Chisholm Chill race in memory of Billy Chenard

RUMFORD -- The first annual Chisholm Chill 3K Trail Race, in memory of Billy Chenard, will take place this Saturday at Black Mountain.

Nordic and alpine athletes of all ages are encouraged to pre-register for the event, hosted by the Chisholm Ski Club and Black Mountain Ski Resort, by emailing chisholmski@gmail.com with their name, team, gender and ago. Racers will be seeded as desired by their coaches.

Chisholm Ski Club Headquarters will open at 8 a.m. Saturday for registration and for bib pickup, with a race start time of 10 a.m. The race will be run like a normal freestyle interval start race but is presently scheduled as a cross-country trail running race, unless there is enough snow for a ski race.

This race will give new racers a chance to learn the format of 15-second interval starts and finishes. The women's race will start at 10 a.m. and will be immediately followed by the men's race. The entry fee is $2 per racer with all proceeds to be donated to the Billy Chenard Memorial Scholarship.

The race is being held in honor of local ski champion Billy Chenard, who sadly passed away on May 8, 2012 at the age of 55 due to complications from a stroke. Billy, the son of Chendy and Dot Chenard, grew up in a skiing family in Rumford and was a racing member of the Chisholm Junior Ski Team, competing in both cross-country and jumping. He later competed for the Rumford High School ski team, graduating in 1975.

In 1972, Billy was crowned Junior National Nordic Combined Champion and went on to become a member of the U.S. Ski Team. Billy's commitment to skiing continued in his adult years as a volunteer coach and ski waxer for his children's (Lizzie and Jay) ski teams in the Kingfield area and also as a volunteer for the Chisholm Ski Club.

The Chisholm Ski Club would like to honor Billy for his lifelong commitment to the club and the sport of Nordic skiing by hosting this race and contributing to the scholarship in his name. This race is a chance for all athletes to have a fun start to the race season and will support a great cause.

For more information on the race or to register via phone, call 357-8844, or go to www.chisholmskiclub.org.