Archive | Junior Blog

I can answer that one!

6:45

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!

Mountain Camp 2024

Summer training carried on this week, with two notable events. The first significant change to our normal routine was having a big group of athletes from the SMS T2 pro team in town. We all know that the Burlington-area is amazing for training, and it was time to share our best spots and workouts with some of the best skiers in the country!

Hanging at the MNCC

The T2 athletes and college group skiers were buzzing around the Range trails on Tuesday and Thursday, mingling with our MNC University and Junior crews. In between Range days they got in all sorts of Burlington experiences like a Lake Monsters game, the food trucks on Pine Street, and the “triple crown” trail running loop that we’ve enjoyed each year.

On Wednesday afternoon, the whole T2 gang (coaches, pro athletes, collegiate athletes) joined our Juniors at the new Mansfield Nordic Community Center (MNCC) for snacks and a Q&A session.

With thunder rumbling in the distance and coaches all refreshing the radar, we eventually made it on to rollerskis and over to Greystone. In what was only a small prelude of what was to come, it started raining on us all. A lot.

The clouds opened up and a torrential monsoon poured down from the skies above Richmond, and a train of soggy skiers made their way back to the MNCC and frantically scrambled into cars just as it really started to come down.

Skiing with the pros! Ben Ogden and Julia Kern lead the way

And boy, did it come down, especially in the Richmond/Huntington area. At around 11pm on Wednesday I walked out into the kitchen because I swore I heard a continuous, long rumble of thunder that just wasn’t receding off into the distance. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn’t thunder at all…it was the large rocks and boulders of the Mill Brook behind my house being violently rolled downstream in real time. I flicked on the outside light to see the stream had become a river, flowing rapidly across my entire backyard and within 15 feet of my house.

For reference, the stream is usually a small quaint Vermont mountain stream that can be crossed in one or two rock-hops. Now it had risen above its banks to become as wide as the Winooski. With flashlight in hand I walked over to my neighbor who, sadly, has a house that sits closer to the stream. He was sitting in his truck beaming his headlights down on what were two tipped propane tanks and a sunk car. This was all surreal, and on the anniversary of the brutal flooding last year. What’s ironic is that last year our side of Bolton (the western side of the watershed) received almost no flooding or damge, while the east side was devastated.

Turns out, both sides got it equally bad this week…I lost power, but upon driving out to Jericho in the morning received a photo message from my mom. She had taken a picture of the morning news cast with a reporter discussing terrible flooding and road closures. Behind the reporter? A complete river running right over Route 2 and DIRECTLY INTO THE MNCC! 

I had only removed the outdoor flags and banners hours earlier, when we finished up with SMS T2. I guess I should’ve left them up, because it would’ve been a lot of free airtime on the local station! Not exactly the PR we are looking for though, I have to say.

With the road closed there was no getting into the MNCC anyway, so all I could do was wait…besides, there was other business to attend to! It was an early morning trip to the Range, with the chainsaw in the car, in case of blowdowns and trail hazards. The trails fared ok though, and those that could make it to practice unimpeded by flooding got in a solid ski including the famous 5k (or 2k, if you’re a U16!) Project.

Alas, I did make it down to the MNCC shortly after. The water had shifted and I was able to don my rubber boots and wade into the now-underwater basement level of the facility. It was a bizarre scene, with water about a foot deep, and the water had clearly been much higher (about 3′ based on the evidence of wall and stair silt).

Floating haunted wax box

The good news? Nothing of value was on the lower level, and Coach Liz and I had already made it a point to get lots of cheap shelves wherever we could find them (Goodwill, ReSource, the side of the road, etc). The items that I found literally floating around were mostly construction materials that had been on the floor…some paint cans, brooms, plywood…sadly and eerily, there were a few BKL wax boxes drifting slowly from one side of the room to the other, like a ski-themed horror movie with Swix and Toko poltergeists.

We had anticipated flooding, especially after knowledge of what happened at this location exactly one year prior. We just didn’t expect this level this soon!

