck to Craig, Jamie and Mikaela at the Eastern High School Championship, where they will be representing state of Vermont! 
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NEPSAC Championship 2013
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2/14/2013
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Great performance by the boys and girls Nordic ski team at the 2013 NEPSAC Championship at Proctor Academy. Boys team made a huge step up and finished 5th just shy of the top 3 with Craig Calhoun'13 posting 5th fastest time in individual race and 4th in the relay. Jamie Lumley '15 15th individually and 8th in the relay! On the girls side Mikaela Paluszek '13 did not leave any chances for her competitors winning her race by over a minute! Great day of racing and congratulations to all VA skiers - one more race this season - Lakes Region Championship next Wednesday! 
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Mikaela Paluszek'13 at the Junior World Championship
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2/12/2013
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Mikaela had a great time representing team USA at the Biathlon Junior World Championship in Austria. She skied well at the individual race and her performance at the relay (finishing her leg in 5th position) was amazing! Well done Mikaela, welcome back and best of luck at the upcoming Championship races! 
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Vermont Eastern High School and J2 Championships Qualifier By Craig Calhoun'13
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2/11/2013
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Yesterday, eight nordic skiers from Vermont Academy traveled up to Craftsbury, Vermont to race for the chance to qualify to be part of the Vermont teams at the Eastern High School Championships and J2 Championships in March. With the fresh snow, the trails were perfect as well as the course which is one of the best in the country. The 3 km course (which each skier had to ski twice - classical in the morning and skate in the afternoon)had a brutal hill at the very end which brought some skiers into oxygen-debt levels that rivaled the high altitude races at US Nationals in Utah. Three skiers qualified for Eastern High School Championships: Jamie Lumley (finishing 20th and 25th), Mikaela Paluszek( with second place in classic and a win in skate), and Craig Calhoun (9th place in classic and 8th in skate). They will travel to Presque Isle, Maine in March to race against the best skiers in New England. The rest of the racers gained valuable experience ski racing while having fun skiing on one of the most beautiful days that Vermont could offer.
On the picture Julian Stolper'15 demonstrating solid skating techniue during his race at Craftsbury.
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Eastern Cup @ Stowe, VT by Bria Noble '15
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2/4/2013
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Friday 1st Feb 2013 Members of the VA Nordic ski team travelled north to Stowe for a weekend of intense Eastern Cup racing. Craig Calhoun’13, Jamie Lumley’15 and myself got a quick nap on the journey up to the alpine town arriving at our accommodation only 10 minutes from the ski trails. Mikaela Paluszek’13 was still in Austria competing with the US biathlon team at the Junior World Biathlon Championships. Waking up to a distant view on the Stowe Mountain Resort, it was exciting to be racing in a new place. However Eastern Cups are big, with big fields and big competition. Conditions were fast and cold, both Craig and Jamie had great races, really enjoying their 10km skate course. I had a slower race, but also enjoyed the shorter five kilometre course. I think we all benefited from the “special” wax on our skis, but we missed the familiar encouraging barks from our team mascot, Shurick who couldn’t make it this weekend. After a hard days racing, we were eager to get some hard earned rest before our second and final race for the weekend on Sunday, which was a 10km classic. Overall I thought the first day of racing went really well and I enjoyed my second Eastern Cup. I look forward to personally improving before the next one!
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VA home a race at Grafton Ponds
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1/31/2013
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Under difficult for skiing (very warm) temperature, but good snow Vermont Aacdemy ski team hosted a race at Grafton Ponds Nordic center. With over 150 skiers from 11 schools attending this race it was one of the most competitive races of the league this season so far. 5K Freestyle mass start boys race was won by Holderness skier Fabian Stosek, the girls race, in absense of our own Mikaela Paluszek who still racing at the Junior World Championship in Austria, was won by SPS skier - Tessa Schrupp. VA skiers: Craig Calhoun - 5th, Jamie Lumley - 12th, Julian Stolper 25th, Jack Zhou - 44th, Sam Zhang - 49, Jack Cai - 52nd, Yoshi Yokoy 66th, John Dong 71, Yiwei Wang - 73 Craig is a very powerful skier! 
Bria Noble - 24th, Blanca Carreno 40th and Angel Shi 53rd. Angel is getting faster every race! 
Thank you, Mr Harrington, for donating great brand new set of bibs! 
