Barre, Vermont has enjoyed its quiet time, but on May 2nd, at 1:00pm, the thunder comes back to the barre high-banks for its 51st season. The 2nd marks the season opener for Thunder Road. The asphalt quarter-mile oval will once again be alive as 150+ cars come to play.
Thunder Road has 4 divisions of cars: the 8 cylinder American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Models, the 8 cylinder Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman’s, the 4 cylinder Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and the 4 cylinder Power Shift Junkyard Warriors. Thunder Road will have 18 events in the 2010 season. 10 races are on Thursdays and the other 8 are Sunday races.
Thunder Road is known for the exciting races and family friendly atmosphere. Thunder Road also hosts some ACT Tour events. The day starts early and the drivers and teams are at the track hours before the fans. Each division has a specified time to practice, and make adjustments to their cars. After the drivers are satisfied with their cars, qualifying begins. Qualifying for Thunder Road races is done with heat races. These are just smaller races with about a quarter of the cars. After all the heats, the field is qualified and the sun goes down, and the real fun begins. The feature races are fun under the lights.
Thunder Road also hosts some of the ACT Tour races. The ACT Tour consists of Late Model teams from all over New England and Canada. These are the same Late Model cars that race at Thunder Road every week, but not all of the Thunder Road Late Models run the ACT Tour. The Tour consists of the Top Late Model teams in all of New England, so the competition is taken a lot more seriously. The tour runs events all over New England. The ACT Tour has 82 cars on its Roster as of March 25th.
A big name in ACT is coming back. Tracie Bellerose is returning to Thunder Road to run the full schedule after becoming the Fist Female Driver to win a Thunder Road championship in 2000. She stopped driving after she had a horrifying wreck and got injured. Thunder Road never fails to supply fans with hours of great racing and this year won’t be any different. Many fans, drivers, and crews (including myself) can’t wait to get back to the “Nations Site of Excitement” for another fun year. I can already smell the burnt rubber and race fuel.
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Monday, February 2, 2009
Bolton Trips by Patrick H.
There is always a great amount of anticipation when ski and riding season
starts, but nothing is comparable to the first night of the Bolton trips. Students hear skiers and riders excitedly raving about the near future ski trip. They are counting down the weeks, then the days, the hours, the minutes and then the last few seconds before they hop on the bus, bearing either skis or board. No matter what they have clasped in their hands, a Burton board, twin tips, or even teles, they still wear the same crazy excited smile. It has been like this for several trips over the years, but this time the Boltoneers are especially eager. The park rats, glade gladiators, and cruiser crusaders alike have been starved of these trips. Last year’s trip did not happen, and the year before was not much more pleasant than Alcatraz.
Even after paying the high prices it costs to shred the mountain, the bus always left almost two hours early on some nights, due to the will of the chaperones. We were able to have a few good nights that year, but with the follow up of having no trips at all the next year was too much. We tried desperately all year to get the trips rolling, but no such luck.
This year however, will be the greatest Bolton session of all time. A great chaperone, David Gratton, has stepped forth and has sworn to be fair and let us board and ski until the lifts are unmoving and the lights shut off. We have a great group this year and the conditions are already of high quality.
starts, but nothing is comparable to the first night of the Bolton trips. Students hear skiers and riders excitedly raving about the near future ski trip. They are counting down the weeks, then the days, the hours, the minutes and then the last few seconds before they hop on the bus, bearing either skis or board. No matter what they have clasped in their hands, a Burton board, twin tips, or even teles, they still wear the same crazy excited smile. It has been like this for several trips over the years, but this time the Boltoneers are especially eager. The park rats, glade gladiators, and cruiser crusaders alike have been starved of these trips. Last year’s trip did not happen, and the year before was not much more pleasant than Alcatraz.
Even after paying the high prices it costs to shred the mountain, the bus always left almost two hours early on some nights, due to the will of the chaperones. We were able to have a few good nights that year, but with the follow up of having no trips at all the next year was too much. We tried desperately all year to get the trips rolling, but no such luck.
This year however, will be the greatest Bolton session of all time. A great chaperone, David Gratton, has stepped forth and has sworn to be fair and let us board and ski until the lifts are unmoving and the lights shut off. We have a great group this year and the conditions are already of high quality.
Team Spirit at Mt. Abe by Maren G.
You can always tell when it’s game day at Mt. Abe; just look around the halls at how people are dressed. Are there some interesting outfits? It’s probably “team spirit” or dressing up as part of a sports team, a popular way to get pumped up for a game. It can range from wearing formal dresses to camouflage to just a team jersey.
What are some of the players’ favorite outfits? “80s!”said senior soccer player Molly Eaton enthusiastically. “Hm… I really liked Boy Day,” said Sierra Urich, a senior on the varsity field hockey team. Boy Day, at the end of September, certainly was fun. Each member of the field hockey team dresses up like a “boy,” from gangta to geek.
That is just one example of the many creative outfits created over the years. Some recent ones have been “shiny day,” “gypsies,” “kilts and high socks,” “pirates,” and more. Sometimes it just means wearing mismatched or clashing clothes, but whatever the team decides to do, it’s a great way of bringing the players together.
“It bonds people,” Molly and Sierra agreed. “You talk about the game all day.”
Team spirit seems to be a female phenomenon. It’s rare to see guys wearing anything as a team, though jerseys or shirts and ties are occasionally worn.
There are ways for non-athletes to get involved. About once a year, there is a school wide “spirit week” when everyone comes to school wearing a theme, such as school colors.
What are some of the players’ favorite outfits? “80s!”said senior soccer player Molly Eaton enthusiastically. “Hm… I really liked Boy Day,” said Sierra Urich, a senior on the varsity field hockey team. Boy Day, at the end of September, certainly was fun. Each member of the field hockey team dresses up like a “boy,” from gangta to geek.
That is just one example of the many creative outfits created over the years. Some recent ones have been “shiny day,” “gypsies,” “kilts and high socks,” “pirates,” and more. Sometimes it just means wearing mismatched or clashing clothes, but whatever the team decides to do, it’s a great way of bringing the players together.
“It bonds people,” Molly and Sierra agreed. “You talk about the game all day.”
Team spirit seems to be a female phenomenon. It’s rare to see guys wearing anything as a team, though jerseys or shirts and ties are occasionally worn.
There are ways for non-athletes to get involved. About once a year, there is a school wide “spirit week” when everyone comes to school wearing a theme, such as school colors.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)