MNC’s Greta Kilburn was recently recognized with the Gallagher Award from NENSA. Greta received this award as the top points scorer on the Eastern Cup this season!
You can read a press release from NENSA at this link.
From the release:
Adam Terko provided the following thoughts on Greta’s achievements this past season, and how her story in skiing acts as a testament to what is possible with patience, perseverance, and an embrace of the pure joy of competing in nordic skiing:
Greta is an overall phenomenal athlete. She skied and ran for Burlington High School in addition to being one of the top cyclists at her age in the entire country. However, the 2023-24 season was the first campaign in which she brought her extensive endurance pedigree to the Eastern Cup. Wewere lucky to have her training and racing with Mansfield while she navigated being a Freshman at the University of Vermont (where Kilburn will be joining the ski team later this Fall).
Greta arrived at the first Eastern Cup almost directly from biking competitions in the southern part of America, and with each new competition her skiing grew more confident. She had never raced a true sprint format event until the Lake Placid Eastern Cup, and had to learn some key steps about race days throughout the season by being thrown right into the deep end.
At Junior Nationals she was able to put all of that to good use with an amazing week of racing to cap off her season. She’ll begin her sophomore year as a newly-minted official member of the UVM ski team, but will still have to take a few weekends in the Fall off in order to also continue her mountain bike career.
In a culture increasingly affected by stress surrounding college skiing, early specialization, athletic career trajectories, and pressure to perform, I think Greta’s story is truly important. Greta did not race Eastern Cups until after high school, and she entered many championship races oblivious to the backgrounds of many competitors. Therefore Greta remained unfazed by pressure or preconception on race day. The more important factors in Greta’s season were learning new things and pushing herself as hard as she could.
Consider volunteering for this year’s Summer Biathlon Nationals at the Range on Aug. 3 & 4. We need volunteers during the morning from about 9-11:30 am to help on the Range and penalty loop. NO experience necessary, the jobs are not hard and we will teach you. You will get a free pair of socks, a free ticket to the banquet, and a front row seat on the Range where you will see all the action. It’s a great event and fun to be a part of it. The event is hosted by EABC, MNC’s “sister” biathlon club at the Range. To volunteer, please email Rosemary Shea-Cobb: sheacobb19@gmail.com
We just wrapped-up our second camp in two weeks. Phew! New York has been a happening destination for us in 2024, and with the big Ironman competition over the housing options in Lake Placid opened back up for U16 Mountain Camp.
It was fitting to have this camp in an Olympic town, as we watched the opening ceremonies and some early competitions as the Paris Olympics kicked-off during the camp. We also participated in lots of different activities of our own, across all sorts of disciplines and skillsets.
Kendama training at it’s finest
The “Kendama” is the newest object taking the ski world by storm, popularized by Ben Ogden (use code BENDAMA at Sweets Kendamas for 15% off). Much like archery or air rifle at the Olympics, it may not be the most aerobically-demanding sport, but it requires immense balance and precision.
More traditional Nordic training was on hand as well, from rollerskiing to skiwalking and bounding.
Rollerskiing down at Franklin Falls
Bounding up Whiteface: gotta do it when you’re in LP
We got to do a workout on the rollerski track by the jumping complex, and some NYSEF juniors joined us for an agility relay!
The Lake Placid area is great for all sorts of outdoor fun beyond just athletic training. We got to swim at a few different locations, made s’mores in our rental house’s outdoor fire pit, and sampled our fair share of ice cream from shops and gas stations around the Adirondacks.
Ausable swim break
Firepit outside our lovely home, with a slightly-smokey Whiteface in the background
A great camp overall, and you can check out a photo album for more pictures below!
An early morning wake-up after a cool, breezy night…a welcome respite from a summer of oppressive humidity at all hours of the day and night.
7:00
Breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, and coffee, with rustling athletes prepping their own preferred options. Yogurt is scooped, milk is poured, bacon is fried. In the background, a large TV in the training camp house’s living room plays several motivational edits of skiers and ultrarunners.
