Some of the best up-and-coming ski jumpers from North America and Europe are set to fly at New England's only Olympic-size venue Feb. 15-16 during the annual Harris Hill tournament in Brattleboro.
Among this year's competitors is Blaz Pavlic of Slovenia, the 2017 and 2019 winner of the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament and the current record holder for the longest jump at Harris Hill - 341 feet (104 meters) in 2017.
A win in this year's event will allow Pavlic to retire the Winged Ski Trophy, a distinction bestowed on competitors who win three times in the top division of the Harris Tournament.
Since its start in 1922, only four other jumpers have retired the trophy - Torger Tokle of Norway (1942), Art Devlin of Lake Placid, N.Y. (1954 and 1958), Brattleboro's Hugh Barber (1974), and Vladimir Glyvka of Ukraine (2000).
The annual event that brings the world to Cedar Street every February attracts thousands of spectators who watch jumpers shoot down a 90-meter hill - just six of its size in the country - at speeds of 60 mph before soaring more than 300 feet in the air.
This year's competition will feature the annual Pepsi Challenge on Saturday and the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament on Sunday.
Harris Hill boasts a snowmaking system, so the program will take place regardless of ground cover in surrounding areas. Despite daytime highs in the 30s all last week, it was cold enough at night for snowmaking crews to start putting down a good base layer on the hill.
Gates will open each day at 10 a.m., with practice jumps taking place before competition begins at 12:15 p.m. The family event offers food and beverage vendors, a bonfire, music, tailgating, and appearances by Jumper, the cow mascot.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and younger and can be purchased at the gate or online at www.brownpapertickets.com. Advance discount admission of $15 for adults and $12 for students ages 6 to 12 are available at locations listed at www.harrishillskijump.com.
Boys' basketball
• Tyler Millerick scored 12 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter as Brattleboro took control early and romped to a 76-54 win over the Mount Anthony Patriots in Bennington on Jan. 31.
MAU was missing four of its players due to academic ineligibility, and the Colonels offered no mercy to their arch-rivals as Brattleboro had a 25-point lead at the half. While the Patriots outscored the Colonels, 33-29, in the second half, it was too little, too late.
Despite getting into foul trouble in the first half, Gavin Johnson led the Patriots with 18 points, half of that coming in the final quarter. Jon McDonald hit five three-pointers to finish with 17 points.
Along with a 77-61 win over Springfield on Jan. 28, the Colonels ended the week at 9-5 with the No. 5 spot in the Division I standings.
• Twin Valley kept up its winning ways by beating Leland & Gray, 66-36, in Townshend on Jan. 28.
The Wildcats opened with a 9-0 run over the Rebels in the first minutes, and used their defense to keep the Rebels from getting back into it.
Izaak Park led Twin Valley with 13 points, while Jack McHale added 10 points. Matt Emerson sank four three-pointers to lead the Rebels with 12 points, and Liam Towle had 10 points and seven rebounds.
• Ryan Kelly tied the game with a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation and Bellows Falls went on to hand previously undefeated Rivendell a 61-56 overtime on Jan. 28 at Holland Gymnasium.
Kelly led the Terriers with 20 points, while Jamison Nystrom chipped in with 18 points. The BF defense kept Rivendell's best player, Kyle Carter, in check. Carter scored 12 points in the first half, but was held scoreless in the second half and in the overtime period.
• Twin Valley didn't have a letdown after the big win over Leland & Gray. Facing an equally tough test against Bellows Falls, the Wildcats rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the Terriers, 52-49, in Whitingham on Jan. 30.
BF started the game with a 12-0 run and led 34-22 at the half. A defensive adjustment by Twin Valley in the second half, combined with accurate outside shooting, spurred the Wildcats to a 23-1 run that foiled the upset-minded Terriers.
Jack McHale finished the game with 20 points. He and Park (eight points) both hit a pair of three-pointers during the second half surge. Owen Grinold (16 points) also added a three during the run.
BF tried to come back in the final quarter, but ran out of time. Griffin Waryas led the 8-5 Terriers with 14 points, and Isaac Wilkinson added 12 points.
Twin Valley finished the week at 12-1, and are still neck-and-neck with Rivendell for the top spot in Division IV.
