MASTERS
ShiftPOWER
Held on a new weekend, the Eastern Masters Championships
see positive changes and a stern test BY BILL MCCOLLOM
Maybe it was the intrigue of a new venue, or the forecast of
sunny and mild temperatures, or perhaps Killington’s reputation
for producing snow out of thin air, but the 2012 Vermont Ortho-
paedic Center/iSPORT Eastern Masters Championships were a
truly regional event. Whatever the reasons, more than 130 total
racers from Canada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and all over
New England descended on Killington and Pico from Feb. 10 to
12 to race against the best in the East, and sample Killington’s
new super G and GS venue, Needle’s Eye, and Pico’s familiar
B-Slope for slalom.
The 2012 rendition of the Eastern Masters Championships saw
a few significant changes: for one, a move to the uncharted ter-
ritory of Killington’s Needle’s Eye for the two super G races and
the GS. There was also the change of dates to mid-February.
The event traditionally had always been held the first weekend
in March, but year in and year out, the races were bedeviled
by extreme weather. There are no guarantees when planning
for Mother Nature, but the odds for something other than rain
seemed better in February. This time around organizers hit the
jackpot. As for the drama that unfolded on Needle’s Eye, even
the sternest critics gave it a thumbs-up.
The 2012 Eastern Regional Team. Front (left to right):
Barb Settell, Sally White; middle: Dave Harris, Doug Wisse,
Jim Thoman, Al Sevigny, Lou Moore, Adam Weiss, Sharon
Vinsick, Duffy Dodge, Barb Brumbaugh, Lisa Marien,
Jackie Levy, Jessie McAleer; top: Guillaume DePaoli, Rick
Walters, Greg Sarkis, Mark George, Pepi Neubauer
