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Coach Rosemary Shea-Cobb Racing Strong in Austria

Rosemary was our Head BKL Coach for many years.  She then took on the Head Masters Coach position until she simply had to move on – to join her husband working in Austria.  We knew Rosemary was a fast, strong skier.  Now the Austrian masters women know that and will be trying to stay up with her.  Rosemary placed 2nd in her age bracket at a World Loppet event last weekend.  The Dauchsteinlauf 42km skate race https://www.worldloppet.com/dachsteinlauf-aut/

From Rosemary: “Such a nice race- gorgeous scenery the whole way. We have rented an apartment in Ramsau am Dachstein for the winter. We can get on the ski trail across the street and there are 220km groomed for classic & skating”

The Brutal Last Hill

Sporting the MNC colors!

 

 

2nd in age class!

The view from Rosemary’s Austrian apartment

 

 

 

BKL Info January 13-19

**After practice on Thursday we found a black diamond headlamp in the Tomasi parking lot – let me know if you are missing one bkl@mansfieldnordic.org. And I also have a Nalgene water bottle with lots of stickers on it from practice in December.

We had a fun MNC Skiathlon Race this weekend at Sleepy Hollow and you can read the full event report here. If your child is interested in trying a ski race our next one is Sunday, February 2nd hosted by Sleepy Hollow BKL. We’ll post more info in the next couple weeks (as soon as details come in from Sleepy BKL).

**This Tuesday for practice we are going on a field trip to Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston. They have good conditions right now and several lighted trails. Please fill out the two forms below before practice on Tuesday.

Tuesday 1/14: Penguins, Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes & Racers
Location: Catamount Outdoor Family Center under the lights!
Details: Skate for JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers. Classic for Penguins. Devos are at Sleepy with Coach Kristen – check the juniors training doc for technique and time (it’s later than normal due to a high school race).

We are also going to have hot chocolate at the end of practice. Supplies provided, but we need a couple parent volunteers to make and serve. Email bkl@mansfieldnordic.org if you can help.

Sign up to Ski at Catamount: MNC is covering the cost for our group, but  we need to know if your child is coming. Please fill out the two forms linked below by 2pm on Tuesday. (If you are a parent and want to ski you can use a your reciprocal from another ski area or add your name to the list and bring me $5)

The MNC Afternoon Masters group is also going to be at Catamount today. If you are part of that group you can sign yourself up on the same list and waiver (below) as your child.

1. Fill out the MNC Team Sign up Sheet
2. Sign the Catamount Outdoor Family Center Yearly Waiver

 

Parking, etc: Catamount has a big parking lot with porta potty at one end. They don’t have a indoor space for changing.

 

Thursday 1/16: JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos
Location: Tomasi
Details:  Classic for all

Practice Waxing Info: If you raced this past weekend it would be good to use a putty knife and some wax remover to clean-off our kick zone before putting on some new kick wax. Forecast is for low 20s and something like Swix Blue, Swix VR 45, Toko Red kick wax should work well.  We’ll have the wax bench setup on the side of the parking lot near the trailhead. Please come a few minutes early if you would like to wax.

Parking: The Tomasi lot on Mountain Rd. Please park tight, so there is space for everyone. Please don’t park on Pinnacle Ridge (it’s a private driveway). Underhill Central School is an overflow parking location.

Reminder: There is no inside space. Wear a headlamp! Thanks to the Underhill Rec Committee there is a porta potty in Tomasi parking lot.

 

Saturday 1/18:  Racers & Devos
Location: Sleepy Hollow
Details:  Classic ski practice with Coaches Liz and Peter D. 10-11:30. Come early if you need wax. If you want to wax at home start with Swix Violet or something similar. The forcast is for 34 at 10am and we’ll be on a mix of snowmaking snow and packed powder. Temps are warming through the day tomorrow.

