Former Phoenix skier takes Birkebeiner ‘classic’ race

Former UW-Green Bay skier Carolyn (Freeman) Ocariz won the women’s 50-kilometer classic race at the American Birkebeiner on Saturday in honor of her former college coach. Ocariz wore an orange arm band in memory of longtime UWGB coach Butch Reimer, who died in October 2010 after a battle with leukemia. Her husband, Santiago Ocariz,another former Phoenix ski star, did the same, and finished an extremely impressive 11th overall (out of nearly 4,000 competitors) in the men’s freestyle, finishing less than a minute behind overall winner Tad Elliot. Others with UW-Green Bay ties (that we know of) who skied Saturday’s event in far northwest Wisconsin were Prof. Kevin Fermanich of NAS and former employees including Dean Rodeheaver, Ces Dawson and Phil Nelson. Coverage of Ocariz’s win.