SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. — Light snow and temperatures in the teens made for ideal conditions as the Dewey Mountain Recreational Center, in Saranac Lake, hosted the opening evening of the Empire State Winter Games cross-country ski racing.
Jameson May (Riparius, N.Y.), 14, who has only been skiing for two years and was participating in his first Empire State Winter Games, won the Male U16 2.5K Freestyle sprint event skiing past eight other competitors in a time of 7 minutes, 49.1 seconds.
May has so far enjoyed his time in Lake Placid and looks forward to finishing his competition this weekend despite the extreme cold temperatures forecast.
“I’m a little sad I can’t race on Sunday because of the temperature,” he said. “But I’m excited to race in the 5K.”
Mark Fenstermacher (Gloversville, N.Y.) finished in second place. The 14-year-old completed the course in 8:21.6.
Miles Bornt (Mayfield, N.Y.), 14, claimed the event’s bronze medal in a time of 8:22.3.
Ella Bard (Saranac Lake, N.Y.), who was also making her Empire State Winter Games debut won the Female U10 2.5K Freestyle sprint race. The seven-year-old out raced eight other skiers in a time of 3:25.0.
Bard has experience with the Dewey Mountain course as she practiced every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the Games.
“It was fun racing against other people,” Bard said.
Kit Armendola (Old Forge, N.Y.), 10, won silver in a time of 3:27.9, while Adelaide Kaercher (Eagle Bay, N.Y.) won the bronze. The 10-year old finished the winding course in 3:39.6.
For more information about the Empire State Winter Games, go to https://empirestatewintergames.com/.
Fans and athletes can also follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X, using @ESWGames and #ESWGames.
Photos of the 46th Annual Empire State Winter Games can be found HERE.