Cambridge Sports Union
23 Fayette St
Cambridge MA 02139-1111
email: smlberman@verizon.net
phone: 617-868-7416

RECENT CSU NEWS

FLASH: CSU runner wins USATF-NE Award

Paul Grant (Cambridge Sports Union / Carver MA) is the USATF-New England (USATF-NE) Athlete of the Month for July 2021. Paul earns the award after placing first in the 70-74 year old age group at the Loon Mountain Race on July 11, and following up three weeks later with a triple age group victory at the USATF-NE Track & Field Championships, winning the 400, 800, and 1500 meter events. Paul is an avid distance runner who has been covering all types of terrain since 1985.

2021 CSU Annual Meeting and Election

The 2021 CSU Annual Meeting was held via Zoom at 7:35 pm on June 19, with 22 members signed in; 2 additional members signed in later. Since Secretary Tom Dmukauskas was in Europe, Sara Mae Berman was appointed Secretary Pro Tem.

After welcoming all the members, President Larry Berman explained 2 significant events affecting the Club. First, the Jr Program in the Ski Section, had separated from CSU, merging the group with the Eastern Mass Billy Koch League, a program for skiers up to age 13, in a new organization, Eastern Mass Nordic, which would then cover kids from age 7 to 18.
     Second, CSU has an IRS problem: We lost our non-profit status because we did not file the proper reports for a couple of years. We are now working to get data together to refile properly, with the hope of completing work and refiling by August 15.

Section reports began with Patrick Bugbee outlining significant recovery and activity for the Running Section. Regular training sessions have resumed: The Tuesday track workouts at Harvard, with Terry McNatt leading; the Sunday long runs on The Battle road; and Patrick Bugbee's Thursday evening alternating tempo runs and hill workouts.The Saturday morning races at Fresh Pond have resumed, with Diane McLaughlin in charge. The local road running calendar is filling up, with CSU showing up in numerous races, including the Cheap Marathon in NH, and a 5km series along the Charles River. CSU once again supplied volunteers for the Mt Washington Road Race, and in the race CSU women won the over 60 class.
    Jamie Doucett reported for the Skiing Section: Last November, after a one year gap, CSU held its Fall Roller Ski race in N Andover. Over the Winter, attention focused on the Weston Races, with the usual races either not happening, or inaccessible due to the pandemic travel rules. A new chip timing system was available to allow interval starts. With great grooming by Mark Jacobson, the season continued well into March, ending with the Weston Spring Fling.
    Sara Mae Berman reported for the Orienteering Section: Last year, the the only events CSU held were 2 "bring your own map" events where participants could get a map, and run the course on their own schedule. This Spring the annual Park-O Series came back in a limited form, with only 6 events, and as a joint project with NEOC. Turnout started slow, but with better weather, weekly attendance rose to about 40.

In the absence of our Secretary, Larry Berman reported on membership statistics. As of June 4, CSU membership was 156, with 100 members in the Running Section, 65 in Skiing, and 40 in Orienteering. (That totals 205, because some members belong to more than one Section.)

Stephen Peckiconis made the Treasurer's report: Our finances, both by Section and overall are in good shape. The CSU bank balance had $53,600: $21,100 in checking and $31,500 in savings. Aside from the money for the Jr Ski program, which is now gone, the balance has been quite stable for a number or years

Election of officers took place, with the following being elected to hold office until the 2022 Annual Meeting:

President: Larry Berman
Treasurer: Stephen Peckiconis
Secretary: Tom Dmukauskas

A brief discussion of the Club's organization and the role of the Board of Directors took place, and the meeting was ended at 8:20 pm

Minutes of 2021 Annual Meeting

2021 Mt Washington Road Race

This year's Mt Washington was different. The Race was held over 2 days, with the women running on Saturday, and the men on Sunday. CSU's volunteers were assigned to work at the finish on Sunday. Instead of the usual Hart's Turkey farm complete turkey dinner, we were given box lunches with turkey sandwiches. No spectators at the top. All of this to help with covid safety. But, with continued support from Delta Dental, the race went on!
    And then there was the FOG!! At the top, finishing runners appeared out of the fog, as if we were in some zombie movie. Of course it was windy, not really windy by Mt Washington standards, but the porta-potties were lined up in large steel storage containers that were chained to the rocks. Most of the volunteers spent some time in the visitor center while waiting.
    CSU had NO men running, but 8 women were there, spread out from the 20-24 age group to 70+. Not only did the team win Age 60+, they also won Seniors, and placed 2nd in Masters and Open.

