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The past two weekends for the 2010 Minnesota Skinnyski Series have been nothing short of perfect. Thousands of skiers showed up for both the City of Lakes Loppet and the Mora Vasaloppet and were treated to near-perfect conditions (ahead of a major winter storm for the Loppet).
The City of Lakes Loppet Hoigaards Classic 25k served as the MiSSeries event this year, which saw Andy Liebner power to a victory over the men while Audrey Weber topped the women’s division. After the Loppet, the overall competition for the women didn’t change as Cheryl DuBois continued to add to her lead over Angie Robinson, but the men’s side was a different story as David Christopherson was passed by Scott Ellertson.
The women’s age group competition saw only one change from the previous week, and that was the addition of Marcia Larson to the 65-69 age group. For the men, Brad Erickson launched himself up to take control of the 55-59 age group while Monte Miller broke through the three-way tie in the 70-74 age group.
City of Lakes Loppet Standings
| Age Group | Women | Men | | 0-24 | Kathleen DeWahl | Michael Meehlhause | | 25-29 | Melissa MacMillan | Nikolai Anikin | | 30-34 | Elaine Nelson | Grant Nelson
| | 35-39 | Jessica Wilson
| Andrew Schakel | | 40-44 | Angie Robinson | Rod Raymond
| | 45-49 | Cheryl DuBois | Scott Ellertson | | 50-54 | Kelly Rogers | Paul Bloomberg | | 55-59 | Maddie McAlister
| Brad Erickson | | 60-64 | Jean Lavelle | John Lavelle | | 65-69 | Marcia Larson | Odd Osland | | 70-74 | | Monte Miller | | 75-79 | | Wally Hed |
Meanwhile, the Skier of the Year competition got interesting as John Lavelle passed Michael Meehlhause to become the most improved skier from one year to the next.
Then there was the ever-heated team competition, which saw the coveted MiSSeries trophy on the scene and in the hands of the famous/infamous Peter “the Cheater” Hanson, who snapped a picture of the trophy and rival captain David Christopherson. Åfter the race, Peter’s Cheaters led Finn Sisu Vakava by a mere seven points. Following these two rivals in third was Müven-Grüven, followed by Skinnyski.com, Hoigaards/Breadsmith, More Cheaters ;), and finally Cheaters Too!
Last weekend the 35k freestyle Mora Vasaloppet returned to serve as this year’s MiSSeries event. Nathan Porath pulled away with the overall victory in the end for the men, while Mary Beth Tuttle returned after winning the 58k last year to win the 35k for the women.
For the overall competition, it was more of the same as both Cheryl DuBois and Scott Ellertson continued to hold onto their leads heading into the final weekend. The age group standings didn’t see much change with a few exceptions. The back and forth battle between Elaine Nelson and Mary Vancura continued as Mary charged to the front of the 30-34 women’s age group. The weekend did see Wanda Arenz welcomed into the series as she took the lead in the women’s 70-74 age group. On the men’s side, Nathan Porath used his Vasaloppet victory to propel himself back into the lead of the 25-29 age group, Jason Dalebroux became the leader of the 30-34 age group, while after another strong showing in Mora, John Munger regained the lead for the 40-44 age group. Finally, the men’s competition saw Ervin Schilling become the leader of the 80-84 age class.
Mora Vasaloppet Standings
| Age Group | Women | Men | | 0-24 | Kathleen DeWahl | Michael Meehlhause | | 25-29 | Melissa MacMillan | Nathan Porath | | 30-34 | Mary Vancura | Jason Dalebroux
| | 35-39 | Jessica Wilson
| Andrew Schakel | | 40-44 | Angie Robinson | John Munger
| | 45-49 | Cheryl DuBois | Scott Ellertson | | 50-54 | Kelly Rogers | Paul Bloomberg | | 55-59 | Maddie McAlister
| Brad Erickson | | 60-64 | Jean Lavelle | John Lavelle | | 65-69 | Marcia Larson | Odd Osland | | 70-74 | | Monte Miller | | 75-79 | | Wally Hed | | 80-84 | | Ervin Schilling |
In the Skier of the Year competition, John Lavelle continued to add to his lead over Michael Meehlhause heading into the final weekend. Though this one appears to be all but wrapped up, Michael Meehlhause (a Bemidji State student) has asked that I include the fact that this is his home turf. Keep your eyes on this one folks.
Finally, the team competition saw a major shift in power after some of the closest races in the history of the coveted traveling trophy (which was on hand in Mora). After watching Peter’s Cheaters hold the lead for the entire season, Finn Sisu Vakava showed up in force and emerged victorious for the weekend. What was originally a 7 point lead by the Cheaters is now a 198 point lead by Vakava! But, if history is any indicator, this battle won’t be decided until the Finlandia, so stay tuned. Müven-Grüven, Skinnyski.com, Hoigaards/Breadsmith, More Cheaters ;), and Cheaters Too follow behind.
This weekend marks the last race in the 2010 MiSSeries: the Minnesota Finlandia. The weather for beautiful Bemidji is calling for temperatures in the 20s with sunny skies, and the course is experiencing some of its best conditions ever. Paul Bunyan is getting his race bib on and inviting you to come up, so don’t miss it. |