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SPS Sprints at Waterville Valley, NH
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1/17/2013
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Under the falling snow VA ski team traveled and raced annual Saint Pauls School sprints at Waterville Valley, NH Nordic Center. With 9 schools competing Mikaela Paluszek'13 ones again won all her races and proved one more time that she is currently the strongest skier in girls competition. Bria Noble '14 progressing every race and finished in 37 position and Angel An Shi'16 finished 47th Unfortunately sickness did not let Blanca Carreno'15 to compete at this race. On a boys side also sickness of Craig Calhoun'13 did not let him finish all the heats, but Jamie Lumley '15 finished in 12th place. Julian Stolper'15 had also a solid performance finishing in 22nd place, Sam Zhang/13 finished 34th, Max Lapp'16 37th, Jack Zhou'14 40th and Jack Cai 44th. 
Julian Stolper'15 
Sam Zhang'13 
Max Lapp'16 
Mikaela Paluszek'13 Next race - sprint relays at NMH next Wednesday.
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Eastern Cup Races for Craig Calhoun '13 and Jamie Lumley'15 last weekend
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1/14/2013
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Last weekend Jamie Lumley'15 and Craig Calhoun'13 raced at Mountain Top ski resort at the Eastern Cup series races. Sprint is one of the favorite for Craig and his win in final B for juniors is another prove of this! Well done Craig. 
Jamie also skied well and for sure gaining more race experience in his perparation for the Lakes region races and later in the season regional Championship races 
Well done boys and good luck at sprint races this Wednesday at Waterville Valley!
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First Lakes Region race at Holderness school January 9
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1/10/2013
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VA Nordic skiers traveled to Holderness school for the first Lakes Region league race of the season. Conditions of the course were good and over 200 skiers from 10 schools were competing. Mikaela Paluszek'13 proved to everyone that the spot she got at the US Junior World Championship team comes with the quality of skiing she lately demonstrates at the races. With the win by over a minute she clearly dominated the race. Bria Noble'14 and Angel Ying '15 both had good races and gaining experience for the season. On the boys side the competition was very tight and Creg Calhoun'13 - not recovered yet from the travel from US Nationals last weekend finished 5th, Jamie Lumley'15 8th. The rest of the team members getting more experience and for sure will improve their places as the season is on its way now. Julian Stolper '15 finished 42nd, Sam Zhang'13 on 56th position, Jack Zhou'14 on 62nd, Max Lapp'16 67th, Jack Cai'16 on 69th and John Dong'16 on 74. 
Next race on Lakes Region schedule is a sprints at St Paul's school next Wednesday.
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2013 US National Championship Day 3 by Mikaela Paluszek'13
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1/7/2013
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Mass starts are most nordic skiers worst nightmares, but not for our team. The VA ski team has successfully completed a thrilling race week at the nordic US Nationals here in Utah. After two long races it came down to one last classic distance race of the week before heading back over to Vermont. Vermont Academy’s boys’ team of Craig Calhoun ’13 and Jamie Lumley ’15 competed in the junior men’s 10k with a mass start. This was for both of them and for most of the field the first mass start of the season and in their words was chaotic and full of skis flying everywhere. Craig states that it was his funniest race this week and Jamie says that this race felt good and was a good way to close off nationals. Mikaela Paluszek ’13, only having to ski a 5k, felt that her race was fast and hard. The women’s race started with a mass start as the boys’, and was quick to group up into small racing packs. The racers attacked the hills of the course all at once, which created some bottle neck issues. However, coach Sotskov once again nailed the wax for excellent kick, making for an easier time allowing for time to be gained on all the up hills. Over all the last week of skiing at altitude and in freezing temperatures I think that I can safely say that the VA Nordic Ski Team gained a lot of skiing experience that will pay off for the rest of the ski season.
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2013 US National Championship Day 2 by Craig Calhoun'13
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1/4/2013
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Racing is very hard. Working to push your limits while trying to compete with people on a level above yours is difficult. But here in Soldier Hollow, 'hard' does not begin to describe it. With the lack of oxygen, and hills that made Olympians wonder if they should try downhill skiing in 2002, the race today was indescribably challenging.
The sun was blinding us through our dark, sexy sunglasses, and temperatures had risen enough to allow my wind briefs actually work, so it was a prefect day for a race. Halfway through the fifteen kilometer skate race, no day was beautiful enough...
