HHCCSS take commanding lead in Brumbaugh Cup
Thu, Dec 18, 2025 - By Ernie Brumbaugh
With 3 feet of snow and a home course, last year’s Brumbaugh Cup champion Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop took little time to put the rest of the Michigan Cup teams on notice that they intend to win another Cup. Jordan Wakeley, Alex Vanais, Eric Parrott, Dane Trudgeon and Anthony Fisher placed 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 12th earning first place with 25 points for the men. Meanwhile, the HHCCSS women took the top three places with Kaitlyn Vanais 1st, Rebecca Davis, 2nd, and Heather Compton, 3rd, scoring a perfect 6 points for a team total of 31 points, their best performance in three years.
In second place for the men was the Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team led by Denny Paull, 5th, Glenn Goodman, 7th, Stephen Smigiel, 11th, Craig Hughes, 13th, and Jim Beebe, 18th for a total of 54 points. Katie Harris, 10th, and Carole Mueller-Brumbaugh, 11th, gave GRNST a total of 87 points for second in the team standings.
Cross Country Ski Headquarters used a very strong women’s team led by Deanna Spencer, 4th, Wendy Anderson, 5th, and Hannah Steffke, 7th, to finish second with 16 points. Danny Medina led their men in 8th place followed by Theo Vonwallenich, 16th, Patrick Keegan, 19th, Steve Steffke, 20th, and Mike Temkin, 22nd scoring a total of 88 points for the men. CCSHQ finished with a total of 104 points to finish third in the team standings.
Team Nordic Ski Racer took third in the men’s scoring with 72 points on the backs of Yvon Dufor, 9th, Ricardo Monaco, 10th, Allen Sorgenfrei, 15th, Doug Cornell, 17th, and Michigan Cup web master, Mike Muha, 21st. Unfortunately, none of their women raced and NSR ended in fourth place with 108 points.
Team VASA had a strong women’s team led by Cheryl Darnton, 6th, Melinda Mitchel, 8th, and Leslie Maclin, 9th, finishing in third place with 23 points. Kevin Tarras led the men with a strong 3rd place showing. Vasa Race Director and Michigan Cup scorekeeper, Ken Dawson came in 14th, and Jeremy Treadwell, 23rd good for 88 points and a team total of 111 points.
It was a great day for racing, plenty of snow, temperatures in the teens, perfect grooming and great timing. What a way to kick off the 2025-2026 Michigan Cup season.
2026 Brumbaugh Cup Team Scoring to date after Forbush Openers
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop | Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team | Cross Country Ski Headquarters | Team NordicSkiRacer | Vasa Ski Club |
| Forbush Opener (Freestyle) | 31 | 87 | 104 | 108 | 111 |
| Brumbaugh Cup Total | 31 | 87 | 104 | 108 | 111 |
About the Brumbaugh Cup
The Michigan Cup Series has three team awards: The Baic Cup for best junior team, the Brumbaugh Cup for best senior team, and the Michigan Cup for the best overall team.
The Brumbaugh Cup is a team scored competition with each designated race counting each team's top 5 senior male skiers and top 3 senior female skiers. It is scored like a cross-country running event with first place receiving 1 point; down through the max of 35 male skiers (7 teams x 5 skiers) and 21 female skiers (7 teams x 3 skiers). The lowest point total wins each race and the lowest point total of all designated races wins the Brumbaugh Cup. The designated Brumbaugh races include those races where there is a single Michigan Cup points paying event.