At 76, Bill Hayes may not be able to walk the way he used to, a bad left foot, fuzed left ankle and two knee replacements will do that to anybody. The lingering injuries combined with surviving a bout with cancer and a heart attack, however, have not kept the resilient Hayes from competing on the ski slopes, and have not stopped him from winning races.
Two weekends ago Hayes took home first place n the Master's Division (ages 75-79) in the Ragged Mountain Giant Slalom New England Regionals at the Ragged Mountain Resort in Danbury, NH. This past weekend Hayes struck again with a first place finish in the Master's Division of the Giant Slalom in the East Regional in Killington Vt. Hayes competed against the best skiers in his age group from New York, Canada and New England on Saturday.
"I can't walk very well, but when I put my boots on it's 'Shazam,'" Hayes said. "(Saturday) was a big victory for me, there were a lot of good skiers out there. But they don't know about us guys from Gloucester, we can push through anything."
Hayes is no stranger to the world of ski racing as he is nearly a 60 year veteran of the sport. He was a member of the United States National ski team in 1955 and 1956, he was won the Eastern Regional Giant Slalom three towns and won the Eastern Regional Downhill once. Hayes was also a part time coach for the US National Ski Team in 1978.
He continues to stay involved in the New England Ski circuit to this day and proved once again on Saturday that he is still a force to be reckoned with on the slopes despite his physical ailments.
On Saturday at Killington, Hayes didn't just win the Giant Slalom, he blew away the field as his time over two rounds was three seconds better then the competition in one of the premier race programs in the country. Three seconds is an eternity in the ski racing world.
After the first run down the first course, the Needle's Eye trail, Hayes was clinging to a .2 second lead, he would open it up with a flawless run in the final round. Hayes breezed through the steep and icy conditions on the Panic Button trail, the more difficult of the two trails used in the Master's Division Giant Slalom, opening up his lead by three seconds for the first place finish.
While Hayes admits his final run may not have been the best race he has competed in, but his aggression on the course paid dividends.
"I don't think I skied all that great, but I just hurled myself down the mountain," Hayes said. "(The race course) was steep, very icy and very fast. I just said a little prayer at the start and went full gas."
Two weekends ago Hayes was also victorious conquering one of the most difficult trails in the Flying Yankee Race trail at Ragged Mountain. Bad limbs and all Hayes conquered the trail that saw his speed reach upwards of 50 mph on the way to the finish line. He also conquered the deep masters division at Ragged Mountain.
"All the masters racers look forward to the race at Ragged Mountain," Hayes said. "It's a great course."
Hayes bested a strong field setting the stage for his second straight winning weekend on Saturday.
His ability to walk may have taken a hit over the years, but his ability to ski sure hasn't as Hayes proved once again he is one of the tops in the country.
