47th Annual Gus Pitou Memorial Giant Slalom Race results

GILFORD – On Sunday, January 8th, the Gunstock Ski Club (GSC) hosted the 47th Annual Gus Pitou Memorial Giant Slalom Race on the Cannonball Trail at the Gunstock Mountain Resort. This race was a N.H. Alpine Racing Association sanctioned “open” event for boys and girls aged 8 to 14 from across New Hampshire. It's held each year in memory of Gus Pitou, Gilford resident Penny Pitou’s father, who died at the age of 53, in the sixties, after Penny’s Olympic triumphs.

Gus Pitou contributed greatly to the growth of junior skiing in the 1950s and 1960s in the Lakes Region. Although he loved to ski himself, his passion was teaching young children the sport. The first Gus Pitou Memorial was held in 1966.

Trophies and medals for racers were given for the top 10 places. Gus Pitou’s grandson, Christian Zimmermann, handed out the awards to the winners, with assistance from Gus Pitou’s great-grandchildren Zoe and Zane Zimmermann.

The race was run by the all-volunteer efforts of the parents of the Gunstock Ski Club. The top three places in each age group were as follows: in J6 (ages 8 and under) girls, Celine Sommer took first, Sophia Inwood took second, and Emily Charleston was third. In J6 boys, Mitchell Berry was first, Timothy Haarman was second, and Drew Peatman took third. In J5 (ages 9 and 10), girls top finishers were Claudia Cantin in first, Zoe Zimmermann in second, and Elise Sommer in third. Class J5 boys top finishers were Ben Charleston in first, Anthony Yopp in second, and Dylan Rivard in third. J4 girls (ages 11 and 12) included Gabrielle Quimby from Waterville Valley in first, Maureen Shumway in second, and Elizabeth Osuchowski in third. J 4 boys were Christian Workman in first, Chad Hamblet in second, and Zane Zimmermann in third. J3 girls (ages 13 and 14 ) were Hope Curtis in first, Haley Dame in second and Caitlin Houston in third. The J3 boys top finishers included Liam O’Reilly from Holderness School in first, Christopher Yopp in second and Keaton Quigley in third. Except where noted, winners were from the Gunstock Ski Club.

The Gunstock Ski Club is a parent-managed, non-profit program designed to offer young skiers (6-18 years) instruction and training to develop not only good racers, but also safe skiers with a life long passion for the sport. GSC was established in 1918, and is the oldest organized ski club in the state. New racers and families are always welcome.

Upcoming events at GSC include the Toni Buttinger Memorial Slalom on February 12th and a Buddy Werner League Finals on March 3rd, 4th and 5th. For more information about the Gunstock Ski Club, check out their website at www.gunstockskiclub.org.