Blog | Mansfield Nordic Club

A Note from Coach Rick

We received a really nice note from Coach Rick, who asked if we’d share his words with the club. Many of our members and Masters skiers put together a scrapbook and notes to Rick in honor of his many years with MNC. Luckily, Rick has only moved a few towns away…we’ve already “borrowed” him from Craftsbury to coach at our Thanksgiving Camp, and we’ll be able to still have fun with Rick out on the trails!

From Rick:

Hi there MNC skiers,

I wanted to take a few minutes to say thank you to everyone involved with the Mansfield Nordic Club. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend the Club pot-luck and annual meeting last month because I managed to get Covid after a trip to visit family in Florida. Kort did drop off the scrapbook and a couple of gifts -Thank You! I am so incredibly moved by the kind and thoughtful words many of you wrote. I am truly honored and grateful for having had the opportunity to meet and ski with so many wonderful people and to have worked with some of the finest coaches anywhere.

Although I started coaching way back in 1999 I believe that my coaching education took a significant upswing after coming to Vermont in 2011 and began working with so many motivated, knowledgeable and passionate coaches. I must admit it sometimes makes me feel old to run into ski coaches that were just little kids in BKL programs when I first met them but it also brings great satisfaction. After all, the real reason many of us coach skiing is to help people love the sport and way of life as much as we do. Race results are great but love of skiing is way more important. I feel very fortunate to be around coaches, athletes and families that try to make the world a better place.

As most of you know, Mary and I are moving towards retirement and settling in the beautiful town of Elmore, VT. However, for now I am still quite busy with coaching and taking on a few other ski related duties at Craftsbury where the same genuine love of skiing and healthy life-style exists. I am sure I will see many of you on the trails and I hope to join you in some future ski and bike adventures.

Thank you very much. Be kind and and ski a lot!!

Rick

Toko Team Orders EXTENDED until 12/12!

By Adam Terko on 7 December, 2022 in Uncategorized

This year, the Toko team order is being run through NENSA. You can still use their hardgood and softgood order forms to purchase items at a discounted rate, and pick them up at our local retailer Skirack!

Please see the NENSA benefits page below, and scroll down to find the Toko order forms:

NENSA benefits including Toko!

Email these completed forms to Laura at Skirack (laurag@skirack.com) by December 12th to place your order. There’s lots of confusing and expensive waxes out there, but Toko makes it simple and easy whether you’re dealing with kick, glide, or tools!

Toko Logo

BKL Practice 12/06 Cancelled

By Rosemary Shea-Cobb on 5 December, 2022 in BKL Race Blog, BKL Training Schedule

There will be no BKL Practice today at Mill River Park due to too much rain. We will meet Thursday at the Range as planned.

Devos are still on for Sleepy Hollow with the Junior. Check the Junior Training Doc (link below in last post) for updates.

Suggestion: Take your dog or yourself for a little walk or run in the rain, then come home and warm up with a hot chocolate! Also a good day to bake cookies!

Races are coming up!

By Adam Terko on 5 December, 2022 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

This coming weekend at Craftsbury features two high-quality race events. There are options for BKL, Juniors and Masters! MNC will be on-site to help out with skis (see more below) and you can find additional info on dates, registration, and deadlines right on this page.

On Saturday is the Silver Fox Trot (register here) put on by Ford Sayre. This is a freestyle race that is intended as a mass start, though this will depend on snow conditions.

On Sunday it’s the Kendall Classic put on by the Craftsbury team. You can register for the Kendall Classic here.

Please note the race registration deadlines:

Registration for the Silver Fox Trot closes Thursday, at 11:59pm.

Registration for the Kendall Classic closes Saturday at 5pm.

What should I do with my skis?

Saturday

We’re aiming to keep Saturday’s event low-stress and low-impact from a waxing point of view. A great step would be to apply a colder, harder glide wax like Swix PS5 or Toko Blue, and scrape/brush this layer. That wax alone may be pretty quick for race day!

Expect to find the black MNC trailer in the lower parking lot well before race time, where Coach Adam can put on a simple non-fluoro liquid or wool race wax application.

The mix of snow conditions and weather should lead to firm, fast conditions for the race.

Sunday

Expect klister for this race. Again, the same initial glide layer should work great: Swix PS5 or Toko Blue.

If you’re going to be at the venue on Saturday, you could drop off your classic skis as we will be putting a klister binder layer on that afternoon/evening via our wax roller.

If you are arriving for the race on Sunday morning and do not have your own klister binder/klister wax applied, please come to the venue with adequate time to apply these layers. We’ll have a helpful wax roller system set-up for racers to apply a binder and wax-of-the-day.

Coaches clinic day

By Adam Terko on 5 December, 2022 in Uncategorized

We got a pretty significant group of coaches together at Craftsbury yesterday. While the conditions were a bit icy and sugary, it was a sunny experience to go over some teaching fundamentals as well as just enjoying one of the few places in the state with skiable snow (thanks as always, Craftsbury).

What this little event helped remind me is just how many leaders and engaged coaches ready and willing to help grow our sport. We may not have our “own” venue for skiing, or our own building or headquarters, but we do have the more important element of great people!

As we wait for more consistent snow please keep an eye on the MNC website, the various group docs, and the Eblast newsletter to find out when/where/how we’ll be getting out and training!