8:00
Skiers unload at the base of the Gore Mountain access road. With dry air, no clouds in sight, and the sun beaming down, warmup for a timetrial day commences. The athletes have a plan, and set off to prepare while the coaches use cones to set start and finish lines, and arrange our strategy for timing, filming, and supporting the skiers.
Steadily, skiers make their way to the start. First up is a classic timetrial of 3 kilometers, to be followed by a skate timetrial of the same distance and course. It’s a mock version of the U16/Eastern HS qualifier race, which will take place this winter. Two timetrials means everyone gets an effort in both techniques. Time between means a focus on fueling and recovery/cooldown/warmup/mental acumen. The 3 kilometer distance doesn’t cut out any skier based on age…U20 and U16 athletes alike can complete this together and benefit.
9:00
Timetrial #1 begins! Double poling and striding their way to the base of the alpine mountain, everyone looks great. Whether being caught, doing the catching, or skiing solo, everyone pushes their hardest.
At the top, skiers collapse onto the pavement in the main base parking lot…but a few deep breaths and Sour Patch Kids later they are up and milling about. Sara records times and double-checks math, and then everyone loads up to head back to the start area.
9:30
At the base area, everyone switches to skate gear. The tricky balance of cooling-down from one race, and then warming-up for the next begins. People are in good spirits, and the sun is still shining. It’s getting a little bit hot out!
10:00
Timetrial #2 begins! This time skate skiing is the way to the top, and with different running order skiers can have new racers to chase and hold off.
The effort definitely takes its toll, but at the summit those that have finished run alongside and cheer for those approaching the finish line.
10:30
The timetrials complete, it’s time to decide who does what next. One group skis back up a different road, directly to the house. Another group sticks around to go back up the course one more time, this time back in classic technique and at L3 for a technique- and pace-focused effort.
Skiing looks great…controlled, efficient, and smooth!
Everyone involved got to create the end of the workout they needed, whether that be a direct ski home for recovery, an extended ski home with some out-and-back for more L1 on-time, or the bonus interval done back up the course.
By this point it’s getting quite hot out, but the humidity has held off. Everyone chats about races and timetrials past, technique factors in the race (who used V2 where? Who had the highest tempo at the end?), and visions of the winter ahead.
The atmosphere is positive, and everyone is feeling good about the effort regardless of finishing place or time. Results aren’t known, or even asked for!
12:00
Everyone returns to a clean kitchen…is this for real? People picked up their mess after breakfast? I guess so!
On the big TV screen, skiers hang out and watch the video from the timetrials, complimenting the technqiue of their teammates with maybe just a little bit of trash-talking and a few jibes. The mood is positive and everyone is feeling good about their efforts.
Next, some choose to take a nap, while others take shuttles into the bustling downtown of North Creek, NY. There’s really just one street, but an array of sandwich shops and cafes provide some options for a nice lunch and coffee.
3:30
A quick internet search tells us that a great swimming hole is only a few miles away. With a quick drive down to a scenic, dusty dirt road not unlike Dugway Rd in Richmond/Huntington, we are off and running. Discussions of scenic barns and llama farms keep things light, until we come upon the sound of splashing and yelling as the left side of the road drops away below us. It’s 80 degrees, sunny, and beautiful, and we’ve reached a deep pool with jumping spots of all sorts.
4:00
Swimming, cliff jumping, and hanging out in water create the best possible recovery option from timetrials and running! Everyone takes a jump, and some show off their best flips and tricks:
7:00
Tacos for dinner, followed by s’mores and hanging out around the big firepit! Can’t beat it!
This was just a one-day sample of an awesome Mountain Camp…for more Mountain Camp photos, click the link below!
We kicked off our Masters fitness classes at the new MNCC this past week, and had a great time. The goal is mixing all types of strength exercises together, from traditional lifts to wacky balance challenges.
Often, adult skiers have big technique goals. One of the biggest hurdles to cross to achieving desired technique is the strength and balance required to make the desired changes.
With consistent and accessible strength training 3 weeks of every month (with ideas and exercises to try beyond just the weekly session) hopefully we can continue to take steps (and squats?) in the right direction!
Find more details on the sessions themselves at this post.
7:00