Check out the Women's results

Check out the Men's results

Note: The Granite State Race Services web site does not work with Safari; use a different browser.

The Cambridge Sports Union was started in 1962 with the goal of eventually being a multi-sport club. Initially, our activity focused on running, but cross country skiing was added in 1964, and orienteering in 1972.

The club is organized as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is recognized as a 501 (c)(3) organization by the IRS. It's legal name is CSU Inc. A Not For Profit Corporation

Go to CSU Inc Bylaws

The club is organized into semi-autonomous sections that carry out the activities in each sport: Running, Cross Country Skiing, and Orienteering (on foot and on skis), but with cooperation and resource sharing among the sections. Most of our members participate in only one sport, but some are active in two, or even three.

Although the sections publish occasional newsletters or calendars, most of our communication is done electronically. Each section has a web site and a mailing list.

The club is very active in teaching people about our three sports, the fun of competition, and the benefits of physical activity. We organize many events in the four sports, and our members participate in events organized by others. The listings below are brief thumbnails; check out the section web sites for a more complete picture of each section.

Membership- CSU memberships are on a calendar year basis, they all expire on Dec 31. We do accept multi-year memberships, and it is also possible to get a life membership. If you have any questions about membership, contact Larry Berman: smlberman@verizon.net or 617-868-7416.

Go to membership page

CSU OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Running Section

The Running Section is involved in what, in other parts of the world is called "athletics": Road Running, Cross Country, Trail Running, Mountain Running, Race Walking, and even some Track & Field.

The Boston area and the rest of New England have hundreds of races the CSU members take part in. A few of the events that CSU focuses on are the USATF/NE Grand Prix Series and Mtn Running Series, the Boston Marathon, and the Mt Washington Road Race.

CSU supports the running community in several ways: We host the Saturday morning weekly races at Fresh Pond in Cambridge, a 50-year tradition. Although these are low-profile events, occasionally national class runners show up. We also provide volunteers for several major events: The Mt Washington Road Race, The Corporate Challenge, and the Tufts 10-km Women's Race.

For most of the year we have a number of organized workouts: track workouts on Tuesday at Harvard, long runs on The Battle Road in Lexington on Sunday, and alternating tempo runs and hill workouts on Thursday in Belmont. In the Winter, the track workouts move indoors to BU, and the other sessions are subject to the weather.

Chair: Patrick Bugbee patrick.bugbee@gmail.com
Mailing List: csu-l@mit.edu
To subscribe: csu-l-request@mit.edu
The Running Section Web site is currently being rebuilt

Skiing Section

A major focus of the CSU XC skiers is the Tuesday night race series at the Weston Ski Track throughout the Winter; we also take part in numerous races around New England, especially the longer races, with a second focus on the White Mtn Classic in Jackson NH in January. We also organize a number of events: The roller ski race in November in North Andover; Bob Haydock's Bogburn Race in Pomfret VT in January; and, of course, the Tuesday night races.

We do most of our training at Weston. If you are not familiar with Weston (the DCR Leo J Martin Golf and Ski Track), it is a XC ski center on a public golf course near the intersection of Rt I-95/128 and Rt I-90 (MA Turnpike). They make snow, have lights, rent equipment, and give lessons, so skiing is quite accessible to skiers in the Boston area.

Check out the Ski Section's web site:

Orienteering Section

In the Spring, CSU holds a series of 8 or 9 short Park-O events around the Boston area at 6pm mid-week. Park-O is held in relatively open parks, so the navigating is easier than in a real forest, but it means fast running, and a lot of fun. Many of the parks used are accessible by public transit. In the Fall, we may organize one or two forest events with multiple courses. Occasionally, we hold training events, where the types of exercises at each each are aimed at improving one particular skill. There are numerous other events organized by other local clubs that CSU orienteers take part in. In the Winter, we take part in ski-orienteering, the Winter version of our sport.

For information on current activities, contact Larry Berman: smlberman@verizon.net or 617-868-7416

Section Chair: Sara Mae Berman, 23 Fayette St, Cambridge MA 02139-1111, email: saramaeb@verizon.net, phone 617-868-7416

Web site: http://www.csu.attackpoint.org
Mailing List: All members of the Orienteering Section are automatically put on the section mailing list (csu-o-member-list@googlegroups.com)