Archive | Masters Blog

Lake Placid EC needs volunteers!

Volunteers at last year’s MNC Skiathlon (thank you again!).

Are you a parent traveling to Lake Placid for the Eastern Cup? Please consider volunteering! It takes a ton of volunteers to host a well-run Eastern Cup race and Rikert had lots of volunteers lined up. Then had to move their race to Lake Placid and many of their volunteers had to withdraw. If you are going anyways, please consider taking a shift! Contact: Britta Pirrung, britta@frostmountainnordic.org

Everyone will really appreciate your help!

Updates for this weekend

By Adam Terko on 9 December, 2022 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

The Kendall Classic race has been cancelled and will no longer happen on Sunday. Please note the following changes (or lack of changes!) to our weekend plans:

SATURDAY

Juniors: All are encouraged to race the Silver Fox Trot, the skate race which is still ON for Saturday. Registration is open until 5pm tonight (Friday) at the link below. The race begins at 10AM for the open categories: look for the MNC tent and trailer in the lower lot which will be home base.

Silver Fox Trot Registration

Masters: If you’re interested in racing, the Silver Fox Trot on Saturday is a great chance to enjoy what looks to be very nice freshly-made snow on a relatively tame course.

BKL: The Silver Fox Trot was, and still is, the primary BKL event for the weekend!

SUNDAY

Juniors: We will meet at Craftsbury at 10AM for a classic ski. Meet at the trailer in the lower lot, which will stay on-site overnight. Those that have not classic skied more than 2-3x this season will get in a distance classic ski. Those with more classic under them this season will do some classic intensity…exact format TBD. Note there will be no van for this session as Adam needs to remain at Craftsbury for our Masters event.

Masters: Our group ski event is STILL ON and still happening at 1pm. Nothing has changed with regard to this ski!

BKL: Snowmaking temps may have allowed other areas such as Rikert or even Sleepy Hollow to open up some terrain, so this is a good day to take a rest if you raced Saturday, or seek out some more snow!

Coming to the Range

By Adam Terko on 8 December, 2022 in BKL Jackrabbits, BKL Race Blog, BKL Training Schedule, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

Hello everyone!

While our Range days are limited in December (and the lack of snow makes it difficult to have a “traditional” session in the first place) we have access occasionally and I’d like to just put out information on the arrival process as a refresher.

If you have signed up for MNC Programming (including Range Access, not just coaching) your name will be added to our “command list” which is kept at the front gate.
When you drive in, you’ll need to show a photo ID to the gate guard and specify that you’re on the MNC/Mansfield Nordic Club list. For younger skiers, a school ID is fine! For the smallest skiers (elementary school) it’s likely ok to just have a parent in the car who can provide names.
Always remember to go the speed limit, or even better BELOW the speed limit!
Need specific directions to the Range itself? Check out this document below

Range Directions

A Note from Coach Rick

By Adam Terko on 8 December, 2022 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog, Uncategorized

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

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.