• Leland & Gray got off to a 13-1 lead against Long Trail and hung on for a 51-41 win in Dorset on Jan. 30 to sweep the season series with the Mountain Lions.
Long Trail made a couple of runs at the Rebels and trailed 36-30 heading into the final quarter. But Long Trail had only six players dressed for the game, and eventually ran out of gas.
Towle led Leland & Gray with 14 points, while Owen Woodard added 10, all in the first half. Zach Wildman and Jeremy Linfield each had 10 points for Long Trail.
With a 76-47 road loss to White River Valley on Jan. 31, the Rebels finished the week at 2-11, with both of their wins coming against Long Trail.
Girls' basketball
• Brattleboro lost its eighth straight game of the season on Jan. 30, a 47-37 defeat against Hartford on Jan. 30. Kennedy Mullen led the Hurricanes with 16 points as the visiting Colonel girls fell to 2-8 on the season.
• Bellows Falls won its seventh game in a row with an easy 58-22 victory over Leland & Gray in Townshend on Jan. 31. The 7-4 Terriers are now tied with Vergennes for the sixth spot in the Division III rankings.
• Leland & Gray, which lost 31-22 at Rivendell on Jan. 27, finished the week at 5-7.
• Twin Valley continues to struggle. The 2-10 Wildcats lost to Mid-Vermont Christian, 36-27, in Whitingham on Jan. 29.
Boys' hockey
• Brattleboro lost to Burr & Burton, 6-3, in Manchester on Feb. 1. The Colonels took a 3-1 lead after the first five minutes as Sam Hall, Mason Foard, and Anthony Palomba all scored goals.
After that, the Bulldogs scored five unanswered goals to get the win. Jakub Mulac and Matthew Grabher each had a pair of goals for Burr & Burton. Johnny Miceli and Duncan Chamberlain also scored.
Goaltender Ethan Simonds recovered from his slow start, and ended up with 20 saves in 23 shots as the Bulldogs improved to 8-6-1 on the season. For Brattleboro, Austin Wood and Derek Harvey combined for 24 stops. The Colonels are now 8-5-1 and hold the fifth spot in the Division II rankings.
Girls' hockey
• Brattleboro lost to undefeated Spaulding, 9-3, in Barre on Jan. 29. The Crimson Tide's phenomenal ninth-grader, Camryn Bell, scored four goals and assisted on two other goals. Bria Dill added two goals and three assists, and Hannah King, Molly Parker, and Rebecca McKelvey also scored.
Spaulding got its first five goals in the first 12 minutes of the game. Brattleboro's Rosie Carignan broke up the shutout bid with a goal from Tobin Lonergan with two minutes left in the first period.
Brattleboro killed off a pair of penalties in the second period, but King scored an even-strength goal to make it 6-1. The Colonels got a power play goal from Liv Romo, set up by Juliana Miskovich, in the third period.
Eliya Petrie (31 saves) and Angela Jobin (six saves) split the goaltending duties for the Colonels, who remain in third place in Division III with a 6-7 record.
Senior bowling roundup
• 4 D's (19-6) had a 5-0 week to take over first place after Week 5 of the winter season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl.
Stayin' Alive is now tied with Trash-O-Matic (both 17-8) in second place, followed by Pin Droppers and Keglers (both 14-11), Bowling Stones (12-9), Ageless Wonders (10-13), No Names (8-17), and Pin Strikers and Magic in Motion (both 7-18).
Rosalie Howe had the women's high handicap game (243) and handicap series (688). Warren Corriveau Sr. had the men's high handicap game (247), while Stan Kolpa had the high handicap series (695). Trash-O-Matic had the high team handicap game (887) and series (2,635).
In scratch scoring, Robert Rigby rolled games of 226, 198, and 195 on the way to a 619 series to once again lead the men. Corriveau had a 232 game as part of his 569 series, while Duane Schillemat had a 195 game in his 539 series and Jerry Dunham had a 193 game as part of his 528 series. Gary Montgomery also had a 522 series.
Josie Rigby again led the women with the high scratch games (192 and 178) and series (535). Shirley Aiken had a 177 game.