Saturday 1/18: BKL Beginner Waxing Clinic and Open Waxing 2-3:30pm

Location: MNCC in Jonesville

We’ll start with a short beginner waxing clinic followed by some open time where you can wax your own skis. Bring your own wax and tools or use ours. Coaches and volunteers will be around to answer questions and help with waxing. Suggested for kids grade 4-8 and their parents. The waxing clinic is open to all BKL Families, but there is limited space for the open waxing time at the end. Sign Up Here

BKL Skiathlon Race Report 2025

Photos by Adam Popkin, Results and Thanks to Clover Whitham for writing this race report.

Mother Nature was smiling on the Mansfield Nordic Club Skiathlon, which was held Sunday at Sleepy Hollow on great snow under sunny skies.

It was all smiles with friends after the race for Rory, Bella, Hanna, Margo and Ophelia!

This is the “home” race for the club and proceeds support the MNC scholarship fund. It was also the first race of the season for many. Adults and Juniors (U20, U18 and U16s) raced in the morning before the Lollipopers kicked off the slate of Bill Koch races.

The Lollipop race is always a spectator favorite where the smallest racers of the day tackled some wild hills in the Sleepy Hollow fun park on the way to the finish line. Racers from around Vermont, including Craftsbury, Frost Mountain, Mad River Bill Koch and Sleepy Hollow BKL clubs, participated.

Next up were the eager Grade 1-2 racers who showed up to the start line ready to race many minutes early!  MNC racers Nathaniel Schroeter, Johannes Hollenbach, Tanner Magnan and Grant Gillan, Margo Dillon, Claire Dolbec and Daisy Tremble flew off down the trail when the starter finally said “Go!” They skied a 1k loop around Molly’s Meadow and into the woods on Acadia Mania and returned on Potato Farmer to the fun park and finish.

There were a couple tangle ups in the mass start of the Grade 3-4 race but it didn’t stop these skiers! There were five MNC racers on the boys’ side – Rory Dillon, Rory Dolbec, Ollie Laber, Ronin White and Bodhi White – and two girls – Bella Altadonna, Nora Johnson. They skied in a crowd of 28 total racers for the first kids’ skiathlon race of the afternoon. They completed 1 classic and 1 skate lap, each 1 kilometer long. There were a lot of smiling faces flying by! Perhaps it was the promise of cookies made by volunteers at the finish line.

The racers in the Grade 5-6 race showed real grit and skill by finishing 4 laps (2 classic, 2 freestyle) for a total of 3.75 kilometers. This was also the first timed race of the Bill Koch races. Suiting up for MNC were Kaisa Weaver, Mazzy Merritt, Oliver Tremble, Finn Laber, Charlie Goosen and Jackson White. It looked like the ski exchange practice on Thursday paid off with smooth transitions and racers speeding back on the course.

Racers setup for the start of the Grade 5 + 6 race.

Sylas Weaver and Fiona Repp represented MNC in the Grade 7-8 race, which had 24 finishers from more than a half dozen clubs. These racers also completed 2 classic and 2 freestyle laps, for a total of 4 kilometers.

An honorary gold medal goes to former MNC coach Hanna Holm in her trademark cow in pink tutu costume for leading and keeping racers of all ages on the course!

Racers and their families made this another successful skiathlon! Special thanks to volunteers who made cookies for prizes, stocked the lunch table and monitored the transition zone and race course.

MNC Skiathlon Wax Tip

Wow, we have SNOW and things are looking awesome for the Skiathlon on Sunday. This is a classic race, followed by a skate race, all together (switching skis in the “exchange zone” in the stadium). It can be overwhelming, but the weather looks stable and perfect for nice classic skiing and smooth skating.

Be sure to start with clean skis: that means glide zones, too! Make sure to use a dedicated glide zone cleaner (not to be confused with a more potent chemical kick wax cleaner).

With bases all cleaned, a great paraffin layer would be Toko Red, Swix 7, Rode R30/40, or any other simple mid-range glide wax. If using a Toko or Swix spray, put this on the night before and let it sit until race morning, then scrub with a nylon brush.

For kickwax, it looks to be hardwax in the purple/red range. Start with a hardwax binder like Toko Base Green ironed in, and then feel free to stop by the MNC bench for help with the wax of the day…coaches will be testing and helping application.

See you at the race!

 

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