Blog | Mansfield Nordic Club

Training at the Range this week (1/17, 1/19)

By Adam Terko on 16 January, 2023 in Uncategorized

MNC members,

This is our first week at the Range (CEATS: Camp Ethan Allen Training Site) in 2023. There are a few things to note!

1. We are sharing our time slots with EABC (Ethan Allen Biathlon Club) in order to maximize the available days on the base. For the time being, we will check-in at the front gate as “EABC” when we arrive. Once the lease days have been utilized for their club, we will then swap roles and ourslves (and EABC members) will check in as “MNC” at the gate. For now, please check in as EABC until further notice.
2. Please have a photo ID ready to show the guards at the gate! They will allow parental drop-off, but it is best if all parties have a photo ID. For young skiers, a school ID is acceptable.
3. If you haven’t done so already, please make sure you are registered for MNC programming! We provide a list to the Range gate of all registered members, which is referenced upon check-in. Tomorrow at mid-day will be the latest printing of this list for the front gate.
4. Please ALWAYS drive the speed limit…or even better, drive UNDER the speed limit on the base!
5. If you are wondering about directions to CEATS, and the ski trails within the base, please refer to this document.
  Thanks!

BKL Practice Week of 1/16/2023

By Rosemary Shea-Cobb on 16 January, 2023 in BKL Training Schedule

Hurray for cold and a little more snow! This week we’ll be at the Range!

Tuesday, 1/17: The Range!

Important: Check in as EABC. Adults need their Driver’s License. Please go no more than 25 MPH on base.

Penguins: Classic

Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos: SKATE

**Racers and others who have rock skis- bring them for games on the fields in addition to your regular skis.

Thursday, 1/19: The Range!

Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos: SKATE

1/22 Sunday Racers: Mad River Scramble is ON!

Sign-up HERE to let me know you are coming & to get any email updates. Registration link below.

Plan to arrive 1 hour before your race start. Coach Rosemary will be there to help preview the course, etc.

Mad River BKL Race and Fun!

Sunday, January 22th

12:30 PM – 2:15 PM

Welcome North West Vermont (NWVT) BKL skiers! We are excited to be hosting the Mad River BKL event at Blueberry Lake Cross Country Ski and Snowshoe Center—an age based wave start freestyle race except for lollipoppers and 1st/2nd Grade who will be skiing a classic race.

Blueberry Lake XC and Snowshoe Center

424 Plunkton Road

Warren, VT 05674

Trail Map

Registration:

Online registration is open until Friday January 20 at 9:00 pm (click the link below). Day of registration and bib pick up is open Sunday, January 22th from 11:30 AM – 1:15PM. Registration will close an hour before the scheduled start. Cost is $6 per skier. No charge for lollipoppers (K/Pre-K). All registration payments will be in person on January 22nd – cash or check.

REGISTRATION LINK

Volunteers Needed: We need volunteers to help with various jobs, please sign up if you can help.

VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP

Race Technique & Course: The race technique will be freestyle (skate) except for lollipoppers and 1st/2nd Grade who will be skiing a classic race. Start format will be a wave start for each age group. Race course TBD.

12:30 PM – Lollipop (Kindergarten/pre-K) ~.5km

12:45 PM – Grades 1/2 ~1km

1:15 PM – Grades 3/4 ~ 2km

1:45 PM – Grades 5/6 ~3km

2:15 PM – Grades 7/8 ~4k

Results & Awards

Awards will happen in the finish area immediately following each race. Participants will receive a ribbon and a treat.

Questions? Contact the Race Director, Justin Beckwith justin@nensa.net

MNC Skiathlon Feb 11th!

By Adam Terko on 12 January, 2023 in Uncategorized

The MNC Skiathlon is coming up on February 11th! This is our club’s big BKL race each season, and it also features citizen racing too! We hope you’ll join us as a racer, volunteer, or even just a spectator. You can find some initial information below, with more details closer to the event date.

2023 Skiathlon Race Schedule

MNC Skiathlon 2023 Courses

Interested in volunteering? Email christine.massey@uvm.edu

7th/8th grade girls heading out on course

BKL Makes Lemonade from Lemons: Climbing, Dryland & the Bogburn

By Rosemary Shea-Cobb on 9 January, 2023 in BKL Race Blog, Uncategorized

Liam V skis through the lap lane at the Rikert Bogburn.