However, by the evening the waters had all drained from the MNCC: a benefit of a 100-year old building with less-than-tight foundational systems. I was able to use a squeegee to get a bunch of sand and mud off the floor. The following morning the Juniors helped out with that task too, as we were going for a run from the space. We also started the process of laying some bleach down to disinfect and de-odorize.

The main area upstairs was pristine, as if nothing had happened. Phew! It was quite a week, and we realize things could’ve been much worse for us, just as they WERE much worse for many others. We’re sorry for those that lost so much more, and we know the community will continue to come together in times of need as well as times of ease.

Elsa getting the last of the mud out of there! Vermont Strong!

I’m titling this post “Lost Nation Roll Day” and not just “Lost Nation Roll” because I think the whole string of events that took place really says more than just the race itself. On the surface this was a 5/10km skate rollerski race at the Craftsbury rollerski loop. However, if you didn’t already realize it, I get very excited for “events” and opportunities for a chunk of our club to all be together.

So was it “extra” to bring the radio vests? Definitely.

Did I need to have the tent, the food table, folding chairs, spare skis and poles, a football, and more? Not really.

But the goal wasn’t just to be showing up and racing…the goal was to create an experience. The MNC tent was set up in the middle of the field and it became the hub for not just our crew, but a lot of others just stopping by or looking to check-in. Skiers hung out, tossed the football around, sharpened their pole tips, and consumed a lot of juice boxes and Sour Patch watermelons.

Rye preparing for a long toss

The race was still the focal point of the day, and everyone got after it with good attitudes and solid efforts. I was particularly impressed with the technique on display, as we showed that our club is right there in terms of our goals for how we want our skiing to LOOK. With the summer not even over, we still have lots of time to work on how we want our skiing and effort levels to FEEL, as uphill skating and aggressive, fast tempo is a goal.

There’s a bluegrass band called The Devil Makes Three and they have a live album called “A Little Bit Faster and a Little Bit Worse” which is

a great description of what most concerts: a band playing their songs faster and with more energy, but not necessarily as polished as the studio recorded version.

Right now I think our MNC Juniors have a great studio album, but when we go “on tour” this winter we can work on ramping up our live show. I’m perfectly ok with us skiing a little bit worse (technically) but a little bit faster (literally)!

Astrid and Ollie finished their 5k and then stayed all the way through the whole 10k to cheer!

A shoutout to Astrid for taking the win in the 5k women’s race, and 3rd overall! Astrid had spent the past few days prior to the race up at Craftsbury for the NENSA RDG (Regional Development Group) camp, and got to pick up a lot of new pointers from different coaches and fellow skiers. She was attacking that course the whole time! Some of our skiers have done this race many times before, and others were experiencing their first rollerski race or even their first 10km effort. With pro skiers, college skiers, and Juniors all racing together it was a great display of New England ski culture.

After the races there was much swimming. In fact, most of the podiums were initially empty because everyone was down at the lake! The upper field reverted back to a big quiet patch of grass, and cars filtered out of the parking lot.

For many, the day was over and it was time to relax for the rest of the hot and hazy Sunday afternoon…

…but not for all! If you’re a longtime MNC fan you know that motivation is often one of our strongest traits. We still had lots to accomplish in the afternoon, as multiple skiers got in some strength training at the MNCC in Richmond/Jonesville. Not only that, U18 skier Seven Bowen was unable to make it to the race in the morning, but we organized to meet in the Williston neighborhoods in the afternoon so she could do a solo timetrial. Dedication, anyone?

So, with a tasty lunch from *that* gas station in Morrisville (you know the one, and you know you’ve stopped there before or after many a Craftsbury ski day!) it was off to the MNCC for strength session #1, then off to Williston to ride alongside and have Seven complete her timetrial with coach filming and yelling alongside from the bike, then right back to the MNCC for strength session with group #2! And I wouldn’t have it any other way…how can you not feel the excitement of a classic summer day of hanging out, racing, training, and more?

Seven competes in the one-racer-Southridge-TT