Craig Calhoun managed to power his super fast skis up to a respectable position for a high schooler, Jamie Lumley made up a few valuable positions from the classic sprint on Wednesday, and Mikaela Paluszek continued her amazing streak of performances with an impressive result among the juniors. Coach Sotskov pulled out the super wax and aced the skis, we were passing people on every downhill!
After the race we agreed that we will probably not encounter a more challenging race for the rest of the season, and maybe even future seasons. As Jamie said, "the lakes region races are going to feel like sprints after this, we'll blitz them!"
Sunday we will race in a 10km mass start classic race which is promising to be the most fun race of the week! Stay tuned for more Vermont Academy Nordic action! 
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Vermont Academy's ski team traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah for the 2013 US National Championship
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1/2/2013
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Jamie Lumley'15 Salt Lake City Day 1# Today was the first day of racing at the Senior Nationals in Midway, Utah. The day started off with a light snow and misty skies as we finished our breakfast at the hotel. When we reached Soldier Hollow, the site of our races, the sky had cleared up into a picture perfect blue, and maintained its hue for the rest of the day. It was a perfect day for racing. The race that we were to do today was a 1.5k sprint time trial and then, if our times were fast enough, heats in the afternoon. After doing several warm up exercises, I headed off to the start around mid morning with my teammate Craig Calhoun, who was to start a few minutes before me. By the time our starts came around I was fairly excited, and once I started it was a fun race. The course primarily consisted of two uphills, a fast downhill, and a final flat stretch to the finish. After plowing through the uphills, I happily reached the downhill where I nearly wiped out on my sickeningly fast skis when I tried switching lanes on a turn. Luckily, I didn't and I pushed my way through to the finish. It was a fun race, and mainly an amazing experience for this course was part of what the Olympians skied in the 2002 Olympics. Aside from that, I was also skiing on the same course as some of America's best skiers who were participating. After completing the race , I watched my other teammate, Mikaela Paluszec race with some of the nation's best women. She had a very good race, as well as Craig, who both finished strongly in the pack of racers. After completing all of our races, we went back to the hotel to have lunch before returning to watch the afternoon heats. This was one of the best parts of the day, for we saw the final races between the fastest athletes at the event as well as the majority of the future fastest skiers, the Junior finals. After this, we went on a tour of the extensive trail network of Soldier Hollow for the remainder of the afternoon before returning to the hotel for dinner. If was a good first day of racing, and I look forward to the remainder of our races this week.
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Mikaela Paluszek'13 qualified for the Junior World Championship for the Team USA!
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1/2/2013
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On the picture Mikaela Paluszek'13 at the world trials in Minnesota this past weekend,
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Eastern Cup - the most competitive Nordic series in New England December 15-16
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1/2/2013
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Mikaela Paluszek, Creg Calhoun, Jamie Lumley, Bria Nobel and Julian Stolper travelled to Craftsbury, VT to take part at the Eastern Cup races - the biggest and most competitive series in the New England reagion. This series is serving as a qualifier for selecting regional team for the Junior National Chempionship. Even with very limited experience on snow this season, VA skiers skied well and were very competitive in both: sprint and distance races. On pictures: Jamie Lumley'15, Mikaela Paluszek'13 and Bria Nobel'14
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First practices of the season on snow! December 3, 2012
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1/2/2013
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Vermont Academy ski team is taking advantage of early snow practices at the nearby Grafton Ponds Nordic ski center.
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Preseason training
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1/2/2013
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Even before the snow Nordic ski team is getting ready for the season. Long distance endurance training sessions are mixed with strength and conditioning. We are seriouse about this sport and we are willing to work hard!
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Welcome to the 2012-13 season!
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1/2/2013
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Vermont Academy Nordic ski team is excited about new season! With the group of over twenty athletes it is one of the most promising teams we have had in the past few years. Our returning strong skiers incuclding Mikaela Paluszek - Memebr of US Junior World Championship team 2012, Craig Calhoun - member of VT Eastern High School Championship team 2012, Jamie Lumley - member of VT J2 National Invitational Championship team 2012 as well as the rest of the team members worked hard over the summer and ready for a new standards to be set! The goal for the team is to be as competitive as we can at all races from the Lakes Region league races to US National Championship in Park City, UT in January. We are very grateful again for a generous support the team received again from our sponsors: Salomon (skis, boots and bindings), Jenex for roller skis and poles, Dominator ski wax for a glide wax and we welcome a new sponsor this season Start ski wax! We will be updating this page regularly, thank you for your interest and let it snow!
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