BKL kids have been handed a lot of lemons lately- no snow to ski on, warm temps, cancelled races, Range closed. They have been doing a great job of making the best of things and turning it all into Lemonade!

Last Tuesday, BKL kids did a day at MetroRocks Climbing gym. Lots of fun was had by all- Penguins through Racers. We did the self-belays, the bouldering walls and some kids found the Foozball too. Everyone went home with smiling faces and tired arms! (Photos below).

Thursday had us back at Mill River Park for some dryland adventures. These gung-ho kids had fun doing a muddy run, some speedball and soccer and lots of agility in waning light and dark.

As the week went on, ski conditions just seemed to get worse. I promised the Racers that we would definitely ski on Saturday, so when Saturday’s BKL race at Sleepy Hollow was cancelled, we quickly changed plans and everyone signed up for the Bogburn which had been moved from its traditional location in Pomfret to Rikert Touring Center in Ripton. We had a very strong showing with 13 kids from MNC racing. Were conditions great? No! Kind of like a ribbon of icy snow with a very well set track. The people at Rikert did a great job preparing a ski course that held up to the 200 or so racers. Even the tricky downhill that seemed icy at first softened up as it was skied in and wasn’t bad at all. MNC skiers did very well- most of them finishing in the top ten of their age groups! We have a very strong team! Congratulations to Daisy Tremble who skied the Lollipop, Oliver Tremble, Finn and Ollie Laber and Izabella Altodonna who all skied the Gr. 1-4 race, Ansel Sprague, Oakley Crawford and Liam Vile who skied the 5/6 race, and to James Langan, Isobel Calfee, Kate Carlson, Brooke Greenberg and Astrid Longtreth who all skied the 7/8 race. We also had one U16 ski (Niko Cuneo) and 7 Masters skiers. A few photos below.

MetroRocks:

Catherine gives us an intro session before we climbed. We had about 30 kids climbing!

Arctic Fox friends!

Rory on a self-belay route.

Even the Penguins got in on the action!

Our 7/8 girls swept the podium at Bogburn!

BKL Practice Week of 1/09/23: Updated!

By Rosemary Shea-Cobb on 9 January, 2023 in BKL Training Schedule

Tuesday, 1/09/23: Classic in the Notch!

The bad news is that there is no skiing at the Range yet. The good news is that there is just enough new snow in Smugglers Notch for us to ski. The Notch is supposed to get a little more snow tonight. It will be cold tomorrow- a high of 16 F- so wear layers and bundle up. The wind is supposed to calm down in the later afternoon. If you’ve never skied here, its’s a lovely ski on a wide road that goes past a few pretty ice waterfalls and it’s mostly up, although very gradual at first.

The Details:

BRING A HEADLAMP! I am planning to put out the TIKI torches too.

Time: 4:00- 5:15: We will give a little extra time to get there since it’s further away.

Directions: Take Rte. 15 east through Jericho, Underhill & Cambridge. Turn right onto Rte. 108 in Jeffersonville. Follow Rte. 108 all the way up past Smuggs ski area to where they block off the road through the Notch. This is where we will meet and start skiing.

Parking: There are only a few spots at the meeting area but there is a big parking lot on the left immediately before, labelled Parking Lot #1 (for Smuggs). You can drop off the kids and park here or just park here and walk over.

Wax: Racers- be sure to take off all klister! Wax should be hardwax Swix Blue (V30) or Toko Blue.

Devos: See Junior Training Doc

Thursday: SKATE AT TOMASI’s Field

3:45-5:15 pm Bring your headlamp (no torches today).

*Parking/Meeting Spot Different this Time: Drop off or Park at Casey’s Hill: Drive past the Underhill Central School on Pleasant Valley Rd and take your next right onto Mountain Rd. The parking lot is immediately on your right. We will need to work together and park each other in. Pick up will be here too. *Please do not park along the roads. If there is no room, drop off kids and go park at Underhill Central School. It will be snowing and plow trucks will need to plow the roads.

Racers/Devos: it may be a little scratchy- bring rock skis if you have them.